whether the coast were clear, or whether it were better for the cutter
or lugger to run out to sea again. From a collection of authentic
incidents I find the following means were employed for signalling
purposes:--

1. The commonest signal at night was to wave a lantern from a hill or
some prominent landmark, or from a house suitably situated.

2. To take a flint and steel and set fire to a bundle of straw near
the edge of a cliff.

3. To burn a blue light.

4. To fire a pistol.

5. The above were all night-signals, but for day-work the craft could
signal to the shore or other craft by lowering and raising a certain
sail so many times.

There were very many prosecutions for signalling to smuggling craft at
many places along our coast. A sentence of six months' imprisonment
was usually the result. Similarly, the Preventive officers on shore
used to fire pistols or burn a blue light in signalling to themselves
for assistance. The pistol-firing would then be answered by that of
other Customs men in the neighbourhood. And with regard to the matter
of these signals by the friends of smugglers, the Attorney-and
Solicitor-General in 1805 gave their opinion to the effect that it was
not even necessary for the prosecution to prove that there was at that
time hovering off the coast a smuggling craft, or that one was found
to have been within the limits; but the justice and jury must be
satisfied from the circumstances and proof that the fire was lit for
the purpose of giving a signal to some smugglers.

By the summer of 1807 smuggling in England and Wales had increased to
what the Commissioners of Customs designated an "alarming extent." An
Act was therefore passed to ensure the more effectual prevention of
this crime, and once again the Revenue officers were exhorted to
perform their duty to its fullest extent, and were threatened with
punishment in case of any dereliction in this respect, while rewards
were held out as an inducement to zealous action. Under this new Act
powers were given to the Army, Navy, Marines, and Militia to work in
concert with each other for the purpose of preventing smuggling, for
seizing smuggled goods, and all implements, horses, and persons
employed or attempting to bring these ashore. The lack of vigilance,
and even the collusion with smugglers, on the part of Revenue
officials was still too real to be ignored. Between Dover and Rye,
especially, were tobacco, snuff, spirits and tea run in