ARTILLERY COMPANY IN SCOTLAND AT THE TIME OF THE UNION. 585 
mission was signed by William III. at Kensington 11 January, 1683. 
About this time Slezer paid a visit to Court and renewed his ac- 
quaintance with William III. The latter writing to the Harl of 
Melville, Secretary of State for Scotland, from “ Kinsington, ce $$ 
March, 1690,” says :— 
“ Aujour d huy est parti Slezer avec l’Artillerie et munitions de 
guerre.” —(Melville State Papers, p. 421). 
As far back as the reign of Charles II. Slezer had been engaged on 
a magnum opus which was intended to be brought out with the fitting 
title of Theatrum Scotiew giving “ prospects” of the most notable 
palaces, castles, noblemen’s seats, &c., in Scotland. The “ prospects ” 
were trom large engravings on copper executed by Slezer himself, and 
the descriptive letter-press was also supposed to be by the same hand 
but there is no doubt much of Sir Robert Sibbald’s handiwork in the 
scholarly descriptions given with the engravings. The first volume of 
above work was brought out in 1693, and Queen Mary, by Royal 
Licence dated Whitehall, 6 June, 1693, gave the author the sole right 
to print and publish the three volumes of said work, thus securing to 
him the copyright. Like many another man who has chosen the 
thorny path of literature Slezer found his book did not sell rapidly and 
that the chances seemed small of his recouping himself for the heavy 
expenses of publication. After waiting two years for the profits that 
never came the disappointed author exhibited his book to the Scottish 
Parliament who thought so highly of it that, to facilitate the completion 
of the work, they passed an Act,! for which they had the King’s Warrant 
“in favour of John Adair, geographer, and Capt. John Slezer,”’ which 
ran as follows :— 
“Ordered that 16s. Scots be exacted from 1 August, 1695, for 
every ton of foreign ships which comes into any harbour or 
road within this kingdom, ilk voyage ; and 4s. on every ton 
of Scots ships above 12 tons burden, once ilk year, for the 
space of five years to be applied by the Prioy Council for 
compleating the saids Mapps and Prospects of Scotland and 
ordaine the same to be collected by the Collectors of the 
King’s Customs,” 
Hope, which is said to spring eternal, once more revived in Slezer’s 
breast. Speaking metaphorically he flourished the above Act in the 
faces of his creditors and told them “ to bidea wee.” He set to work on 
new copper plates, and ordered fresh printing presses, for expediting 
the bringing out of the second volume of his magnum opus. 
Nor did Slezer neglect the welfare of his Artillery Company in the 
pursuit of art and literature. A general order was issued in 1696 for 
the Artillery to be encamped during the summer months. This order 
gave general satisfaction to the Artillery Company but there was one 
serious drawback to this plan and that was that the gun carriages were 
so old and rotten that they were quite unserviceable ! By order of the 
Lords of the Scottish Treasury Slezer contracted with workmen for the 
1 Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland, Vol. IX., p. 492. 
80 
