Star.
London, England, 1828-10-23 00:00:00

SINGULAR CIRCUMSTANCE.

Monday the town of Gravemnd was the scene of a
carious pi oceeding• which cannot bUt reflect great credit
spon the active vigilance of the authorities thereof. On
•hat mov fling a sloop, bearing the title of the Nancy, of
Boston, burden about 100 tons, and loaded to the wa-
xr's edge, was seen making a slow progress up the
fiver, towed by three men in a boat ahead. Although
Kr appearance excited no suspicion whatever, the Re-
venue Inspector at Gravesend went on board of her in
vlie same matter of course way that he visits every yes-
olpassing the place, and meeting the Captain on deck,
We 'only person then on board, he asked him as a mere
tiling of form, seeing. that to all appearance the sloop
wrs entively loaded with corn, where his ship's papers
ore? The Captain replied, that they were some-
where below deck, but he did not exactly know where
g that instant to put his hand upon them. The In-
iiector said, that it was rather odd that a Captain should
pt always have his ship's papers at hand, and he de-
ged the Captain to go below and fetch them up that
le might look at them. The Captain went below, but
rr• t find the papers, for the best possible reason,
lat there were no papers to be found, and he again
. .

one on deck empty handed.
" I tell you what, master Captain," said the Inspec-
tor, just r your negligence, now, I shall leave two
f any men on board of you, until you do find the pa-
rrs." The Inspector then placed two of his revenue
men in the vessel, to proceed with her to port, and
'went himself ashore again in his boat—never still
ospecting there was any thing really wrong in the
abselice of the ship's documents. He had, however,
scarcely reached the shore from his boat, when he
ob ersed the three men who had hitherto been
towing the sloop along, suddenly cut the towing rope,
and row off in their boat with all their might, leaving
the " Nancy, of Boston," and her Captain, to their fate.
This unt apected mat teuvre at once aroused the suspi- '
cions of the Inspector, and he once more boarded the
sicop, when on a close examination of her cargo, he
found that the sto face of corn was a mere covering to
conceal an extensive cargo of foreign brandy, with
which the was laden. The Nancy" was now, of
curie, seized, as was also her Captain, and on search-
ing the person, of the latter, there was found on him
one document alone, which showed that the " Nancy"
ea, the bearer t f 2,000 tubs of brandy, for the London
market, without intending to trouble the Custom-house
fur permission to land them.
The Captain was now brought on shore and deposited-
is the Gravesend gaol, which adjoins the Town Hall,
Ore to remain until he should be dealt with according
e the law of the case. It happened that on that day.
the Cot potation- people were going on with some of their
venal transactions in the Town Hall; the gaoler's pre-
tence beLlg necessary to their proceedings, that func-
tionary was mote engaged in the Town Hall than lie was
in the gaol ; but let as his substitute in the latter place'
s veiydecest obliging old woman, • about seventy years
of age.
A-bout two o'clock in the afternoon, three men, dressed
-like country labourers in smock-frocks, presented them-
selves at the gaol door, and asked it the old Lady would
permit them just to hand in a bit of dinner to the Captain
of the Nancy,which they had brought with them in their
hand., and a bottle of wine. The old gaoleress very coolly
said-, by all sneans,and immediately admitted them to the
apartment where the Captain was confined. Here the
men. laid down their provisions, and requested the old
Lady to oblige them with the loan of stable cloth for
their friend, which she immediately gave.them, and
soi,ted them in laying out the dinner en the table.
During this proceeding one of the men was appa-
rently amusing himself outside the prison door toss-.
ing up a halfienny, but in Lick to watch until the
coast was clear, and this moment having arrived,
he called out " heads," which no doubt was the
signal agreed upon, when instantly out rushed the
Captain and the other men, leaving the old woman
to Arrange the dinner table alone, and all four ran with
their utmost speed along the street until they came to
a blacksmith's forge, whets stood a beautiful blood-
horse, harnessed to a large light spring cart, into which
the four men immediately threw • themselves, and one
seizing the reins, gave a whistle to the horse, which set
off at skrate of sixteen miles an hour, and passing right
through the whole town of Gravesend, were out' of
sight almost before the old gaoleress had recovered from
her amazement. It seemed that about two hours before
the- escape, the three smock-frock men brought the
horse and cart to the smith's forge. and left them to.
stsand there, desiring, that the horse should be shod all
round, and every part of the cart examined and well se-
cured by their return, at the same time paying in ad-
vance-for smith's labour,

The Captain was a very large unwieldy man, and it
lappears that his companions had great difficulty in get-
wig him along while running from the gaol to the forge,
and he was several times en the point uf giving in, but
his persevering associates pushed and dragged him
f rward until they got hint to the cart, the tail Ward of
hich they then let down, and shoved him to as they
would a sack of malt. The tremendous rate at which
they flew through the streets of Gravesend, could not
but attract attention, and the real cause was immediately
suspected by the townspeople; who, however, instead of
attempting to arrest their progress, which would have
been a dangerous office, cheesed and bowed them as
t'iey went along with the encouraging cries of 14 Go it,
my brave smugglers."
The old woman at the gaol no sooner recovered her
senses, than she ran into the Town Hall amongst the
Corporation, then in deliberation, calling out as loud as
c .e could bawl, " LORD have mercy on us! be is gene!
Loan save us, he is gone!" e‘ Gone!" echoed the Cor-
poration," who is gone?" An please your worshipful
Worship, the smuggler is gone." " Where is he gone to?"
asked the Corpus anon. " That the Loan only knows," re-
plied the old woman, " but he is gone." The fact of
!he Captain's escape was now fully disclosed, and the
whole Town Hall and Corporation were thrown into
the utmost consternation. The. entire body corporate
were as a man darting out to chase the smuggler, whey
they were arrested by the consideration that it would
be better first to hold a council of pursuit, which was
accordingly done, and the determination was come to
of hiring a post chaise, and following the smugglers,
but, on a little further reflection, they found by the rate
at which the smugglers travelled, that the Corporation
might just as well pursue them in an eight•horse wag-
gon, and all hope of re-capturing the Captain was there-
fore given up. The cargo of the Nancy is considered
to be of so great value (it is said 20,0001) that the Com.
missioners of Customs have directed that she shall be
unloaded under their own eye at the Custom-home
Duck, at which place she has already arrived.

Private accounts from Philadelphia mention large
purchates of corn and flour, on account of the news of
the failure of the English crop. Flour, which two
months previously was 4i dol. had advanced to 7. The
repot ts of the crops in the interior were favourable, but
only small supplies bad reached the coast.