The history of this change may be summed up as follows.  It was suggested in the year 1816 by Captain M’Culloch of H.M.S. Ganymede (which was one of the vessels employed in the prevention of smuggling between Dungeness and North Foreland) that it would be advantageous to land the crews of the vessels employed on the cruisers and Naval ships engaged in preventing smuggling.  The men were to be put ashore every day just after sunset and so form a guard along the coast during the night.  In the morning, just before sunrise, the men were to be put on board their ships once more.  So the experiment was tried and was found to be so successful that this method of guarding the coast was adopted by a Treasury Minute of June 19, 1817.  The district between the Forelands was assigned to Captain M’Culloch, who had with him the officers and crew of H.M.S. Severn.  Those boats and men which had belonged to the Preventive service stationed between the Forelands were withdrawn, and the entire protection of this district was left to Captain M’Culloch’s force.  This was known as the Coast Blockade, and was afterwards extended as just mentioned to Sheppey and Seaford.

If we may anticipate for a moment in order to preserve continuity, let us add that in the year 1821 this span of coast was divided into three, each division being subdivided into four districts.  The divisions were under the superintendence of a senior lieutenant, a midshipman, one petty officer of the first class and one of the second.  The districts, on the other hand, were under the superintendence of a junior lieutenant.  The men were divided into parties of ten, each party having about a mile of coastline, and guard-houses were established along the coast at a distance of about every four miles.  The seamen volunteered into the service, and, if found effective, of good character, but had no relatives in the neighbourhood, they were accepted.  The object of this last condition was to prevent their showing any sympathy with the smugglers of the district.  These men undertook to serve for three years, and for payment of wages they were borne on the books of any of his Majesty’s ships.

We can thus see how gradually the influence of the Admiralty had been exerted over the Preventive work which had been carried on by the Customs.  There are then three steps.  First in assisting the Revenue cruisers, and, lastly, by taking charge of the Land-guard.  The proof of the wisdom of this change was seen in results, for the Revenue derived better protection because of the Admiralty influence.  There was better discipline, greater activity, and a smarter look-out was kept.  Thus it came about that in that very south-eastern district which had been for so long a time notorious for its nefarious trade, the smugglers found their calling a very difficult one.  And both these changes in respect of cruisers and Land-guard had been made certainly not with the enthusiastic support of the Board of Customs, who had indeed expressed their doubts as to whether such a transformation were prudent.