ate, to visit
| | | | | | |the creeks.
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Whenever any vessels were seized and condemned a full, descriptive
account was sent to London regarding their size, breadth, depth,
burthen, age, where built, draught, scantlings, the nature of the
wood, how fastened, whether the craft appeared strained, how many guns
she carried, what was the probable expense of having her refitted, how
long she would last when this had been done, whether she had the
reputation for rowing or sailing quickly, and what was her value. If
it was recognised that she was a serviceable vessel she was not to be
destroyed but employed in the Preventive service.

Among the names of the Revenue cutters about this time were the
_Scorpion_, _Enchantress_, _Jacobus_, and _Rattlesnake_. There was a
good deal of smuggling now going on in Essex, and the last-mentioned
was employed to watch the river Blackwater in that district.
Lieutenant Neame, R.N., was also ordered to proceed to the Blackwater
with the lugger _Fortune_, and arrived there to take charge of the
_Rattlesnake_. This was in September 1818; and here let us remark that
although the Preventive Water-guard originally had charge of the
whole coast of England, yet a few months before the above date--it
occurred actually in July 1817--the staff between the North and South
Forelands was withdrawn, and this part of the coast was placed under
the charge of the Coast Blockade. Under the arrangement of 1816, when
the cruisers had been put under the care of the Admiralty, the
Preventive Waterguard had come under the authority of the Treasury,
but now, in 1817, came the change mentioned. Towards the close of 1818
this Coast Blockade, instead of being confined merely to that coast
between the two Forelands, was extended till it reached on the one
side Shellness by the mouth of the East Swale, and on the other right
away down Channel to Cuckmere Haven (between Newhaven and Beachy
Head).

The history of this change may be summed up as follows. It was
suggested in the year 1816 by Captain M'Culloch of H.M.S. _Ganymede_
(which was one of the vessels employed in the prevention of smuggling
between Dungeness and North Foreland) that it would be advantageous to
land the crews of the vessels employed on the cruisers and Naval ships
engaged in preventing smuggling. The men were to be put ashore