The Inverness Town-Council have resolved to dispense with the further
st r- vices of the executioner ; whose extraordinary emoluments are thus described by the Inverness Cnarier. "Donald Boss was appointed executioner in 1812, with a salary of hi/. per annum. As most public appointments of a rare and difficult nature are accompanied with fees and perquisites, independent of salary, Donald had various bites and nibbles at the public purse. First, he was pro- vided with a house, bed, and bedding. Second, lie was allowed thirty-six leafs weekly nom the tacks-man of the petty customs. Third, he had a bushel of coals out of every cargo of English coals imported into the town. Fourth, he was allowed a pure of coal, as large as he could carry, out of every cargo of Scotch coals. Fifth, he had a peek of oatmeal out of evety hundred bolls landed at the shore. Sixth, he had a fish from every creel or basket of fish brought to the market. Seventh, be had a penny for every sack of oatmeal sold at the market. Eighth, he bad a peck of salt out of every cargo. Ninth, he was allowed every year a suit of clothes, two shirts, two pairs of stockings, a hat, and two pairs of shoes. Added to these fixed and regular sources of income, Donald levied black-mail on the lieges, in the shape of Christmas-boxes, and had besides a suer of 5/. at every execution at which he presided. Now all these items twist have amounted to 50/. or 00L per annum; awl, as there have been just three executions since Donald acceded to office, they must have cost the town nearly 40 0/. each execution ! It is worthy of remark, that the last hang- man here experienced a very ' untimely end.' He had gone to Elgin on pro- fessional business, and was attacked on his return about Forres, by a mob of mischievous boys and lads, who maltreated hint in so shameful a mantle' that be died on the spot. The most active of the mob were, however, very properly tried and transported."
This sinecure Jack Ketch is but a faint type of numberless officials who hold " responsible situations of high public import- ance," the duties of which are certainly neither so onerous nor so odious, and whose salary, fees, perquisites, and other emoluments, are proportionately for dearer to the country than those of this functionary of the law were to the good people of Inverness. Yet if they were to be dismissed, we should have long speeches about their vested interests, which a good round pension would hardly suffice to silence. But DONALD Ross may go hang himself for lack of criminals.
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