A. D. 1286. 



447 



1 1 6, — above p. 41 7.] We fhall afterwards fee thirty-feven aldermen, the 

 magiftratcs, and reprefentatives in parliament, of feventeen towns, among 

 which are Hadington, Peebles, Munros, Linlithgow, and Inverkeithing, 

 the firfl of which we find at this time under the government of a pro- 

 voft, and the reft under that of bailies ; whence it feems not improb- 

 able, that the title of bailie, and alio ofprovoft, may have been, at lead 

 fometimes, and in fome places, ufed promifcuoufly with that of alder- 

 man *. As the titles of magiftracy, fo, it may be prefumed, the con- 

 ftitutions of the towns, were more fimilar in England and Scotland in 

 the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries (and apparently alfo in earher 

 times) than they have been in later ages. But, during fome centuries 

 bypaft, no fuch titles as mayor and alderman have been ufed in Scot- 

 land : and it is now fcarcely known that they ever were ufed. 



The lofs of feveral merchant veflels by pirates, ftiipwrecks, and ar- 

 reSftments in foreign ports, induced King Alexander to ena6t a well-in- 

 tended, but miftaken, law, whereby the merchants of Scotland were 

 prohibited for a time from exporting any goods in their own veflels. 

 And, before a year was expired, vefTels from feveral countries arrived 

 with merchandize of various kind to be exchanged for the commodities 

 of Scotland, the foreign merchants, according to the erroneous policy 

 of the age, being reftrided to deal with the burgefl^es only. Thele fet- 

 ters upon commerce were thought fo judicious by the hiftorian, that, 

 he fays, in confequence of them the kingdom in a few years abounded 

 in corn, money, cattle, fheep, and all kinds of merchandize f, and the 

 arts flourifhed. \Scotichron. V. \\,p. 130.] One certain confequence of 

 the reftridion muft have been a confiiderable decreafe of the mercantile 

 iliipping of Scotland. 



Of the Scottifh navy the fcanty remains of authentic records anteri- 

 or to the death of Alexander give us the knowlege of only one fhip be- 

 longing to the king, or to the public ; \_Ayloffe's Calendar, p. 335] and 

 probably there were no more :j:. But the king of Mann was bound to 

 furnifh five warlike galUes (' galeas piraticas') of twenty-four oars, and 

 five of twelve oars, to the king of Scotland, vyhen required, \Scotichron, 

 V. \\, p. 1 01] and his other maritime vaflals contributed vefTels in pro- 

 portion to their lands ||. 



* 111 pleadings of the year 1291 we find the iignify filh, corn, and other provifions, or was Scot- 

 mayor and bailies (' ballivi') of Berwick repeatedly land (0 well ftocked with general merchandize as 

 mentioned, the later being apparently the fame to have iome for exportation ? 

 who are called provofts in the Uatutcs of the gild. % The kings of England in thofe ages had very 

 {_Ryley, Plac. pari. pp. 149-152.] few (hips, and the kings of France had feldom any. 



+ In the year 1283, when King Edward was || Colin Campbell held the lands of Loch Ow, 



collefting ftores of all kinds for the invafion of &c. of the king by the fervice of finding one veffei 



Wales, he commilTioned John Bifhop, a burgefs of of forty oars, properly equipped and fufficiently 



I.ynne, to purchafe merchandize (' mercimonia') manned, during forty days, as often as required, 



for him in Scotland. [_^yloJ't:'s Calendar, p. 88.] \_Chart. Rob. I, in Anderjon's Diplom. tab. 47, — or 



— Querc, Was this term, merchandize,, intended to Craivfurd's Oncers of State, p. 41.] Tormod Mac- 



leod 



