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Clauses 15 to 27

15. Furdermore, wee also promise unto these of the said Scotts staple court that wee shall and will make and keep the beame or instrument to weigh withall within our said citie according to the forme and custome of the weights and beam of the citie of Amsterdame, and that the dewes of all the goods and merchandize, and also for the vse of the respective cranes shall be payed comformable unto ane register quhich shall be made with counsell and advyce of the lord conservator within ane month efter the said Scotts staple court shall hawe ther residence heir.

16. That everie merchant or factor shall hawe the libertie to hawe and take ane freeman or labourer according to ther good will and pleasure.

17. Also the merchants of the said staple or ther factors in this citie shall and most not sell otherwayes then by the great or wholle seale, ther clothes, bayes or kerseys, and other wares, etc., bot that they nather shall or may retaill the same in small or by the ell.

18. Furdermore, we promise for alsmuch as lyeth in our power to vse all our possible endeavour, both by the lords of the stats of Holland and West Frizeland, and in persuance thereof by the stats generall, or generallie to the intent that staple guids which come from Scotland ower hither shall and may whollie and at once be freed from the payment of customes according to the example of the goods which are sent over and consigned to the merchand adventurs of the Inglish natione for and because the Scots staple and the Inglish companie or societie are of ane and the same kynd, and wee also promise (for als much as is in our power) to prevent and hinder that new burdings and impositiones under whatsoever name or pretext or for what cause the same should or might be, shall for the future be put or consented wpone the said staple goods.

19. Lykas, wee promise to vse all our best endeavours and offices to the end that the lastage and beacon moneys, and lykwayes the imposts and dewes laid wpone the comeing in of the Scots coall, and also wpone the whyt Scotts salt, may whollie be taken away or laid asyd.

20. Wee have furdermore granted and doe grant and consent be these presentts that the lord conservatour as supreame or chief magistrat, his deputtie, thesaurer, secretarie,, and clerk, the minister or preacher, and inferior church officers, the conchergeire or innes, one or more (if need be), the lord conservator, collectors, his messers, serjands, and sworne servands, and furder all members of the said Scotts staple dureing ther stay or residence heir with their respective families shall be keept declaired and exempt from all taxis, contributiones, excyses, inposts, impositiounes, and taxationes, whatsomever the same might or should be, which are alreadie imposed or which heirefter shall or may be imposed or charged by the citie, and lykwayes from all such moneys which are payed to entrer in or goe out of the gates of the citie be evening, from watching and paying the citie watchmen, from traneing and haveing of shouldiers onquartered in ther houses, which heir abovementioned priviledges and liberties to them granted shall and must be also enjoyed by the widows of the above said persones as long as they remaine widows.

21. As wee lykwayes give libertie to the said lord conservaorur or his deputie, chief officers, and merchants, to fish, foul, hunt and haulk in all places wnder his jurisdictione of this citie.

22. Wee also promise and consent that the lord conservator or his deputie shall and may vse the prisone of this citie at his pleasure, furnished with all necessars therwnto belonging, in which the lord conservator or his depute shall and may cause to be imprisoned all such debtors and lykwayes all such offenders and evill doers of the Scotts staple, which he shall and may at his pleasure discharge and releise without any mans leive or contradictione, and that the chiefe offficer of the citie and his marshall or officers be bound (as often as the same shall by the said lord conservator or his depute be requyred) to give him all dew assistance.

23. Wee also promise by these presents to take great care that successivelie knowing and weel experienced pilotts may be appointed to conduct and pilot the ships belonging to the staple in and out in tyme of storme, mist, and dark weather, and also through the Kill, whose waiges or dewes (with speciall comunicatione and approbatione of ws and the lord conservatour or his deputie) shall be regulated or reduced wnto a register or cattolloge, to the end that payment may be made according therwnto als oft as the said pilotts shall have conduced in or out factors or shipmasters; and if so be that any ship or ships (unexpectedlie or against hope) should come to miscarie neir this citie, that wee then shall and will at ther reasonable charges caus to be vsed all possible and speedie help and assistance to preserve and releive the said ship.

24. And in caise any guids or ships that are parished or miscaried which of right belongs unto the merchants and factors of this staple should be saved by any of this citie or the jurisdictione thereof duelling or sojourneing, that we shall and will diligentlie search and follow the same, being found, be it wheresoever of, by whomesoever it might or should, that wee shall and will presentlie cause the samen to be restored unto the lawfull owners and proprietars thereof, provydit that they then shall be ingadged to pay dew and convenient salvage money for the same; and in caice any such goods as obovementionat should be keeped secreit or hidden or dishonestlie or forceablie alienated or detained by any native inhabitant or others resorting under the jurisdictione of this citie that wee then and in that caice shall and will compell and constrane all such persones to restore and make good and satisfie the saids goods unto the trew ouners and propriatars, and will cause the saids offenders to be severlie punished according to the demerite of ther comitted hyding therof and unjust detaineing or keeing up of the same.

25. And in caice it might or should happen that any ship or shios comeing hither from Scotland with staple wares should goe so deep or draw so much water that the same could not advance or come before the citie without being lightened, that we then shall and will at wpone our charges or coasts cause the said ships to be so much or so far lightened as that the said ships shall and may pas the shallowes or banks which may be found in the way, and to that end that the same may not be pretexed or pretendit without necessitie that wee shall or will not be ingadged therewnto unles that the same shall be first given to ws to understand, and that the samen shall be adjudged that it most be done by ws togidder wit the lord conservatour or his deputie.

26. And in caice any ships should be retarded in the Kill by reasone of contrare winds in so much that the same should or could not pas without the meanes or assistance of drawing horses that then and in that caice, but not otherwayes, wee undertake to furnish the said horses at our charges.

27. In caice any goods or wares should chance to suffer damnag or los by negligence, refactorines, or want of care of the cranmaster or his substituts, servants, or any on els by him imployed in the ladning and unladning of the ships, that then the said cranemasters shall and must satisfie the damnage and loss caused in that behalf, the satisfactioune whereof wee will compell them to make and doe in caise of ther refusall to doe the same.

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Transcribed by Innes A. Duffus, Honorary Archivist to the Nine Incorporated Trades of Dundee, from Dundee Town Clerk's copy of Extracts from the Records of the Convention of Royal Burghs (published by the Scottish Burgh Records Society, 1878-1918).