concealed.  This was effected by means of a false bottom to the ship, which extended as far aft as the ballast bulkhead.  The entrance to the concealment was by means of a couple of scuttles on each side of her false keelson, these scuttles being screwed down in such a manner as also to be imperceptible.  Also on either side of her cabin there were other hiding-places underneath the berths, and so constructed that they deceived more than one Revenue officer who came aboard to rummage her.  The latter had bored holes through the lining, so as to try the distance of that lining from the supposed side of the vessel.  Finding this distance not to exceed the fair allowance for the vessel’s scuttling, the officers had gone ashore quite satisfied.  From the number of gimlet-holes in the lining it was clear that the officers had been imposed upon considerably.  But what these officers had taken for the side of the ship was only an intermediary planking, the actual concealment being between that and the vessel’s side.

To get to the entrance of these concealments, the bedding had to be taken out, which they had no doubt omitted to do.  But if they had done this they would have been able properly to get to the lining, when two small pieces of wood about an inch square let into the plank made themselves apparent.  And these, if removed with the point of a knife or chisel, brought small pieces of cork (circular in shape) to become visible.  As soon as these corks were removed, the heads of bed-screws were observable, and these being unscrewed allowed two boards running the whole lengths of the berths to be taken up, by which means were revealed the concealments capable of containing a considerable quantity of dry goods.

Somewhat reminiscent of this ship was the French vessel, St. Antoine, which was seized at Shoreham.  She had come from Dieppe, and her master was named A. Fache.  The after part of her cabin was fitted with two cupboards which had shelves that took down, the back of which was supposed to be the lining of the transom.  But on taking the same up, timbers showed themselves.  On examining the planks closely, it was noticed that they overlapped each other, the timbers being made to act as fastenings.  On striking the lower end of the false timbers on one side, it moved round on a bolt, and one plank with a timber was made to shift on each side of the false stern-post, forming a stern-frame with the other.  Below the cupboards down to the run of the vessel the same principle was followed.  The entrance to this was by taking down the seats and lockers in the cabin, and a false stern-post appeared to be fastened with a forelock and ring, but by unfastening the same, the false stern-post and middle plank could be taken down.