r ix’/u A LETTER T 0 A Noble Lord? CONTAINING, A NEW DISCOVERY 0 F The Scandalous and Pernicious Pradiceof Running of Goods from France , which has lately been carried on beyond all Example, to the great Prejudice of his Majefty's Ciiftoni;-, and the very great Danger of bringing the — into thefe Kingdoms. Bv a G e n t l e m a n. vU-YX _ LONDON, Printed : And Sold by Mrs. Jobnftn, Milliner, facing the End of Chancery-Late in H'Jborn ; and by Mr. Jones, a Ptrukemakcr in Fleaftrcct, next poor to the Royal Waxwork near Tcmfle-Bnr. 175j. [ Price One Shilling. ] Trptkvct!/ vtf ■9H advertisement. B Y what Means the Public comes to be troubled with a Letter, originally intended for his Grace the D — of N--, will naturally be inquired, and may be pro¬ per to inform the indulgent Reader. The following Obfervations on the pernicious Prac¬ tices of the Smugglers at Boulogne, were made by two Englifh Gentlemen who refided fome time in that Town, having been forced away from their Country by the Vicijfitudes of Fortune, and the iniquitous Arts of defigning Men. There thy had daily an Opportunity cf remarking, and even of inquiring, into every Step and Meafttre with which this de- flruthve Commerce (if Commerce we can call it) is conduced, in Defiance of the Laws of Great Britain. Upon tlx Settling of their Affairs, towards the Clofe of the lajl Spring, tbcfe Gentlemen returned to England, where they have ffnei communicated to their Friends the Obf:r vat ions and Diji'ovcries made during their Exile. Thefe were fund to be of fuck A 2 weirhtv ADVERTISEMENT. weighty Importance, by the impartial Judg¬ ment offome "echo are well acquainted with commercial Matters, as to defense to be laid before his Grace the D — op N- for the general Good of the Nation. In confequence of a repeated pollicitation from their Friends, they applied to a Gentleman of diftinguijhed Merit in the City, who undertook to commu¬ nicate them to a Perfon of Rank in one of the Branches of the Adminiflration, in order to have his private Opinion, before they were laid before the Minifier. This Perfon ap¬ proved of their Zeal, as likewife of their Bints for remedying of the Abufe ; but add¬ ed, That as the Attention of the Government is at prefent taken up with Matters of greater Moment in this critical Conjunfture, when we are at the Eve of a War with our potent and ambitious Neighbour, it would be unfea- fonable to trouble his Grace with Matters of lefs Importance. Finding therefore, that an Application to thofe at the Helm would he of no Service at prefent, they have ventured to fubrnit their Remarks to the public Exami¬ nation, hoping that they will be of feme Ser¬ vice hereafter, when the prefent Difputes with ADVERTISEMENT. with France Jhall come to be fettled. In the mean time, perhaps they will help to convince every impartial Briton of the indefatigable Endeavours ufed by the French to prejudice our Commerce, and of thejujl Refentment of tbofe who have the DireBion of our public Affairs, againjl the perfidious Behaviour of that reflefs Nation. To the M o st N o b le ****** THIS SHORT SKETCH, CONTAINING A View of the clandeftine Trade now carried on at Boulogne, Calais, and Dun¬ kirk, not only in Tea and Brandy, but likewife in Wool, in defiance of the Laws of England, is humbly prefented by Tour Grace’s mojl dutiful, and mojl obedient, humble Servants, March 25, 1755. W. M. G, May it pleafe your GRACE, H E Town and Harbour of Bou¬ logne in France, has been fo en¬ larged and inriched within the compafs of twenty-five or thirty Years, that whereas Filhermens Boats, and fuch-dike Trading-veflels as were then employed to and from Boulogne , ufed to anchor near to the Church of St. Nicholas , they have now on the fame Spot opened handfome Streets, built a great number of Merchants Houfes, a commodious Key, with a large ftone Pier, and rendered the Harbour capable, at Spring-tides, of fend¬ ing out Ships of three hundred Tons Burden. This Pier was begun about fourteen Years ago, not by the Govern¬ ment, but by the the Merchants trading with the Englijh Smugglers, who peti¬ tioned the Court, That a Tax might be laid on their Confumption of Beer and B Brandy t^] Brandy for a Term of fourteen Years, to enable the Town to defray the Expences of clearing the Harbour, which was then like to be choked up. Accordingly, they obtained an Ad of Council for that pur- pofe, and an Engineer was fent to dired and complete the Work, the Expence of which amounted to about fifteen thou- fand Pounds Sterling. Thus there is great Reafon to believe that the Har¬ bour of Boulogne, almoft choked up as it was in the Year 1740, would have continued in the fame ruinous Condi¬ tion, had it not been for the EngliJJ) Smugglers, who, about the Years 1737, 1738, and 1739, flocked over 'in fuch Numbers, that it began to referable an Englijh Colony. Upon this Succefs, thefe Enemies of their Country grew fo in- folent, that they had Veflels built from fifty to one hundred Tons burden, and went fo ftrongly armed, that they often fought their Way, if they happened to meet with Oppofition. Here we muft beg leave to exhibit to Your Grace, a fummary View of [ 3 ] of the Method and Proceedings of the Smugglers about the Year 1739, beeaufe we apprehend it will {hew what Steps the French have taken to encourage and fupport this clandeftine Trade. On the one hand, thefe Men ufed to come on Shore with a Sack of Money thrown over a Pole, to the Amount of a thou- fand Pounds Sterling , very often fifteen hundred Guineas, or more, to purchafe Tea and Brandy. On the other hand, the French ftudied to humour and pleafe them, and gave them the Name of Guinea-Men, from bringing over iuch a Number of Guineas. Such was the In¬ dulgence {hewn them on all Occafions by the French , that they ufed to call Bou¬ logne the Land of Liberty; for the Com¬ mandant had Orders to connive at any Folly or Infolence they were guilty of j and the civil Magiftrates behaved with the fame Lenity to them, beeaufe it was thefe very Magiftrates that fupplied them with Tea and Brandy. Thus they con¬ tinued to triumph in their illegal Prac¬ tices from the Year 1737, to 1744, when m the legiflative Power thought fit to in* terpofe, and pafTed an Ad, the 18 th of of George II. cap. zb. which puts a Duty of only one Shilling per Pound Weight, and 25 per Cent, ad Valorem of the grofs Price, at which the Tea fhall be fold at the public Sale of the Eajl-lndia Com¬ pany. It was generally expedted that this Ad of Parliament would effe&ually have flopped the fmuggling Trade, as it made fo great a Reduction in the Price of our own ordinary Tea: But the contrary is too evident. And though this illicit trade was in fome meafure carried on during the War, the French Privateers having had Orders not to moleft them, yet thofe of our own Nation not prov¬ ing fo civil, towards the Clofe of the War we had very near deftroyed this ini¬ quitous Commerce. However upon the Proclamation of the Peace, they foon ap¬ peared again, though in a different Shape j for, inftead of large Veffels, made to fight their Way, they had Cutters built on purpofe for Running, of fo fine a Mould, and made fo complete for failing, that few is] few Veflels are able to come up with them. The Expence of Building and Rig¬ ging each of thefe Cutters amounts to between three and four hundred Pounds Sterling. They are employed in no other Trade, but in running of Tea and Brandy from Boulogne, Calais , and Dunkirk. As to the Smugglers themfelves, they are not the People who rifque thofe Cutters, neither are they the People who pay for building them: No, my Lord, this is done by the French Merchants, who are Sharers in all, or moft of the Cut¬ ters employed in this clandeftine Com¬ merce. It is therefore the more extraor¬ dinary, that when Seizures are made, the Cuftoni-houfe Officers do not take the Boats, as well as the Tea and Brandy, and burn or deftroy them, as directed by A Q. of Parliament. But in that refpeft, our Officers on the Kent and Suffex Coaft, praftife a Politenefs or Indulgence of a moft lingular nature. W* [ 6 ] We have Teen fince September laft, Ten or Twelve, nay Fourteen of thefe Cutters come into Boulogne Harbour in one Tide, and daily Three or Four. Nay we can fafely affirm, that not a Day in the Year palfes, but there is this Number coming in and going out, loaded with Tea and Brandy ; infomuch that a Stranger would be almoft perfuaded to think it a lawful Employ, feeing them pafs fo frequently unmoleftcd. Notwithflanding what fome People may think of the ruined Condition of the Smugglers, from the Numbers hanged and tranfportcd; permit us, my Lord, to give an Account of the prefent Quantity .of Tea and Brandy, which is annually run from the Town of Boulogne. This Port was fo little and fo infigniiicant Twenty-five Years ago, that it did not de¬ fray the Expences of keeping a Cuftom- houfe ; for which reafon every Six Weeks a Sum of Money ufed to be fent from Amiens , to pay the Charges of Cuftom- houfe Officers, &c. But now the Cafe is altered, for the Englijh Smugglers have occafioned [7] occafioned fuch a Trade, by carrying over to them Englifi Wool, and Englijh Money, and by running Tea and Brandy, beiide Hollands, Cambricks, and French Eajl- India Goods, into England , that now every Six Weeks the Farmer-general fends down a Chaife marine from Amiens, to take off the Surplus-money paid in for Duties and Cuftoms of the Port of Boulogne. It is by means of this Trade, my Lord, that the French EaJl~India Company flou¬ rishes : It is by means of the Tea fmug- gled into England that the Company's Actions bear fo high a Price, and that the Number of Ships annually employed in their Trade has increafed from Two to Six Ships fince the Year 1748 ; it is by means of this clandeftine Trade that the Inhabi¬ tants of Boulogne became enabled to charge themfelves with a Duty on Beer and Brandy, to the Amount of Fifteen thou- fand Pounds Sterling, in order to make a better Harbour, and to build a new Pier. Thus the French (befides opening of Dun¬ kirk Harbour) are now poffefled of one more valuable Port within the Chanel, whereby •whereby they are enabled td annoy our Merchants Ships by their Privateers, and, at the fame time, to give Shelter to the .trading VelTels of their own Nation, as they did the lad: War. Here we beg Leave to remind your Grace, that it was this new made Har¬ bour which Iheltered upwards of Two Hundred armed VelTels in that critical Time of the Year 1745 and 1746, which VelTels were fent from St. Malo, Dieppe, Dunkirk, &c. and actually rendevouzed one whole Month in the Harbour of Boulogne, to take on board 16,000 Men, who were there ready to embark—On this Occafion it is melancholy to obferve, that the Smug¬ glers were the Perfons intended by the French to pilot thofe Troops over to the Kent or Suffex Coafts; and particularly Two of the mod: experienced of thofe Traitors, who then lay in the Harbour with their Cutters to take in Tea and Brandy, were carried up to Paris, and paded an Examination as Pilots before the French Minidry} though, for Appearance fake, Monfieur Commiflary Deske, who had [9l had been a Prifoner in Dcrjcr-CaJlle *, was to have had the Honour of being the Pilot. During all this Parade or Farce, our Fleet was detained in the Downs by contrary Winds. In this part of our Account, your Grace may think we have digreffed too far from the Point we fet out with, name¬ ly the fmuggling Trade: But as thefe Men were thought worthy of being em¬ ployed in that Affair, and were willing Hands, we hope it will not appear alto¬ gether foreign to our Defign. If any Doubt fhould arife as to the Truth and Probability of what has been here afferted, we arc ready to prove the Whole, when¬ ever your Grace will pleafe to admit us to an Audience. We are ready likewife to prove, that Four Hundred Tons of * They had a fair Wind one Night, and might have flipped over and landed, but their Hearts fail’d 'em. The Inhabitants thought the Troops were em¬ barked and gone, for they were ordered not to ftir out of their Houfcs that Night on pain of Death. The French told us, that the firft Step would be to feize Douer-Caftle ; but that they were in fome doubt whether the Irijh Brigades would Hand by ’em after they were landed, tho’ they feemed fuch flaming hot Partizans whilft they breathed French Air. c Tea, Tea, and Four thoufand Pipes of Brandy, were run laft Year from the Port of Bou¬ logne only, upon the Kent and Sujfex Coaft. This we hope will be thought deferving of farther Notice ; and that you will per¬ mit us to wait upon your Grace, in order to propofe a Scheme for remedying the abovementioned Evil; which Scheme we humbly apprehend ourfelves qualified to undertake. It may not be improper further to ac¬ quaint your Grace, that the French have their earlieft Intelligence from this moll dangerous Set of People ; for the Smug¬ glers who come with their Cutters to Bou¬ logne, from the IJle of Wight , from Portf- mouth. Sandwich, Deal, and Dover, are generally able to give a pretty good Ac¬ count of what is going forward in the King’s Yards, even from Portfmouth to Deptford. We ourfelves have feen upon the late Rumour of War, the Command¬ ant, and the Mayor of Boulogne, Aider- man fames Coilliot, and Monfieur John L' Sabboniere , watching every Tide for the coming coming in of the Smugglers, who were directly taken to the Mayor’s Koufe, and clofely examined as to the Number and Preparations of the Men of War at Spit- head, the Downs, &c. which Intelligence was immediately fent to Brejl or Paris. It may be equally proper, on this Occa- fion, to reprefent to your Grace the different Condudt of the £.\r// but were forced to wait till the middle of OBober lor the Arrival of the Eajl-India Company’s Tea, as above- mentioned, We W e are fenfible, indeed, my Lord, that fome Seizures are made; but the Smugglers themfelves admit, that if dou¬ ble the Quantity of Tea and Brandy was feifed, they Bill could bear it; for they fry they have made Calculations, that they are able to continue the Trade, and to afford to lofe a Cargo once in five times; tho’, as things are now managed, they own they do not lofe a Cargo once in twenty times. How thefe Smugglers come to meet with fuch Indulgence, is a Myftery im¬ penetrable to us: But if a reafiuiable Method can be pointed out for fiipprefiing them, and for hindering 300,000 /. ready Money, as well as a large Qu intfiy of Wool, from being annually fear to Prance^ we humbly conceive that your G a c e will in fuch Cafe be very ready to em¬ brace it. From the great Succefs the French have had in Smuggling of their own Tea from Boulogne and Calais , they have, fince the Peace of 1748', prohibited all Dutch Teas Teas from coming into France. It is likewife from the fame Succefs, that the French EaJl~India Company have fo vaftly increafed the Quantity of Tea which they yearly bring from India. This Company’s A&ions indeed, like other Funds, are affe&ed by the Appear¬ ance of War; but if they are permitted to throw into England, as now they do, almoft all the Teas which they import from India, their A&ions will continue to bear a very high Price. And this, with¬ out doubt, is the Motive which has al¬ ready induced many Britijh Subje&s to withdraw their Money from our Funds, and to by up their A&ions, where they get near 6 per Cent. Now, as all thefe Mifchiefs, which England but too fenfibly feels, are intirely owing to the Strength and Succefs of this illegal Commerce, we humbly hope, my Lord, that if it can be kept under, or in a great meafure fup- prefled by fifty Men, and three Boats only, and, in confequence thereof, the French Company’s A&ions be reduced to a low Ebb, perhaps to noo Livres, or C ‘7 ] lei's, the Expences attending the Appoint¬ ment of fifty Men, and three boats, will be confidered as a very eafy Method of re- drefling this enormous Abufe. We have collected a pretty exadt Ac¬ count, both of the Quantity and of the Value of the Tea vended from Boulogne laft Year, as alfo of the Brandy ; and likewife what Quantity of Wool was fmug- gled into Boulogne ; all which, when cal¬ led upon, we are ready to lay before your Grace. We have the Honour to fubfcribe our- felves Tour Grace’* mojl obedient Servants. The Quantity, and the Value of laft Tears Import of Brandy and Tea , at Boulogne, to be fmitggled into England upon the op~ pofite Coaft , between October 1754 and October 1755. Alfo an Account of the Quantity of Englifh Wool run from the Coaft of Suflex, Kent, and Romney-Marfh, &c. With the Names of the Englifh Smugglers. Whereby appears an infinite Injury to the Nation , viz. Firft, In carrying away 200,000 Ster¬ ling in Money. Secondly , In carrying away our Wool to the French Manufactures. Thirdly , In bringing back two needlefs Articles, Tea and French Brandy; the Brandy, in particular, a worfe Commodity than our Malt-Spirits, which fhould rather be promoted, becaufe the Confumption «f [ i9l . "of that brings a large Revenue to the Crown, and the Landlord and Farmer gains thereby a good Price for damaged Corn. The Tea, as per other Side, is averaged at 30 /. Sterling per Chert, taking two Cherts of Green to one of Bohea ; fo that 5189 Cherts at 186 lb. weight each Chert, amounts to 430 Tons , 17 C. 1 qr. 23 lb. The Brandy is averaged at 10 /. Sterling per Pipe. [ 20 } Merchants Names at bm- \ logni. Importers of Tea and Brandy, 1754. Monf. JohnUSa- bloniere Widow Frerecoc \ and Son 3 Monf. John Coilliot Monf. Jim. Coilliot Monf. Yailliant Monf. John Barbe Captain Coilliot Monf. Stephen \ L’Sablcnicre 3 Monf. Clary and Son Monf. LI Coilliot 1 on the Key 3 To fundiy fnull Dealers"J of different Marks, t make out for fear of 1 being thought Spies. J Monf. Germain & Dallet i Carried over to Beiogtte ial *excjufive of what is ca Caltiis and Dunkitk Number of Cherts of Tea Value of the Tea Number of Brandy Value of the N» Chefts' £ Sterling Pipes £ Sterling 950 285CC 400 4000 6co 180OO 32 X 3210 800 240C0 500 5000 500 15OCO 400 4000 500 I500C 429 4290 2C0 600C 200 60C0 1 .... 400 12000 200 2C00 4 C0 X2CCC 500 5000 6000 SO 1500 511 5110 189 567C 450 45OO 5189 155670 3911 39110 391IC v rred to 1 194780 £ Staling Money An Account of the Quantity of Wool run into Boulogne, during the dark Nighti and bad Weather, betwixt Oftober 1754, and March laf, 1755. Merchants in Boulogne, to whom, in general, the Smugglers fell the Wool. Combed Wool Fleece Wool Monf. Becquereb Packs I09 Pucks 87 Monf. fames Coilliot I46 55 Monf. William Coilliot 83 3 & Monf. John Id Bell 94 48 Monf. Hamorell --- 42 Monf. Germain Dallet *7 _ 3 L 449 306 We have not fet down the Value of the Wool, becaufe, notwithftanding that the French pay ready Money for that Article, and are willing to allow 100 per Cent. Pro¬ fit, yet the Wifdom of our Laws has fe- verely forbid the carrying it to them. This [ 22 ] This is an Affair very grievous and pro¬ voking, and the little Tricks made ufe of by the French , in combination with the Owlers, may deferve your Notice, viz. An Englijh Veffel gives a Signal, whereby it is underffood that they have Wool on Board, and thereupon a Boat puts off im¬ mediately. and takes Poffeffion of the Veffel, brings her into the Harbour, and unloads the Wool, the Englijh not ap¬ pearing till the Wool is landed ; and thus they think themfelves fcreened from any Trouble or Information in England. But we happened to lodge near the Cujlom- Houfe, and have often feen and watched the Farce. The Wool is fent away to Amiens , where they carry on a great Ma¬ nufacture of Stuffs j and fometimes to Abbeville, for the cloathing Manufacture. Names [ 2 3 ] Names of the Englifli Smugglers who come two or three times a Week to Boulogne. Capt. Ivafon Capt. Kerby Capt. Stephenfim Ditto D. Pierpoint Ditto H. Pierpoint John Pellet Bold Robin John Mills William Holden John French John Turner John Lock — Jervice Tail-Boy Dick Wood — Farley Leb. Mojfit Tom Aylesbury — Knight Buck Wingfield Dick Hall Tom Hall and his Crew and his Crew and his Crew and his Crew and his Crew and his Crew and his Crew and his Crew and his Crew and his Crew and his Crew and his Crew and his Crew and his Crew and his Crew and his Crew and his Crew and his Crew and his Crew and his Crew and his Crew and his Crew a large Cutter a large Cutter a large Cutter a large Cutter a large Cutter a Boat a Cutter a Merchant a Merchant a Merchant a Cutter a Merchant a Merchant a Merchant a large Cutter a large Cutter a large Cutter a large Cutter a Hoveler a large Cutter a large Cutter a Cutter a Hoveler a Hoveler Turner ■— John/on of Dover and his Crew ■— Davife and his Crew t H J Turner and Colebrun : and their Crew Merchants — Ward and his Crew a Cutter — Bumbot and hb Crew a large’Cutter — Ball and his Crew a Hoveler — Diggs and his Crew a Hoveler <—'Crmvcher and his Crew a large Cutter Jeffery Walton and his Crew a large Boat John Walker and his Crew ditto Tamjafper and his Crew a Hoveler Tom Green and his Crew a large Cutter Bob Phillips and his Crew a large Cutter Sam Phillips and his Crew a Hoveler N. B. Several of thefe Cutters are 70 Tons Burden, and the lead; are 30 Tons; fo if they make one or two Trips a Week to Boulogne, the Quantity muft he very confiderable in a whole Year. A A SUPPLEMENT WAY of ADDRESS, TO THE Merchants of London, Malt- Dijlillers , Dealers in Tea> and thofe in the Woollen-ManufaBure , relative to the preceding Me¬ morial. Gentlemen, I T may be naturally expedted that fuch a trading Nation as Great Britain, Ihould liften to every judicious Hint which may ferve to put a Stop to a clandeftine Branch of Trade carried on with France. This Information, founded on the ftridteft Truth, well deferves your Notice. For E no [ 2 6 ] no honeft or wife Man would wifh to fee the Continuance of a Trade, big with all the Mifchiefs defcribed in the forego¬ ing Memorial, efpecially at this time, conlidering the State of the Nation, the Load of the public Debt, the Difficulty of laying new Taxes, and the Expence of a War, in which we are like to be embroiled with a neighbouring Power. Upon ferious Refle&ion, Gentlemen, you will find that this Affair is no mean Ar¬ ticle of the prodigious Drain of Money from Britain to France. No lefs than 200,000 /. a Year by the Importation of French Cambrics and Lawns, 100,000/. a Year by French Brandy and Foreign Spirits, and 200,000 /. a Year by Tea. Thefe Sums added together, amount to half a Million of Money, which is equal to a Land- Tax of One Shilling in the Pound. Should not this ferve to quicken the Refolutions of the Parliament, to put an effectual Stop to fuch a pernicious Branch of Trade and Commerce carried on in the Channel, in Defiance of the Laws ? Tis [ 2 7 ] Tis well known, that many A3s of the Legiflature are fufficiently declarative of the national Injury we have long fuftain- ed: but the Remedy provided hath not been adequate to the Difeafe; and we are forry to fay, that it never will, till ano¬ ther Branch of the Revenue, not the Cuftorn, but the Excife , lhall fend out proper Officers with their Boats, to keep a good Look-out after the Delinquents. The Obfervations in the foregoing Me¬ morial, relating to the Trade of Tea, Brandy, and Wool, were collected by two private Perfons, perfecuted by Fortune, who lately refided at Boulogne , waiting the Event of a tedious Chancery Suit, lb that they had ocular Proof of every thing they advance. The Point in Queftion, as de¬ ferred by them, is of great Moment to this Kingdom, and we hope that Truth will be properly regarded by the Public, whether colledted by private Hands, without Fee or Reward, or by thofe in Office. Gentlemen who have lately been at Dunkirk , may have heard that a certain E Z E'lgiijh [28] Englijh Engineer was fent thither to obfervc and infped the Works which the French are carrying on by a new Canal, and the Opening of Dunkirk Harbour: If his Re¬ port is fatisfadory to the Public, we lhall fay no more on that Head: However, we are confident that the Fads dated in this Memorial are true; as a Proof where¬ of we earneftly with, that the Miniftry- would be pleafed to fend over to Boulogne a proper Perfon likewife, to whom we will engage to give fufficient Demonftra- tion of the feveral Fads which are here alferted. The Intrepidity of two Stranr gers, in a Country and Government like France , undertaking we may fay, with a Rope about their Necks, to found the Depth of an illicit Trade, which the French are fo very defirous to conceal, is indeed a Matter of fome Surprize. If they ven¬ tured upon this dangerous Inquiry, from an honourable Motive, viz . the Service of their Country, furely they deferye a grate¬ ful Return. Whatever may have been their Mo¬ tive, let us not forget to comme r moratc [29 1 morate the Boldnefs of our worthy Countrymen upon the Kent and Suffex Coaft, honeft Gentlemen! who out of pure Regard to their King and Country, dare to fend over our Cuflom-Houfe Boats to Boulogne for French Claret; befides, al- moft every Week freighting the Smugglers Boats with Hampers of Champagne and Burgundy Wine, that fo their elegant Taftes may be fully fupplied. For their Tables on Shore are as plentifully fur- niffied as thofe of the Britifi Nobility. The Smugglers and the French know all this to be true; and if the Gentry of the Cu/loms deny the Charge, we are able to go to Particulars, and will undertake to prove it upon them by Affidavits of their own People. But whence comes it, that the Laws of England are thus difregarded ? What People, except the French, and thofe before- mentioned, are the better for this villainous Employ ? Let the Merchants and whole- fale Dealers of London, confider the Con- fequence of this pernicious Trade, and how it often afteds their Property. As to the [*°] the Country Shop-keepers, they only ha¬ zard their Creditors Money in this Em¬ ploy : and if it happens that an Exchequer Proeefs, or Information, is lodged againft them, they make no further Confcience of it, but ftep afide to France , with alt the Ready-money they can lay hands on, and there turn Agents for the Smugglers. To prove this Affertion, we need only mention three of thefe Renegadoes, tho’ we could name a long Lift who have left England, and are fince become Imple¬ ments of more Mifchief on the French fide of the Water, i. e. S-t-r of Calais , jja—n—g of Dunkirk, and Ho—m—r of Boulogne, in Partnerfhip with William Col- hot, condemn’d for Murder at Lewis Af- iizes. Thefe three Men dealt laft Year with the Smugglers for 50,000/. but things are altered fince their Banifhment; for now French Goods are landed fo ea- fily, that the Succefs ferves for Riot, and to uphold and fupport a wretched drunken Pack of Fellows, called Land-Smugglers; Fellows, with Gangs of Ilorfes hovering about the Sea-coaits, who ought to be at Plough and Cart, inftead of driving about the the Country; a diforderly Banditti, and who readily turn Highwaymen and Mur¬ derers upon the leaft Obftruftion. Let us look round the Coaft of Kent and Suj/ex, and fee what a profligate Spirit reigns amongft the Common-people; they will fooner hazard their Lives in a Smuggling Cutter, nay, in an open Boat, than enter on board a Man of War, . The Farmer leaves his Plough, die Mechanic his Tools, the Shop-keeper turns fimiggling Mer¬ chant ; and all fcorning to work, but pur- fuing their Pleafure, fake to this idle and pernicious Courfe of Life. Thus from a brave, laborious, and diligent People, that ufed to fupply the Britijh Navy with the beft of Pilots and Sailors, they are become Friends to the French, and Enemies to their native Country; they are become a fkulk- ing, idle, and infoient Crew of Defpera- does, determined on running Tea and Brandy, inftead of chearfully entering on board a Man of War to fight the Enemy, and ferve their King and Country. - - — Melancholy Refle&ion ! But we would gladly alk any of thefe Men, which of them, with Truth andRea- fon, can fay, even in time of Peace, that the Trade ought to be continued ? Suppofe ’tis the Farmer (Numbers of whom, dreffed in Ploughmens Frocks, are daily at Boulogne) let him turn his Horfes and his Servants to Hufbandry. Suppofe it is the Sailor, or coafting Smuggler, what Hardlhip for him to turn his Hands, and the Crew of his Cutter to Filhing ? Suppofe ’tis the Shop-keeper, who would be thought a Merchant, becaufe he employs a Cutter to run Tea and Brandy from France j we can tell him that too many Infolvencies are occalioned by trailing the London Deal¬ ers Property in fuch wretched Hands. After all, we mull admit that there is one Set of People who will have room to complain, viz. the Cujlom-Houfe Offi¬ cers ! But perhaps no honeft or wife Man will commiferate their Cafe. Since then, none but the French are the better for this Trade, we may hope, ere long, to fee the Towns of Boulogne , CalaiSy and Dunkirk , fall to Decay, in point point of Commerce, as fail as of late they have flourifhed. For though none can deny, but that the French have a Right to rebuild their Towns, and to repair their Harbours ( Dunkirk excepted) yet the Fnglijh have as much Right to fee that Britifo Subjefts do not make thofe Towns the Thorough-fare through which Gold and Silver pafs from us to the French Eajt- lndia Company at Port L' Orient. Upon the whole, we humbly hope that the Matter contained in this Memo¬ rial, docs well dcferve fome Notice j that our prefent able and wife Miniftry will think proper to watch every Step which may be taken by the French , for the Im¬ provement of thcfe Harbours in the Bri- tijh narrow Seas: and that our Lords Commiffioners of the Treafury will not fuffer a few Under-Clerks of the Cuflonn to continue in a wilful and negligent Vio¬ lation of a public Truft, fuch a Violation of Trail as calls for Redrels. For who are they that fhall dare to aft in open and wilful Breach of the Laws r Shall Cuftom- llouje Officers be indulged in this pernicious F Fradticc, [ 34] Pra&ice, becaufe of a few Votes ? at leaf?: we hope not! No, may the Government (as foon as Peace is eftablilhed) take this enormous Abufe into Conlideration, and not fuffer that the 'French Eajl-India Com¬ pany, by the Affiftance of our Smugglers, and the Connivance of our Cujiom-Houfe Officers, fhould do more Harm upon the Coafts of Kent and Sujfex, than they are able to effedt upon the Coafts of Mala¬ bar and Coromandel. How far this clande- ftine Trade has contributed to raife the Credit of their India Adtions, we leave to your impartial Judgment to determine. We are, &c. &c. r 3s ] March 25, 1755. The following are fome of Mr Pro- pofah for Redrefs of the before- mentioned Abufe , viz. T O have four Cutters built, either at Folkjlone or Dover , as we Would di¬ rect, each Cutter to be equipp’d with Cherts of Arms, &c. &c. ii. To begin to fupprefs the Smuggling- Trade on or about October next, that be¬ ing the Time when the next Cargoes of Tea will come from Port L'Orient. Thefe Boats to be employed betwixt Blacknefs, Ambletufe , and Outreau , where¬ by no Complaint can arife of the blocking up Boulogne Harbour. Fa Three [36 ] IV. Three or four Boats employed in this manner, would break half the Tea and Brandy-Merchants of Boulogne in fix Months time, would oecafion all the Bills to be protefted which are given to pay the Company, and injure them more than to befiege their City. N. B. Our Smug¬ glers carry over to Boulogne 3000/. a Week, and upwardsj may it pleafe the Legiflature to put a Stop to that for a fevv Years, and then fee to what Height their India Actions will arife. "V. Thefe Boats, under the Direction of the Commiffioiiers of Excife, would make the Cujlom-Houfe Boats do their Duty, or elfe all the. Seizures mull fall to their Share who will be moll diligent,. VI. . To fearchthe Smugglers Cutters, out¬ ward bound for Sterling Money; a Mat¬ ter hitherto intirely neglected, though, as we have faid before, they carry to Bou¬ logne [ 37 I hgne 3000/.’ a Week, and moftly in Gui¬ neas. VII. To keep Agents in Boulogne, Calais, and 1 Dunkirk, to give Intelligence of all th© Smugglers Steps, their Times of coming and going, and what Cargoes. N. B. This may be thought very diffi¬ cult to undertake, but we know it may be done. VIII. The Captain of each of thefe Exctfi Boats to be enabled to pay for Intelli- 1 gence; the Smugglers being all Rogues, will take Money to betray each other. IX. The Smugglers have an annual Cuftom of choofittg an Officer, one of their own. Gang, whom they dub the Captain of the Port for that Year; this Perfon is Ra¬ tioned on Cafars Fort, with a Telefcope, to defcry what Cuftom-Houfe Boats are cruifing ; like the Centinel placed on the cloud-capped Rocks, over the Fort of Gibraltar., 138 i Gibraltar , hanging out a Number of Balis* iignifying how many VelTels are in fight. The French Merchants pay great Refpett to this Man, and confider him as a fort of Conful to a Fraternity of Englijh Out¬ laws, Murderers, and Felons, fuch as are now at Boulogne , the Scum and Off-fcour- ing of Britain ; a Crew of Ragamuffins, that are ready to piftol an Englijhman , if he ventures to fpeak a Word about their pernicious Trade. ’Twas thefe Men that brought the Mayor and his Officers, the Commandant, and a Party of Soldiers, upon the 19th of December laft, to fearch our Lodgings at Monf. Becquerei s, only becaufe we had been alking a few Que- ftions. X. Tea and Brandy, being Commodities cognizable under Excife Laws, we appre¬ hend it will not appear abfurd to re¬ commend thefe Boats to pafs under the Diredtion of the Commiffioners of the Duties. The [ 39 3 XI. The Legiflature has effe&ually difarm- ed the Smugglers ; little or nothing more is wanting, than quick Sailing-boats to come up with them; let the Cuftom- Houfe People deny this if they can, with Truth and Reafon. XII. To conclude. If the Matter complain’d of ought, or is intended to be redrefs’d; the Remedy is apparent, viz. There is no Difficulty to have four or five Boats built upon the fame Model with the Smugglers Boats, and to have them as well rigg’d, and as well manned; put a Cheft of Arms into each Boat, which the Smugglers dare not carry, and Smuggling is no more. During this critical time of making Reprifals, and alfo if War fhould be de¬ clared, we humbly recommend to the Captains of his Majefty’s Sloops of War and Tenders, not to fpare the Smug¬ glers; s 4 °] glers; affuring them, that the feizing their Cutters, and' fending the Crews on hoard a Mall bf War, will' be doing a public Benefit. If we only reflect, that the Towns of Dunkirk , Calais, and Boulogne , are able merely by the Advantage and Opportunity of their Situation, to afford a Retreat to all the Corfairs, and by their means to throw into ■ England , from thofe three' Places, not .lefs than eight or nine thoufand Pipes of -foreign Spirits- yearly; finely wc muff ah .low, that .the Means of preventing that Abufe, is a- Matter not be negleCted. And we purpolely infill: thereon, to fhew what a- fatal Error it is to fuller this Trade to. continue: For if it be conih dered, that the Importation of eight or nine thoufand Pipes of Spirits, deprives the Britijh Diffillery of fo much Ma¬ nufacture, gives' Employment to the Poor of other Countries, and enriches thofe Countries in proportion as it impo- verilhes our own, and makes our Poor thill poorer j does it not become the Wil- dom dam of the Nation to lave thefe Outgoings of our Treafure ? It is indeed to be lamented, that there Is fuch a Neft of Vermin (called EngUjh) on the French Side of the Water, who have united fuch an Underftanding be¬ tween the French Merchant - Adventu¬ rers and our lawlefs Smugglers, that the Evil, like a confuming Canker, robs this Kingdom of its Bullion, and, cf what is ftill of greater Value than Silver and Gold, its Wool. Thefe are continual¬ ly exported for Tea, Wine, and Brandy, not fuch Brandy as comes from Cogniac and Nantz ; nor half fo good as our own Malt Spirits; but fuch as is brought from Rochelle, Cette, and Barcelona, the vile Extracts of every cheap Ingredient, from which they draw a Spirit, befide what they get from the Low Wines, &c-. which, together with the Tricks that the Boulogne Coopers pra&ife, make a Compound (in Quality) fit to deftroy an Army of Negroes ; a Confideration worthy of the Regard of the Commif- G • Tioners [ 42 ] iioners of the Navy, and of the Vic¬ tualling - Office, and the Lords of the Admiralty. “ May that Great God who prefides “ over Human Affairs, and in whofe “ Hands are the Fates of Nations, “ continue his Bleffings to this Land! “ May his Majefty, by. great and re- “ peated Victories, foon reduce his “ Enemies into a Necefiity of de- “ fending their own, inftead of in- “ vading the Dominions and Terri- “ tories of others! And may the “ whole Englijh Nation be excited “ into a generous Compaffion of “ thofe Dangers that furround our “ Trade, Colonies, and Plantations! “ And as foon as Peace is proclaim- “ ed and re-eftabliffied, may an End “ be put to the pernicious Trade of “ Smuggling from France! For “ which we fhall ever pray. A A port Defcription of Boulogne, Calais and Dunkirk. B oulogne is fituated on the Sea-fhore, at the Diftance of twenty Miles from the Town of Calais to the South, ten Leagues from the neareft Coaft of Eng¬ land, fifteen Miles from Montrevil, and thirty-fix from Abbeville to the North. It is divided into the upper and lower Town, the former being well fortified with A ftrong Citadel; and has a cathedral Church with fome Monafteries. The lower Town, of late Years, is become confiderable for its Traffic with the Englijh Smugglers, and extends along the Port at the Mouth of the River Liane. Near the Harbour formerly hood a Watch-Tower, called La \Lour de Ordre, and by the Englijh, The Old Man, faid to have been built by Julius Cee- Jar, and repaired by the Emperor Charles the Great ; but being neglected, is now fallen down. Boulogne was taken by Henry the VUIth, King of England, in 1544, and afterwards reftored to the French King Henry II. by a Treaty of Peace, 1550. Calais is feated in a marftiy Plain, on the Coafts of the Britijh narrow Sea, called from thence The Strait of Calais , at the Diftance of nine Miles from Gra- velin and the Confines of Flanders to the Weft, about feven Leagues from Do¬ ver, and the neareft Shore of England to the South-weft. Its Fortifications con-? lift of nine royal Baftions, befides thofe of the Citadel, and many other Outr works, all lined with Stone ; it is alfo encompaffed with a very large and deep Ditch, into which falls the River Hames, as well as a great Number of other Brooks, after having pafled through the adjacent Fens with which it is furround- ed. There is only one Palfage to the Town, over a Caufeway, commonly cal¬ led, The Bridge of Nicullay ; and none can enter, without the Permifiion of the Garifon of the Ricebank, into the Port, which is divided into two Parts; one whereof [45 ]: whereof is named Cape de Grey, the other is larger, and fliut up between-' two Moles bijilt of Stone. The Town is extended in Form of a Triangle, with a Caftle. The moft remarkable Things in it are two ftately Towers. The Al¬ tar of the grand Church is all of wrought Marble, and its Dome extremely mag¬ nificent. In the Marflies are to be feen floating Iflands, and Sliices, by which the Country may be overflowed- within a little Space of time. Edward the Third 4 King of England, took the Town of Calais from the French, Anno Domini, i-47 ; but they, at length, recovered it, under the Conduct of the Duke of Gnife, in 155S, after the Englijh had poffefled- it above 210 Years. Dunkirk is fituated on the Shoar of the German Ocean, twenty Miles from Ca¬ lais. It is a large Town, well built, with neat Streets, and very populous. Here, a great Part of the Fleet defign’d to invade England in 1743, was equipped, and the Embarkation of a confiderable Bodv' [ 46 ] Body of Troops actually made, with Ships pf War fent into the Channel to fupport the faid Embarkation, notorioufly de- figned in Favour of the Pretender. Since then, the French have been repairing the Fortifications, and ereding new Works, in Breach of Treaties, whereby the Har¬ bour is capable of receiving Ships of five hundred Tons Burden j and have cut a Canal, a Work of vaft Labour, Art, and Expence, to fcour out and deepen the Harbour. And befides the building ftrong Walls and Ravelins, Half-Moons and Counterfcarps, they have repaired a ftrong Fort called the Pice-Bank ; and on both fides the Harbour are Forts with Cannon planted on them. FINIS ,