of that big bight which extends from the Bill of Portland to the promontory well known to many readers as Hope’s or Pope’s Nose, was much favoured by the smuggling fraternity.  This West Bay was well out of the English Channel and the track of most of his Majesty’s ships, and there were plenty of hills and high ground from which to show friendly signals to their comrades.  Rattenbury and Cawley, as we related, had in vain tried to land their cargo hereabouts, though there were many others who, before the Revenue cutters became smarter at their duty, had been able to run considerable quantities of dutiable goods in the vicinity of Sidmouth and Lyme.

On the afternoon of this winter’s day two small sailing craft had been noticed by the Preventive shore officers to be tacking about near the land, but did not appear to be engaged in fishing.  It was therefore reasonably supposed they were about to run some contraband ashore after dark.  A Mr. Samuel Stagg and a Mr. Joseph Pratt, stationed at Sidmouth in the Preventive service, were all the time keeping a smart look-out on these boats, and somewhere about five o’clock in the evening launched their oared-cutter and rowed off towards them.  After a chase they came alongside the first, which was named the Nimble, and boarded her.  They found therein three men consisting of John Newton, John Bartlett, and Thomas Westlake; but as they searched her and found no trace of any casks or packages of tobacco, the Preventive men left her to row after the other craft.  It was now, of course, quite dark, and there was blowing a nice sailing breeze.  Scarcely had they started to row away before the Nimble hoisted sail and by means of flint and steel began to make fire-signals, and kept on so doing for the next half hour.  This was, of course, a signal for the second boat, and as soon as the latter observed these signs she also made sail and hurried away into the darkness of the bay.  It was impossible for the officers to get up to her, for they would stand every chance of losing themselves in the vast expanse of West Bay, and the craft might take it into her head to run down Channel perhaps into Cornwall or eastwards round to Portland, where goods often were landed.  Therefore deeming one craft in arrest to be worth two sailing about in West Bay, they went back and seized the Nimble.  The three men, whose names we have given, were taken ashore, tried, and found guilty.  But as illustrative of the times it is worth noting that John Bartlett had before this occurrence actually been engaged for some time as one of the crew of that Revenue cutter about which we spoke some time back in this very bay.  And so, now, “for having on the high seas, within six miles of the coast, made a certain light on board a boat for the purpose of giving a signal to a certain person or persons,” he was, in company with his two colleagues, condemned.