500 THE DISTILLING INDUSTRY IN IRELAND. 



detection, such as the artful construction of distilleries on the boundaries of 

 townlands (in order to evade the law which imposed a fine on any townland 

 where an illicit still was discovered), in the caverns of mountains, on islands, 

 in lakes, on boats, and in rivers. Many stories have been told how 

 Revenue Officers have been carried away and secreted for weeks together 

 in order to prevent their giving evidence, and of various other schemes and 

 their treatment while in confinement, and of the various other schemes and 

 devices to defraud the Revenue. 



In the year 1820 illicit distillation had become so prevalent in the United 

 Kingdom, that more than half of the spirits actually consumed were supplied 

 by the smuggler, and it was found necessary in 1821 to appoint a 

 Parhamentary Commission to investigate the subject, and propose a 

 remedy. The result of the new regulations which vv^ere adopted was a 

 surprising increase in the quantity of legally made spirits. In 1820 

 the quantity made in the United Kingdom vs^as g,6oo,ooo gallons, and in 

 1826 it was 18,200,000. Illicit distilling continued to be common for some 

 time, but shortly after the middle of the century it was practically stamped 

 out in Great Britain. In 1850 the number of detections amounted in 

 England to 551, and in 1869 to 41. In Scotland there were 14,000 prosecu- 

 tions in 1823 for illicit distilling and malting, but in 1856 the number had 

 fallen to 48. 



The efforts to suppress illicit distillation have not been so successful in 

 Ireland. In 1854, the Royal Irish Constabulary were, for the first time, 

 employed, in addition to the Revenue Police, in the suppression of illicit 

 distillation. In 1 870 the Commissioners of Inland Revenue stated (Thirteenth 

 Annual Report, 1870, C. 82) "There can be no doubt that the moral effect 

 of the employment of a force so much respected, and so closely connected 

 with the magistracy and the Vice-Regal Government will have great 

 influence on some classes in Ireland who have hitherto been too much 

 disposed to look with indifference upon offences against the Revenue laws. 

 Could we obtain the cordial co-operation of the owners and occupiers of 

 land in that country, as we have in most parts of Scotland, we should have 

 no apprehensions of the revival of smuggling to any great extent, even if 

 the price of grain were much lower than at present." 



Although the co-operation of most landowners has now been obtained 

 illicit distillation still occurs to some extent in Ireland, though the nature 

 and characteristics of it seem to have largely changed. The quality and 

 quantity of the harvest, especially of oats, do not seem to have the same 

 effect upon illicit distillation as formerly, when there used to be constant 

 variations in the extent of smuggling in Ireland, without any other apparent 

 cause than an abundant or deficient crop. Treacle and porter are now the 

 materials generally employed, and the process is so simple and easy that 

 it may be conducted successfully in any place where there is a supply 

 of water, and as illicit spirits can be sold with a fair profit at about 

 5.5-. a gallon, being us. (the amount of the duty) less than legally made 

 spirits can be sold at, it cannot be expected the practice will soon be entirely 

 suppressed. In 1850 there were 3,545 detections, and last year the number 

 of seizures by the Royal Irish Constabulary was 2,008, which is over the 

 average for recent times, but most of these seizures were of a trifling char- 

 acter, and it must be remembered that the temptation to carry on illicit 

 distilling is much greater now, when the tax is lis. per gallon, than it was 

 fifty years ago, when the tax was less than one-third of this amount. 



