1218. Is there anything further you wish to say?-No; I think everything which we have to say has been pretty well said by the other men. 1219. Are all the thirteen men here who signed the letter to me about Burra?-Yes. 1220. Have any of them anything further to say?-[No answer.] <Adjourned>. [Page 25] Lerwick: Wednesday, January 3, 1872. <Present>-Mr Guthrie. JOHN LEASK, examined. 1221. You are a fisherman at Channerwick, parish of Sandwick?- I am. 1222. You came here yesterday for the purpose making some statement: what was it about?-I wanted to make some statement about how I have been treated three years back, particularly. 1223. Are you a tenant of land?-Yes. 1224. Are you a yearly tenant?-Yes. 1225. Under whom?-Under Mr. Robert Bruce of Simbister. 1226. Do you pay your rent to him?-We pay our rent to Mr. William Irvine, the factor. 1227. Is that Mr. Irvine of Hay & Co.?-Yes. 1228. What quantity of land do you hold?-It is rather more than what are called two merks and about a third. 1229. How much is that in acres?-I don't know. It is a Danish measurement. 1230. How much rent do you pay for that?-£4, 2s. 10d. 1231. Do you also pay taxes and poor-rates in addition?-No; that is included in the sum I have mentioned. 1232. What did you come to complain about?-About the way we were dealt with when we were under tack for seventeen years to Mr. Robert Mouat. He got bankrupt in the latter end. 1233. How long is it since he became bankrupt?-It was only last year, and he went away then. 1234. Before that, had he a tack of the whole lands of Mr. Bruce in that part of the country?-He had Levenwick, Channerwick and Coningsburgh in tack. 1235. Had you to pay your rent to him?-Yes. 1236. He was what is called a middle-man in Shetland?-Yes; a middle-man or tacksmaster. The Shetland name for it is tacksmaster. 1237. You were under tack to him, and you paid the same rent to him that you have mentioned just now?-Yes, I suppose so, but I don't remember what rent I paid to him, for I never got my rent from him. 1238. How do you mean?-Because he was the tacksman, and he took what rent he liked. 1239. Do you mean to say that you did not pay £4, 2s. 10d. to him the same as you are doing now?-I paid him more. 1240. When was your rent fixed at £4, 2s. 10d.?-This year. 1241. What was your rent before?-I cannot tell what it was under Mouat, for I never heard what it was. He never told me what my rent was; it was just what he liked to take. But after Mouat left, Mr. Bruce gave us our liberty. We have had our liberty for the past year, and we go now and pay our rent to the factor, and he has told us what our rent is. 1242. Did you fish for Mouat when he was there?-I was bound by the proprietor to do so.