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Smuggling in tfia Higlilancls. 273
that nature aiid the distillery laws jn-eseut unsurmouiitable obstacles
to the carrying on of a legal tratlic. The surplus produce
of their agricultural labour will therefore remain on their hands,
unless they incur an expense beyond what the article will bear, in
conveying to the Lowland nuiikot so bulky a commodity as the
raw material, and by the drawback of pric(,'S on their inferior grain.
In this manner, their produce must be disposed of at a great lo.^s,
as it cannot be legally manufactured in the country. Hence they
resort to smuggling as their only resource. If it be indeed true
that this illegal traffic has made such deplorable breaches in the"
honesty and morals of the peojjle, the revenue drawn from the
large distilleries, to which the Highlanders have been made the
sacritice, has been procured at too high a price for the country."
Matters became so grave, that in 1814 and 1815 meetings of
the county authorities were held in the Highlands, and representations
made to the Government pointing out the evil effects of the
high duties on spirits, and the injudicious regulations and restrictions
imposed. Among other things it was pointed out that the
Excise restrictions were highly prejudicial to the agricultural
interests of the Highlands. In face of so many difficulties the
Government gave way, and in 1815 the distinction between Highlands
and Lowlands, and the still duty were discontinued, but the
high duty of Os. 4id. per gallon was imposed. In 1816 stills of
not less than 40 gallons were allowed to be used with the view of
encouraging small distillers, and next year the duty had to be
reduced to 6s. 2d., but illicit distillation was carried on to such
extent, that it was considered necessary, as the only effective means
of its suppi-ession, to further reduce the duty to 2s. 4d. in 1823.
In that year there were 14.000 prosecutions in Scotland for illicit
distillation and malting ; the military had to be employed for its
suppression, and revenue cutters had to be used on the West
Coast. Later on, riding officers were appointed.
It is difficxdt to conceive the terrible amount of lawlessness,
of turbulence, of loss and injuiy connected with such a state of
matters, and cases are known where not only individuals but
communities never recovered temporal prosperity after successful
raids l)y the military, cutters and gangers. But nuitters had fortunately
reached their worst, and illicit distillation has since
gradually decreased until very recently. The reduction of the
spirit duty, the permission to use smaller stills, and the improvement
in the Excise laws and regulations removed the principal
causes which led to illicit di.stillation. The high duty operated as
a bounty to the illicit distiller, and its reduction reduced his
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