with a race of men who probably had a hard struggle for
existence, especially when the fishing or the harvests were bad. The
most one can do is to attribute such unreasoning and unwarranted
cruelty to the ignorance and the coarseness which had been bred in
undisciplined lives. Out of that seething, vicious mob there was only
one man who had a scrap of humanity, and even he could not prevent his
fellows from one of the worst crimes in the long roll of smugglers'
delinquencies.

The days of smugglers were, of course, coincident with the period of
the stage-coach. In the year 1833 there was a man named Thomas Allen,
who was master and part-owner of a coasting vessel named the _Good
Intent_, which used to trade between Dover and London. In February of
that year Thomas Becker, who happened to be the guard of the night
coaches running between Dover and London, came with a man named
Tomsett to Allen, and suggested that the latter should join them in a
smuggling transaction, telling him that they knew how to put a good
deal of money into his pocket. At first Allen hesitated and declined,
but the proposal was again renewed a few days later, when Allen again
declined, as it was too risky a business. But at length, as "trade was
very bad," both he and a man named Sutton, one of his crew, agreed to
come into the scheme. What happened was as follows:--

The _Good Intent_ left Dover on February 23, went as far as the Downs
about two miles from the coast, and under cover of darkness took on
board from a French vessel, which was there waiting by appointment,
about forty bales of silk. In order to be ready to deal with these,
the _Good Intent_ had been provided with sufficient empty crates and
boxes. The silks were put into these, they were addressed to some
persons in Birmingham, and, after being landed at one of the London
quays as if they had come from Dover, they were sent across to the
Paddington Canal, and duly arrived at their destination. Allen's share
of that transaction amounted to about L80. He had done so well that he
repeated the same practice in April and May; but in June some tea
which he brought in was seized, and although he was not prosecuted yet
it gave him a fright. But after being entreated by the two tempters,
he repeated his first incident, took forty more bales on board, and
arrived at the Port of London. But the Custom House officials had got
wind of this, and when the _Good Intent_ arrived she was searched. In