PROCLAMATION Anent the Excise after the first of March next, 1699.  
WILLIAM by the Grace of GOD, King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith;  
To Macers of Our Privy Council, Messengers at Arms, Our Sheriffs in that part, Conjunctly and Severally, Specially Constititut Greeting;  
Forasmuch as, the Annexed-Excise, as Converted by the Twenty Eight Act of the first Session of this current Parliament, from Two Marks upon the Boll of Malt, to an Excise of Three Pennies upon the Pint of all Ale and Beer Browen to be Vended and Sold with the Excises of other Liquors mentioned in the said Act, are now Set in Tack by the Lords of Our Thesaury and Exchequer, to William Menȝies late bailie of Edinburgh, and Alexander Wood Merchant there, for the space of Five years, to commence from the first of March next to come inclusive: And that the Lords of Our Privy Council are Authorized and Impowered to prescribe such Methods and Orders, besides these mentioned in the Acts of Parliament; as they shall judge necessary, for the better Uplifting and Inbringing of the said's Excises: Therefore, and for Determining all Differences that may arise betwixt the Brewers and the Tacksmen of the said's Excises, and their Sub-Tacksmen or Collectors, during the Space and Years of the foresaid Tack. And for the due and timeous making of Entries of all Liquors Browen or Imported Liable to the said Excise: We, with Advice of the Lords of Our Privy Council, Do, Require and Command the Commissioners of Supply of the several Shires within this Kingdom, Qualified according to Law, and residing within the Shire; And who by the said Act of Parliament are Appointed Commissioners of the saids Excise, to Meet at the Head-Burghs of the respective Shires, upon the first Tuesday of April next to come, and at their said Meeting, to Divide themselves as is prescribed by the said Act, and to Settle, and Appoint Places at convenient Distances, where the public Excise-Offices may be best keeped, for the Brewers and Retailers to Enter, and give up the Quantities of Liquors Browen and Retailed by them, liable in Payment of the said Excises, and Appoints the saids Commissioners, immediately after Designing Places for the said's Offices, to cause make public Intimation at all the Church Doors within the respective Shires of the particular Places designed by them for the several Excise-Offices, with Certification to the said's Commissioners or any of them residing within the said's respective Shires, who shall Failyie to meet the said first Tuesday of April next to come, and to Appoint and Design the particular Places for Excise-Offices in manner above-exprest, their Names shall be returned by their Clerks to the Lords of Our Privy Council, to the effect they may take such Course therewith as they shall see Cause: And We, with Advice foresaid, Require and Command the said's Commissioners to Meet the first Tuesday of every Month thereafter, during the Continuance of the foresaid Tack, for the Ends prescribed, and set down in the Acts of Parliament: And We, with Advice foresaid, Require and Command the whole Brewers and Retailers within the Bounds allotted for the said's Excise-Offices, to Attend the Commissioners thereat, upon the said first Tuesday of April next, without any farther Charge, Citation or Intimation to them for that effect, but allanerly upon the Publication hereof; And there to Give in, and Make, and the said's Commissioners to Receive from them an true Account of their Names, place of Residence, and the Time when they did begin to Brew, what ever the Quantity may be: And likeways, full and faithful Entries of all Liquors Browen or Retailled by them, liable in Payment of the said's Excises after the first Day of March next to come inclusive, Declaring hereby, and Certifying such Brewers and Retailers as shall not Compear and Attend the said's Commissioners the first Tuesday of every Month, for Giving up their Names, Places of Abode, and Time when they did begin to Brew; And for making Entery of the precise Quantities of all Liquors Browen and Retailed by them, liable to Excise for the preceding Month, they shall be holdenas Confessed, and Decreets given against them for the Quantities contained in the Claims and Complaints to be given in by the Tacksm●n, or their Sub-Tacksmen or Collectors against them, providing nevertheless, that if the said's Brewers or Retailers holden as Confessed, as said is, shall at any time within Three Months thereafter. Compear before any Two of the said's Commissioners, afterhaving made due Intimation to the Tacksmen, or their foresaids, and there make Faith as above, and report a Certificate under the hands of the said's Commissioners, They shall be Reponed against the said Certification, upon punctual Payment of what they shall be found due. And We, with Advice foresaid, Appoint and Ordain, that no Brewer or Retailer within Burgh of Royalty, Regality or Barony, Vend or Sell any part of their Browst, until first, they make Entery thereof at the Excise-Office there, (if any be) and obtain a Sufferance for the Quantities Browen, or upon their hand, which the Keeper of the Excise-Office is to give without delay Gratis; And that in case of none-entry, or wrongous Entry, the Brewer or Retailer within Burgh, be liable in the Sum of Ten pounds' Scots, toties quoties, and to all Execution competent for payment thereof. And it is hereby declared, that the said's Entries or Claims in Absence, may nevertheless be disproven before any Magistrate, Justice of Peace, or Commissioner of Excise, by Witnesses or Oath of Party, notwithstanding of any Survey made by the Surveyors and walter's, Poviding, the same be done within ●ight days thereafter; and that all Brewer's Barrels be for hereafter marked with their own name, and the Seal of the next Office, which shall be furnished to them gratis. As also that no Person who hath foreborn to Brew for the space mentioned in the Act one Thousand six Hundred & ninety three, shall begin, unless they first get Licence from the Tacksmen foresaid, and that no Person presume to Reset any Ale or drinking Beer in their Houses, in order to the imbazling the Excise thereof, under the Pain of ten pounds toties quoties, to the forsaids Tacksmen their Sub-tacksmen or Collectors; And farther, that all Tapsters, and Venders of Ale and drinking Beer, shall from the said first day of March next inclusive, before they Tap or Vend the same first make Entry of what they have upon their hand, at the next Excise Office of the bounds now in being, and at the same time take a Licence there: And in regard the Excise of strong Waters, Aquavity and Foreign Beer and Ale, is ordered by Act of Parliament to be paid by the Retailers; Therefore We with advice forsaid, Require and Command all Brewers of Aquavity or strong Waters, to make Monthly Entries of the quantities of strong Liquors Browen by them, and give in subscribed Lists to the next Excise Office, of the names of the Persons to whom they Sell their Aquavity or strong Waters, to be again sold by Retail; As likewise that all Retailers of Brandy, foreign Aquavity and strong Waters, make the like Entries of what quantities of Brandy, Foreign Aquavity and strong Waters they have upon their hand unretailed the said first day of March, to the effect that they may be liable for the Excise thereof, at six shilling per Pint: As also that the Collectors, Clerks, or Surveyors at Seaports, give up a particular account to the said's Tacksmen or their Sub-tacksmen and Collectors of the said Excise, of the quantities of Foreign strong Waters, Brandy and Foreign Beer and Ale, imported from time to time, and who is the Importer, that the said Importer may pay the Excise of Brandy conform to the _____ Act of the _____ Session of this current Parliament: As also that the said Merchant importer, and all other Persons importing the said Foreign Aquavity and strong Waters, who pretend to Sell the foresaid Liquors in hail Sale, that is to say above a Pint, as the Act of Parliament hath determined, be liable and obliged to give and deliver subscribed Lists to the said's Tacksmen, and their Sub-tacksmen or their Collectors, of the Persons names to whom they Sell the said strong Waters, or Foreign Beer or Ale, and of the quantities Sold to them, to the effect the Retailer may be liable for the Excise thereof, and in case the said's Commissioners or at least two of them shall fail to meet, and attend the said's respective Excise Offices upon the said first Tuesday of April next to come, or upon the first Tuesday of any subsequent Month during the continuance of the said Tack, the whole division, and each of them residing within the said Shire under the Certification foresaid, and after Instruments taken against them of their failyie; We with advice foresaid Require and Command the Sheriffs and their Deputs, or such as the said's Sheriffs or Deputs shall substitute to each particular Diet for that effect allanarly, to repair to the said's respective Offices within three days after they shall be desired by the Tacksmen, or their Sub-tacksmen, or Collectors of the said's Excises, there Summarily to Judge upon what occurs within the Bounds of that Office, in reference to the said's Excises, certifying the said's Sheriffs and their Deputs or Substitutes, if they failyie: they shall be punished as the Lords of Our Privy Council shall think fit. And farther, We with advice foresaid, Prohibit and Discharge any of the Commissioners of Supply, or other inferior Judge or Officers of the Law within this Our Realm, to stop or hinder either Quartering, poinding, Imprisoning, or any other lawful Execution that shall be used by Our Tacksmen, or their Sub●tacks●… and Collectors of the said's Excites, against the respective Brewers and Retailers, conform to the Entries that shall be made by them, or according to the quantity of the Liquor Retailed by them, or whereupon they shall be holden as Confessed in manner, and before the Judges above mentioned, except they crave to be Reponed within three Months in manner above provided, under the Pain of being not only liable for the Charges and Damnages Our said's Tacksmen, their Sub-tacksmen and Collectors shall sustain and incur there through, but also to such further Pains, as the Lords of Our Privy Council shall think fit: And lastly, it is hereby declared, that all the Penalties toties quoties above mentioned, are not to be understood for every Delinquency or Fault, but allanarly for every Conviction, and the Transgressions to be therein found. OUR WILL IS HEREFORE, and We Charge you strictly and Command, that incontinent these Our Letters seen, ye pass to the Mercat-Cross of Edinburgh, and remanent Mercat-crosses of the whole head burgh's of the several Shires and Stewartries within this Kingdom, and there in Our name and Authority by open Proclamation, make Intimation hereof, that none pretend Ignorance, and Ordains Printed Copies hereof to be sent to the Sheriffs of the several Shires and Stewarts of the Stewartries within this Kingdom, whom, and heir Clerks, We Ordain to see the samen Published, and Copies hereof Affixed at the said Mercat-crosses; and appoints them to send Doubles thereof to all the Ministers, both ●n Churches and Meeting-Houses within their respective Jurisdictions, that upon the Lord's day immediately preceding the said first Tuesday of April next, the same may be Re●…d and Intimat in every Paroch Church and Meetinghouse, and Copies of the same Affixed upon the most Public Doors thereof; and Ordains these Presents to be Printed,  
Given under Our Signet at Edinburgh, the twenty third day of February and of Our Reign the tenth year. 1699, Per Actum Dominorum Secreti Concilii. GILB. ELIOT, Cls. Sti. Concilii.  
GOD Save the King.   

Edinburgh, Printed by the Heirs and Successors of Andrew Anderson, Printer to the Kings Most Excellent Majesty, Anno DOM. 1699.