When William IV. Was King

by John Ashton

The third case is taken from the Western Times, and has rather a comic side to it—

"Hoax on Lord Rolle.

"A few days since notices were sent to Lord Rolle that Mr. Swing was in his neighbourhood; that on a given night there would be farmhouses pulled down, ricks of corn burnt, and threshing-machines destroyed; that the labourers would assemble in organized masses; in fact, the neighbourhood of Bicton would be subject to Swing law. Lord Rolle very wisely received this advice with proper caution. All the Preventive Service men from Salterton and Exmouth, and all the crew of the cutter in the harbour were summoned to Bicton, where a large quantity of beef and good cheer was provided. The Preventive men ate the Baron's beef, and all seemed to enjoy the good cheer of the evening, which was kept up with great hilarity. On that very night a large quantity of brandy was landed on the coast. It is suspected that one or two of the smugglers got themselves sworn in as special constables, and enjoyed the baronial munificence, as spies, for the purpose of keeping the Preventive men quiet, while their companions were running, undisturbed, their cargo on the beach."

But this was peddling work compared with that reported in the Times of August 15, 1831—

"Great Seizure of Silks.

"Information was a short time ago received by His Majesty's Board of Customs that it was contemplated to smuggle a very large quantity of silks, and the necessary steps were taken to counteract the efforts of the adventurers, who were, we understand, men of high repute for extensive dealings in the trade. The movements of certain parties were watched both by land and by water, in the neighbourhood of the metropolis, and in several seaport towns. At length Mr. Donne, an officer of the Customs, who was for some time occupied in the search, received information in the early part of last week that a lodgment of the expected property had been effected in the city of London, at the houses of some of the first people in the trade. It was not, however, stated that the leading men in the establishments were aware that the goods were contraband.

"Mr. Donne despatched, after having ascertained beyond a doubt that the silks had been warehoused without the payment of the duty, three officers of the Excise to three houses, one of which is in Newgate Street, another in a lane near Cheapside, and the third in a court in Fleet Street. At three o'clock each of these officers contrived to lay his hands upon silks of a very valuable description, upon which the duty had never been paid. The value of the seizure is estimated at not less than £10,000. It had been thought proper by the purchasers in the first house to take in a little brandy, without going through the usual ceremony of paying the duty, and two kegs of very fine Cognac were found on the premises and carried off by the officers, along with the more valuable goods.

"The silks were, it has been ascertained, smuggled from France; but no clue has as yet been found as to the manner in which they had been landed. They were packed up with great care in twenty-four large cases, which were evidently made in this country, and are such as Manchester goods are usually packed in. Upon being taken to the King's warehouses they were unpacked and examined. The gauzes are of a most beautiful kind. The officers will have the whole of the profits arising from this enormous seizure, the King having some time ago, as appears from the Order of the Lords of the Treasury issued at the commencement of his reign, given up all claim to any advantages arising from seizures of this description."

We are afterwards told in the Times of December 16, 1831, that the culprits were Messrs. Leaf, Cole and Co., in Old Change, and

"According to the information laid before the Commissioners of the Customs, the mode of proceeding seems to have been this:—the steam vessel from Calais which brought the goods, arriving generally after night had set in, and the navigation of the Pool hazardous, was moored at some spot lower down than its place of destination, thus deferring the making the entries at the Custom House until the following morning. A waterman, who was regularly employed with a barge on the river, was engaged by the parties to lie off the steam vessel, which he was only to approach on a signal previously concerted. He then received on board his barge various packages, which he secured by locking up in the cabin. Consultations were held at the time when the first of these transactions took place, upon the mode of taking these packages ashore least likely to excite suspicion. After various plans were proposed, the expedient was resorted to of using wine hampers, which were landed at one of the stairs in Thames Street, and carried by porters to the warehouses for which they were intended. Another waterman, in addition to the first, was associated in these transactions, and both of them, if the case had proceeded, were to have been witnesses on the part of the Crown. It is not a little remarkable that these men were led to tell all they knew in the business through some advantage taken of them, as they conceived, in paying them for a smaller number of parcels than they had delivered.