royal blazon or coat of arms PROCLAMATION Discharging Export and allowing Import of Victual.  
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 constitute, Greeting: Forasmuch as through the extraordinary unseasonableness of the Wether for some Months past, and the misgiving of this Years Cropped and Harvest; the Scarcity of Victual is Increased to that height, as threatens a General distress and Calamity; So that it is most necessary that the Prohibition of the Export of Victual made in the Month of May last, be renewed and extended with all Severity, against all who shall presume to contemn Our Authority, in a matter so just and Indispensiblie requisite for the relief of the Poor, and Good and welfare of the Kingdom. Therefore We with Advice of the Lords of our Privy Council, have thought fit to Prohibit, and hereby most strictly Prohibit and Discharge the Exporting forth of this Kingdom by any Person whatsoever, either by Land or by Sea, of all kinds of Victual, either Meal, Wheat, Rye, Oats, Pease, Barley or Bear, Malted or not Malted, or any other Grain or Victual whatsoever, after the day and date of these Presents, under the pains following, viz. The Forfeiture of the Victual offered to be Exported for the use of the Poor of the Bounds, where the same shall be attached and seized, or the value thereof, where the samen is proven to be Exported: As likeways of the Forfeiture of the Horse, Ship, Boat or other Vessel whereby the same shall be attempted to be Exported, and also of the pain of ten pounds' Scots over and above for each Boll that shall be found to be Exported or offered to be Exported, and proven or attacked and seized as said is, to be paid by the Owner, Skipper or Exporter; And that such as shall be found transgressing, and have not to pay the forsaid pains, shall be Punished in their Bodies by Imprisonment, to be Fed with Bread and Water, or Scourging at the discretion of the Judge. And We hereby require and charge all Sheriffs, Stevarts, Bailies and their Deputs, Magistrates of burgh's, Justices of Peace, and other Officers of the Law; to see and cause these Presents to be put to strict Execution in all Points, with certification, if they shall be found negligent or remiss, they shall be Punished by the Lords of Our Privy Council, as Despisers of Our Authority, and Betrayers of the Trust reposed in them. And Further, We do hereby Authorise Our Customers and all Collectors, Surveyors, Waiters and other Officers at Seaports, & Generally all Our lieges to Discover, Attach & Seize the forsaid Victual that shall be Exported or offered to be Exported as said is, promising and allowing them the half of the Pecunial pains Abovementioned for their reward, with this certification, that if they or any of them be remiss or negligent in the due Execution of the Premises; So that Victual be Exported by Sea or Land, within the Bounds of their Respective Precincts, they shall not only lose their Commissions, but be themselves liable to the pains and Penalties for each Boll Exported, as the Owner and Exporter are declared liable in manner Abovementioned: Likeas, We hereby require all our said's Judges, Magistrates and Officers of the Law, and all Our said's Customers, Collectors and their Officers abovenamed, immediately to cause search to be made into all Ships, Boats and other Vessels within the Ports and Roads of this Kingdom, for Victual to be Exported, and that they Arreast and Stop the same, and the forsaids Vessels by taking away their Sails, and otherways, and cause the said Victual be instantly unloaded and brought on Shoar, for the use of the Owner, and to remain within the Country, and in case any Victual already put on Board, or which shall be put on Board, shall be pretended not to be Exported, but only Transported from one Port or Place to another within the Kingdom, then and in that case, the Owners shall first find sufficient Caution, under the pain of twenty pounds' Scots for each Boll, Acted in the Books of the next burgh's Royal, and the Skippers shall give their Oath before the Magistrates thereof, that they shall not Export, but only Transport, as said is; And that they shall report a Certificate thereof upon its Arrival from the Port or Place to which it shall be Transported, certyfeing that what Victual shall be offered to be otherways Transported from Port to Port within this Kingdom, shall be held to be offered to be Exported contrary to this Prohibition, and Liable to the pains thereof. And We with advice foresaid, for the better ease and relief of the Country, do hereby permit and allow the Import of all forts of Victual from all Foreign Parts, free of all Custom or other Public Duty, and these presents to endure ay and while they be recalled. 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 Head-Burghs of the several Shires and Stewartries, & to all the several Seaport Towns within this Kingdom, and make Publication hereof, and appoints Our Solicitor to transmit a sufficient number of Copies hereof to the Sheriffs of the several Shires, Stewarts of Stewartries, Bailies of Regalities, their Deputs or Clerks, to be Published at their several burgh's, and likeways sent by them to the Magistrates of the several Seaport Towns, there to be Published by them, under the certification foresaid, as also appoints Our Solicitor to deliver a sufficient Number of Copies of their Presents, to the Tacks-men of Our Customs, to be sent by them to the several Parts and Places of this Kingdom, where they keep Offices for Collecting and Imbringing of our Customs to be Published thereat by the Collector or Surveyer, residing there for the time: And ordains these presents to be Printed, that none pretend Ignorance.  
Given under Our Signet at Edinburgh, the Ninth Day of November, and of Our Reign the Tenth Year, 1698. 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 King's most Excellent Majesty, Auno Dom. 1698.