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Document : 606

Title: Petition of Duncan Ruthven, Sedan Chair Man, to the Principal and Members of Glasgow University Against Some Students

Author(s): Ruthven, Duncan

Unto the very Reverend the Principal, and [¿]
Premanent members of the University of Glasgow
The petition of poor Duncan Ruthven office
of the Sedan Chairmen in Glasgow
Most Humbly sheweth

That your poor petitioner had the misfortune
to get one of his Sedan Chairs broke by some young
Gentlemen in their frolick in March last and
notwithstanding of a most accurate trial before
Your Wisdom & thereanent proceeding upon a Complaint
made by your petitioner against Mr William Grant
one of the Students at the University, it appeared
that the Evidences brought to prove the Complaint
were the very persons themselves who broke your
poor petitioners Chair so that there remains nothing
for the petitioner but to seek his redreſs at Law
by prosecuting these young Gentlemen who
in their own Depositions acknowledged their guilt.
But as the petitioner is but a poor man his prosecution
its fear'd will go but slowly on, & it's iſsue
much doubted, more especially that he has Gentlemen
to Contend with. Meantime the petitioner thinks
he lies under the strongest obligations to return his
most humble and Grateful thanks to the Gentlemen
of the University who were pleased to take the trouble
of making such an Accurate and tedious trial of
his affair, in order to do him Justice, and he believes
had his Complaint been founded upon that part
of our Municipal Law viz. Art and part
as it was not The Gentlemen of the Faculty
would have had no difficulty in finding Mr. Grant
Lyable in payment to our petitioner of the damages
Claim'd


May it please your Wisdom to Consider
the poor petitioners Case and In respect of his
being a poor man having a small family and
being deprived thro' the Loſs of the foresaid Sedan
Chair of one special mean of Gaining his
own families bread & so unlikely to have
any Redreſs therefore from the persons who
Injured him To Commiserate his Condition
and Grant him some such Charitable
Relief as to you in your great wisdom &
Goodneſs shall seem meet and your poor
supplicant as in duty bound shall ever pray.

Duncan Ruthven
