t792' t^ Itiformer. i^ 



tisfactiou of the judge, that they have been legal- 

 ly imported, '■^ to deliver back the goods ;" but no 

 penalty whatever is awarded as a punifliment 

 for this wanton attack upon private property. 

 In this case the merchant had no other resource 

 than to send authentic documents, that the goods 

 in question had been legally imported, desiring the 

 Ihopkeeper to fhow these to the excise officer, and 

 to require him then to deliver them up, otherwise 

 he fliould be forced to have recourse to law for the" 

 recovery of his property. Fortunately for the 

 dealers, this excise officer was of a more comply- 

 ing disposition than some others, and did deliver up 

 the goods, without obliging them to have recourse 

 to law, which might probably have made them 

 incur an expence above the value of the goods. 



From this plain state of facts, it is very obvious 

 that a certain clafs of men, are by law, in this coun- 

 try, authorised to harafs, to plunder, and to rob 

 their neighbours with impunity ; I say to rob. 

 For if the value of the goods so seized, Ihould be 

 considerably below the expence, that must be in- 

 curred before they can be recovered, a man of 

 sense will rather submit quietly to that lofs than 

 subject himself to a greater in order to recover 

 tliem. All this is done under the pretext of bene- 

 fiting the revenue. If, say the advocates for go- 

 vernment, as they falsely stile themselves, a law 

 were made subjecting excise officers to heavy pe- 

 nalties for errors in discliarge of their duty, they 

 would be intimidated in their busineis, and 

 would not act with that sUicUicfs that the exigen- 



