19.
MR MASON TIDE SURVEYOR AND BOATMEN ON THE KINGS BOAT FURTHER LETTERS RELATING TO.
Kings Boat at Kincardine Destroyed
No 98. 23 May 1801
Honourable Sirs,
We beg leave to transmit your Honors the enclosed letter this Day received from Mr Mason, Tide Surveyor Kincardine giving an account of a most wanton & wicked action done to the boat at Kincardine while repairing by Mr Mieklejohn Carpenter there in Consequence of an Estimate given in by him & ordered to be done by your Honors order of the 13inst. On the evening of Thursday the 21 or early Friday morning the 22nd and we require your Honors directions for the investigation of & making enquiry after the perpetrators of this illegal and wicked procedure.
We are & c., Signed C. D. J.U.
23 May 1801
Collector and Controller, Alloa
Agreeable to the Honourable Boards Order of the 13 inst,. Communicated to me by you, Robert Meiklejohn Carpenter in Kincardine had proceeded Considerably in the repairs of the Kings boat here agreeable to the Estimate Given by him & I am Sorry to inform you that last night or Early this morning some wicked Disposed Persons have stove the Boat in a very bad manner Particularly her Planks on both sides & broken several of her timbers by which means the Carpenter has lost all the repairs that he has done till her which will be very hard upon him as she was near repaired, therefore beg you will be so good as represent the matter to the Honorable Board for their Directions, the Carpenters loss cannot be less than three pounds five Shillings.
Signed James Mason.
No. 111. 16 June 1801
Honourable Sirs,
Having in obedience to your Honors order of 2 inst. Recommended in to the Tide Surveyor at Kincardine to use every prudent means to discover the offenders who had been guilty in injuring the Kings Boat at that Creek. Mr Mason has transmitted us the enclosed letter in consequence thereof from which it would appear that Henry Adamson, Jun. Mr Scotland & George Watt all Shipmasters and John Turcan, Baker in Kincardine are suspected to have been the Persons guilty of the said Offence which is Submitted to your Honors Consideration.
We are &c., Signed C.D. J.U.
Gentlemen,
I have made all the Inquiry I am Possible do with regards to the Persons that Destroyed the Kings Boat & I am informed that James Turcan Saw several men coming up from the Shore Past His House at about two o’clock on Friday Morning & its Currently reported in this Town that Henry Adamson Junior, Shipmaster, William Scotland and George Watt Do. And John Turcan Baker was the Persons that Destroyed the Boat & that they was Drinking in Henry Adamsons on Thursday Night, but I can find no Persons that Can swear that they were the Persons, It would be the Best way to have James Turcan & Henry Henderson Examined & the whole of the Persons Suspected as it wont be found out otherwise as the people in the Town is so Clanish that they wont Inform of another without they are forced to it.
I am, &c. Signed James Mason.
No. 144 21 July 1801
Honourable Sirs,
Persuant to your Honors order of the 18 Ultimo. We made application to the Sheriff of Perthshire in the order that a precognition might be taken respecting the Injury done to the Kings boat at Kincardine in consequence of which the Collector along with Mr Jameson one of his Majestys Justices of the Peace for the County of Clackmannan who was appointed by the Sheriff to take the precognition attended at Kincardine upon the 30 Ultimo & 7 inst. When the persons precognised Vizt, Henry Adamson Junr. William Scotland, Shipmaster, George Watt, Shipmaster, John Turcan, Baker, James Turcan & Henry Henderson all of Kincardine together with Mr Mason Tide Surveyor & Robert Bookless, Boatmen were judicially Examined. Enclosed we Beg leave to transmit the application to Sheriff & the said persons Declarations from which it does not appear any proof has come out acquaint the persons suspected of being guilty of the Offence is submitted for your Honors consideration.
Enclosed we Beg leave to transmit an account of Expenses on the above occasion due to Mr Robert Jameson, Writer here who was the Person Employed in the business amounting to Three Pounds fourteen shillings & one penny which is submitted for your Honors order of Payment.
We are, Signed, C.D. J.U.
Unto the Honourable the Commissioners of His Majestys Customs at Edinburgh
The Petition of James Mason Tide Surveyor at Dunbar. Stationed at Kincardine, Port of Alloa.
Humbly Sheweth,
That your Petitioner is in great Straits owing to the High Price of Provisions & the smallness of His Salary, not being able to Support his family having seven children, his wife & himself as it takes half a Peck of Oatmeal & half a Peck of Bread meal every 24 hours which is above my pay and I am getting in Debt every day and is in arrears with my house rent and my Landlord Threatens to Roup my Furniture at Martinmas if I dont pay my rent as it takes above my pay to keep us in meat & half starved and my family is half naked for want of Cloths & as for myself I cannot go to Church for want of Cloths & as I as I understand the Officers in England has got their salary augmented & I am surprised it is not taken place in Scotland, only with the Tidewaiters & Boatmen but I am worse of than any of the Boatmen under as me as they have the same Salary as I have & most of their Families up of their hand, and they can go with Jackets, thick Shirts and Trousers, whereas I must appear according to my Station if possible, which makes a great odds & your Honours knows that I have no Fees or Perquisites, therefore I am very ill off.
May it therefore Please your Honors to take my case into your Consideration and grant me such relief as you in your Wisdom shall think fit and your Petitioner shall ever pray.
I am &c., Signed, James Mason.
