[15] Ordinance of the Privy Council, passed 28th January 1669. The Ordinance says--"The Lords of his Majesty's Privy Council having considered a petition presented to them by Robert Mein, Keeper of the Letter Office at Edinburgh, with concourse and consent of Patrick Grahame of Inchbrakie, Postmaster-General, and diverse noblemen, gentlemen, merchants, traders, and others inhabiting in and about the northern shires of this kingdom, desyring for the advancement of trade correspondence and convenience of the King's subjects, that Foot Posts might be erected for carrying and recarrying of letters upon the northern road betwixt Edinburgh and Inverness, at such reasonable rates and pryces as the council should think fit.... The said Lords find the desyr of the said petition reasonable, and much importing the benefite and conveniency of His Majesty's leidges in these northern parts, and therefore doe hereby grant full power and commission to the said Robert Mein to erect and settle constant Foot Posts upon the said road." Registrum Secreti Concilii Regum Scotorum, Acta 1667-1673, pp. 182, 183. H. M. General Register House, Edinburgh. [16] M'Culloch's Commercial Dictionary, Article "Roads." A Scotch merk was about that time equal to 1s. 1½d. sterling. [17] Privy Council Record. [18] Scottish Acts of William III. vol. i. sess. 5, cap. 20. [19] Old Statistical Account of Scotland, vol. vii. p. 586. [20] Exchequer Roll in H. M. Register House, Edinburgh. [21] Chamberlain's "State of Great Britain, 1708," page 745. [22] Act of Anne, Parl. IX. cap. 10. [23] "Caledonia," by George Chalmers, vol. iii. p. 20. [24] Author of "Diplomata et Numismata Scotiæ," "Collections relating to the History of Queen Mary of Scotland," &c. [25] From the Account, "for the month of August 1715, of James Wemyss, Principal Clerk, G.P.O., Edinburgh." Anderson's MS. Papers. [26] In this letter, the Postmaster of Inverness informs the Postmaster-General, that on "Tuesday morning" the "Laird of Mackintosh, with a body of four or five hundred men," entered the town of Inverness, and having placed sentries at the doors of several of the magistrates and inhabitants, Mackintosh of Borlum proclaimed the Pretender at the Cross; and then the rebels, after seizing a sum of public money and some lead, retired "without doing further wrong." The carrying away of this money appears to have put some of the public authorities of Inverness in a "straite" for "want of money." The Postmaster on that account advanced six pounds, and apologized to the Postmaster-General for making this use of the Post Office money without orders. [27] "Anderson, MS. Papers," Advocates' Library, Edinburgh. [28] Arnott's "History of Edinburgh," page 541. [29] "State of Scotland, 1738," page 185. [30] "Scots Almanac, 1741." [31] Arnott's "History of Edinburgh," page 538.