Smuggling During the Napoleonic Wars
James Anthony Gardner

Fairlight Signal Station

Notwithstanding the many cruisers that were on the station and the unceasing look-out on the coast by the officers of the customs, the smugglers contrived to make several runs. One morning in the month of November the midshipman called me up a little before daylight, and reported that fifteen horses were in the field near the station, with flushing jackets strapped on their backs, and made fast to the hedge, without anyone with them. As the day began to break, I went to the brow of the hill, and saw on the beach between two and three hundred people, and a boat a short way from the shore. The moment they got sight of me they set up a shout, and made use of horrible threats. However, I went down with the midshipman, and found some custom-house officers who had been up to their necks in water trying to get at the boat, but all to no purpose. The fellows on board seemed to be drunk, and held up some kegs which they stove; and making use of language the most vile, stood to the westward. I immediately dispatched the midshipman to give information to the custom-house and made the signal to the next station. A galley was soon after manned and armed, and after a long chase the smuggler was captured with several tubs of liquor. As I returned to my station the mob showed their heads just above the brow of the hill, and complimented me with three groans and then dispersed; and glad I was to see them clear off. They appered to be all strangers, the custom-house officers declaring they had never seen one of them before. Some of them swore there would be a shot in our locker the first opportunity, and we expected they would have attacked us in the night; but we heard no more of them.

Hamilton, R.V. and J. K. Laughton, eds. Recollections of James Anthony Gardner, Commander R.N. (1906) pp. 258-259.