the purpose of loading the usual cargo of goods to be smuggled into England.  Six days later she had taken on board all that she wanted, but just as she was leaving the Customs officer examined her licence; and as it was found that she was not allowed to “go foreign,” and that to go to Alderney had always been regarded a foreign voyage, she was promptly seized.  Furthermore, as there was no suggestion of any fishing-gear found on board it was a clear case, and after due trial the verdict was given for the King and she was condemned.

There is existing an interesting application from the boat-masters and fishermen of Robin Hood’s Bay (Yorkshire) in connection with the restrictions which were now enforced regarding luggers.  These poor people were engaged in the Yarmouth herring-fishery, and prayed for relief from the penalties threatened by the recent Act of Parliament, which stipulated that luggers of a size exceeding 50 tons burthen were made liable to forfeiture.  As their North Sea craft came under this category they were naturally in great distress.  However the Customs Board pointed out that the Act allowed all vessels and boats of the above description and tonnage “which were rigged and fitted at the time of the passing thereof and intended for the purpose of fishing” to be licensed.

Whenever those tubs of spirits were seized from a smuggling craft at sea they were forwarded to the King’s warehouse, London, by those coasting vessels, whose masters were “of known respectability.”  And by a different conveyance a sample pint of every cask was to be transmitted to the same address.  The bungs of the casks were to be secured with a tin-plate, and under a seal of office, each cask being branded with the letters “G.R.,” and the quantity given at the head of each cask.  But those spirits which were seized on land and not on sea were to be sold by public auction.  All smuggling transactions of any account, and all seizures of any magnitude, and especially all those which were attended by any attempt to rescue, were to be reported separately to the Customs Board.  Small casks which had contained seized spirits were, after condemnation, sometimes allowed to fall into the hands of the smugglers, who used them again for the same purpose.  To put a stop to this it was ordered that these tubs were in future to be burnt or cut to pieces “as to be only fit for firewood.”

Even as early as 1782 considerable frauds were perpetrated by stating certain imports to be of one nature when they were something entirely different.  For instance a great deal of starch had been imported under the denomination of flour from Ireland.  The Revenue officers were therefore instructed to discriminate between the two articles by the following means.  Starch “when in flour” and real flour could be differentiated by putting some of each into a tumbler of water.  If the “flour” were starch it would sink to the bottom and form a hard substance, if it were real flour then it would turn into a paste.  Starch was also much whiter than flour.  And a good deal of spirits, wine, tea, and tobacco brought into vessels as ship’s stores for the crew were also frequently smuggled ashore.  Particularly was this the case in small vessels from Holland, France, Guernsey, Jersey, and Alderney.