[Appendix A(10) 1792 Report of Commissioners of Inquiry]

N° 10.

The EXAMINATION of THOMAS MOORE, Esq. Deemster of the Isle of Man, taken at Douglas, the 27th Day of September, 1791.

[Examined by His Grace the Duke of Atholl.]

THIS Examinant saith, that some Time previous to the 28th of January, 1765, was the Time the first Rumour reached the Isle of Man of a Treaty being depending between the Lords of the Treasury and the then Duke of Atholl, for the Surrender of the Isle of Man ; it was by public Rumour, and not by official Information from the Governor or any of the then Duke of Atholl’s Servants in the Island, that the Inhabitants first became acquainted with that Information : To his Knowledge the House of Keys applied to the Governor of the Bland for a Meeting of the Keys on hearing such a Report, but the Governor did not comply with that Requisition in January : That another Requisition was made by the Keys in the Month of March following, and was then complied with by the Governor of the Island, and in consequence of that Meeting Mr. Cosnahan and this Examinant were deputed by the House of Keys to attend Parliament, to apply in the Behalf of the Inhabitants of the Isle of Man : That Mr. John Christian, who was then a Merchant in Douglas, went along with this Examinant and Mr. Cosnahan to assist in mercantile Matters, at the Request of the Merchants : That being previously acquainted with Mr. Hammersley, who was the Duke’s Agent, upon their Arrival in London Mr. Cosnahan and this Examinant waited upon him, to know what was doing or done respecting the Affairs of the Isle of Man, and expressed their Surprise to Mr. Hammersley, and told him they thought the Inhabitants were extremely ill used by the then Duke of Atholl in not being timely acquainted with the Treaty carried on between the Government and His Grace ; Mr. Hammersley seemed surprised that they should make that Complaint, and the following Day they met with Mr. Quayle at Mr. Hammersley’s, and Mr. Hammersley asked Mr. Quayle whether he had not Directions from the Duke of Atholl to acquaint the Inhabitants of the Isle of Man of the Treaty for the Sale of the Island, and he said he had ; Mr. Hammersley said to Mr. Quayle, Did you let the Inhabitants know of this Treaty ? and Mr. Quayle said he had ; and this Examinant, Mr. Cosnahan, and Mr. Christian, then declared that they had received no Notice thereof, and that if any Such had been given they must have heard of it ; Mr. Quayle thereupon said, I acquainted the Governor. Soon after this Examinant, Mr. Cosnahan, and Mr. Christian, came to London, they waited upon the then Duke of Atholl, and had a good Deal of Conversation with His Grace upon the Subject, and they complained that they had not Notice of any Treaty for the Sale of the Island : The Duke then informed them, that he was only just then come to his Estate ; that he was very little acquainted with the Isle of Man or his Affairs there ; and that he was forced to take whatever he could get from Government. After Some Conversation, to the best of his Recollection as to the Person, Mr Christian said to His Grace, you have hitherto got a Penny per Gallon for Spirits imported into the Island ; People would readily have joined to have given you Two or Three Pence per Gallon, and so in Proportion for other Goods imported, had you not sold the Island : And the Duke said, I wish I had known so much of the Island as I do now ; had that been the Case, I would never have parted with it ; adding, I with to God they would take the Money back again, and restore the Island under whatever Restrictions they please. As a Member of the House of Keys, he would have agreed to an Extension of the Duties, upon having a proper Trade opened for the Inhabitants of the Island, meaning thereby to have Liberty to import Wine and other Articles into the Island, with Liberty to export them to Great Britain and Ireland, upon giving Bonds to pay the British and Irish Duties there when landed

[ Cross examined by the Keys ]

He understood that in the Conversation alluded to between Mr Christian and the Duke of Atholl, relative to the Increase of Duties, that Mr Christian meant that the Inhabitants would have consented to the increase of Duties upon Condition of the Trade’s continuing upon its former Footing, or being put upon a proper Footing of Trade, meaning upon the same Footings before, meaning, as before expressed by him, with the Addition of Liberty to trade to different Parts of the World without injuring the Revenues of Great Britain or Ireland He was acquainted with In Act of Tinwald that pasted in 1711 , a proper Copy of which will be delivered to the Commissioners by Direction of the Keys Had the Trade of the Island been put a Stop to, and no Sale made, he cannot tell whether he, as one of the Keys, would have consented to any Increase of the Duties, as that must have depended upon Circumstances. He cannot tell whether, previous to the Year 1765, the principal Article of Trade to this Island did or did not consist of India Goods, but the Trade in India Goods was very considerable

THO. MOORE.

Jn^o Spranger.
W^m Osgoode.
Will^m Roe.
David Reid.