rations of smugglers and wreckers existed all
along this exposed and dangerous coast, and the lawlessness of the
Cornish folk in such matters as smuggling, and pilfering from wrecks,
earned for them a very unenviable reputation. The deeds of Jack
Rattenbury, of Beer, and the daring exploits of Harry Paye, of Poole,
fade into insignificance by comparison with the doings of John Carter,
who was known and feared all along the wild Cornish seaboard. He was
known locally as the "King of Prussia", owing, it is said, to his
resemblance to Frederick the Great. Be this as it may, Bessy's Cove, a
small bay a few miles to the west of Helston, has, since Carter's day,
been known as Prussia Cove, a striking tribute to the power of the
smuggler. At this cove Carter widened the harbour, fortified the
promontory that overlooks it, and adopted the numerous caves for the
storage of illicit cargoes. These splendid and natural storehouses may
still be seen, together with the "King of Prussia's" house, and the
remains of the battery he erected; for this intrepid smuggler did not
hesitate to open fire on any of the king's ships that ventured within
range of his guns. Carter flourished in the middle of the eighteenth
century, and it is difficult for us to realize to-day that such a state
of lawlessness could have existed in the days of our great-grandparents.

The difficulties of patrolling the coast in the days before steamships,
and the passive assistance he must have received from the people,
enabled Carter to carry on a very profitable trade, although he
naturally had many escapes from capture.

Even when arrested in the act of conveying kegs of brandy to his
customers, he appears to have found no difficulty in proving an _alibi_.
The reason for this of course is that smuggling was regarded with more
than toleration by the people and the gentry alike, while even the local
administrators of justice had an interest in the ventures. The result
was that it was impossible for the Revenue officers to obtain a
conviction, for the magistrates regarded the flimsiest _alibi_ as excuse
sufficient for them to set the "King of Prussia" at liberty.

At length the authorities appear to have realized that the ordinary
legal methods, as administered by the local magistracy, were quite
useless. Accordingly a strongly armed Revenue cutter sailed for Prussia
Cove with orders to storm the stronghold and destroy the battery. As the
cutter's instructions were