Excerpt from Trial of Captain Porteous

In presenting the following report of the trial of Captain Porteous, the text of which is that of the "Authentic Extract of the Proceedings, " printed by order of Parliament on 25th March, 1737, some apology would seem to be due for the modest place occupied in this volume by the actual trial. Occasion has, however, been taken to collect all information obtainable regarding the Captain's character and career, the circumstances of the robbery for which Andrew Wilson suffered death, and the fatal and far-reaching events attending his execution, while the amount of unpublished material concerning the riot, which the Editor has been fortunate enough to find, has induced him to deal with that notable affair, and the subsequent proceedings in Parliament, much more fully than he at first intended.

The Editor desires to express his thanks to those who have in various ways facilitated his labours - to Mr. Thomas Hunter, W.S., Town-Clerk, for permission to make extracts from the Records of Edinburgh Town Council, and to publish original documents preserved in the City Chambers, to Mr. John A. Fairley, for the use of valuable unpublished MSS., to Mr. George P. Johnston, Mr. William Cowan, and Mr. Henry M. Mayhew, for assistance in connection with the Bibliography, and to Miss Margaret Morison, for the care and accuracy of her transcripts made at the British Museum and the Public Record Office. He would also acknowledge the courtesy of Mr. James L. Caw, who has allowed him to reproduce the well-known picture, "The Porteous Mob, " by James Drummond, R.S.A., in the National Gallery of Scotland, and of Mr. Charles E. Green, who has permitted the reproduction of three plates from the late Mr. Grainger Stewart's "Portraits in the Hall of the Parliament House in Edinburgh" (1907).

The Editor would be glad to receive particulars of any publications, other than those included in the Bibliography, relative to the Porteous Riot.

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