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Page466 No. 40. Irish Customs Board's advertisement of seized tobacco for sale in 1824 ...... only sound tobacco was sold, therefore the advertisement does not enlighten as to the full amount of tobacco seized:- Advertisement Londonderry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,000 lbs. Sligo . ........ . ................................... 600 lbs. Total for country between 230 and 231 tons. Page96 Frequent allusions may be found in the records as to the immense smuggling on the Southern and Western coast during the period 1810 to 1819. Little definite information is forthcoming; still it is evident that the Irish revenue was extensively defrauded, principally by Americans, huge runs being made, and the goods conveyed inland with the full cognizance of thousands of people. The Irish customs men were either powerless or hopelessly currupt, the chief article was Tobacco. When the coastguard was established vast seizures were made, the Irish record - of seized tobacco for 1820 amounting to nearly 400 tons. Page276 The Americans were not in "the trade" (smuggling) as much as formerly, so far as Great Britain was concerned. Their greatest feats of smuggling were performed in Ireland, but even there not to the sarrie extent as during the 1810-1819 period. (It should be remembered that prior to 1819 there had been next to no purely preventive force in Ireland. The Irish Coastguard was formed, the first station manned being on the coast of Cork, where great smuggling had been transacted by Americans. It was the opinion of experts that prior to 1819 about 6,000,000 lbs. of tobacco had been smuggled annually on the south– western coast of Ireland, and that the ordinary customs staff had connived at the trade). It was not uncommon, when a run was made for a thousand or more of the country people to muster armed with sticks, scythes and pitch forks and assist the smugglers. "Not one of these," ran the information, "will incriminate the prisoner". Page364 A ship which had discharged her foreign cargo and been cleared by the Customs at Limerick was found by the Customs at Kilrush to be fitted up with large and ingeniously contrived places of concealment. She had been seized and condemned . From the investigations afterwards held it appeared probable that immense smuggling had been carried on from this vessel. 81