526 



sMn;ci.i\<; 



SMUT 



value of 2,000,000 were conveyed into France from 

 England by the Belgian frontier alone. Till a 

 comparatively recent date the Isle of MUD (q.v. ) 

 wan a great emporium for smuggling '"'" England, 

 Scotland, and Ireland. 



In the CornJiill M<II/<I:IHC for June 1891 there 

 is ail article on smuggling still carrie<l on across the 

 Swiss- French frontier. Tobacco, sugar, and coffee 

 are smuggled f""" Switzerland into France ; cattle, 

 gunpowder, and household goods from France to 

 Switzerland. ' The smugglers usually )>ass the 

 frontier,' says the writer, ' ay a dangerous passage 

 across the nver Doubs and the rocks of its vicinity, 

 called the Saut du Doubs. The perils of this 

 romantically beautiful passage are increased by the 

 darkness, the fear of custom-iiouse officers, and by 

 heavy packages of contraband go<xlH which impede 

 the free use of the limbs. Each man is armed with 

 an alpenstock and a pistol ; he carries his burden 

 fastened to his back by a heavy strap which can be 

 detached and the bundle rolled down the adjacent 

 precipice at the first signal of danger and pursuit.' 

 Such is the serious business of men who make 

 smuggling a trade on that frontier. But, in a less 

 risky way, ' wagoners, dogs, travellers, railway 



by 1164. About 1000 of these were sci/urc- of 

 tobacco in various forms or of spirits. The quan- 

 tity of tobacco again exceeds that sei/.ed in the 

 previous year by 1838 Hi.; while of spirit- -.-i/cd 

 there were only 187 gallons as against 535 gallon* 

 a remarkable decrease. The total increase of 

 seizures in the year 1S1HI, therefore, may In 1 taken, BO 

 the commi-sioners say, to consist of small quan- 

 tities of tobacco or cigars, averaging from 1 Ib. to 

 2 Ib. in weight. It will be seen again that while 

 there was an increase of 1203 in the total niimlier 

 of persons prosecuted, there were only 70 non- 

 summary eases in 1889, 56 in 1890, a decrease of 

 14 ; and the penalties show an average of 2 a 

 head. The figures, as thus compared, show a 

 large number of attempt- to smuggle tobaeeo in 

 small quantities. This is confirmed by the follow- 

 ing curious item of information supplied by the 

 commissioners: 'The larger seizures dealt with by 

 summons and prosecution comprise several in- 

 stances of the seizure of tobacco stalks landed from 

 vessels belonging to the royal navy. Tobacco is 

 issued to the crews of H.Sl. ships of t he navy in 

 the form of unmanufactured leaf. and. in preparing 

 it for use, the men remove the mid-rib oi the leal. 



officials, and even the custom-house officers them- which they are enjoined by regulations to destroy : 

 selves are all more or less engaged in smuggling. [ the landing of the stalk, formed by the mid-rib 

 Ladies, ever alive to the delights of a bar- | when separated from the leaf, being prohibited by 



gain, are inveterate smugglers.' The writer tells 

 us that the smugglers who make a business of it 

 are admired and aided by the peasants on both 

 sides of the frontier. Morality is popularly re- 

 garded as immutable, and tariffs are very mutable. 

 The people never did associate ideas of right and 

 wrong with smuggling in any country. The 

 smuggler was everywhere regarded as a benefactor, 

 because the people lieiieved that he supplied better 

 articles at a cheaper rate than those on which 

 customs or excise duties were paid. 



The principal articles liable to duty at present in 

 the United Kingdom are cocoa, coffee, currants, 

 raisins, beer, spirits, wine, tea, tobacco. In the 

 last decade of the century smuggling, judged by 

 the number of cases discovered, greatly decreased. 

 In the year ending 31st March 1898 there were 

 4255 seizures of all Kinds, including 6244 Ib. tobacco 

 and cigars and 59 gallons spirits. The total number 

 of convictions was 2424, and the total amount of 

 penalties recovered 4174. These figures may be 

 compared with those for the preceding decade : 



Summary cases are dis|H>sed of by the magistrates, 

 and are those in which the quantity of tobacco and 

 cigars seized does not exceed 20 Ib., of spirits not 

 above five gallons. Larger quantities are dealt 

 with by information and summons as non-summary 

 canes. Of the 7302 of penalties recovered in 18A4 

 3142 were paid by two parties. It will lie seen 

 that the total number of seizures in the year ended 

 .'list March 1890 exceeds those of the previous year 



law. Under the existing law . . . dr.-i\\ back can lie 

 claimed 11)1011 snuff produced by grinding ni> stalks 

 and other tobacco refuse, and a considerable trade 

 has existed in consequence in certain localities, 

 with the intervention of the receivers, between 

 seamen and others employed on board H.M. ships 

 and persons who purchase stalks for the pur- 

 pose of obtaining drawback upon the snuff pro- 

 duced from them. In several cases prosecutions 

 have been successfully instituted, and it is hoped 

 that a check has been put to this illegal traffic.' 

 The figures show also that toltacco and spirits are 

 now practically the only articles smuggled, and 

 that the quantity of these so dealt with is com- 

 paratively infinitesimal. 



S W. D. Chester, Ckronidti of the Cuttomt Depart- 

 ment (1885) ; Lieut H. N. Shore, Smuggling Daytand 

 Smuflglinfl Wayt (1892); also the articles COASTGUARD 

 and TAX in this Encyclopedia. 



Smut, or BUNT (sometimes also called Dust- 

 brand), is the popular name of certain small 

 fungi which infest flowering land-plants, especially 

 the grasses. This name 

 is derived from the 

 appearance of the spores, 

 which are nearly black 

 and very numerous. At 

 the present time the 

 group is called the 

 Ustilagineip. Some of 

 them live in the in- 

 tercellular spaces only, 

 others penetrate the 

 walls of the cells, 

 especially of the par- 

 enclivma (simple) cells, 

 and live within the liv- 

 ing matter of the plant. 

 Some species attack a 

 part only of their host 

 e.g. Entyloma forms 

 pustules on the leaves of certain species of Ran- 

 unculus, others spread throughout the tissues, form- 

 ing spores in special places. Thus the mycelium of 

 Ttlletia caries, which causes the disease specially 

 known as Bunt, may spread through the whole of 

 a wheat-plant, but the spores are found only in the 

 ovary. U. Carbo fructifies in the inflorescences of 

 various grasses, and causes the disease known as 

 Smut. The part of the plant where the fructifies- 



