SMU

599

SNA

ess

Smoke Farthings, the pentecostals or customary oblations of-fered by the dispersed inhabitants within a diocese when theymade their procession to the mother or cathedral church, came bydegrees into a standing annual rent called smoke-farthings.Smoke-jack. See Jack.

SMOLEN, an island on the N. coast of Norway, in the NorthSea , 25 miles in circumference. Lon. 8.:20. E. l.at. 63. 24. N.

SMOLENSK , or SMOLENSKOE, a large and strong city ofRussia , and capital of the palatinate so named ; 188 miles S. W. ofMoscow . Lon. 31. 22. E. Lat. 54. 50. N.

Smolenskoe, a duchy and palatinate of Russia , bounded onthe N. by Biela, on the E. by the duchy of Moscow , on the S.by that of Severia and the palatinate of Meislaw, and on the W.by the same palatinate and by that of Witepsk. It is full of forestsand mountains.

SMOLLET, Tobias, M. D. an eminent writer, was born onthe banks of the Leven, in Scotland , in 1720, of a good family.He was bred a surgeon, and served on board of a ship at the un-successlul bombardment of Certhugena. He afterwards took hisdegree of doctor of physic, but not meeting with encourag' mentin that line, he became a writer by profession. His first perform-ance was the novel of Roderick Random, published in 1749, andwhich soon ran through several editions. The year following ap-peared the Regicide, a tragedy of little merit. This was followedby the novei of Peregrine Pickle, in which were inserted LadyVane’s Apology, under the title of Memoirs of a Lady of Quality.In 1754 he published the Adventures of Ferdinand Count Fathom.He next instituted the Critical Review, which was chiefly con-ducted by him till 1763. For an article in this journal he was pro-secuted by Admiral Knowles, on which he was confined in theking’s bench some time, and wrote there the Adventures of SirLancelot Greaves, a feeble imitation of Don Quixote . In 1757he published the History of England, in 4 vols. 4to. afterwardsprinted in numbers in octavo. This work, though inaccurate andpartial, gained him great profit and reputation. In 1762 he begana periodical paper, called the Briton, in defence of Lord Bute sadministration. The year following he went abroad, and in 1766he published an Account of his Travels, in 2 vols. 12mo. In1771 appeared his novel of Humphrey Clinker, which possessesmerit, though it is not equal to his former performances in thatkind. Dr. Smollet wrote some poems, compiled a collection ofVoyages and Travels, and translated Gil Bias and Don Quixote into English, lie died in Italy in 1771.

SMUGGLER , a person who, in defiance of justice and thelaws, imports or exports goods, either contraband or without pay-ment of the cu.-toms. T he duties of cusloms, it is said, were ori-ginally instituted, in order to enable the king to afford protectionto trade against pirates: they have since been continued as abranch of the public revenue. As duties imposed upon the im-portation of goods necessarily raises their price above what theymight otherwise have been sold for, a temptation is presented toimport the commodity clandestinely, and to evade the duty.Many persons, prompted by the hopes of gain, and considering“ le violation of a positive law of this nature as in no respect crimi-n 4l (an idea in which they have been encouraged by a great partdie community, who make no scruple to purchase smuggledgoods,; have engaged in this illicit trade. It was impossible thatgovernment could permit this practice, which is highly injurious0 fair trader, as the smuggler is enabled to undersell him,hile at the same time he impairs the national revenue, and thusv ades the end for which these duties were appointed. Such pe-a Ries are therefore inflicted as it was thought would preventmugg[j n g Many laws have been made with this view. Ifgoods be shipped or landed without warrant, and presence of« 1 oflicer, the vessel shall be forfeited, and the wharfinger shallsh -1 l - al, d the master or mariner of any ship inward boundsd forfeit the value of the goods : and any carman, porter, orto Cr ’ ass ' st 'ng, shall 6e committed to gaol, till he find securitygood behaviour, or until he shall be discharged by the courtaft exp ' lec l l| er, (13 and 14 C. II. c. 11.) If goods be relandedp Pr drawback, the vessel and goods shall be forfeited; and everyt l So . n concerned therein shall forfeit double the value of theand" | ^ ^ ^ n- C- l -k) Goods taken in at sea shall be forfeited,Con a so die vessel into which they are taken ; and every personcerned therein shall forfeit treble value, (9 G. II. c. 35.) A

vessel hovering near the coast shall be forfeited, if under fifty tonsburden ; and the goods shall also be forfeited, or the value thereof,(5 G. III. c. 43.) Persons receiving or buying run goods shallforfeit 20/. (8 G. c. 18.) A concealer of run goods shall forfeittreble value, (8 G. c. 18.) Offer ng run goods for sale, the sameshall be forfeited, and the person to whom they are offered mayseize them ; and the person offering them to sale shall forfeit tre-ble value, (11 G. c. 30.) A porter or other person carrying rungoods shall forfeit treble value, (9 G. II. c. 35.) Persons armedor disguised carrying run goods shall be guilty of felony, and trans-ported for seven years, (8 G. c. 18. 9 G. II. c. 35.) But the laststatute, (19 G. 11. c. 34,) is for this purpose instar omnium ; for itmakes all forcible acts of smuggling, carried on in defiance of thelaws, or even in disguise to evade them, felony without benefit ofclergy: enacting, that if three or more persons shall assemble,with fire-arms or other offensive weapons, to assist in the illegalexportation or importation of goods, or in rescuing the same afterseizure, or in rescuing offenders in custody for such offences: orshall pass with such goods in disguise; or shall wound, shoot at,or assault, any officers of the revenue when in the execution oftheir duty ; such persons shall be felons, without the benefit ofclergy. W hen we consider the nature, and still more the history,ol mankind, we must allow that the enacting of severe laws is notthe way to prevent crimes. It were indeed much Ic be wishedthat there were no such thing as a political crime; tor the gene-rality of men, but especially the lower orders, not discerning thepropriety or utility of such laws, consider them as oppressive andtyrannical, and never hesitate to violate them, when they can doit with impunity. Instead therefore of punishing smugglers, itwould be much better to remove the temptation. But the highduties which have been imposed upon the importation of manydifferent sorts of foreign goods, to discourage their consumption inGreat Britain, have in many cases served only to encourage smug-gling ; and in all cases have reduced the revenue of the customsbelow what more moderate duties would have afforded. Thesaying of Dr. Swift, that in the arithmetic of the customs two andtwo, instead of making four, make sometimes only one, holds per-fectly true with regard to such heavy duties, which never couldhave been imposed, had not the mercantile system taught us, inmany cases, to employ taxation as an instrument, not of revenue,but of monopoly. The bounties which are sometimes given uponthe exportation of home-produce and manufactures, and the draw-backs which are paid upon the re-exportation of the greater partof foreign goods, have given occasion to many frauds, ami to aspecies of. smuggling more destructive of the public revenue thanany other. To obtain the bounty or drawback, the goods, it iswell known, are sometimes shipped and sent lo sea, but soon after-wards clandestinely relanded in some other part of the country.Heavy duties being imposed upon almost all goods imported, ourmerchant-importers smuggle as much, and make entry of as little,as they can. Our merchant-exporters, on the contrary, make en-try of more than they export; sometimes out of vanity, and topass for great dealers in goods which pay no duty ; and sometimesto gain a bounty or a drawback. Our exports, 'in consequence ofthese different frauds, appear upon the custom-house books greatlyto overbalance our imports; to the unspeakable comfort ot thosepoliticians who measure the national prosperity by what they callthe balance of trade.

SMUT, in husbandry, is a disease in corn, when the grains,instead of being filled with flour, are full of a stinking black powder.See Wheat .

SMYRNA, or ISMIR, the largest and richest city of AsiaMinor , is situated about 183 miles W. by S. of Constantinople.Lon. 27. 25. E. Lat. 38. 28. N.

SMYRNIUM, Alexanders ; a genus of plants belonging tothe class pentandria, and order dtgynia ; natural order, Umbel-late. Fruit oblong, striate; petals with a sharp point, keel-shaped.There are seven species.

SNACKENBURG, or SNACKERBURG, a large tradingtown of Germany, in Lunenburg Zell, at the conflux of the Elbe and the Verht, 52 miles E. S. E. of Lunenburg, and 68 E. N. E,of Zell. Lon. 9. 30. E. Lat. 53. 10. N.

SNAFFLE, in the manege, is a very slender bitmouth withoutany branches, much used in England; the true bridles being re-served for war.

SNAIL,