"It is fortunate for the Revenue, as well as for the silk trade, that such a discovery has been made, as the whole plan of operation was so well projected that, whilst the hide remained only known to the smugglers, they might at any time, on dark nights, in the short space of an hour, have smuggled many thousand pounds' worth of property and carried it off in safety. It is whispered among the sailors on the pier that, if the officers had not been a little too eager in the pursuit, they might, within a week, when the dark nights came on again, have made an immense seizure; but that now they have entirely defeated their own object, because not a vestige of any contraband article was yet to be found upon the premises. This is the second subterraneous tunnel which has been dug under the same property within two years, and the second time of the officers being defeated by their eagerness to grasp so large a prize. It is but justice to the lessee of this singularly constructed property to say that not the least suspicion is entertained by the Revenue Officers of any connivance on his part, he having given them duplicate keys of the subterraneous excavations and baths, during the winter months when the property lies unoccupied, and cautioned them that, unless some of the Revenue Officers were stationed on the premises throughout the night, it was impossible to prevent smuggling." At Hastings, on February 21, 1832, a party of smugglers attempted to run a cargo near St. Leonards. The Excise heard of it, and a desperate affray was the consequence; the Revenue men secured the boat and one hundred and sixty tubs of spirits, but at the expense of their lives; one was killed and two mortally wounded. A good idea of the extensive smuggling which was carried on at this time may be gained from the following paragraphs, which appear in one column of the _Times_ of February 13, 1832. "SMUGGLING. "The examination of the eight smugglers that were captured by the _Vigilant_ Revenue cutter on the 1st and 4th inst., took place before the magistrates at Chatham, on Wednesday last; and, being found guilty of a breach of the revenue laws, were convicted, and, being disposed of, the cutter sailed for her station on Thursday. On the following day she made another seizure of 142 half ankers of foreign spirits, which were delivered to the Customs at Rochester, on Saturday. This seizure is the fourth that has been brought by the _Vigilant_ into this port within twelve days, each seizure being the work of a separate cruise; that is, the cutter sailed to sea, made the capture, and returned to the port--the time including the cutter's detention for the trial of the smugglers.