Memorials of the lineage, early life, education and development of the genius of James Watt

JAMES WATT. 37
" The defendars desyreous the pror.-fisckall to pass from the witness's, they in-
genuouslie confess to he guiltie of battery, and becomes in will theirfor, but denyes
any blood.
" John Smith,
" William Boyce.
" In respect of qlk acknowledgement each of the defendars are fyned in fyve
pounds Scots, and the laird declares that each of them instantly payeing, the half
of the fyne to be divyded to the baillie, clerk, fisckall, and officers, as the laird shall
appoynt — the laird remits and gives doune the other half, they paying the other half
instantlie as said is, and in case of refuseall, ordains ther persones to be comitted to
prisone, whill they pay the wholl.
" Tho. Watt.
" J. M'Intuknour,
no. pub. cler."
This is the only occasion in which any part of the fines imposed
upon delinquents was appointed to be " divyded to the Baillie," and
other subordinate officials of the court.
Passing over several Head Courts in which the proceedings are not
characterized by anything out of the ordinary course of affairs in a
modern court of police, and before closing our notice of the criminal
court of the barony, we shall give a copy of the proceedings in a court
which was held on 13th July 1703, in which Thomas Watt acted as
"Clerk" pro tempore. These proceedings are recorded in a peculiarly
neat hand, different altogether from the handwriting of the other
enactments and proceedings in the old book. The handwriting is not
that of Thomas Watt, though the record is subscribed by him as
" clerk." The signature is in the ordinary handwriting of the Mathe-
matician. No apology need be made for the length of this curious
document, so illustrative of the manners of a bygone period. It is as
follows : —