SMUGGLING PREVENTION ACTS.

HC Deb 13 April 1821 vol 5 cc215-8

Mr. Lushington moved, that the House should resolve itself into a conmmittee on the Smuggling Prevention acts.

Mr. Bernal

deprecated the continuance of laws which were attended with such fatal consequence to the peace of the country. Skirmishes and battles were stated to have taken place between the people and the troops, which had been attended with the loss of lives. He hoped that the House would, if not repeal the present Excise laws, at least endeavour to prevent any more bills from being sanctioned which were to support such a> system.

Mr. Hobhouse

said, that the whole of the coast of Sussex was in a state of irritation and alarm, which had been aggravated by a recent melancholy occurrence. A fisherman had been, as was well known, killed under very suspicious circumstances; two juries had declared that the seaman of the preventive service who killed him was guilty of wilful murder. The judge had thought fit to recommend the man to mercy, on which recommendation the government had acted. The alarm was now such that all the fishermen at Hastings had drawn up their boats, and the whole population were in fear of the recurrence of these dreadful atrocities. Within the last eighteen months, some dozen of persons had been put to death on that coast. It could never be maintained that these murders should be committed (for some of them undoubtedly were murders) to prevent gin or lace from being now and then landed.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer

said, that a judge who conceived that a prisoner was innocent of a crime of which he was found guilty by the prejudices of a jury, and yet did not recommend him to mercy, would be unworthy of his station. To a recommendation in such a case, the government could not do otherwise than attend. With regard to the feelings on the coast, they unhappily shewed that a great portion of the population was disposed to smuggling, and that, that disposition could only be repressed by moderate, yet efficacious measures. Conflicts similar to those now complained of had formerly taken place, when the state of the revenue was very different front what it now was.

Mr. R. Gordon

deprecated the existing state of the revenue laws, and assured the House that the const of Dorsetshire and Devonshire were in a state quite as disturbed as the coast of Sussex.

Sir G. Cockburn

said, there were no grounds for the alarm which prevailed on the coast. He lamented what had recently occurred as much as any man. The person who was accused of murder on going into a boat to search, had been in the first instance thrown out of it. This led to that struggle which had occurred, and which grew out of the resistance offered to him in the discharge of his duly. He (sir G. C.) had desired to be informed if it were not possible to dispense with the searching of fishing boats? In answer to this he had received from the officer on that station a list of 52 fishing boats that were engaged in smuggling. It was common for smugglers, when prevented from landing, to sink near the shore tin cases, filled with lace, and hermetically sealed so as to prevent the accession of salt-water; and those cases were afterwards taken up at leisure by the nets or grapples of the fishermen. Every means had been tried to render the examination as little troublesome to the fishermen as possible; but nothing would satisfy them short of the liberty of smuggling.

Mr. Bennet

said, he had no doubt the men on the preventive service behaved with moderation. It was the system he complained of. If, instead of prohibiting those goods which formed the objects of smuggling, the principles of free trade were admitted, and moderate duties imposed, this evil would be put an end to. As to Ireland, no place in the world, with the exception of La Vendee during the revolution, had been treated as the North of Ireland had been under the distillation laws. He could not consent to extend to that country the other detestable securities against smuggling with which this country was cursed.

Mr. F. Palmer

said, that if, after all the expence of Martello towers and preventive service, smuggling was not repressed, it must be done by other means than violence.

Mr. Robinson

agreed as to the expediency of taking away many of the restrictions on the importation of French goods, which now existed.

The House went into the committee.