Corpus of Modern Scottish Writing (CMSW) - www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/cmsw/ 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