.M.

But, having noticed these heavy splashes in the water, the lieutenant
was smart enough instantly to mark the place with a buoy, and then was
able to devote his attention entirely to his capture. He soon found
that this was the _Georges_ of Cherbourg. She was manned by three
Frenchmen, and there were still hanging from the gunwale on either
quarter a number of heavy stones slung together, such as were employed
for sinking the tubs. There can be no doubt that the _Georges'_
intention had been to come near enough to the shore to send her tubs
to the beach in her tub-boat, as she had almost certainly done the
night before. But hearing the coastguard galley approaching, and being
nervous of what they could not see, the tubs were being cast into the
sea to prevent seizure.

Although no tubs were found _on board_, yet it was significant that
the tub-boat was not on board, having evidently been already sent
ashore with a number of casks. There was a small 12-feet dinghy
suspended in the rigging, but she was obviously not the boat which the
_Georges_ was accustomed to use for running goods. Lieutenant Smith
for a time stood off and on the shore, and then ran along the coast
until it was day, hoping to fall in with the tub-boat. Just as he had
captured the _Georges_ another coastguard boat, this time from the
Beer station, came alongside, and so the officer sent this little
craft away with four hands to search diligently up and down the coast,
and to inform the coastguards that the tub-boat had escaped. When it
was light, Smith took the _Georges_ into Lyme Cobb, and her crew and
master were arrested. She had evidently changed her skipper since the
time when she was seen off the Hampshire shore, for the name of her
present master was Clement Armel. They were landed, taken before the
magistrates, and remanded. But subsequently they were tried, and
sentenced to six months' hard labour each in Dorchester gaol, but
after serving two months of this were released by order of the
Treasury.

On the 5th of August the boats from Lieutenant Smith's station at
Branscombe went out to the spot where the _Georges_ had been captured
and the mark-buoy with a grapnel at the end of it had been thrown.
There they crept for a time and found nothing. But it had been heavy
weather, and probably the tubs had gone adrift without sinkers to
them. At any rate no landing was reported along the shore, so it was
doubtful if the tub-boat had managed to