se reported to the Board of Customs, who
investigated the affair and ordered a prosecution of the smugglers. No
one had been captured, however, so they offered a reward of L200. That
was in the year 1805; but it was not till 1813 or 1814 that
information came into their hands, for no one would come forward to
earn the reward. In the last-mentioned year, however, search was made
for the wanted men, and two persons, named respectively Jeremiah
Maxted and Thomas Gilbert, natives of Lydd, were arrested and put on
their trial. They were certainly the two ringleaders of that night,
and incited the crowd to a frenzy, although these two men did not
actually themselves shoot, but they were heard to offer a guinea a man
to any of the mob who would assist in rescuing the seized property.
Still, in spite of the evidence that was brought against these men,
such was the condition of things that they were found not guilty.

But it was not always that the Revenue men acted with so much vigour,
nor with so much honesty. It was towards the end of the year 1807 that
two of the Riding officers stationed at Newhaven, Sussex, attempted to
bribe a patrol of dragoons who were also on duty there for the
prevention of smuggling. The object of the bribe was to induce the
military to leave their posts for a short period, so that a cargo of
dutiable goods, which were expected shortly to arrive, might be
smuggled ashore without the payment of the Crown's duties. For such a
suggestion to be made by Preventive men was in itself disgraceful, and
showed not merely a grossly dishonest purpose but an extraordinary
failure of a sense of duty. However, the soldiers, perhaps not
altogether displeased at being able to give free rein to some of the
jealousies which existed between the Revenue men and the Army, did not
respond to the suggestion, but promptly arrested the Riding officers
and conducted them to Newhaven. Of these two it was afterwards
satisfactorily proved that one had actually offered the bribe to the
patrol, but the other was acquitted of that charge. Both, however,
were dismissed from the Customs service, while the sergeant and
soldiers forming the patrol were rewarded, the sum of L20 being sent
to the commanding officer of their regiment, to be divided among the
patrol as he might think best.

It was not merely the tobacco, spirits, and tea which in the early
years of the nineteenth century were being smuggled into the country,
although thes