It may seem a little curious that whereas the Board of Customs had controlled these vessels for about a hundred and fifty years this sudden change should have been made.  But, primarily, any customs organisation must belong to the shore.  The employment of cruisers was in its origin really an afterthought to prevent the Crown being cheated of its dues.  In other words, the service of sloops and cutters was a kind of off-shoot from the service on land.  It was only because the smuggling was so daring, because the Crown was so regularly robbed that some means of dealing with these robbers on sea and on even terms had to be devised.  But, of course, with the Admiralty the case was quite different.  For long centuries that department had to deal with ships and everything therewith connected.  Therefore to many it seemed that that department which controlled the Navy should also control that smaller navy comprised by the Revenue cruisers.

At this date we must recollect that the Battle of Waterloo had been won only a few months, that once and for all Napoleon had been crushed and broken, that at last there had come peace and an end of those wars which had seemed interminable.  From this return of peace followed two facts.  Firstly, the European ports were now opened afresh not merely to honest traders, but to the fleets of smugglers who could go about their work with greater safety, with less fear of being captured by privateers.  Thus it was most probable that as the English Channel was now practically a clear sphere there would be a renewed activity on the part of these men.  But, secondly, it also followed that the Admiralty, charged no longer with the anxiety and vigilance which a naval war must bring with it, was free to devote its manifold abilities, most especially in respect of organisation, for the benefit of the Revenue department.  At one and the same time, then, there was the chance of greater smuggling activity and a more concentrated effort to put down this smuggling.

Furthermore, inasmuch as the wars had ended the Navy needed fewer men.  We know how it was in the case of Naval officers, many of whom found themselves unemployed.  But it was not less bad for the seamen, many of whom had drifted into the service by the way we have seen—­through being captured smuggling and then impressed.  Returned once more to their native haunts after long separation, was it likely that having done so much roving, fought so many battles, sailed so many miles, passed through so many exciting incidents that they would quietly take to tilling the fields or gathering the crops?  Some, no doubt, did; others applied themselves to some other industries for which they were fitted.  But there were very many who went back to the occupation of the smuggler.  They had heard the call to sea, and since fishing was in a bad way they must resume running illicit cargoes again.  Agriculture and the like have few fascinations for men who have fought and roamed the sea most of their lives.  So when some enterprising rascal with enough ready capital came along they were more than prepared to take up the practice once more.