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Many interesting and curious facts might be related of the extraordinary contrivances of the people to evade the law and prevent detection, such as the artful construction of distilleries on the boundaries of townlands, in the caverns of mountains, on islands in lakes, on boats in rivers; of carrying away and secreting revenue officers for weeks together to prevent their giving testimony, the romantic manner of their treatment while in confinement, and the various other schemes and devices to defeat the intentions of the govern

ment.

Among these may be mentioned the instance of a person who had constructed a distillery so artfully, that it eluded the vigilance of the most expert officers of excise, though known to have long existed in the neighbourhood. A determined gentleman of this department resolved to find it out at all hazards, and, on one moonlight night, unaccompanied by any person, he followed a horse led by a peasant, having a sack across the back of the animal, which, he suspected contained materials for this mysterious manufactory. When the the sack was removed horse had arrived at a certain place, from his back, and suddenly disappeared. The officer made his observations, returned to his residence, and having procured military assistance, repaired to the place where the horse had been unloaded. All was silent, the moon shone bright, the ground was unmarked by any peculiar appearance, and he was almost inclined, (as well as those who accompanied him) to think that he laboured under a delusion. Perceiving, however, some brambles loosely scattered about the place, he proceeded to examine more minutely, and on their removal, discovered some loose sods, under which was found a trap door leading to a small cavern, at the bottom of which was a complete distillery at full work, supplied by a subterraneous stream, and the smoke conveyed from it through the windings of a tube that was made to communicate with the funnel of the chimney of the distiller's dwelling-house, situated at a considerable distance.

Another distillery has been known to be worked on the site, and in conjunction with a lime-kiln, which, from the kiln being continually in operation, kept the other for years without detection. So cunningly were some of those still-houses situated, and so artfully constructed, that the smoke proceeding from them was made to issue Their as if from burning heath, or sods of peat, ignited for manure. position was, for the most part, either on a commanding eminence, in the centre of a bog, or in a well-secured fastness; but always calculated to prevent the identity of townland or proprietorship, while the

portability and easy removal of the apparatus rendered the discovery and seizure of those stills difficult and hazardous. On the approach of a stranger, an alarm was given either by deputing a messenger or sounding a horn, while the machinery was removed, and the potale always destroyed or conveyed into receptacles under ground prepared for such exigencies. Thus the still-hunter was often disappointed of his expected prize, the poor distiller put to the loss of many a brewing, and the excise officer rendered the object of the hatred and vindictive feeling of the unreflecting peasantry.

The subjoined engraving represents a distillery of this description at full work, with a party of police approaching to seize it, while two peasants may be seen on the rocks, sounding their horns to alarm the smugglere

[graphic]

The fines on townlands having been abolished, it was found necessary to adopt some other measure to put down illicit distillation_ recourse was, therefore, had to a Revenue Police, the Excise officers having too much other business to attend to, and the difficulty and expense of procuring regular military assistance being almost insurmountable. Accordingly, a Revenue Police was established in 1822, and was gradually augmented in proportion to the exigency of the service. In 1826, this force amounted to thirty-two parties; in

January, 1833, to fifty-seven parties, and in the present year to seventy parties-amounting, including officers and men, to upwards of 1200 persons. They were distributed through those parts of the country in which illicit distillation most prevailed, and though their exertions have been very great, yet they have but partially suppressed the evil.

Their services will be best appreciated by an enumeration of the detections made by them in four successive years :

Stills.

Malt Bush.

Distilleries. Worts Galls. Spirits seized.

1830... 804.........25136.........1788........ 122263....................... 624 1831... 723. ..24901.........1479.........106908......... 353

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Since the re-organization of the Revenue Police under the superintendence of Colonel Brereton, and the judicious alterations made by him, this force has become more effective, and will, no doubt, prove of great benefit to the Revenue.

Experience has proved that illicit distillation has always decreased in proportion to the lowness of the duty, so that it was almost annihilated by the reduction which took place in 1823, by causing a substitution nearly universal of the legal for the illegal article. Difference of opinion, however, exists respecting the extent to which a reduction of duty should be made; perhaps the best means to prevent the evil under consideration, would be to reduce the duty in proportion to the average price of grain in the provinces, so that the temptation to manufacture spirits from it, would be less than the grain itself would bring in the market. Such a measure could scarcely fail of having, at least, a powerful influence, if not of effecting a total suppression of the illegal practice, while it would give the preponderance in favour of the legal manufacturer.

Of the many plans which have been laid to obstruct the revenue officers in the discharge of their duty, the following is not the least deserving of notice :-On the approach of the Assizes in 1803, when many were about to be prosecuted for illicitly distilling, an officer, stationed at Dunfanaghy, in the County of Donegal, who was to support the informations, was suddenly seized, blind-folded, and carried away by a body of men in disguise, and brought to the island of Arran on the western coast. From thence he was conveyed to the islands of Goal, Innismay, &c. where he was closely confined, often threatened with the loss of life, and was even obliged, by way of

humiliation for his active services, to assist in the working of an illicit still; while, like another Tantalus, the cup of pleasure was held to his parched lips, without the liberty of gratifying his thirsty desires. At the end of thirteen days, when the necessity for his confinement had ceased, he was again blindfolded, taken from the island, and sent a considerable distance into the interior of the country, where the mask was removed from his face, and he was allowed in the solitude of night, to make his way to his disconsolate family, who, all the time, had looked upon his restoration as hopeless. Another officer, on a similar occasion, was hurried from his bed, without any covering except his shirt and trousers, put into a sack, thrown across the back of a horse, and, in this manner, was conducted to the margin of a lake, where, in his own hearing, a consultation was held whether he should be drowned by tieing a stone to the sack and committing it to the deep, or that he should be put to a more lingering and torturing death. In this awful state of suspense he was removed to a mountainous part of the country, where he was subjected to every kind of insult and privation, continually menaced with death in every shape of barbarity, led out at night as if about to be executed, and again conducted to his solitary habitation, anticipating a renewal of further cruelties. In this state he was retained for a considerable time, till the Judge who presided at the Assizes, during the trial of some persons for illicitly distilling, suspecting the parties as being accessary to this outrage, told them, that if the officer who had been taken away, were not immediately liberated, he would pass such a sentence on them as would for ever put it out of their power to commit such another offence, and gave them but twenty-four hours for his restoration. This had the desired effect: the unfortunate man was again put into a sack and restored to his family in the same manner as that in which he had been carried away.

To the vigorous measures of government, aided by the gentry of the country, but more to the lowering of the duty and the encouragement given to small stills, the present decrease of illicit distillation may be mainly attributed; and though it still exists, its prevalence is but comparatively partial.

The legal distilling establishments of the country are, for the most part, conducted on an extensive scale, the stills ranging from 500 to 20,000 gallons' contents. In Cork, the establishments of Wyse, Callaghan, Morrogh, Lyons, O'Keeffe, Shee, and Daly, are of immense magnitude, while the concern of Murphy, as well as that of Hackett at Middleton, are little inferior. The distillery of Clonmel contains

3 mash-tuns containing 52,000 gallons, and capable of using 400 barrels of grain in a day. It has 5 coolers containing 25,000 gallons, with 12 wash-backs holding 167,000 gallons; one wash-charger of 14,700 gallons; 2 low wines' and feints' chargers 6,000 gallons; 2 low-wines' stills 13,000 gallons, and one wash-still of 20,400 gallons.

The quantity of wash fermented and consumed in a period of 12 days, varies from 158 to 160,000 gallons, producing about 19,000 gallons of proof spirits. The charge for the year ended 5th January 1838, was 384,000 gallons. This concern works about nine months in the year, and gives daily employment to about one hundred and fifty persons.

Brown's establishment in Limerick has two stills for wash, concontaining 28,000 gallons, and two for low-wines, containing 12,000 gallons. There are eleven wash-backs, each averaging 30,000 gallons, one wash-charger, 36,600; two low-wines' receivers, 4,500; two feints' receivers, 4,500; two low-wines and feints' chargers, 25,000; one under-back, 11,000; one bub-tun, 15,000; one spirit receiver, 3,500; five spirits' store-casks, each 20,000; one metal cooler, in three parts, 100,000; and one worts' receiver containing 40,320 gallons. In a bonded warehouse on the premises, there are generally sorted from 500 to 800 puncheons of spirits. There are also two malthouses, which work six months in the year, each of which wets 530 bushels of barley twice in the week. The machinery is worked by two steam-engines, one of which is of 40 horse power. Besides 3000 tons of coal annually consumed, there are upwards of 20,000 boxes of turf brought down the Shannon from a bog about seven miles distant; in the cutting, drying, and making up of this turf, five hundred persons are constantly employed. The site of the distillery occupies about three acres, and the machinery and utensils are estimated to have cost upwards of £200,000. A medical gentleman has a salary for attendance on the labourers, to whom half wages are given in case of their being rendered incapable of work, either from age or accident.

The distillery of Mr. James Jameson, Marrowbone-lane, Dublin, has four stills; two for wash, containing 27,675 gallons; two for low-wines, 13,807; two metal mash-tuns, 67,776; six coppers, 83,935; two under-backs, 9,423; seven coolers, 88,260 gallons; besides cooling-pipes of great extent. There is a wash-charger holding 26,422, and an intermediate one containing 17,831 gallons; there are ten fermenting wash-backs capable of holding 382,098 gallons. One of these alone holds 51,798; and three others upwards of

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