The CASE of MR. JAMES TREFUSIS, Of the County of Cornwall Gent.  
THAT The said Trefusis, having made it his Business, and Employed divers Servants in Distilling and Extracting of Spirits from Corn and Mollossoes, etc. and having considerably Improved himself in the knowledge of the said Art, and observing how much the Present Government did suffer in the Revenue and Duty chargeable upon Spirits, by the unskilfulness and Ill Management of the Officers, who were entrusted to Supervise and Collect the same; He the said James Trefusis, in the Month of August, in the First Year of His Majesty's Reign, applied himself to a Person of Quality, and requested him to make the Government Acquainted therewith.  
THAT thereupon the said Person of Quality, the same month of August, Recommended the said Trefusis to the Commissioners of Excise, and the Commissioners directed the said Trefusis, to reduce what he had Discoursed them into Writing, which he accordingly did; and demonstrated the Quantities and Qualities of Low Wines and Spirits usually Extracted either from Barley Malt, or Mollossoes.  
THAT Some of the Commissioners were so well Satisfied, that they declared. The said Treffussis, had given them the best and fullest Information they ever had in that Affair; but believed the said Trefusis' Method Impracticable, in respect the Distillers would be induced to Indict their Officers, in case they should proceed that way, the then Acts of Parliament being deficient therein: But Trefusis having fully satisfied them, that the said Duty could be no other ways Ascertained to Advance the Revenue, but by Gauging and taking an Account of all Wash and other Materials, as they should at all times be found Prepared or Preparing, for the making of Low Wines, as well as of all Low Wines and Spirits: And that the Distillers should from time to time give the Officer an account of what was become of such Wash Low Wines and materials, and the Produce thereof, or otherwise to stand Charged therewith: And this being Represented by the Commissioners to the Parliament, a New Act of Parliament passed to that purpose the 5th. of January, 1690.  
THAT the said Trefusis having been promised Preferment for making the said Discovery (by the said Commissioners) Dismissed his Servants, and left his Trade as a Distiller, and in order to his being Instructed, was first brought in a Supernumerary, and placed to observe the working of one Mr. Woodward a Distiller; but the said Woodward, being sensible of the said Trefusis knowledge in that Business, he would no longer work under Trefusis' Inspection, but compounded rather to pay 801. per Month, which was 4cls. more than he paid before.  
THAT One Mr. Newman, the then General Surveyor (Envying Trefusis for being the Author of so Great an improvement in that Duty) Used all possible means to prevent his being Preferred for his good Service, and therefore Preferred and Introduced the said Distiller [Woodward] to be one of the General Surveyors of the Distillery of this City of London, altho' he was, at that time, Incapable of that Post; and at the same time, misrepresented the said Trefusis to the Board, and threatened the Officers, to deter them from Certifying his Ability.  
THAT the said Trefusis being very well Instructed in Gauging and Book-keeping, by the means of Sr. Henry Asburst [then one of the Commissioners] Procured an Examination, and was found Capable of any Employment in the Excise; yet nevertheless the said Trefusis obtained but a common Gaugers place; and after three Years in that Post without prospect of Preferment, for his said good Service, under the then Managers, he gave up his Commission.  
THAT the Revenue of that Branch of the Excise, within the Bills of Mortality, in the Year 1690. before the said Act was granted, Produced no more but 9942l. 17s. but after the said Act of Parliament was past, the said Revenue advanced in the Year 1691. to 5770l. 14s. In 1692, it advanced to 19544l. 10s. 6d. which was more than double the Duty it Produced before the said Act of Parliament was procured; and the same hath been every year Improving, as will appear by the Books in the Office.  
THAT the said Mr. Newman [for his Unfaithfulness] and some others, being removed, the said Trefusis a gain Petitioned and obtained a Warrant to be one of the General Surveyors of the Distillery in the place of the said Mr. Newman. but although the said Mr. Newman and the said Mr. Woodward, his Partner in that Offiice, had Four Hundred Pounds a Year Salary, between them [besides their Incident Charges, which was very considerable] paid them Quarterly; yet the said Treffussis and Mr.— his Partner in that Office, are allowed but 80l. a year each, without any Incident Charges; by which reason, the said Treffussis, and Mr.— is out of Pocket in maintaining themselves in that Chargeable Post; and very far from being a Reward to the said Trefusis for his good Service done to the Government, or to compensate his leaving his Employment as a Distiller, which have proved very detrimental to his Family.  
THE said Trfeusis therefore hopes that either the Salary shall be Augmented, and the Incident Charges added to the said Office, as formerly; or that some other way may be considered of, as a Reward for his said Good Service; the same having now evidently appeared very Beneficial to the Public.