ng and leaving small harbours, the fishermen, coasters,
and so on took to this improvement. Thus most naturally the larger
smuggling craft were till well on into the nineteenth century sloops
or cutters, and equally natural was it that the Revenue availed
themselves of this rig first by hiring smacks, and, later, by building
for themselves. These sloops, whether hired or owned, were given each
a particular station to guard, and that plan was followed by the
Revenue cruisers for many years to follow. Among the Exeter documents
of the Customs Department is included an interesting document dated
July 10, 1703, wherein the Board of Customs informs the collector at
the port of Dartmouth of the list of vessels appointed by the
Commissioners to cruise against owlers, the district comprised
extending from Pembroke in the west to the Downs in the east. The
following is the list of these vessels with their respective cruising
territories:--

NAME OF CRUISER LIMITS OF HER SPHERE

_Rye_ Pembroke to Lundy Island
_Discovery_ Milford to Swansea
_Dolphin_ Milford to Exmouth
_Hastings_ " " "
_Woolwich_ Downs to Falmouth
_Swan_ " " "
_Fly_ Off Folkestone
_Dispatch_ " "

This fairly well covered the region to which goods were likely to be
run from the Continent as well as that from which the owlers were wont
to export their wool. From an entry among the documents preserved in
the Custom House at Newcastle, dated September 1729, we can see that
also the north-east coast was guarded thus:--

NAME OF CRUISER LIMITS OF HER SPHERE

_Cruiser_ Flamborough Head to Newcastle
_Deal Castle_ Newcastle to Leith
_Spy_ Firth of Forth to Newcastle

And about the last-mentioned date the _Deal Castle_ had succeeded in
capturing four French smuggling craft and brought them into Shields.

To the other side of England the Isle of Man, which was a veritable
contraband depot, used to send quantities of dutiable goods, Liverpool
being the favourite destination, and it was a more difficult matter
here to deal with than in many other ports. On October 9, 1713, the
Collector at Liverpool writes to the Board of Customs that he thinks a
sloop would be of little service for that port. Some time ago they had
one,