T 1/434/61 et seq - Reports on Smuggling 1764

Introduction

There is a batch of Letters presented to the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury in July 1764 from various Custom Stations - the Commissioners had requested Customhouse London to gather information on the Trade of the Island, the extent of the Smuggling and an estimate of the income of the Duke of Atholl, they had also reached out to Scotland for a report, and later to Carlisle and Dublin.. Copies of some of these reports were passed, unofficially, to the Duke and appear in the Athol papers - Lutwidge comments that knowledge that the Commissioners were making such inquiries was known on the Island and was making gathering of information difficult - "as it is known there by some means the enquiries your Honours are making ".

Besides these inquiries they also requested information on the legal background of the Duke's supposed rights.

The first letter is a cover note from London

T 1/434/61 - Cover note from Customhouse London

May it Please Your Lordships

Your Lordships having been pleased by Mr. Whately's Letter of the 11th May last to direct us to make the most strict Enquiry into the Smuggling Trade carried on between the Isle of Man and Great Britain, & to endeavour to procure as exact accounts as possible, of the several kinds of Goods imported into the said Island, & of the Duties payable to the Proprietor for the same, & to inform Your Lordships of the result of our Enquiries on these Subjects; We thereupon ordered Mr Lutwidge Surveyor General & Supervisor for the Coasts of Cumberland, Westmorland & the Port of Lancaster, Mr Onslow Riding Surveyor for the Port of Liverpool & the Coast of Lancaster, & the Collector & Comptrollers of Liverpool, Whitehaven, & Lancaster, from whom we judged we could obtain the most perfect information to make the necessary Inquiries; & having received their returns we herewith humbly lay copies thereof before your Lordships to which we beg leave to refer.

Cn Morris, S Mead, C Amyand, W Musgrave Custom House London 4th July 1764

The reply from Liverpool Collector and Comptroller is somewhat apologetic

T 1/434/62 - Letter from Liverpool

Pursuant to your Commands of the 18th Instant we beg leave to acquaint your honours that from the strictest & best intelligence we can get, which we have procured in as private a manner, & with as much care & accuracy as possible - inclosed please to receive a List of the Goods usually Imported into the Isle of Man & from whence, & the Duties payable to the Proprietor for the same; the Revenue arising therefrom according to our information has amounted of late years to about six thousand pounds @ ann one year with another, but it's generally supposed that it will rather decrease, than, increase, We sincerely wish it was in our power to give your Honours a more perfect account, and beg leave to remain
Jno Colquett, Pr Atkins Custom house Liverpool 23 May 1764

We are also informed that the Rents arising from the Land make the Proprietor about one thousand nine hundred pounds @ ann.

From France Brandy Duty one penny @ Gall
wine by Strangers ten Shills @ ton
" by Natives 5 Shills @ ton
Silks £2 10s percent on the value

From Spain Brandy one penny @ Gall
Silk Handkerchiefs & other Silks & Spanish Juice £2 10s percent on the value

From Sweden Tea & China £2 10s percent on the value

From Holland Tobacco 1/2 @ Pound
Arrack & Geneva one penny @ Gall
China, Tea, Spices, Drugs, all sorts of India Goods, Bngle & Beads of all sorts
Looking Glasses, Knives & Flints small Bar Iron, Gunpowder & Battery £2 10s percent on the value
NB the six last articles but seldom chiefly for the African Trade when they are not to be got in England.

From the West Indies Rum one penny @ Gall

From Ireland All sorts of Provisions

From England Corn, Flour, Cheese, Salt & Grocerys
Cloths Broad Duty six pence @ yard Cloth
" narrow nine pence @ yard
All sorts of Household Goods & furniture
Sevl kinds of Silks Cambricks & all sorts of India Goods £2 10s percent on the value

T 1/434/64 - Letter from Arthur Onslow

Persuant to your Honours Directions of the 18th Instant, I have made the most strict Enquiry into the Isleman Trade, & Inclosed please to receive an Accnt of all Foreign Goods Imported into the said Island, with the Duties payable to the Proprietor for the same, which has been done with care, & I hope will be found accurate, also your Honours will receive Inclosed a Book of rates which a Trusty Friend procured at the Isleman for me, wherein your Honours have not only Exact Duties payable to the Proprietor on all Foreign Goods but also on all Goods imported into the said Island from Great Britain & Ireland, from whom they are obliged to have almost every necessary Article, even the necessaries of Life, & this Isleman which aboundes with Plenty not many years ago, is now so populous, they would starve was not her Neighbours to assist

It is remarkable that in the inclosed Book of Rates, Tea is not mentioned a plain indication that, that article which is now the staple commodity in the Island was not thought on in 1692.

The Proprietors income has increased greatly of late years, but must undoubtedly lessen as the Trade in the Island is upon this decline & might be greatly lessened if the African Merchants had a few necessary Indulgencies or the East India Company obliged to import a sufficient & a proper aportment of Goods for their Trade, & also obliged to have their Tea Sales more frequent, & to put up plenty of it; & particularly if the Importers of East India Goods are liable to be prosecuted on 7th Geo 1st C:20th:Sec:9th but if that Law should not be found effectual for that purpose doubtless one can be made, & other methods taken. I am of opinion that would make the Noble Proprietor sensible that it would be for his Interest to Farm his Grant to the Crown upon reasonable Terrms, which is most humbly submitted

Ar Onslow Customhouse Liverpool 23d May 1764

[he added a list very similar to that sent in by Liverpool but added an estimate of the sums produced

Harbour Dues & Duties payable to the Proprietor on all sorts of Goods & Imports into the Isle Man from Britain & Ireland vide Book of Rates herewith computed to be about	£400
Royalties, Rents &c payable to the Proprietor by the Lands & People computed at	£1900
Duties on all Foreign Goods upon the best Enquiry computed at	£6100
	£8400
deduct Civil List Money	£800
Nett Amount	£7600

NB What they mean by Civil List Money is the Charge of the Proprietors Officers in the Island ]

That from Whitehaven is given below, pointing out that they had been reporting on the smuggling trade for the previous twenty years.

T 1/434/65 - Letter from Whitehaven

We received your letter of the 18 Inst that having under consideration of the State of the Smuggling Trade, carried on between the Isle of Man and Great Britain you are pleased to direct Us to make the most strict enquiry into this Trade & Endeavour to procure as exact Accts as possible of the several kinds of Goods impd into the said Island, & of the Duties payable to the proprietor for the same reporting the result thereof with such Observations as may Occur to Us thereupon In due Obedience to which we humbly Observe.

That the several kind of Goods Imported into that Island & afterwards run into Great Britain are Teas, Tobacco, Coffee, east India Goods, Wine, Brandy, Rum, Geneva, Spanish Juice, Barcelona Handkerchiefs, Starch, Soap, Silks, Salt, & all manner of French, Dutch or high Duty Goods.

That Ships from Foreign parts run no risque in landing their Cargoes in Open day & if they are such as are by 7 Geo 1st liable to be Seized, no Person there dare offer to Mollest them, since some of Capt Dows Crew, were most cruelly beaten, wounded & Imprison'd, for seizing a Dutch Vessel in Ramsey Bay with Tea from Holland, & the Ship & Goods rescued from them.

That the Merchants in the Island, who buys these Cargoes, or have them consign'd to them, after putting them into proper Packages convenient for Running they are shipt by the smuglers on board small Wherrys, & Boats built on purpose, for that Wicked Trade, & landed in Britain, or Ireland, & besides these Wherrys & Boats that are daily employed, many of our Colliers to Ireland, & most of the Coasters in this Channel, touch at that Island, either going or coming, & sometimes both ways, but to prevent delays by going into Harbour, & to Enable the Masters if there be occasion to Swear, they were not in the Island, they have Boats called Bum Boats, ready to go out of Port, & supply any Vessel hovering on the Coast, with Tea, Brandy, or anything they want.

That to give some further light to this Clandestine Trade, how it was carried on Several Years ago, & the remedys then propos'd to prevent it, We humbly take leave to refer your Honours to the Collectors Letters to your Secretary of the 14 Feby, 18 March 1745, 19 Septr 1747, 9 Decr 1748, 13 March 1750, 1 May, 26 July & 30 Augt 1751, & as it has been increasing every since, it is easy to perceive to what a height it is now arrived.

That as the Duties payable to the proprietor Messrs Poole & Mcquire in Lord Derbys time, gave him 1000 Guineas @ ann on a Lease for 21 years & they appointed Mr Sandford to be their Collector & allowed him a Clerk to Assist him in Collecting the same. That Mr Burrow by private Means got a correspondence with the said Clerk, & at last prevail'd with him to leave his Master & bring with him Copies of his Books & Entries for the preceeding Year, & on his Arrival, the said Burrow from the quantity of Goods that had been Expd therein found if they had been regularly imported into Great Britain the Duties thereon would have amounted to above £100,000.

That believing the loss to the Revenue is now much more, & that it would be difficult for any suspected Person to get a sight of the Collectors Books at Douglas, We upon the receipt of your said Letter privately applied to a Gentleman here to write as from himself to Mr Haywood his son in law (who has one of the best Estates in the Island)desiring he would inform him of the Dukes yearly Revenues, & the Collector having also wrote to a Clegyman there of his acquaintance. We dispatched the Esther Cutter with these two Letters, & the Capt being Sick, We gave the Master of her, instructions in Writing how to behave.

That the Cutter return'd Sunday Night, & Mr Haywood writes he had Endeavoured to inform himself in the best manner he could, without Effect, that the Collector suffer'd no Body to see his Accounts & when he enquired of any of the inferior officers, could get no Answers, the Clergyman writes he could not be Exact in his Computation, that the Duties were uncertain, some Years more, & some Years less, as depending on the Importation, that he had been Credibly inform'd, they had some Years Amounted to Upwards of £8000 - but that he would make it his business to Enquire more particularly into the Affair in as private a manner as possible.

That we can't believe the Duties ever Amounted to £8000 in one Year, having been told by Gentlemen who have Effects in the island, & are often going over, that 'twas generally reckon'd there, the Dukes whole income was about £6000 - including the Land Rent, quit rents, & Fines estimated at £1500 @ amm & this last Sum must be now lessen'd by his having lately sold all, or the greatest part of the Tithes, that belong'd to him, & also the Lead at his Castle.

That we are certain the late Law that laid Open the Trade to Africa, has increas'd the Duties in the Island, in regard the Merchants here, & at Liverpool, & we believe at Bristol, buys all Sorts of East India & Dutch Goods in Holland, proper for that Trade, & order them to be landed in the Isle of Man, where their ships call for them, & proceed directly from thence to Africa.

That as this Isle is under and the Dominion of the Crown of Great Britain, We humbly conceive the Lord of it ought not to Encourage any Trade to the detriment thereof, & in Justice not intitled to any Consideration for his Customs, more than for what Goods the people in the Island, consume which are Reckon'd not to Exceed more than about 12 or £1300 @ ann by their Book of Rates.

P.S. We hear the Duke of Athol last week, sent for the Governor of the Isle, to Attend him in Scotland.

Joseph Burrow, Collector, George Hall, deputy Comptroller 29 May 1764

Notes

The "Haywood" written to was almost certainly Peter John Heywood who had married Elizabeth Spedding, only daughter of Mr James Spedding a major merchant and land owner in Whitehaven.

Notes

The first action of Charles Lutwidge on being appointed, by London, Receiver General for the Island, was to request access to the previous 10 years of Ingates and Outgates, thus he could, albeit post the purchase, determine the exact Ducal revenues but also gauge from the recent entries what and where he might search for, Tea in particular was sought.