Unto his Grace His Majesty's High Commissioner and the right Honour able Estates of parliament, The PETITION of Captain John Slezer  
Humbly showeth,  
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 Clerk's Table) will testify the forwardness of the work; By which also it doth 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: star. yet all he hath received is but 350 lib. star. in Money, and 130 lib. star. by precepts still unanswered; whereby it is evident that there is not sufficiently collected. 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 Ruin 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 Employments: And all this he hath done upon the public Faith of this Act of Tonnage, which expressly 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 encouraged, that by their Report to the Parliament, upon which the Tonnage Act was passed: 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 Cashkeeper and Hugh Brown have been most exact and diligent in their endeavours to bring the several Collectors to give a faithful account 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 Warrant, 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 paid in to the Cash keepers, may be put to a public Roup, at the sight of the Lords of his Majesty's privy Council, and that for the encouragement of those who intent to bid, it be forthwith 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 Tonnage Act is cleared of his whole bygone pretensions 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 applied at the sight of the Lords of the privy Courcil, towards payment protanto or your petitioners Balance of Debursement, whereby he may get Credit, and be put in a Capacity to finish what is begun; which Balance being paid 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 farther Encouragement but what any ensuing Session of Parliament, or his Majesty's 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 Stir. Yet if his Balance of 1240. lib. Stir. be paid to him, it will enable him to go to London and Holland as is , 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 public, to put at least two hundred Copies of both Volumes, in the hands of such persons as shall sell them, at no more than 20 sh. Stir. 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 Copies to provide.  
May it therefore please your Grace, and the Right Honourable the Estates of parliament, either to continue the Tonnage till your petitioner be reimbursed, 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 Tonnage Money not paid 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 paid of his whole Accounts and Claims, extending to 22127 lib. Scots partly in money, and partly by precepts, to be paid out of the first and readiest which is als good as money; That therefore the product of this Roup may be applied only towards the clearing of your petitiones Balance of bygones amounting to 1240 lib. Stir. 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 ruin by having thus far advanced this work, upon the faith of so clear an Act of parliament, and so lately passed in his favours, And your petitioner shall ever pray.