Star.
London, England, 1826-04-12 00:00:00

BLCCIEAD2 SERVICE.

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Earl DARNLEY row, pursuant to Ootice, to *rake
his motion for returns relating to the Cnakt Blockade
Service. The Noble Earl observed, that although he
had brought before their Lordships a recent accident
on the coast of Kent, by which a valuable Officer had
been suddenly deprived of life; and although that gee
currence had induced him to come forward to call-the
attention of the House to the Blockade System,T-ir -was
not on that ground only, that he was desirous of intro-
ducing the subject. It was not of a particular trait
action, but the general system of the coast blockade
that he complained. He could not suppose an order
had been given by any Officer in his Maj&sty's servica
to fire upon ally person in the situation of the Officer
who bad fallen. Upon the face of the proceedings-beote
the Coroner's Jufy, it appeared that the man fired
when he hid no ground to suppose the objecrof Hs aim
was a smuggler. The Noble Earl was sorry to say,
that many instances had occurred of the stone culpable
indifference to the sacrifice of human life. 'He was ie-
formed that a tombstone in Hastings recorded the death
of a fisherman who had been shot coming in his boat
from sea. The man was hailed, and not answering, or
nor giving a satisfactory answer, was shot by ogre of the
blockade men. The Coroner's Jury found a verdict of
wilful murder, which appeared recorded on thetomb-
stone. These accidents must constantly occur without
a change of system. Formerly the blockade was kept
by proper persons only on the coast between the North
and South Foreland, b it the system had been extended
over the whole coast. The worst men were taken for
the service, and very few seamen cerp:,..yel Two or
three instances of improper conduct en the part of the
blockade men had occurred to himself. It happen d
in the course of the summer before last, tl:at in going
from Gravesend, he landed at Sandwich.• Theblock-
ade man stationed there, insisted on his right to search
the person. The man was armed. The Noble .Earl
was conducted to the Lieutenant, who with great lib'•
rality'made an apology, and'offered to have the man
punished. The Noble Earl would no: consent to that,
believing the man might have thought he was doing
his duty. If such misconduct was s!,ew.r towards
himself, what might be the case with respect to a poor
fisherman, rho came under this martial law, for it was
nothing else ? Having mentioned the subject to their
Lordships, he considered it his duty to inquire into the
advantage erived from the blockade system, and his
belief was, that smuggling was carried on to a great client notwith-
standing all the precautions now observed. Since the blochasicbsid
been establlabed, smuggling had continued, upon a Jute, lc* and
the plan had led to a dreadful loss of life. The Noble lid ;scorn-
=coded the reduction of the duties on spirits. willed*, be
would render the system of blockade unneeese. (kW set
be dispensed with, some other force than that now entp!ogee'l might
be substituted. The lives of his Majesty's sal j •ete were puced In.
the hands of persons who were ism At to be entruitedi with tbn
duty they bad to discharge. The Noble Earl concluded, by" away*
for a return of the number of Olike:s, petty °Marts; and nearaaw.
employed ,111 the Preventive Serene, and also forms aewoest of the,.
memo of the whole force of the Coast Blockade.

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'Viscount MELVlLLE4amented as much as the
Noble Earl, the unfortunate accident which had de-
prived a valuable Officer of his life ; but the Noble Earl
Was mistaken, it he thought that orders were issued to
the men on the Preventive Service to molest any of
his Majesty's subj ets when peaceably pursuing their
lawful occup itions. The very reverse was the case.
Positive orders were given them not to interfere, ex-
cept in evident attempts to defraud the revenue, and
n t to use their weapons unless-they were themselves
attacked. No one could deny them, under such cir-
cumstances, the common right of self-defence. On
tie late unfortunate occasion, it happened that a large
armed band had been seen in the exercise of its calling,
in the neighbourhood of Hythe, and an order had been
passed to the Preventive Service along the coast to be
on their guard. The man expecting an alarm had con-
sequently taken upon himself to do that which was
entirely against his orders, and for which he was now
in prison to answer before the tribunals of his country,
to discharge his musket at his own officer. This was not a
tase in which the system itself was to blame, but the in-
dividual. It might happen that if persons would in-
(tinge the law, and would endeavour to effect their
infringement through force when called upon to submit,
that they would be subjected to severe inflictions. But
if the Noble Earl thought that the Revenue, or even the
peace of the country, could be protected against the
large bodies of smugglers who possessed the coast,
without the aid of the Preventive Service, he was greatly
mistaken. Within these few days such information had
le .n received as would satisfy the Noble Lord that some
coercion was necessary to protect the Revenue and the
peace of the country. Resistance was made a capital
offence by Act of Parliament, and those who chose to
resist must take the consequence of the law. The Noble
Lord had said that the system had been established by
an Officer now no longer living. That was true, but
the cause of its being adopted and maintained was its
efficacy. He did not suppose that any argument would
be necessary to convince the Noble Earl of the propriety
of keeping up a respectable naval force. But, if
we had it, then came the question, will you employ k
or not for the protection of the Revenue ? Did the
Noble Earl mean to say that the ordinary officers of
the Revenue would be sufficient to prevent smuggling
on the coast? It Le did, he was perfectly mistaken.
Smuggling prevailed on the Kentish coast under cir-
cumstances different from other places. A boat, by a
concerted signal, might manage to land at a particular
spot, where a body of men would collect, of sufficient
force to insure the landing of its cargo. The ordinary
Officers of the Revenue being enough to overcome such
obstacles was quite out of the question. The Noble Earl
complained that the service was nut performed by regu-
lar seamen. The individuals employed were regularly
discharged every three years, but if he thought that
their place was not supplied by regular seamen, he
had only to look at the papers on the table, and °he
would see that the larger proportion were by no means
landsmen. The House had been told that the only way
to prevent smuggling was to loiver the Duties. But
the lark article on which he wished that duties should
be lowered was spirits. If the duty were lowered on
ftneign sl irks, it must be lowered on those made at
home, and for all moral and physical purposes spirits were already
rather too cheap than not cheap enough. There was no option,
therefore, between a system of coercion, or allowing the country
to' be deluged with poison. Unless strong pleasures were used,
tianualing must prevaiL It did so some time since in the western
parts of Kent, but was now confined to the eastern, where, in the
vidnity of Hythe, regularly organised bands existed to protect the
tabding of soots. As to the Revenue, the Nobk Earl said that he
did not know how the system answered, he could assure him that
it answered perfectly well, and was the most effective which could
be adopted.
• The Earl of LIVERPOOL was ready to bear testi-
Molly to the truth of all that had been stated by his
Noble Friend, not only from the knowledge which he
derived from his official situation at the head of his
Majesty's Treasury, but from that which he occupied,
as well as from his residence during some .months of
the ) ear, in the county of Kent. He could say that the
late unfortunate accident was the first and only one of
the kind which had occurred in the space of 12 years;
and that, although most to be deplored, it had not oc-
curred in consequence of, but in direct eppositiOn to, a
General Order. As to the effect of the system, with re-
apect to the Revenue, it was infinitely greater than that
of any other which had ever been adopted. There were
only three modes of protecting the Revenue; either a
naval guard, a military guard, or the lowering of the
duty.. To a milaary guard he had no doubt that the
constitutional jealousy of the Noble Lords opposite
would object. The lowering of the duty was liable t
the dangers pointed out by his Noble Friend. Besides
it would become necessary to make up the loss to the
Revenue by the substitution of direct taxes for indirect
flues, a mode which would be far from agreeable either
to the House or to the country. There remained, there-
fore, only the present system, which had been effective
beyond the expectations of those who had ever turned
their minds to the consideration of the subject. It was
true, however, to some extent, that it had diverted
smuggling from one part of the coast to another; but
the great object was to drive it from the narrow to the
broad part of the Channel, for whilst one cargo was
brought in the latter, ten were landed in the former. In
his neighbourhood (Weimer Castle) smuggling was already al-
most extinguished. With regard to the Officer who bad been alluded
to as the author of the system, he bad displayed sO much gentleness
in carrying it into effect, that he was beloved by all the neighbour-
hood. and when he unfortunately died, he was universally regretted.
Could a higher character be given to an officer than to ay that with
such a duty, and such a place to perform it in, be bad acquired uni-
versal love and esteem. Whatever modes were adopted to prevent
smuggling, a price must be paid for the advantages which it con.
(erred upon the country.
Earl Daextrr having replied in a few words, the motion was
put and carried, and the House adjourned.