Smuggling. 185 



sided. Amongst the offenders cited by the Excise, 

 was Robert Fraser, of "Folia," who was fairly entitled, 

 as he would probably have claimed, had the title then 

 been common, to be recognised as a gentleman-farmer. 

 At any rate, it was Robert's weakness to wish to be 

 considered very wealthy ; and of this some one had 

 given the Preses of the meeting of Justices a hint. 

 When the tenant of Folia was called for sentence, his 

 Lordship, accordingly, with a sly insinuation, and doubt- 

 less anticipating a very different style of reply, re- 

 marked " Mr. Fraser, I understand you are very 

 rich 1 " " Vastly so, my Lord," replied the undaunted 

 tenant of Folia, promptly and gravely. " Well then, 

 you are fined five pounds !" "Five pounds My Lord, 

 I'd rather pay fifty pounds than stand here a whole 

 day among a parcel o' poor things !" 



In the case of the Highlanders, smuggling was 

 conducted with perhaps fully as much system and 

 perseverance as anywhere; at anyrate, the whisky 

 the Highlanders made seems to have had a more 

 distinctive reputation than that made in the Low- 

 lands. It may well be doubted if either the one 

 whisky or the other would be much relished by 

 connoisseurs of the present time ; certainly much of 

 the smuggled Lowland whisky was very detestable 

 stuff. At any rate, when the Highlander went abroad 

 to seek a market for the results of his private distilla- 

 tion, it was to the Lowland towns that he came, 

 either singly, or more commonly in a company 

 joined together, and sharing the perils of the way in 

 common ; the string of shaggy ponies carrying the 

 kegs of whisky, and the smugglers keeping a due out- 

 look against being trepanned by the detested gangers. 



And while there were many amusing episodes in 

 connection with smuggling, first and last, there was 

 not a little rough and demoralising work, especially 

 when a set of stout smugglers encountered an equally 

 stout and better armed posse of gaugers. To outwit 



