| Description | Council meeting, 5 October 1802
[Sederunt given]
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. The Council also resolved that no office bearer engage in public work without the prior consent of the Council, and that office bearers should observe the Act of Council of 1 October 1802. (95r)
The Council fixed the Visitation of the Public Schools to be held on 20 October 1802, and the competition for bursaries at Marischal College to be held on 25 October 1802. The Council appointed the following to be Visitors of the Public Schools for the year 1802 to 1803: the Provost, the four Baillies, the Dean of Guild and the Treasurer, Mr Tower, Master of Mortifications, Provost Young, Provost More, Provost Leys, Baillie Ritchie the four Town's ministers and the Professors of Marischal 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 accordance with the Act of Council of 31 October 1780. The Council also resolved to prevent young men from competing for bursaries who did not require public aid to continue their education. (95r - 95v)
The Council remitted to a committee of the Provost and the four Baillies, the Dean of Guild and the Treasurer, Provosts Young, More and Leys and Baillie Ritchie, or any three of them, the following matters:
First, disposal of the whale fishing houses in the Links near the Pocra Pier, which previously belonged to Francis Leys & Company.
Second, disposal of the sheds and stables in the Links which belonged to the Shoremaster, and had been occupied by government cavalry horses.
Third, renewed application for a grant of the salmon fishings in the sea off the Lands of Torrie. (No decision had been taken by the Exchequer, as the application had been opposed by the heritors of the Raik fishings.)
Fourth, completion of the inventories of the Town's Mills between the Treasurer and James Smith, present Tacksman of the Town's Mills, in accordance with the Act of Council of 21 September 1801.
Fifth, the application from the Professors of King's College concerning the formation of a new road from the Skene Road to the Lands of Bogfairley, as the previous road had been shut on the feuing out of the Lands of Whitemyres.
Sixth, the application from George Still, merchant, concerning a piece of the Town's commonty adjacent to his parks at Forresterhill.
Seventh, the best use of the water in the Town's Loch, the Mill Burn and the lade.
Eighth, the encroachments made by Provost Auldjo, heritor of Clayhills, on the Town's Commonty, the High Roads, the Back Burn of the Water of Dee and the Burn of Ferryhill.
Ninth, the rights to the quarries and mosses on the Lands of Rubislaw and on the other Freedom Lands which were reserved to the magistrates and Council.
Tenth, the process of declarator brought in the Court of Session by several merchants and clothiers in Aberdeen against the Council and John Ross, Tacksman of the Petty Customs, concerning the custom demanded for cloth brought and sold in the Town.
Eleventh, formulation of instructions for Thomas Fletcher as Inspector and Superintendent of the Town's Public Works.
(95v - 96v)
The Council granted the application from Mr Alexander Crombie, advocate, for assistance in the construction of a bridge over the Denburn near the Well of Spa, in line with a branch of the new Alford & Skene Turnpike Road which would go through the Craigwell Croft to Woolmanhill. Mr Crombie had contracted with Mr Gildawie, mason, to build the bridge of rubble for £110, but the committee appointed to consider the application favoured a new plan drawn up by Mr Fletcher. The Council resolved to pay £60 out of the Bridge of Dee charge to complete the bridge according to Mr Fletcher's plan. (96v - 97r)
The Council appointed the following to be Assessors to Alexander Brebner Esq, Dean of Guild, for the year ending Michaelmas 1804: Baillie William Shepherd, Baillie Charles Farquharson, Provost George More, Provost Thomas Leys, Provost John Dingwall, Mr Alexander More, late Dean of Guild, Messrs William Forbes, Gavin Hadden, Alexander Fraser, James Young junior, John Garioch and Robert Tower, all merchants in Aberdeen. (97r - 97v) |