THe said Whitefield Hayter, &c. all Scotsmen besides himself, and some resi­ding here, having attained to more than ordinary perfection in the Ai [...]t of dressing and colouring of Leather, making of Glews and Parch­ment, and entered in Society and Co-partnerie, and stocked a vast Sum of money for carring on a considerable Trade there with; they did mean themselves to the Lords of his Majesties Privy Council, and craved that they might be declared to be free Manufactorie, and have the priviledge of the same, and according­ly conform to the Act of Parliament 1661, obtained the desire of their Petiti­on, and were allowed all the Priviledges competent by Law to a Manu­factory; Against which Act the Skinners having reclaimed by a Petition, re­presenting all that was possible for them to do, and craving that the said Act might be recalled, the said Lords were pleased upon Answers given in by the said Whitefield Hayter most readily to refuse the desire of the Bill given in by the Skinners, and to adhere to their former Act with this Addition, that the said Hay­ter and Partners should set up in no Burgh-Royal within this Kingdom, unless up­on Invitation, and with the Consent of the Burgh, and that they should take Scots­men both to be Partners and Apprentices, and communicat the Secret of the Trade to such Apprentices, upon the faith of, and conform to these two Acts, the said Hayter and Partners did increase their Stocks, and have been at vast Char­ges and Expenses for carring on the said Manufactory this while bypast; But (as it would appear by the instigation of the Skinners) the Priviledge competent to them as a Manufactory, not being pleasantly allowed them, and the Partners being unwilling to mortifie more Money unless they had an Act of Parliament in their favours, they meaned themselves to the Parliament, crav­ing that the Act of Council might be Ratified, and they have an special Act in their own name, against which it is informed, the Skinners did compear and object. 1. That the said Hayter and Partners had no Skill in dressing and colour­ing of Leather, at least can pretend to no better Skill therein than the Skinners themselves, and have offered no Specimen of their Airt, and do offer to make appear that they can dress Marikin and Shambo, which the Partners cannot pretend to do, and are content to produce Specimens of that same Leather, to which the Partners pretend Skill, and unlesss there were great odds of their Skill, the Partners ought not to have the Priviledge of the Manufactory, and that by the said Erection, they and the hail skinners of the Kingdom sustain prejudice, in so far as that Skins are bought up by them, and exported out of the King­dom, so that the Skinners cannot have enough of the Product of this Kingdom to serve the Leidges but at dear Rates. 2. That if the said Manufactory be free of publick Burden, they will be able to out-sell all the Skinners who bear a proportion of these Burdens, and so inhance the said Trade, as also other Manufactories may be incouraged to be set up to the prejudice and Ruine of [Page 2] other Trades. 3. By Erecting such a Manufactory, there will arise a conside­rable Diminution of the Kings Customs, at least the Tradesmen and others would come to be over-charged by their Immunity. 4. The said Skinners have Seals of Cause confirmed by several Acts of Parliament erecting them in an Corporation, and granting them many Priviledges, and particularly that none should be allowed to exercethe Skinner Trade, but such as are admitted by the said Incorporation.

Whytfield Hayter and his Partners, need make no other answer but shortly this, that all these Objections were under the Lords of Privy Council their Consi­deration the time of their pronouncing their Acts, and particularly their second Act, and that the Opposition made by the Skinners, is chiefly of design to have a Monopolie of dressing of Skins in their own hands, which may clearly appear from this, that there being only One in the Kingdom who knows to dress Lea­ther: the Skinners at least some of them hath taken him bound to Work, to none but themselves. However more particularly it is answered, 1. that what is represented by the Skinners themselves anent the Exportation of Leather, doth fully evince the Partners Skill in dressing of Leather, seing if the Leather were not drest better than ordinar, it could not be so Exported as the Skinners do complain it is, and seing the Encouragment of the Exportation of t he native Commodities and Manufactories of the Kingdom does so much tend to the Ad­vantage both of His Majesties Customs, and of the whole Nation: it is ho­ped that the Skinners Argument founded upon the great Exportation of Leather occasioned by the foresaid Manufactory, will be so far from Tending to their prejudice, that on the contrair, the Co-partners will retort the same, and make it an Argument why the Act of Parliament ought to pass in their Favours and as to any thing that is founded upon the Skinners Skill in dressing Shambo and Marikin: the Co-partners are not concerned therein, seing it is no part of their Manufactorie: but as to any specimen of their Art, if need beis they are willing to give the same when required, but as said is, the great Export (al­beit it be not so great, but there always remaine sufficient to serve the Skin­ners, and a great quanity of Skins even in the Wool are yearly Exported,) is a sufficient Demonstration and Proof of their Skill.

It is answered to the 2d. and 3d. that the same is of no moment in respect that the Partners have been at vast Charges and Expenses in setting up their said Manufactorie, which will more than ballance any Immunity they may enjoy besides that always there is Encouragement given to ingenious Spirites for pro­moting of new Inventions and Manufactories, and the Advantage arising by the Immunities being but small, the Skinners their proportion of Releif will be very inconsiderable, and will bear no Proportion with the Advantage they and the Leiges will reap by the Encouragment of the said Manufactorie, especially these whose states consists in Sheep and Cowes, neither will the King sustain a­ny prejudice thereby, seing the Thriving of the Nation is His Majesties great Interest and Desire, and that as said is, the Kingdom is much bettered by the Export, besides that the forsaid Export will occasions the Import of Commo­dities, which will augment His Majesties Customs, much more than they were diminished throw not paying of Duty for Export.

It is answered to the 4th that the Seal of Cause does no waves meet the present Case, seing, conform to Act of Council, the Co-partner are not to set up with­in any Burgh Royal, far less within the Town of Edinburgh.