THat there is a Petition to be preſented to your Grace and the right Honourable the Eſtates of Parliament, craving that the Tunnage-money impoſed Anno 1695, towards defraying the Charges o • the reſpective Works undertaken by Mr. Adair and your Petitioner may be taken off, in reſpect they pretend there is ſufficiently collected to do the Buſineſs.

As to which Captain Slezer humbly repreſents in the behalf of himſelf, that all the Draughts relating to his Work are drawn, and moſt of them alſo engraven, and the Deſcription part wants only to be reviſed by a Committee of the Privy Council, which their Lordſhips did lately judge proper to be done before the Work ſhould go to the Pries • And both Volumes (now lying upon the Clerks Table) will teſtifie the forwardneſs of the work; By which alſo it doeth clearly appear how faithfully, yea and far beyond what could be expected, your Petitioner hath followed out the Deſign of the Act of Parliament.

Notwithſtanding of this forwardneſs, and that their Lordſhips of the privy Council have by their Act 28. June laſt, found that your Petitioners Deburſements upon this Work do amount to 1590 lib: ster. yet all he hath received is but 350 lib. ſter. in Money, and 130 lib. ſter. by precepts ſtill unanſwered; whereby it is evident that there is not ſufficiently colected. And till the contrair be made appear, it is hoped that either this Fund will be continued, or ſome other granted in favours of your Petitioner, who hath paunded even all his Credit, and hath hazerded the Ruine of himſelf and his numerous Family, having nothing now left him to beſtow upon the breading of his many Children, who are of Age to be put to Imployments: And all this he hath done upon the publick Faith of this Act of Tunnage, which expreſly declares his work to be very much to the Honour, Advantage and Reputation of the Kingdom; Yea, the Encouragement he had for proſecuting of the Work was ſuch, that the Committee of Trade anno 1695, (to whom the matter of your Petitioners Work was remitted) were ſo ſenſible that the Deſign ought to be incouraged, that by their Report to the Parliament, upon which the Tunnage Act was paſt: They did declare, that rather than a Fund ſhould be wanting towards reimburſing your Petitioner, and finiſhing this Work, that a Weeks Ceſs ſhould have been laid on for effectuating this ſo Noble and Honourable Deſign, as the Report doth expreſs it: Upon the faith of which, your petitioner hath ſo cheerfully, and with all the Fidelity and pains imaginable, gone on in the Work and brought it to its preſent Condition.

You petitioner begs leave further to repreſent, that albeit the Caſh-keeper and Hugh Brown have been moſt exact and diligent in their endeavours to bring the ſeveral Collectors to give a faithful accompt of their Intromiſſions with this Fund, yet there are conſiderable Concealments and Malverſations amongſt ſome of them, and others as they go off, detains exorbitant Sums, upon pretence of their pains, without any Warrand, and contrair to the Deſign of the Act of Parliament. It is therefore humbly propoſed, that the bygone Reſts detained and concealed of this Fund not payed in to the Caſh keepers, may be put to a publick Roup, at the ſight of the Lords of his Majeſties privy Council, and that for the incouragement of thoſe who intend to bid, it be furthwith ordered that all Collectors be obliged to expoſe their Books, whereby no doubt theſe Reſts will turn to a very good account, and the like Abuſes diſcouraged in time coming.

And ſince Mr. Adair your petitioners Partner in the Tunnage Act is cleared of his whole bygone pretentions of pains as well as Deburſements, amounting to 22127 lib. ſcots, including what he chargeth that it will coſt him for navigating the Weſt Coaſts of Scotland, and the Iſlands adjacent thereunto; That therefore the product ariſing from the Farm of of theſe Reſts be applyed at the ſight of the Lords of the privy Courcil, towards payment protanto or your petitioners Ballance of Deburſement, whereby he may get Credit, and be put in a Capacity to finiſh what is begune; which Ballance being payed in to him, your petitioner obligeth himſelf to finiſh and print both the Volumes, which otherways would be impoſſible for him to do. But when done, he ſhall demand no farder Encouragement but what any inſuing Seſſion of Parliament, or his Majeſties privy Council ſhall think the Work deſerves.

Theſe two Volumes when finiſhed (could not be ſold by any private undertaker, under ſeven or eight pound Ster. Yet if his Ballance of 1240. lib. Ster. be payed to him, it will enable him to go to London and Holland as is neceſſar, that he may (towards the diſpatch of the work) diſtribute amongſt the Ingravers, theſe Draughts which remain uncut, and likewiſe order the printing of both Volumes, and provide what paper is moſt proper for the uſe; Which when done, your petiitoner ingadges himſelf for the benefit of the publick, to put at leaſt two hundred Coppies of both Volumes, in the hands of ſuch perſons as ſhall ſell them, at no more than 20 ſh. Ster. for each Volume, to ſuch of the Nobility, Gentry and Burrows as ſhall be deſirious of them, and ſubſcribe their Names with in ſix weeks after the pasſing this Act now deſired in your petitioners Favours. And no perſon ſubſcribing ſhall pay in any Money, till the Volumes be delivered to him; The Captain demanding Subſcriptions only, that he may the better know what number of Coppies to provide.

May it therefore pleaſe your Grace, and the Right Honourable the Estates of parliament, either to continue the Tunnage till your petitioner be Re-imburſed, or otherwiſe to grant him ſome other Fond for the ſame; And towards making effectual what is collected, that your Grace and the Right Honourable the Estates of parliament, would be pleaſed to cauſe the bygone Rests and Concealments, and the Detentions of this Tunnage Money not payed into the Caſh keeper, to be rouped at the ſight of their Lordſhips of the privy Council, and in the mean time, that all Collectors expoſe their Books, whereby ſuch as are deſirous may be put in a condition to bid. And ſince Mr. Adair is already payed of his whole Accompts and Claims, extending to 22127 lib. Scots partly in money, and partly by precepts, to be payed out of the first and readiest which is als good as money; That therefore the product of this Roup may be applyed only towards the clearing of your petitiones Ballance of bygones amounting to 1240 lib. Ster. and if this Fond fall ſhort of what is due to your petitioner, your Grace, and the Right honourable the Eſtates of parliament would be pleaſed to lay down ſome other Fond for making up the remander, Whereby your petitioner may be enabled to finiſh his work, and he and his Famimay no be expoſed to ruine by having thus far advanced this work, upon the faith of ſo clear an Act of parliament, and ſo lately paſt in his favours, And your petitioner ſhall ever pray.