| Description | Council meeting, 1 October 1800
[Sederunt given]
The Council resolved that Council members absent from a meeting should be fined 1 shilling, Council members more than fifteen minutes late for a meeting should be fined 6 pence, and that office bearers should not undertake public work without the prior consent of the magistrates and Council. (15v)
The Council ratified the record of the office bearers' tacks, the Act of Council of 26 September 1791 against granting a further tack of the Mill of Gilcomston to the Brewery Company, and the Act of Council of 25 June 1798 regarding the grant of more money from the funds of the Bridge of Dee and Bridge of Don, except for bridges and roads in the vicinity of the Town. The Council remitted to the magistrates examination of which tacks were close to expiry. (15v - 16r)
The Council appointed the Visitation of the Public Schools to be held on 22 October 1800, and the competition for bursaries at Marischal College to be held on 27 October 1800. The Council appointed the Visitors of the Public Schools: the Provost and the four Baillies, the Dean of Guild and the Treasurer, Mr Donald, Master of Mortifications, Provost More, Provost Leys and Mr Gavin Hadden, with the four Town's ministers, the Principal and Professors of Marischal College, and any others the magistrates might wish to call. The Council recommended that the magistrates procure from the Managers of the Trades a list of their vacant bursaries. The Council resolved that they would attempt to prevent the award of bursaries to those who did not need such assistance to continue their education. (16r)
The Council appointed a committee of the Provost and the four Baillies, the Dean of Guild and the Treasurer, Provost More, Provost Leys, Mr Alexander Brebner, Mr Gavin Hadden, Mr Alexander Fraser, Shoremaster, Mr James Mackie and Mr Robert Tower, with Thomas McCombie, late Shoremaster, Mr James Thomson, late Treasurer, Captain James Gibbon, shipmaster, and Captain George Storey, shipmaster, or any seven of them, if five were councillors to supervise the reparations to the harbour: completion of the east end of the North Pier, the jetties and the basins at the west end of the North Pier; and scouring the Navigation Channel of the harbour. (16v)
The Council remitted to a committee of Provost Dingwall, the four Baillies, the Dean of Guild and the Treasurer, the Master of Mortifications, Provost More, Provost Leys, Mr Alexander Brebner and Mr Gavin Hadden, or any three of them, consideration of the Acts of Council concerning disposal of the Lands and Barony of Muchals. The Council recommended to the magistrates to insist on the division of the Commonty of Cowie in the Court of Session, as the Lands and Barony of Muchals had an interest in the Commonty. (16v - 17r)
The Council remitted to a committee of Baillies Shepherd and Sime and the Treasurer, consideration of the encroachments made by Provost Auldjo on the high road leading past the Backburn of the Water of Dee to the Burn of Ferryhill, and the resulting Instrument of Interruption served at the perambulation of the Outer Marches on 22 July 1800.
The Council remitted to a committee of the Provost, Baillie Shepherd, Provost More, Mr Morice and the Clerks to enquire into the Instrument of Interruptions taken against the heritors of Kingswells and Countesswells many years before for appropriating a part of the Town's Freedom Mosses, and also to consider the marches of the Lands of Hazlehead and Oldmill.
The Council remitted to a committee of the magistrates, the Dean of Guild and the Treasurer, Provost More, Provost Leys, the Master of Mortifications, Mr Alexander Brebner, Mr Gavin Hadden, with the Consultor and the Clerks, or any five of them, consideration of the limits of the salmon fishings in the sea to the south of the harbour mouth, and the damage to the harbour caused by the extension of the Raik and Mid Chingle fishings dykes.
The Council directed Baillies Shepherd and Sime and the Treasurer to erect the march stones between the Freedom Lands and the County Lands, in accordance with the report of the perambulation of the Outer Marches on 22 July 1800.
The Council approved the proposal to combine the amount paid by the Treasurer for the Town's Eque, Missive Dues and expenses for the Commissioners to attend the Convention of Royal Burghs. The Council remitted to the magistrates and Clerk, composition of an Act of Council authorising the Board of Taxes to include the three charges in the stent on the inhabitants. [Further detail in the Act of Council of the same date concerning the stent charges (20r)]. (17r - 19r)
The Council resolved that intimation be made to proprietors of all lands and fishings who had not paid entry compositions or casualties, to take out their entry before 1 February 1801, otherwise processes of declarator of non-entry were to be raised against them in the Court of Session. (18r)
The Council appointed assessors to George Sim Esq, Dean of Guild for the year ending Michaelmas 1801: William Shepherd and Peter Duguid, present Baillies, Provost George More, Provost Thomas Leys, Alexander More, late Dean of Guild, Alexander Moir Esq of Scotstown, Messrs Alexander Brebner, James Hadden, Gavin Hadden, George Thomson, present Treasurer, Alexander Galen and Thomas Black, all merchants in Aberdeen. (19r - 19v)
The Council elected the Taxers and Stent Masters: William Lumsden and Walter Sime, present Baillies, George Sim, Dean of Guild and George Thomson, Treasurer, Alexander More, late Dean of Guild, James Thomson junior, late Treasurer, Messrs Alexander Galen, Alexander Brebner, Gavin Hadden, Robert Tower, Alexander Fraser, James Mackie, James Gibbon, Thomas McCombie, William Duthie, John Catto, David Dingwall and John Paul, all merchants in Aberdeen, Messrs Thomas Duncan and David Hutcheon, advocates in Aberdeen, Deacon George Smith, glazier, and Deacon George Henderson, baker, Trades councillors. The Council directed the Taxers and stent masters to raise from the heritors, merchants and inhabitants, £487 6 shillings and 4 pence for the King's Subsidy for the year Martinmas 1807 to Martinmas 1808, and £169 13 shillings and 5 pence for the Town's Eque, Missive Dues and expenses for the Commissioners to attend the Convention of Royal Burghs, minus the £43 10 shillings received as the balance from the previous year's taxation. (19v - 20r) |