William Roughead
Published: 2015-08-05
Total Pages: 418
Get eBook
Excerpt from Trial of Captain Porteous In presenting the following report of the trial of Captain Porteous, the text of which is that of the "Authentic Extract of the Proceedings," printed by order of Parliament on 25th March, 1737, some apology would seem to be due for the modest place occupied in this volume by the actual trial. Occasion has, however, been taken to collect all information obtainable regarding the Captain's character and career, the circumstances of the robbery for which Andrew Wilson suffered death, and the fatal and far-reaching events attending his execution; while the amount of unpublished material concerning the riot, which the Editor has been fortunate enough to find, has induced him to deal with that notable affair, and the subsequent proceedings in Parliament, much more fully than he at first intended. The Editor desires to express his thanks to those who have in various ways facilitated his labours - to Mr. Thomas Hunter, W.S., Town-Clerk, for permission to make extracts from the Records of Edinburgh Town Council, and to publish original documents preserved in the City Chambers; to Mr. John A. Fairley, for the use of valuable unpublished MSS.; to Mr. George P. Johnston, Mr. William Cowan, and Mr. Henry M. Mayhew, for assistance in connection with the Bibliography; and to Miss Margaret Morison, for the care and accuracy of her transcripts made at the British Museum and the Public Record Office. He would also acknowledge the courtesy of Mr. James L. Caw, who has allowed him to reproduce the well-known picture, "The Porteous Mob," by James Drummond, R.S.A., in the National Gallery of Scotland; and of Mr. Charles E. Green, who has permitted the reproduction of three plates from the late Mr. Grainger Stewart's "Portraits in the Hall of the Parliament House in Edinburgh" (1907). The Editor would be glad to receive particulars of any publications, other than those included in the Bibliography, relative to the Porteous Riot. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
