About the year 1831 five casks imported from Jersey was alleged to contain cider, but on being examined they were found to contain something else as well.  The accompanying sketch represents the plan of one of these.  From this it will be seen that the central space was employed for holding the cider, but the ends were full of tobacco being contained in two tin cases.  In this diagram No. 1 represents the bung, No. 2 shows the aperture on each side through which the tobacco was thrust into the tin cases which are marked by No. 3, the cider being contained in the central portion marked 4.  Thus the usual method of gauging a cask’s contents was rendered useless, for unless a bent or turned rod were employed it was impossible to detect the presence of these side casks for the tobacco.

[Illustration:  Cask for Smuggling Cider.]

One may feel a little incredulous at some of the extraordinary yarns which one hears occasionally from living people concerning the doings of smugglers.  A good deal has doubtless arisen as the result of a too vivid imagination, but, as we have shown from innumerable instances, there is quite enough that is actual fact without having recourse to invention.  I know of a certain port in our kingdom where there existed a legend to the effect that in olden days the smugglers had no need to bring the tubs in with them, but that if they only left them outside when the young flood was making, those tubs would find their own way in to one particular secluded spot in that harbour.  A number of amateur enthusiasts debated the point quite recently, and a wager was made that such a thing was not possible.  But on choosing a winter’s day, and throwing a number of barrels into the water outside the entrance, it was found that the trend of the tide was always to bring them into that corner.  But, you will instantly say, wouldn’t the Coastguard in the smuggling days have seen the barrels as they came along the top of the water?

The answer is certainly in the affirmative.  But the smugglers used to do in the “scientific” period as follows, and this I have found in a document dated 1833, at which time the device was quite new, at least to the Customs officials.  Let us suppose that the vessel had made a safe passage from France, Holland, or wherever she had obtained the tubs of spirits.  She had eluded the cruisers and arrived off the harbour entrance at night just as the flood tide was making.  Overboard go her tubs, and away she herself goes to get out of the sphere of suspicion.  These tubs numbered say sixty-three, and were firmly lashed together in a shape very similar to a pile of shot—­pyramid fashion.  The tops of the tubs were all painted white, but the raft was green.  Below this pyramid of tubs were attached two grapnel anchors, and the whole contrivance could float in anything above seven feet of water.  It was so designed that the whole of the tubs came in on the tide below water, only three being partially