THE Lords of His Majesties Privy Council, to prevent the great Prejudice that may arise to His Majesties Service, by the not sen­ding in Probation with the Prisoners, who are sent into His Majestie's Prisons, and particularly those of Edinburgh and Can­nogate whereby His Majestie's Advocate cannot know the ground whereupon they are to be pursued, or how to find a Probation; as also the extraordinary prejudices that daily arise to His Majestie's Subjects, by being Imprisoned through Malice, Ignorance, or Mis-information; Do therefore hereby ordain all Officers of the Army, Magistrates, or others, who send in Prisoners, to send to His Majestie's Advocate, or the Clerks of the Council, as sufficient Information of their Crimes, with a full account of the Depositions of such Witnesses, or other Probation as can be had against them; Warranting the Keepers of the Prisons, to receive none into their Prisons, unless. Information or Probation be sent-in, as said is, to be verified to the saids Keepers, by the saids Clerks, excepting allwise such as are sent in Prisoners by or­der from a Privy Counselor; to whom it is hereby Recomended, to send also an account to His Majestie's Advocate of their Crime, and Probation, with their first conveniency; and His Majestie's Advocate is hereby required to represent to the Privy Council, the Grounds and Warrands of the said Imprisonment, the very next Council day after the Prisoners are incarcerated, as said is, to the end they may be either set at Liberty or Punished. And to the effect these Presents may be Published and known; the saids Lords ordain the Macers of Council to pass to the Market-Cross of Edinburgh, and there by sound of Trumpet make Publication of the same, that none pretend Ignorance.

Extracted forth of the Records of Privy Council, by me Mr. Colin M^ckenȝie, Clerk of His Majestie's most Ho­nourable Privy Council.