towrope would be
let go, and the grapnels attached to both grommets at bow and stern
would cause her to bring up when in sufficiently shallow water. Later
on, at low tide, the smugglers' friends could go out in their boats
with a weighted line or hawser and sweep along the bottom of the sea,
and soon locate her and tow her right in to the beach.

In order to prevent certain obvious excuses being made by dishonest
persons, all British subjects were distinctly forbidden to pick up
spirits found in these illegal half-ankers, only officers of the Royal
Navy, the Customs, and the Excise being permitted so to do. But it was
not always that the Revenue cruisers were employed in catching
smugglers. We have pointed out that their duties also included
Quarantine work. In the spring of 1837 it was represented to the
Treasury that there was much urgent distress prevailing in certain
districts of the Highlands and Western Islands of Scotland owing to
the failure of the last harvest. Sir John Hill was therefore directed
to proceed to Scotland and take such steps as might be necessary for
the immediate supply of seed, corn, and potatoes, and the officers and
commanders of the Revenue cruisers were directed to afford him every
assistance.

[Illustration: Plan of the Schooner _Good Intent_ showing Method of
Smuggling Casks.]

In the previous chapter attention was called to the singular
inappropriateness of calling a smuggling vessel the _Good Intent_.
That was a smack belonging to the year 1824, which was found at Rye.
But this name seems to have had a certain amount of popularity among
these ingenious gentlemen, for there was a smuggling schooner named
the _Good Intent_ which was seized in the year 1837. How cleverly and
effectively she was fitted up for a smuggling voyage can be
ascertained by considering the accompanying longitudinal plan. She had
a burthen of 72 tons, and was captured by the Revenue cruiser _Sylvia_
in Mount's Bay on the 14th of March. The plan denotes her principal
features, including her sail-room and general store right aft.
Immediately forward of this was the first concealment on the port side
only. Entrance was gained by means of a slide which was nailed up, and
here many casks could easily be stored. Next to this came the after
bulkhead, but forward of this was also a false bulkhead, the distance
between the real and the false being 2-1/2 feet, and affording a space
to contain 138 kegs.

Under the cabin