6o on taxation. '^'uly 1 8 . 



chase fhips, engage men, send out remittances, — their 

 vefsels and cargoes are seixed, they, and their families, 

 who lived in affluence and respect, are plunged aS 

 once into bankruptcy and indigence, drawing along 

 •with them many small dependants. But fliould they 

 be so fortunate as to succeed in the attempt, and gain 

 great sums by the prosperous ifsue of their lawlefs 

 enterprise, they stop not there. Fate acts the same 

 part by them, as a cunning ftiarper at whist does by a 

 pigeon ; allowing them to run on in the gaudy path 

 of gain till their heads are uplifted with the inchanting' 

 phantom ; and with one blow they are cast down, 

 and all their fl,owery prospects come to nought. 

 Thus it happens with all, rich and poor, in those un- 

 happy countries where smuggling prevails. If I ex- 

 cept a very few, indeed, who die worth considerable 

 sums of money made by the diabolical traffic j and' 

 these increase the evil by being looked at by their 

 countrymen as happy examples, worthy of imita- 

 tion. 



^dly. The good morals of the people, by this term 

 I mean the proper direction of the principle of dis- 

 tinguiihing right from wrong, are, by every able po-^ 

 litician, whether in a public or private capacity, con- 

 sidered as an object of the first importance. And' 

 these are, by smuggling, entirely destroyed. When 

 the laws in one instance are held at nought, very 

 little respect is paid to them in another ; and it 

 is a well known fact, that in every country where 

 smuggling is practised extensively, it is not only ac- 

 counted no crime to defraud the revenue, but it is 

 also considered as a virtue ; and I believe tUat, had 



