The book Arran; - Cook Clan

178 THE BOOK OF ARRAN
peace warrants for incarcerating him in the Tolbooth of
Rothesay, as one who was meditating his escape from his
creditors, we therefore on that warrant ordered our officers
to apprehend and bring him before us, in order to learn from
him if possible what had become of the money, but when
he came we could make nothing of him. We therefore
ordered him to be secured in the castle prison, till such time
as the constables covdd find a vessal fitt to carry him to
Rothesay, which they very soon did ' (Oct. 23, 1770).
This termination may introduce the subject of communication
with the mainland, a subject to which Burrel
speedily gave serious and fruitful consideration.^ In 1766
he had crossed by freighting a boat at Saltcoats, and leaving
at 10 A.M. arrived at the Castle by noon. In 1768 he takes
a wherry from Ayr, and in September 1769 crosses through
a storm in Captain Crawford's wherry. Saltcoats is again
the point of departure in March 1770, where he found Hans
Bannatyne's small wherry. Captain Campbell had caused
his wherry (the revenue cutter) to call for him the afternoon
before, but could not wait as he was in chase of some
smugglers. Such inconveniences pressed home the desirability
for a regular means of transport, and, as in all matters
where the general weal of the island was concerned, a meeting
of representative men was summoned by proclamation in
the churches. The occasion of such a gathering was also
taken advantage of to deal with other points of local
administration. The case in hand is a typical example
of such procedure. All public intimations were made from
the different pulpits.
' There was some sort of regular communication earlier than this date, as we see
from an advertisement in the Glasgow Journal of March ' 12, 1769 : There is a packet
heat settled to pass every week from Arran to Saltcoats for the conveniency of
travellers ; the day she comes from Saltcoats is Thursday. The freight is fixed to
prevent impositions.' Probably it did not pay, as was the fate of the ferry-boat
established in 1684 from Arran to Dungoie in Bute (Reid's History of Bute, p. 98).