| Description | Council meeting, 5 October 1805
[Sederunt given]
Provost Brebner, Baillie Garden, Mr Young, Treasurer, Alexander Pirie, Shoremaster, and Thomas Black qualified as members of Council by swearing the usual oaths, and Provost Brebner, Baillie Garden, Mr Young and Alexander Pirie gave their oaths de fideli administratione officii as Provost, Baillie, Treasurer and Shoremaster respectively. (210r)
The Council resolved that members absent from Council meetings should pay a fine of 1 shilling for each absence, and that members who were more than fifteen minutes late for meetings should pay a fine of 6 pence, to be applied at the direction of the Council. (210r)
The Council appointed the following Acts of Council to be observed: the Act of 26 September 1791 against granting a prolongation of the tack or a feu of the Mill of Gilcomston to the Brewery Company; the Act of 25 June 1798 prohibiting the grant of money from the funds of the Bridge of Dee and the Bridge of Don, except for roads in the vicinity of the town; and the Act of 21 September 1801 concerning the administration of finances by the office bearers. The Council remitted to the magistrates to examine which tacks were close to expiry. (210r - 210v)
The Council fixed the Visitation of the Public Schools to be held on 23 October 1805, and the competition for bursaries at Marischal College to be held on 28 October 1805. The Council appointed the following to be Visitors of the Public Schools for the year 1805 to 1806: the Provost, the four Baillies, the Dean of Guild, the Treasurer, the Master of Mortifications, Provost Leys, Baillie Duguid, Baillie Lumsden, Mr John Young, the four Town's Ministers and the Professors of the College, and any other person called by the magistrates. The Council directed the magistrates to procure from the managers of the Trades a list of vacant bursaries under their patronage, in order that they could be allocated along with the Town's bursaries and the College's bursaries, in accordance with the Act of Council of 31 October 1780. (210v)
The Council remitted to a committee of the Provost, the four Baillies, the Dean of Guild, the Treasurer and Provost Leys, with the office bearers concerned, or any three of them, the following matters of public business:
First, the application from the Convener Court concerning the compositions paid by entering craftsmen to the Dean of Guild, as established by the Act of Council of 21 September 1801.
Second, the report by Messrs David Morice, advocate, and Colin Innes, land surveyor, on the mosses and quarries on the Lands of Countesswells, Kingswells etc, which were reserved to the Town.
Third, the state of the harbour and the piers, particularly the best method of deepening the Burn or Navigation Channel.
Fourth, the purchase of houses in and near the village of Footdee, within the bounds of the harbour improvements suggested by Messrs Telford and Rennie, engineers, and prescribed by the Act of Parliament 37 GEO. III.
Fifth, the survey of the marches between the Freedom Lands and the County Lands, and between the Royalty and the Freedom Lands, in accordance with former Acts of Council.
Sixth, the disposal of any feu duties belonging to the office bearers which had not been sold, in accordance with former Acts of Council, particularly the Act of Council of 5 October 1803.
Seventh, settlement of terms with the committee of County gentlemen for making the new turnpike road from Love Lane to the Bridge of Don.
Eighth, the processes involving the Town before the Court of Session, particularly the process with Fraserfield concerning the Shore Dues in the Don, and the process of suspension brought by Cuming Laing concerning the levy of customs on meal sold at Justice Mills.
Ninth, the application from James Staats Forbes and others for permission to erect two bridges across the Town's Loch in the line of St Andrew's Street and John Street.
Tenth, the petition from George Christie, shoemaker, for settling the boundaries between the Craigwell Croft and the plantation at the Denburn belonging to the Town.
Eleventh, the proposals from Rev Dr Ogilvie, on behalf of the Managers of the Chapel of Ease at Gilcomston, concerning the houses built on the Town's Commonty between the Chapel of Ease and the Denburn.
Twelfth, the petition from the pilots at Footdee concerning the removal of their houses near the New Pier.
Thirteenth, the nomination of an arbiter in the submission between the Shoremaster and Messrs Harrison & Company of Sunderland and Garden Farquharson & Company concerning the sloop Henry of Sunderland and its cargo, and for the submission with John Rae, late Tacksman of the Shore Dues, concerning the sloop Henry of Sunderland and the deterioration of the Ballast Lighters.
Fourteenth, settlement of the boundary between the Treasurer's land at Torrie and the land belonging to the Union Whale Fishing Company.
(210v - 212r)
The Council authorised the Shoremaster to grant a three-year lease of the Shore and Harbour Dues and the Ballast Lighters to Robert Bruce, shipmaster, and his cautioners. The Council authorised the Treasurer to grant the following leases: a lease of the Town's Common Mills to George Henderson, in terms of the purchase by John Rae on his behalf; leases to Robert Caie and William Bisset for their shops under the Town House; a lease to John Allan for his cellar at the back of the Town House; leases to the tenants for the different lots of ground at Torrie; a lease of Collison's Croft to Charles McDonald; leases to Robert Mathieson and Peter Pattillo for their wood yards at Pynernook; and a lease of a piece of ground at the Shorelands, purchased by Baillie Galen for a lime shed, to Baillie Galen or to any other person he named. (212r)
The Council fixed 9 October 1805 for the half-yearly Visitation of the Harbour and the Piers. (212r) |