The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1835-12-25 00:00:00

EXTEN':!VE FRAUD ON THE REVENUE,

Last week a most daring attempt to run on shore a general
cargo of goods, which had been shin-,-1 far exportation, with
the drawback allowed by the Custotn-house and Excise-office,
was detected in the river under very extraordinary circum-
stances, :which was at first supposed tube an act of piracy. It
appears that the French schooner Lavinia had been recently
purchased by a Yorkshireman, who was in the habit of trading
between England and France. A few days ago she began tak-
ing iu a general . cargo of hops, pepper, tobacco, and brandy,
ostensibly for exportation, and was moored right off the Custom-
house. The drawback on the whole of the articles had heel' al
lowed,.and bills of ,clearance were about to issue, the destination
of the Lavinia being Hamburgh,•when, owing; to some private
information received by a coast waiter attached to the Custom-
house, named Thomas. Smith, he was induced to overhaul the
schooner, and ascertained that a great portion of the cargo bad
been removed. .The vessel was immediately laid under deten-
tion, and marked with the broad arrow. Further inquiriei
were then instituted by Smith and other Custom-house officers,
who discovered that the smuggled, property had been taken up
the river in barges, and on searching -a warehouse at White
-Hart Dock, Lambeth, near the church, they found 7,3(X) pounds
of hops, a bag of pepper, and 1,300 pounds of leaf tobacco which
had for Med part of the Lavinia's cargo. Ti.a revenue officers
also discovered au empty brandy cask, containing bladders in
which the liquor had been removed in small quantities. The
tobacco had been deposited in hop bags which had been -pre-
viously emptied -of :heir contents on bt.ard. On rummaging
the sebooneranather brandy cask was found • to, be filled with .
-water, and near it two empty skins were picked up. Thirty
stone bottles, each filled with brandy, and adapted for conceal-
ment about the person, were found secreted in various•parts of
the vessel, and in a keg were ten gallons more. The shipment
of goods previous to the discovery consisted of forty-two pockets
of hops, ten bags. of pepper, two hogsheads of tobacco, and two
pitocheons of andy. • The whole of the brandy, excepting the
-small quantity remaining on board, and the drawback on which
amounted to £2OO, had been smuggled ashore, besides one hogs-
head oftobaceo (exclusive of that found in the warehousej a
bag of pepper, which teas recovered, and ten pockets of hops.
Nine. bags of peniler still remained in the ship after the seizure.
The captain, mate, and crew absconded immediately after the
discovery of the illegal transaction, and have not since been
heard of, Yesterday morning the remaining part of the cargo
was relanded,-and with the property seized at Lambeth lodged
in the. King'i, warehouse. The ship, which has become confiss
sated, and with the sails and rigging is worth upwards of £7OO,
was -tovved down -to the• '`eondemned hole" at Rotherhithe.
The cargo was tife sole property of the captain, and it is be-
lieVed that he was'connected with various other parties on shore
iu carrying on- the illegal traffic. It was owing to a quarrel
with sonic of the persons concerned in the transaction that the
affair was brought to 'light. What renders this transaction
more -.extraordinary. is, that revenue officeis were on board
while the property was being removediand great tact musthave
been displayed iu.unshipping the goods without their knowledge.
On Saturday morning;, after the ship had been seized, a lighted
candle-was discovered below, placed in such a position that in
a few minutes more the schooner would have been on fire. Sus-
picion rests on a marl who was seen about the vessel, and whose
person is well known.—Marning Past..