36 
had existed; but Hutchinson, writing about a century ago, had 
many passages (some of which I quoted) showing either the back- 
ward condition of agriculture in certain districts, or the very recent 
date of important improvements. 
I added that though mosstrooping might be considered to have 
become extinct about a century and a half ago, successive govern- 
ments had, since its extinction, practically endeavoured to keep 
alive a law-breaking spirit by the creation of smuggling between 
England and Scotland. This almost incredible piece of folly had 
been achieved by the exaction of very different amounts of excise 
duty on certain commodities north and south of the Border, and 
was bearing evil fruit when Sir Walter Scott denounced it in 
Redgauntlet about the year 1825. 
But I found on talking over the matter with some members of 
the Geologists’ Association, that they were inclined to be more or 
less sceptical as to the former existence of smuggling between 
England and Scotland, thinking either that I had somehow mis- 
taken Sir Walter Scott, or that Sir Walter had taken a romancer’s 
license. And TI could point to no writer who had treated of the 
subject but the great novelist. 
Feeling the desirability of obtaining corroborative evidence, I 
called on an aged and respected citizen of Carlisle, who was also 
an old friend of my own, knowing that he would be able to aid me in 
some way. Aftersome talk on the subject he produced a box, which 
he kindly gave me, and which he said had been used in smuggling 
about the year 1842. It is a square wooden box, about 9} inches 
long by 7} inches broad, externally, and about 7} inches deep. 
The lid is fastened down by four screws, and would consequently 
take some little time to open, a work that could have been done 
only with care and deliberation. Inside the box is a small keg, 
capable of holding half a gallon of whiskey. The space between 
the exterior of the keg and the lid of the box was filled with small 
pebbles, which alone would be visible on the partial loosening of 
one or more of the screws. While, if merely seized and shaken 
by an exciseman, no sound would be heard but the rattling of the 
pebbles, And we can hardly doubt that to the revenue official of 
