Minutes and Proceedings of the General and Sub-Committees of the Counties in Scotland, and Papers laid before them relative to the Distillery.

Notes

A scarce printing of minutes and appendices from a series of meetings of significant Scottish gentlemen - among them James Boswell of Auchinleck, James Colquhoun of Luss, James Bruce of Kinnaird, and William Forbes of Pitsligo - concerning the duty on Scottish distilling. The General Committee of the Counties (the members listed at the beginning) met initially on 12th February 1782 to form a sub-committee to prepare a report for the Board of Excise, passing on the proposals of distillers (among them Bell and Dewar) to reduce the system of duty to closer match that in England. Several meetings of the sub-committee follow over the next few weeks, the report is submitted, a response is received denying the request, and a further meeting is held to resolve to continue the argument, all recorded in these printed minutes. Forbes of Pitsligo, whose copy this is, joined the sub-committee to help make the presentation to the Board of Excise. ESTC locates copies in just five locations: NLS, BL, Senate House, Harvard, Yale.