Year: 1877

The Custom House contains museum


of curiosities-memoria OF attempts
at smuggling. Various causes have con-
tributed to the decline of contrabandism
as means of livelihood, chief among
which are the necessary reductions and
alterations in the customs tariff since
the adoption in England of free-trade
principles. When such valuable and
portable articles as watches and lace
were heavily taxed, the temptation to
secrete them was naturally very com
mon. At the same period, too, the
duty on spirits was about five times as
much "a its intrinsic worth, and there
fore this class of goods afforded rich
harvest to the successful smuggler.
Things are changed now, for lace and
watches are duty free, and the tax upon
spirits has been reduced considerably
more than One-half. Tobacco and
spirits, owing perhaps to the universal
demand for them, have always above
other things, met with the smuggler's
particular regard; and such cases, as
now come before the Police magistrates
are generally confined TO these two
articles. A matter-of-fact heavy fine
and cOnfiscation of the surreptitiOus
goods is the usual result of conviction:
and the smuggler-whom our child
hoods fancy painted as brave hero,
fighting the myrimdons of an oppressive
Government in some wild cave on the
seashore-is quietly walked off to
prison until he can pay the forfeit.
The Smugglers' Cave still remains:
for with that clinging fondness for past
times, it is the fashion to dignity any
natural crevice in our cliffs with that
title; but now the modern policeman
steps upon the scene, and poetical ideas
vanish with the sound of his creaking
contract boots. The chief evidence of
smuggling as il has existed within the
present century is furnished by certain
articles which have been seized from
time to time, and which are now lodged
III Ailt NNNApiil 4hhN'uhis II - w
this museum that we now intend to
direct our readers attention, and
more especially to a certain large cabi-
net in the corner of the room, the CON
tents of which supply title TO this
paper. The first thing which is pointed
out to us in a ships FENDER" which
we may remind our readers is block of
wood with a rope attached slung over
the bows 10 prevent the abrasion which
might be caused by contact with another
vessel. This particular fender was
found to be hollow, and to contain
several pounds of compressed tobacco.
The officer who thought of looking for
the soothing weed i'm such a receptacle
must have been an extremely cute
But here is a still more eX-
traordinary hiding-place, and one
which must have involved a journey
aloft for its detection-a ships block,
the sheave or wheel of which is actually
mental pedestal which once adorned
the corner of Captains cabin, and
would perhaps adorn il still, had il not
been found gorged with contraband
cigars. Another commander appears
to have been a more moderate smoker,
for he was content with only two
pounds of cherOOts. which were found
inside sham loaf on his breakfast
table. Here we have a number of cigars
knotted singly on a string, like the tail
of Il kite; these were dropped between
the inner and outer timbers of ShiD'S
side; while holes drilled in the ends of
an egg-boN furnished lodging for sew
eraI more. \ broom stick does not
seem at first sight to offer much room
accidentally broken, revealed 4 core of
that rope-like commodity known to
those To chew the weed as ''pig-tail.'
Cakes of tobacco formed to fit into the
sole of boot show another ingenious
mode of disposal. But the prize for in
ventiVe talent must certainly be
awarded To the clever rascal who com
pressed snuff into slabs, and stamped
them TO exactly initiate the oil-cakes
on which cattle are fattened. Whether
the discovery or the deception was
owing to moral objections on the part of
some experienced COW to chew anything
stronger than cud does not transpire;
but the real nature of the food was
ascertained. and what might
have proven the staple of a lucrative
trade was transformed into the origi-
nal dust from which it sprang.


A Brave Lady.


Charlotte Bronte's sister Emily, the