The letter reads

To:                   Wm. Borthwick Esq., E. L. Bank, Dunbar.

From:              Sir William Forbes, James Hunter & Co., Edinburgh.
Dated:              12th October 1814.

Sir,

    We wrote to you yesterday & we now return for non payment £81 Dft by James Elliot.  Protest 6/- to your Co.'s Debit.

    We return for non acceptance R Hills Dft with B Linen Co. £100 Charged to your Co's Debit.

    Your favour of yesterday is received enclosing London bills               £562.11.6

payment rec less Discount                                                                          1.18.1

                                                                                                            £560.13.5

& the bills £90 for your Co.'s Acceptance.

    We are, Sir

                                  Your Most Ob. Servant,

                               W. Forbes, Hunter & Co.

Turn

    There being a probability of Mr Sikes dft on the BL Co. being accepted in the course of a few days we shall retain and present it again - in the meantime it is noted.

    By a letter from Glasgow received this morning we learn that there is some suspicion of a parcel of the Notes taken from the Paisley Union Bank office having been left in East Lothian.  We should therefore be obliged by you giving direction to your tellers to take particular notice of any large Notes of an old date which may be presented into Dunbar or Haddington.

      The main body of the letter is very much routine in nature and relates to the a couple of drafts; one of which has not been paid and this non-payment is now undergoing "Protest". In essence this was the method whereby a Notary Public obtained written confirmation that the draft had been presented for payment (or acceptance) and had not been paid (or accepted).  Protest enables the holder of the draft to apply to Court for recovery.

      The acceptance of drafts is where the draft is date for some future date (i.e. pay three months from....") and the holder wishes to ensure that payment will be made.  The holder presents the draft to the person on who it drawn asking that the draft be "accepted", thereby confirming that payment will be made when due.  In this letter the second item was not accepted, and thus returned.

      The more interesting part of the letter is the postscript where Sir William Forbes, James Hunter & Co. advise that they believe that Bank notes stolen in a robbery of the Paisley Union Banking Company are in the neighbourhood.  For full details of this robbery see the pages for the Paisley Union Banking Company.