A PROCLAMATION For the better In bringing Their Majesty's Excise.  
WILLIAM and MARY by the Grace of God, King and Queen of Great-Britain, France and Ireland, Defenders of the Faith, To Macers of Our Privy Council, or Messengers at Arms, Our Sheriff in that part conjunctly and severally, specially constitute, Greeting;  
Forasmuch as, by the third Act of the fourth Session of Our current Parliament, We with Advice and Consent of the Estates of Parliament, did Impose and Ordain an Additional Excise of Three pennies upon the Pint of Ale and Beer browen, and to be vended and sold within this Kingdom, and Two shilling upon the Pint of Aquavite and Strong-waters made of Malt, or otherways as in the said Act, and did set down and appoint certain Methods and Rules for Levying, Raising and Uplifting the same, in manner mentioned in the said Act; And with Advice and Consent foresaid did Authorise and empower the Lords of Our privy Council, to prescribe such other Methods and Orders as they should judge , for making the said Act effectual, and We considering the great hindrance the Tacksmen of Our said Additional Excise meet with in the several Shires, for uplifting the said Three pennies, and two shilling of Excise imposed in manner foresaid, by the not meeting of the Commissioners of Supply, duly and frequently, to determine all differences between the Brewers and Tacksmen, their Sub-tracksmen & Collectors, and for want of orderly & rimous Entries by the Brewers, of all Liquors browen by them liable to the said Excise, wherethrow great Loss and Prejudice doth arise to that Branch of the Supply granted to Us thereby: For Remeed whereof, We with Advice of the Lords of Our Privy Council, strictly Require and Command, the whole Commissioners of Supply in all the Shires within this Kingdom, qualified according to Law, and who by the said Act of Parliament, are appointed Commissioners of the said Additional Excise, to meet at the Head burghs of their respective Shires, at the days respective following, viz: These on this side of the River of Tay, upon the second Tuesday of January next, and these on the other side of the said River of Tay, upon the Third Tuesday of the said Month, and at their Meetings to settle and appoint places, such as they shall find most convenient, where public Excise-offices shall be keeped, for the Brewers to enter and give up the quantities of the Liquors browen by them, liable in payment of the said Excise; And appoints the saids Commissioners Immediately after designing the places for the said's Offices, to cause make public Intimation at all the Church-doors within the said's respective Shires, of the particular Places designed by them for the several Excise-offices, with Certification to the said's Ccmmissioners, or any of them residing within the said's respective Shires, who shall failyie to meet at the said, days respective above set down, and to appoint and design the particular Places for, Excise-offices in manner above expressed, they shall be, and are hereby Fined, each of them, in the Sum of One hundred pounds Scots for the said absence, to be charged for, upon a simple Charge of six days, and uplifted by the Collectors of Supply of the respective Shires, for which effect, Letters are hereby Authorized to be directed at the instance; of the said's Collectors against them, and appoints the Clerk to the said's Commissioners, to send a List of such of the said's Commissioners as shall be absent at the said's two Diets, immediately after elapsing of these Diets duly subscribed by him to the said Collectors under the pain of Deprivation, and the Collectors are to be comptable for the said Fines to the Justices of Peace in the several Shires, to be applied by them for the repairing of Bridges and Highways within their respective Bounds, as they shall see cause: And We with Advice foresaid, Require and Command, the said's Commissioners to subdivide themselves, so as there may be at least two (who are hereby declared to be a Quorum) to meet and be present at each Office, upon the days respective following; viz these upon this side of Tay upon the third Tuesday of the said Month of January next, and these upon the other side of the said River the fourth Tuesday of the said Month for the first Diet: And We with Advice foresaid, Require and Command the whole Brewers within the bounds allotted for the said's respective Offices, to attend and wait upon the said's respective Commissioners at the offices particularly to be appointed by them upon the days above expressed, without any farther Intimation, Charge or Citation to be given to them by the saids Tacksmen Sub-tacksmen or Collectors of the said Additional Excise, but the publication hereof allenarly in manner , and there to give in and make, and the Commissioners to receive from them faithful and full Entries of all Liquors browen within the said's Bounds liable in payment of the said Additional Excise for the Months of June, July, August, September, October and November last and December current; And because the Brewers for want of timous Intimation for the said's Months of June, July and August, may pretend that they cannot give their Oaths, if required upon the precise quantity of their brewing the said's Months; They are therefore hereby allowed to give their Oaths in these Terms, that their said brewing hath not exceeded such a quantity, which is hereby held as sufficient to make them liable for the same, And sicklike that the said's Commissioners meet, and the said's Brewers attend them at the said's respective Offices, without any further Intimation, Charge or Citation, but what is above expressed the first Tuesday of every Month, during the continuance of the said Additional Excise, for making and receiving in the Entries of all Liquor browen within the said Bounds liable to the said Excise for the preceding Month, and to judge in all Matters relating either to the said Additional Excise, or to the Excise imposed formerly upon Malt, and annexed to our Crown, betwixt the Brewers and our Tacksmen, their Sub-Tacksmen and Collectors, with Certfication to such of the said's Brewers, who shall not compear and attend the said's Diets respective , they shall be holden as Confessed, and Decreets given against them for the quantities of Liquor liable to the foresaid Additional Excise, which shall be contained in the Claims or Complaints to be given in by the Tacksmen, Sub-Tacksmen and Collectors against them; and that at the first: Meeting upon the subsequent Month, after the respective Brewers their absence and failyie, to make a due Entry upon the first Tuesday of the preceding Month. And in case the Ent●… of any Brewer shall be disproven, than they shall be liable in payment of such a Fine, as the Commissioners, or other Judges after named shall Impose, not exceeding the Double of what Liquor shall be concealed; and all Execution competent, shall be made use of by our Tacksmen, their Sub-Tacksmen or Collectors, against the respective Brewers for the same. And in case the said's Commissioners, or at least two of them, shall failʒe to meet and attend the said's respective Officer the said's third and fourth Tuesdays respective of January next, or upon the first Tuesday of any subsequent Month, during the continuance of the said Additional Excise, the whole division, and each of them, shall be liable in the Fine of twenty Pound Scots a piece toties quoties, to be uplifted and applied, in manner as the other Fynes above mentioned. And after Instruments taken against them of their failyie to meet and attend as said is; We, with Advice foresaid, require and command the Sheriffs and their Deputes, or such as the said's Sheriffs shall substitute at each particular Deity for effect allenarly, to repair to the said's respective Offices, within twenty four Hours after they shall be desired by the Tacksmen, either of Annexed or Additional Excise, their Sub Tacksmen or Collectors, there summarily, to judge on what occurs within the Bounds of that Office, in reference to the said Annexed or Additional Excise, certifying the said's Sheriffs, their Deputs or Subsitutes, if they fail, they shall be punished as the Lords of Our Privy Council shall think fit. And further, We, with Advice foresaid, Prohibit and Discharge any of the Commissioners of Supply, or other inferior Judges or Officers of the Law, within this Our Realm, to stop or hinder, either Quartering, poinding, or any other lawful Execution, that shall be used by Our Tacksmen their Sub-tacksmen, and Collectors of the said annexed or Additional Excise against the respective Brewers, conform to the Entries that shall be made by them, or according to the quantities of Liquor, whereupon they shall be holden as confessed in manner, and before the Judge's , under the pain of being not only liable for the Charges and Damages Our said's Tacksmen, their Sub-tacksmen, and Collectors shall sustain and incur therethrough, but also to such further Pains as the Lords of Our Privy Council shall think fit. 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 to the Mercat-crosses of the Head burghs of the several Shires within this Kingdom, and of the Stewartries of Kirkudbright, Annandale and Orkneya, and there in Our Name and Authority, make Publication hereof, that none may pretend Ignorance, and Ordains Our Solicitor, to cause send printed Copies hereof to the Sheriff of the several Shires, and Stewarts of the Stewartries' foresaids, whom, and their said's Clerks We ordain to see the samen published, and Copies thereof affixed at the said's Mercat-Crosses, and appoints them to send Doubles thereof to all the Ministers, both in Churches and Meeting-houses within their respective Jurisdictions, that upon the Lord's day, immediately preceding the said's third and fourth Tuesday; of January next, the same may be Intimate and read in every Paroch Church and Meetinghouse and a Copy of the same affixed upon the most public Door thereof: And Ordains their presents to be Printed.  
Given under Our Signet at Edinburgh, the twenty second day of December, and of Our Reign the Fifth Year; 1693. Per Actum Dominorum Secreti Concilii, In Supplementum Signeti. GILB. ELIOT. Cls. Sti. Concilii.  
GOD save King William and Queen Mary.   

Edinburgh, Printed by the Successors of Andrew Anderson; Printers to Their most Excellent Majesties, Anno DOM. 1693.