Table of contents

1712.0906.Ta

Sir¹

I² did my ſelf the hon^~ to write yow last week
& ſent yow a confused Memoir of our grivances
in trade, I communicated it to ſome of the Iriſh
here who I knew were makeing another Memoire
for y˂t˃he³ ſame purpoſe they complain'd that I ſaid
nothing of the droit d'aubeyne⁴ & their being compell'd
to enter into what they call here the Maitris˂z˃es,⁵ ſuch
as Mercers, grocers, or ſuch like, tis true I did forgett
both theſe articles, the reaſon was wee ſcots are free
of both by our ancient priviledges in this country.
The King has never yet retracted any of them, & the
droit d'aubeine has never been Execute ag^t~ any
ſcots man that I ever heard off. nor has any of ủs
been forced to incorporate our ſelves in their
Maitrizes, & the tax ſur les Etrangers has not
fallen on us, tho it cost me much mony & trouble
to defend my ſelf ag^t~ the last tủo taxes in the
w^ch~ I was for 4400^# french, but I was discharged
at last by ane arest⁶ of councill, the Extract of
ſaid arest has been ſtill refused me; I begg pardon
Sir if I trouble yow with all theſe litle particủlars
w^ch~ perhapps yow know better then I, but I rather ſay
more then eneugh then leave any thing unſaid, [?qh]^~7
may any wayes contribute to the ſervice of our country.
The principal ſubject of this letre is to informe
yow ſir, that I find that wee are like to be refuſed
paſseports f [...]⁸ to ſend home prize ſhips that wee buy
here to ſend home to Brittain & Irlande, this will
be a great disapointment to ſevral Merchants
who have ſent orders to buy ſhips in the harbours
of this Country [?qh]^~ there are numbers of them, to
tell yow the trủth, I can't ghueſse at the reaſon
that makes M: Pontchartrain ſo verie ſtingie on
this head at a time that I think he ſhould
facilitate us evry thing, the most of theſe prize
ſhips are lying rotting in their harbours. I doubt
not ſir but one word from yow would procure a
general ordre to thoſe that Expede the paſseports
to grant ſuch as ſhall be desired for all ſhips
boủght in french harbours for Britain & Irland said
ſhips being Britiſh, Iriſh or neutar-build.

I ſhall take the freedome to putt yow in mind
of what I ſaid in my memoire of the
distinction the french continue to make in all
their paſseports & Expeditions of Engliſh & ſcotch
build & Equipage's, as alſo of the goods permitted
from England & from ſcotland. it would be a piece
of Iustice & att the ſame time a verie great favour
done to ſcotland to rectifie this, & gett them to give
paſseports for Britiſh ſhips promiſcously w^tout
distinguiſhing Engliſh & ſcots, for this is a hardſhip
on ſcots ſhips & on the trade of that place, &
has ocaſion'd a great deall of chiquanne 'twixt
the privateers & us, & has brought much injustice
upon ủs. I hope ſir yow will have the goodneſse
to Excuſe all this troủble, I ſhould be verie proud
to be any wayes ſerviceable to yow in this country.
& if ocaſion ſhall offer yow to command me in any
thing I ſhall endeavour to acquitt my ſelf as
becomes

Sir
Your most humble & most
obedient ſervant

Rob: Arbuthnot

Rouen 6^~ 7^bre1712
Notes
1.
We know this letter is to Prior because it refers to an earlier letter Arbuthnot wrote to him which Prior himself endorsed (1712.0830.Ta).
2.
Arbuthnot's hand has several distinctive characteristics. Two in particular that have required editorial decisions are his use of a long capital I that descends below the line and is sometimes marked with a horizontal cross-bar and his occasional use of a miniscule u with a hook above. The capital I is always transcribed with the standard keyboard I, and the hooked u is rendered thus: ủ (Unicode ủ) as in "ủs". He also makes frequent use of the long s, irregular spellings, and unusual abbreviations.
3.
Most of the descender of the original initial letter y remains; only the very bottom of the tail has been blotted out. The t was written over and incorporated into the y and the rest of the word spelled on the line.
4.
I.e. droit d'aubaine
5.
Arbuthnot changed what was either an s or a t to z. The correct (plural) spelling is maîtrises.
6.
This is an uncertain reading. Alternative readings include "asest" and "asert". Given the context, "arest" seems most likely as a misspelling of the French legal term for a decision, arrêt. For a discussion of a particular French guild, see David K. Smith's article "Learning Politics: The Nîmes Hosiery Guild and the Statutes Controversy of 1706–1712" in French Historical Studies: 22.4 (1999) 493-533, accessed online 27 Feb. 2009 at <http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/french_historical_studies/v022/22.4smith.html#authbio>.
7.
I.e. q[uhic]h, a Scottish form of which (see <http://www.scottishhandwriting.com/cmLFu.asp>, an online publication of the Scottish Archive Network [SCAN], accessed 16 June 2008). Arbuthnot reminds us in this letter that he is Scottish. A similarly formed abbreviation eight lines down is transcribed in the same manner.
8.
Arbuthnot thoroughly blotted a false start and continued on the line.

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