know how they used them. The Coast-blockademen were open (some of them) to bribes. [1] I venture to believe that one would think twice before offering a bribe to any of our Coast-guard.
I close these incidents with the following, which was sent to me anonymously when I was lately giving my lecture at the Music Hall. It will speak for itself.
"SMUGGLERS AND COAST-GUARDS ."
" In 1818 a boat, with six men from the Camilla revenue cutter, stationed off Hastings, endeavouring to return to the vessel, was lost in a dreadful sea, and four perished ; but for the generous and humane conduct of a smuggler, who witnessed the catastrophe, the others would have perished. "
THE PUNISHMENT OF SMUGGLERS.
When smugglers were caught in the act of running contraband goods, they were subject to two kinds of punishment. If they were seafaring people they were sent on board a man-of-war, and made to serve for three, five, or seven years. If they were landsmen they were sent to prison, and heavily fined. The gaols in this part of the country were scarcely ever free from smugglers, and we read in periodical publications of the last century that the bodies of smugglers were not unfrequently hung in chains. We must not forget, however, that the smuggler of the last century was generally a lawless fellow, and did not scruple -
- ↑ It was not an uncommon thing for a Coast-blockademan to be found " missing ." His pea-jacket and his arms would sometimes be found on the ground when the guard was changed ; but the man 66 nowhere."
