He and other Commissioners paid a preliminary visit to Aberdeen in early July 1638 where they were told politely but firmly by the town's magistrates and other leading citizens that they had no legal authority to exact the subscriptions demanded.
Commissioners led by him traveled to Aberdeen in early July 1638, but were met with a polite yet firm rejection by the town's authorities, including its magistrates and influential residents, who informed them that they did not have the authority to demand subscriptions.