CHAPTER XII_King's Cutters and Smugglers 1700-1855

THE WORK OF THE CUTTERS

If the reader will carry his mind back to 1787 he will recollect that

in this year we saw a reformation in the system of the Revenue

cruisers, and the practice of employing hired craft was discontinued.

This reformed system went on until the year 1816, when a highly

important change occurred in the administration of these vessels.

On the 5th of April in that year all the Revenue cruisers which

previously had been under the control of the Board of Customs now

passed into the hands of the Admiralty. The general object was to

adopt more effectual means for putting a stop to the smuggling, and

these vessels were of course to be employed in co-operation with the

ships of his Majesty's Navy afloat and the Revenue officers on shore.

Due notice was accordingly sent from the Customs office informing the

commanders of cruisers that they were to place themselves under the

orders of the Admiralty in the future. But the cost of these cruisers

was still to be borne by the Customs as before.

It may seem a little curious that whereas the Board of Customs had

controlled these vessels for about a hundred and fifty years this

sudden change should have been made. But, primarily, any customs

organisation must belong to the shore. The employment of cruisers was

in its origin really an afterthought to prevent the Crown being

cheated of its dues. In other words, the service of sloops and cutters

was a kind of off-shoot from the service on land. It was only because

the smuggling was so daring, because the Crown was so regularly robbed

that some means of dealing with these robbers on sea and on even terms

had to be devised. But, of course, with the Admiralty the case was

quite different. For long centuries that department had to deal with

ships and everything therewith connected. Therefore to many it seemed

that that department which controlled the Navy should also control

that smaller navy comprised by the Revenue cruisers.

At this date we must recollect that the Battle of Waterloo had been

won only a few months, that once and for all Napoleon had been crushed

and broken, that at last there had come peace and an end of those wars

which had seemed interminable. From this return of peace followed two

facts. Firstly, the European ports were now opened afresh not merely

to honest traders, but to the fleets of smugglers who could go about

their work with greater safety, with less fear of being captured by

privateers. Thus it was most probable that as the English Channel was

now practically a clear sphere there would be a renewed activity on

the part of these men. But, secondly, it also followed that the

Admiralty, charged no longer with the anxiety and vigilance which a

naval war must bring with it, was free to devote its manifold

abilities, most especially in respect of organisation, for the benefit

of the Revenue department. At one and the same time, then, there was

the chance of greater smuggling activity and a more concentrated

effort to put down this smuggling.

Furthermore, inasmuch as the wars had ended the Navy needed fewer men.

We know how it was in the case of Naval officers, many of whom found

themselves unemployed. But it was not less bad for the seamen, many of

whom had drifted into the service by the way we have seen--through

being captured smuggling and then impressed. Returned once more to

their native haunts after long separation, was it likely that having

done so much roving, fought so many battles, sailed so many miles,

passed through so many exciting incidents that they would quietly take

to tilling the fields or gathering the crops? Some, no doubt, did;

others applied themselves to some other industries for which they were

fitted. But there were very many who went back to the occupation of

the smuggler. They had heard the call to sea, and since fishing was in

a bad way they must resume running illicit cargoes again. Agriculture

and the like have few fascinations for men who have fought and roamed

the sea most of their lives. So when some enterprising rascal with

enough ready capital came along they were more than prepared to take

up the practice once more.

That was how the matter was viewed from their side. But the Government

were determined that an evil which had been a great worry for at least

a century and a half of English history should be stamped out. The

only way was to make the smuggling unprofitable. Inasmuch as these men

for the most part made their profits through being able to undersell

the fair trader (because there were no Custom duties paid) the most

obvious remedy would have been to lower the rates of import duties.

But since that was not practicable, the only possible alternative was

to increase the dangers and risk to which a smuggler must expose

himself.

And instantly the first step, then, must be towards establishing "such

a system of discipline and vigilance over the Revenue cruisers and

boats as shall give the country the benefit of their constant and

active services." These smuggling pests must be sought out, they must

never be allowed to escape, to laugh defiantly at the Crown's efforts,

and they must be punished severely when captured. It was therefore

deemed by the Treasury that there would be a greater efficiency in

these cruisers if "put under naval watchfulness and discipline,

controlled by such authority as the Department of the Admiralty may

think fit."

The change came about as stated, and the Admiralty retained in the

service those officers and crews of the Revenue cruisers as by length

of service and in other ways had shown that they were fit and

efficient. Those, however, who had grown too old for the work were

superannuated. Similarly, with regard to the Preventive boatmen, these

were also taken over by the Admiralty, but here, again, only those who

were capable were accepted, while for the others "some moderate

provision" was made.

On the last day of July in that year were sent out the regulations

which the Admiralty had drawn up respecting the salaries, wages,

victualling, &c., of the Revenue cruisers. These may be summarised as

follows, and compared with rates which have been given for previous

years. They were sent addressed in each case to the "Commander of His

Majesty's Cruiser employed in the prevention of smuggling."

And first as to payment:

(I.) CRUISERS OF THE FIRST CLASS,

_i.e._ of 140 tons burthen and upwards.

Commander to have £150 per annum

1st Mate " 80 "

2nd Mate " 45 "

(II.) CRUISERS OF THE SECOND CLASS,

_i.e._ of 100 tons and upwards but under 140 tons.

Commander to have £130 per annum

1st Mate " 70 "

2nd Mate " 40 "

(III.) CRUISERS OF THE THIRD CLASS,

_i.e._ of less than 100 tons.

Commander to have £110 per annum

1st Mate " 60 "

(No 2nd Mate)

The wages of the following persons were to remain the same in all

classes, viz.:

Deputed Mariners £2 8s. per lunar month

Seamen 2 0 " "

Boys 10 0 per annum

Muster books were ordered to be kept regularly, and the sum of 1s. 6d.

was allowed to the commander a day for each man borne on the books and

actually victualled, to provide for the following proportion of

provisions:--1-1/2 lbs. of meat, 1-1/2 lbs. of bread, 1/2 gallon of

beer. The commander was also allowed 3s. a day for his own victuals,

and a like sum for each of his mates. Allowance was made for a

medicine chest to the extent of £3 annually. All expenses of pilotage

were to be paid by the Navy, "but the commanders and mates are to make

themselves acquainted with the coasts, &c., and no general pilot will

be allowed for more than two months after a cruiser's arrival on any

new station."

And there is now a notable innovation, which marked the advent of a

new age. Instead of the prevailing hempen cables with which these

cruisers had been supplied and had been in use for centuries among our

ships, these cutters were ordered to be furnished with chain cables

"in order that the vessels may have the less occasion for going to a

King's Port to refit or make purchases." If a man were injured or

became sick whilst in the service so as to need surgical aid, the

expense was to be allowed. And in order still further to make the

cruisers independent of the shore and able to offer no excuse for

running into harbour they were ordered never to proceed to sea without

three weeks' provisions and water. As to the widows of mariners, they

were to receive £10 per annum.

So much, then, for the new conditions of service in these Revenue

craft as undertaken by the Admiralty. Let us now obtain some idea of

the duties that were attached to these officers and vessels. The

commanders were directed by the Admiralty to make themselves familiar

with the Acts of Parliament for the prevention of smuggling, Orders in

Council, Proclamations, &c., and to obey the instruction of whatever

admiral they were placed under, as also the commanders of any of his

Majesty's ships whom they might fall in with "diverting you from the

cruise on which you are employed."

Each commander was assigned his own particular station for cruising,

and he was never to lie in any harbour, bay, or creek unless by stress

of weather or other unavoidable necessity. He was to keep a look-out

for vessels of a suspicious appearance, which, in respect of size and

build, appeared to be adapted for smuggling. Especially was he to look

out for French craft of this description. Having arrested them he was

to hand them over to the nearest man-of-war. He was also to keep a

smart look-out for the smugglers' practice of sinking goods and

afterwards creeping for them. The cruisers were to visit the various

creeks and bays; and whenever weather permitted the commander was to

send a boat and crew to examine such places at night. And, if

necessary, the crew were to remain there until the cruiser came to

fetch them back in the morning.

Care was to be taken that the smugglers themselves no less than their

craft and goods were to be captured, and the commanders of these

cruisers were to co-operate with the Land-guard and keep in close

touch with the Riding officers ashore as well as the Sitters of

Preventive boats, and to agree upon a code of signals between them,

as, for example, by making false fires at night or the hoisting of

proper colours in the different parts of the vessel by day, so that

the shore officers might be informed of any suspicious vessels on the

coast. These cruisers were also to speak with all the ships with

which they fell in, and to direct any ships subject to quarantine to

proceed to quarantine stations. And if they came across some

merchantman or other vessel, which they suspected of smuggling, the

cruiser was to accompany such craft into port. And they were enjoined

to be particularly careful to guard East India ships to their

moorings, or until, the next station having been reached, they could

be handed over to the next cruiser.

The commanders of the cruisers were also to be on their guard against

the practice in vogue among ships that had been to Holland and France

with coals, for these craft were especially prone on their return to

putting dutiable goods into light craft from London, or on the coast,

but chiefly into cobbles or small fishing craft at sea. And even when

it should happen that a cruiser had to be detained in port for

repairs, the commander was to spare as many officers and seamen as

possible and to employ these in keeping a regular watch on the high

grounds near the sea, so as to watch what was passing, and, if

necessary, despatch a boat and part of the cruiser's crew. The

commanders were reminded that the cruisers were not to wear the

colours used in the Royal Navy, but to wear the same ensigns and

pendants as provided by the Revenue Board under 24 Geo. III. c. 47,

sect. 23.

On a previous page we went into the matter of firing at the smuggling

craft with shotted or with unshotted guns. Now among the instructions

which were issued by the Admiralty on taking over these Revenue

cruisers was the clear order that no officer of a cruiser or boat was

justified in shooting at a suspected smuggling vessel until the former

shall have first hoisted his pendant and ensign, nor unless a gun

shall have been first fired as a signal. The date of this, of course,

was 1816. But among the documents preserved at the Swansea Custom

House there is an interesting letter dated July 1806, written by the

Collector to Mr. Hobhouse, stating that a Mr. Barber, the

sailing-master of the _Cleveland_, had been committed for trial on a

charge of wilful murder, he having fired a shot to cause a boat to

bring-to and thus killed a man. This, taken in conjunction with the

testimony of the Sheerness Coastguard, to which I alluded by

anticipation and shall mention again, seems to me fairly conclusive

that in _practice_ at least there was no fixed rule as to whether the

first gun were shotted or unshotted. At the same time the above quoted

instruction from the Admiralty, although loosely worded, would seem to

have meant that the first gun was merely to be of the nature of a

warning signal and no shot fired in this first instance.

And then, again, among these instructions cropped up the reminder that

in times past commanders of cruisers had not been wont to keep the

sea in bad weather--a period when the conditions were most favourable

for smugglers--but now the Admiralty remarked that if the commander

should be deficient in "this most essential part of your duty" he

would be superseded. On the west coasts of England and Scotland

especially some of the commanders had been accustomed in former years

to pass the night in some harbour, bar, or creek instead of cruising

on their station and counteracting the designs of the smugglers, "who

will always prefer the night time for carrying on his operations."

Consequently the Admiralty now strictly charged the commanders to

cruise during the night, and no matter of private concern must serve

as a pretext for any intermission.

They were also to maintain a regular communication with the commander

of any other vessel with which they had been instructed to cruise in

concert. And cruisers were to be furnished with the laws relative to

smuggling and not to exceed the powers vested in the commanders by

law. As to any un-Customed or prohibited goods these were to be

secured in the King's Warehouse at the next port, and care was to be

taken that these goods remained undamaged or pilfered by the crew. And

after the goods had been thus put ashore both the commander and mate

were carefully to search the smuggling vessel, the boxes, and bedding

of her crew to see if anything had been kept back.

Whenever a vessel was seized at sea precautions must be taken to

ascertain the distance from the shore "by causing two points of land

to be set, and the bearings thereof to be noted by two or more of your

officers and mariners who are acquainted with those points of land, so

that each of them may be in condition to swear to the bearings from

the note taken by him at the time, to be produced by him upon the

trial of the vessels."

Any papers found on board the smuggling craft were immediately to be

initialled by the persons present, and no cruiser or any of her boats

should be employed in carrying passengers or pleasure parties. The

commander and mate were to keep separate journals of all the

proceedings of the cruiser relating to wind and weather, bearings, and

distances from the land, soundings, &c., every twenty-four hours so

that the admiral could tell whether the cruisers had used every

exertion to suppress smuggling, or had been negligent and slack in

their duties. For this purpose the twenty-four hours were divided into

three parts thus:--Midnight to 8 A.M., 8 A.M. to 4 P.M., and 4 P.M. to

midnight. In each of these three divisions the commander was to fix

his position by cross-bearings and soundings if in less than 30

fathoms. This was to be done a little before sunrise, at noon, and a

little before sunset, provided that if the land were not seen or the

cruiser be chasing a vessel, this fact was to be noted in the journal,

and the bearings and soundings were to be taken whenever the land

should be seen. An exact copy of this journal was to be sent after the

end of each month to the admiral under whose command the cruiser

happened to be placed.

The table on p. 228 is an example of the journal of one of these

craft, and will show instantly the kind of record which was kept.

On the 1st of January, 1817, the Preventive boats were put under the

control of Captain Hanchett, R.N., who was known as the

Controller-General of the Preventive Boat Service. There was an effort

made also in this department to obtain increased efficiency. And the

following articles were ordered to be supplied to each Preventive

boat:--one small flat cask to hold two gallons of fresh water, one

small water-tight harness cask to hold provisions, one chest of arms

and ammunition, one Custom House Jack, two "spying-glasses" (one for

the watch-house, the other for the boat), one small bucket for baling,

one "wall piece," forty rounds of cartridges, thirty muskets or

carbines, preference being given to carbines with musket-ball bore

where new ones are to be purchased, twenty light pistols, balls in

proportion to the above, bayonets, cutlasses, pouches, tucks, small

hand hatchets for cutting away rigging, musket flints, pistol flints,

a set of implements for cleaning arms, a set of rummaging tools, and

a dark "lanthorn." With this full inventory these open, oared boats

could go about their work for long spells in bays, up creeks and

estuaries, on the prowl for the smugglers by night.

JOURNAL OF HIS MAJESTY'S REVENUE CRUISER THE "VIGILANT," JOHN

SMITH, COMMANDER, FOR THE MONTH OF JULY 18--

-------+------+--------+------+--------------------+---------+--------------

Day of | | | +----------+---------+ |

the | | | | |Bearings | |

and | | | or in| Land |Distances| in | and

-------+------+--------+------+----------+---------+---------+--------------

1st., | | | | | | |a vessel from

or | | | | | | |laden with

| | | | | | |9 A.M.

-------+------+--------+------+----------+---------+---------+--------------

| | | |May |W. 6 | |

-------+------+--------+------+----------+---------+---------+--------------

or | | | | |8-1/2 | |the _Cherokee_

-------+------+--------+------+----------+---------+---------+--------------

Whenever any vessels were seized and condemned a full, descriptive

account was sent to London regarding their size, breadth, depth,

burthen, age, where built, draught, scantlings, the nature of the

wood, how fastened, whether the craft appeared strained, how many guns

she carried, what was the probable expense of having her refitted, how

long she would last when this had been done, whether she had the

reputation for rowing or sailing quickly, and what was her value. If

it was recognised that she was a serviceable vessel she was not to be

destroyed but employed in the Preventive service.

Among the names of the Revenue cutters about this time were the

_Scorpion_, _Enchantress_, _Jacobus_, and _Rattlesnake_. There was a

good deal of smuggling now going on in Essex, and the last-mentioned

was employed to watch the river Blackwater in that district.

Lieutenant Neame, R.N., was also ordered to proceed to the Blackwater

with the lugger _Fortune_, and arrived there to take charge of the

_Rattlesnake_. This was in September 1818; and here let us remark that

although the Preventive Water-guard originally had charge of the

whole coast of England, yet a few months before the above date--it

occurred actually in July 1817--the staff between the North and South

Forelands was withdrawn, and this part of the coast was placed under

the charge of the Coast Blockade. Under the arrangement of 1816, when

the cruisers had been put under the care of the Admiralty, the

Preventive Waterguard had come under the authority of the Treasury,

but now, in 1817, came the change mentioned. Towards the close of 1818

this Coast Blockade, instead of being confined merely to that coast

between the two Forelands, was extended till it reached on the one

side Shellness by the mouth of the East Swale, and on the other right

away down Channel to Cuckmere Haven (between Newhaven and Beachy

Head).

The history of this change may be summed up as follows. It was

suggested in the year 1816 by Captain M'Culloch of H.M.S. _Ganymede_

(which was one of the vessels employed in the prevention of smuggling

between Dungeness and North Foreland) that it would be advantageous to

land the crews of the vessels employed on the cruisers and Naval ships

engaged in preventing smuggling. The men were to be put ashore every

day just after sunset and so form a guard along the coast during the

night. In the morning, just before sunrise, the men were to be put on

board their ships once more. So the experiment was tried and was

found to be so successful that this method of guarding the coast was

adopted by a Treasury Minute of June 19, 1817. The district between

the Forelands was assigned to Captain M'Culloch, who had with him the

officers and crew of H.M.S. _Severn_. Those boats and men which had

belonged to the Preventive service stationed between the Forelands

were withdrawn, and the entire protection of this district was left to

Captain M'Culloch's force. This was known as the Coast Blockade, and

was afterwards extended as just mentioned to Sheppey and Seaford.

If we may anticipate for a moment in order to preserve continuity, let

us add that in the year 1821 this span of coast was divided into

three, each division being subdivided into four districts. The

divisions were under the superintendence of a senior lieutenant, a

midshipman, one petty officer of the first class and one of the

second. The districts, on the other hand, were under the

superintendence of a junior lieutenant. The men were divided into

parties of ten, each party having about a mile of coastline, and

guard-houses were established along the coast at a distance of about

every four miles. The seamen volunteered into the service, and, if

found effective, of good character, but had no relatives in the

neighbourhood, they were accepted. The object of this last condition

was to prevent their showing any sympathy with the smugglers of the

district. These men undertook to serve for three years, and for

payment of wages they were borne on the books of any of his Majesty's

ships.

We can thus see how gradually the influence of the Admiralty had been

exerted over the Preventive work which had been carried on by the

Customs. There are then three steps. First in assisting the Revenue

cruisers, and, lastly, by taking charge of the Land-guard. The proof

of the wisdom of this change was seen in results, for the Revenue

derived better protection because of the Admiralty influence. There

was better discipline, greater activity, and a smarter look-out was

kept. Thus it came about that in that very south-eastern district

which had been for so long a time notorious for its nefarious trade,

the smugglers found their calling a very difficult one. And both these

changes in respect of cruisers and Land-guard had been made certainly

not with the enthusiastic support of the Board of Customs, who had

indeed expressed their doubts as to whether such a transformation were

prudent.

Some idea of the number of his Majesty's ships and vessels which were

employed in the prevention of smuggling in the year 1819 may be

gathered from the following list. It should, however, be mentioned

that these did not include the numbers of Custom House cruisers which

the Admiralty had begun to control, but were actually the Naval ships

which aided those of the Revenue:--

Plymouth supplied 10 ships and 4 tenders

Portsmouth " 8 " 3 "

Sheerness " 8 " 2 "

Leith " 7 " 1 tender

Ireland " 12 " 1 "

at a total cost of £245,519. But it should also be borne in mind that

these ships of the Navy, or at any rate by far the greater number of

them, would have been in commission whether employed or not in the

prevention of smuggling, and in certain cases these ships were

employed in the Preventive service for only a part of the year.

Without the Revenue cutters the Navy could not possibly have dealt

with the smugglers, and this was actually admitted in a Treasury

Minute of January 15, 1822. The total number of Revenue cruisers

employed in Great Britain and Ireland during the year 1819, as

distinct from the ships of the Royal Navy, amounted to 69. The

following year this number had increased to 70. These were apportioned

thus:--

20 under the Commander-in-Chief at Sheerness

11 " " " " Portsmouth

14 " " " " Plymouth

12 " " " " Leith

11 were employed in Ireland

2 were employed by the Commissioners of Customs

To sum up then with regard to the Preventive Water-guard, let us state

that this had been constituted in 1809 to supplement the efforts of

the cruisers and Riding officers, the coast of England and Wales being

divided into three parts, and placed under the control of Inspecting

Commanders. Under this arrangement were included the Revenue cruisers

themselves. Then in 1816 the Admiralty had taken over these cruisers

from the Preventive Water-guard, and the following year the Coast

Blockade had taken over that portion of the coast between the

Forelands, to be extended in 1818 to Shellness and Seaford

respectively.

The sphere of activity on the part of the Preventive Water-guard was

thus by the year 1819 considerably curtailed, and from the

instructions which were now issued to the Inspecting Commanders we can

see how the rest of the coastline other than that section just

considered was dealt with. Each station consisted of one chief

officer, one chief boatman, two commissioned boatmen, and four

established boatmen. There was a six-oared boat with her rudder and

wash-boards--"wash-streaks" they are officially called--a five-fathom

rope as a light painter, eight good ash oars, two boat-hooks. She was

a sailing craft, for she was provided with a fore-mast, main-mast, and

mizzen-mast, with "haul-yards," travellers, down-hauls, sheets, &c.

Her canvas consisted of foresail, mainsail, and mizzen with a yard for

each. She carried also a jib, the casks for water and provisions, a

boat's "bittacle" (= binnacle), with compass and lamp. She was further

furnished with a couple of creeping irons for getting up the

smugglers' kegs, a grapnel, a chest of arms and ammunition, the Custom

House Jack and spy-glass as already mentioned.

This vessel was rigged as a three-masted lugger with a jib. There is

no mention of a bowsprit, so either one of the oars or a boat-hook

would have to be employed for that purpose. In addition to this larger

boat there was also on the station a light four-oared gig fitted with

mast, yard (or "spreet"), a 7 lb. hand lead, 20 fathoms of line for

the latter, as well as ballast bags to fill with stones or sand. If

the established crews were inadequate during emergency extra men could

be hired. The boats were painted twice a year, but "always to be

completed before the bad weather sets in, and the colours to be

assimilated as near as possible to those used by the natives and

smugglers which frequent the coast which are least conspicuous."

If any of the established boatmen intermarried with families of

notorious smugglers the Inspecting Commander was to send information

to the Controller-General. Furthermore, no one was to be appointed to

any station within twenty miles of his place of birth or within twenty

miles of the place where he had resided for six months previous to

this appointment.

The name, colour, rig, and other description of any vessel about to

depart on a smuggling trip or expected to arrive with contraband goods

on the coast were to be given by the Inspecting Commander both to the

admirals commanding the men-of-war off the coast in that

neighbourhood, to the captains and commanders of any men-of-war or

Revenue cruisers, and also to the Inspecting Commander of the

Preventive Water-guard on either side of him. And in order to keep the

men up to their duties the Preventive stations were to be inspected

often, and at certain times by day and night. The Inspecting

Commanders were to perform their journeys on horseback and to proceed

as much as possible by the sea-coast, so as to become well acquainted

with the places where the smugglers resort.

The officers and boatmen were ordered to reside as near their duty as

possible and not to lodge in the houses of notorious smugglers.

Officers and men were also to be private owners of no boats nor of

shares in public-houses or fishing-craft. The Inspecting Commanders

were to report the nature of the coast, the time, the manner, and the

method in respect of the smuggling generally carried on in the

district. If there were any shoals or rocks, not generally laid down

or known, discovered when sounding to possess a different depth of

water, or if anything should occur which might be useful for

navigating the coasts of the kingdom, then cross bearings were to be

taken and noted. These men were also to render every assistance in

case of wrecks and to prevent goods being smuggled therefrom into the

country. If any of these Preventive boatmen were wounded in fighting

with a smuggler they were to be paid full wages for twenty-eight days

or longer, and a reasonable surgeon's bill would be also paid.

And to prevent any possible excuse for discontinuing a chase, the boat

was never to leave the beach without the two-gallon keg of fresh

water. And to prevent any obvious possibility, this boat was never to

be left by day or night without one of the boat's crew to guard it.

The latter was always to have ready some sort of floating buoy,

"loaded at one end and a piece of bunting at the other," for marking

the place where goods might be thrown overboard in a chase. The

Inspecting Commanders were also to be on their guard against false

information, which was often given to divert their attention from the

real place where the smuggling was occurring.

"As night is the time when smugglers generally run their cargoes, it

is expected that the boat, or her crew, or the greater part of them

will be out, either afloat or on land, as often as circumstances will

permit, which must be, at least, five nights a week." They were

ordered generally to co-operate with the Revenue cruisers and to keep

a journal of all proceedings. When out at night time they were to

have a candle and "lanthorn" in the boat as well as the boat's

"bittacle," and not to rummage a vessel without the candle being

carefully secured in the lanthorn to prevent accident by fire. All

suspicious ships were to be rummaged, and whenever the weather would

not permit of the boat keeping the sea, the crew and Inspecting

Commander were to keep a look-out by land. Even as late as 1819, when

the great wars had come to an end, it was found that the transfer of

smugglers to the Navy had continued to be the most effectual means of

protecting the Revenue. The sum of £20 was granted for each smuggler

taken, and this was paid to the individual or individuals by whom or

through whose means the smuggler was absolutely secured, and it was

not to be paid to the crew in general. But when chasing a smuggling

craft, whether by night or day, they were not to fire at the

delinquents until the Custom House Jack had been displayed. The salary

of each Inspecting Commander, it may be added, was now £200 per annum

and £60 for the first cost and upkeep of an able horse.