Georges was sighted by Captain Hughes, commanding the Revenue cutter Petrel.  The Georges was boarded and searched, and there was a strong smell of brandy noticed, and it was clear that her tub-boat had been recently used.  Somewhere—­somehow—­she had recently got rid of her “crop,” but where and when could not be ascertained.  The Georges’ master protested that he was very anxious to get back to Cherbourg as quickly as possible; and as there was nothing definite found on board this foreign craft, Captain Hughes decided to release her.

That was on May 9, then.  But exactly a week later this same Georges came running into Torbay.  On arrival here she was found to have no tub-boat, although in her inventory she was said to have a boat 21 feet long and 9 feet broad.  Some of her crew were also absent, which looked still further suspicious.  Still more, she was found to have battens secured along her bulwarks for the purpose of lashing tubs thereto.  This made it quite certain that she was employed in the smuggling industry, and yet again there was no definite reason for arresting this foreign ship.  We pass over the rest of May and June till we come to the last day of July.  On that date the lieutenant in charge of the coastguard at Lyme (West Bay) reported that he had received information from Lieutenant Davies of the Beer station that a landing of contraband goods was likely to be attempted on the Branscombe station, which is just to the west of Beer Head.  It was probable that this would take place on either the 1st or 2nd of August, and at night.  Orders were therefore given that a vigilant look-out should be kept in this neighbourhood.  Nothing occurred on the first of these dates, but about twenty minutes past eleven on the night of August 2 reports and flashes of pistols were heard and seen on the Sidmouth station as far as Beer Head.

These were observed by Lieutenant Smith and his crew, who were in hiding; but, unfortunately, just as one of the coastguards was moving from his hiding-place he was discovered by a friend of the smugglers, who instantly blazed off a fire on the highest point of the cliff.  However, Lieutenant Smith did not waste much time, and quickly had a boat launched.  They pulled along the shore for a distance of a mile and a half from the beach, and continued so to do until 2.30 A.M., but no vessel or boat could be seen anywhere.  But as he believed a landing was taking place not far away, he sent information east and west along the coast.  As a matter of fact a landing did occur not far away, but it was not discovered.  An excise officer, however, when driving along the Lyme road, actually fell in with two carts of tubs escorted by fifteen men.  This was somewhere about midnight.  He then turned off the road and proceeded to Sidmouth as fast as he could, in order to get assistance, as he was unarmed.  From there the chief officer accompanied him, having previously left instructions for the coastguard crew to scour the country the following morning.  But the excise and chief officer after minutely searching the cross-roads found nothing, and lost track of the carts and fifteen men.