—­[In this same year (1811) Murat, as King of Naples, not only winked at the infringement of the Continental system, but almost openly broke the law himself.  His troops in Calabria and all round his immense line sea coast, carried on an active trade with Sicilian and English smugglers.  This was so much the case that an officer never set out from Naples to join, without, being, requested by his wife, his relations or friends, to bring them some English muslins, some sugar and coffee, together with a few needles, pen-knives, and razors.  Some of the Neapolitan officers embarked in really large commercial operations, going shares with the custom house people who were there to enforce the law, and making their soldiers load and unload the contraband vessels.  The Comte de -----, a French officer on Murat’s staff, was very noble, but very poor, and excessively extravagant.  After making several vain efforts to set him up in the world, the King told him one day he would give him the command of the troops round the Gulf of Salerno; adding that the devil was in it if he could not make a fortune in such a capital smuggling district, in a couple of years.—­The Count took the hint, and did make a fortune.—­Editor 1836 edition.]—­

Smuggling on a small scale was punished with death, whilst the Government themselves carried it on extensively.  The same cause filled the Treasury with money, and the prisons with victims: 

The custom-house laws of this period, which waged open war against rhubarb, and armed the coasts of the Continent against the introduction of senna, did not save the Continental system from destruction.  Ridicule attended the installation of the odious prevotal courts.  The president of the Prevotal Court at Hamburg, who was a Frenchman, delivered an address, in which he endeavoured to prove that in the time of the Ptolemies there had existed extraordinary fiscal tribunals, and that it was to those Egypt owed her prosperity.  Terror was thus introduced by the most absurd folly.  The ordinary customhouse officers, formerly so much abhorred in Hamburg, declared with reason that they would soon be regretted, and than the difference between them and the prevotal courts would soon be felt.  Bonaparte’s counsellors led him to commit the folly of requiring that a ship which had obtained a licence should export merchandise equivalent to that of the colonial produce to be imported under the authority of the licence.  What was the consequence?  The speculators bought at a low price old stores of silk-which change of fashion had made completely unsaleable, and as those articles were prohibited in England they were thrown into the sea without their loss being felt.  The profits of the speculation made ample amends for the sacrifice.  The Continental system was worthy only of the ages of ignorance and barbarism, and had it been admissible in theory, was impracticable in application.