Part III

There is also one story about a highly skilled professional smuggler from Caernarfon called Boaz Pritchard. He was well known because he was a regular “visitor” to the city supplying the people with varied dutiable goods but was better known, as provider of “Boaz brandy”.

Twice the authorities had captured him in 1834 and 1838 smuggling no less than six hundred casks of brandy. On one occasion he sailed into Caernarfon harbour with a large number of brandy casks well hidden under a cargo of apples from Jersey. But he was faced with a most difficult problem of safely transferring his precious cargo to his warehouse without attracting the attention of the Customs.

He overcame his problem in an original way by sending his crew around the streets and public houses to spread a tale that they had seen a ghost stalking innocent people around the town at night. This tale so terrified the poor simple inhabitants that once the sun went down they stayed behind their locked doors.

The empty streets allowed Boaz to take his goods from his ship “Lively” without any trouble. Despite all his clever efforts he was caught, and the authorities had no alternative but to imprison him after they found ninety-nine casks of brandy and other taxable goods hidden in his warehouse.

(By Mr. O. J. Cowell)

Exercise 13. Read the text again (Parts I-III) to find the English equivalents for:

платить налоги; чай, подлежащий обложению налогом; разгрузка товаров; собирать пошлины на провоз угля (с угля); прибрежная торговля; бросить якорь; входить в док; расследование; конфисковать корабль; быть пойманным за нелегальную деятельность; публичные торги; играть в «кошки-мышки»; прятать драгоценный груз; плавать вдоль берега; склад; международные воды; несмотря на все уловки (усилия); среди бела дня; привидение, которое выслеживало невинных людей; посадить в тюрьму.

Exercise 14. Complete the sentences below by filling in the gaps with necessary words:

1. ____________ patrolled the coast in the effort to catch the criminals.

2. ____________ collected the taxes on coal.

3._____________ were responsible for coastal traffic between ports.

4. ____________ supervised officers and instructed officials in searching for smuggled goods.

5. ____________ made sure of the safe discharge of the goods at the ports.

Exercise 15. Comment on the following statements:

1) Smuggling was easy in old days.

2) The Custom officers had difficulties in coping with smugglers.

3) Smugglers used unusual methods of smuggling.

4) Smugglers played a game of cat and mouse with Custom officers.

Exercise 16. Translate into English.

1. Существовали различные категории таможенных служащих.

2. Контрабандисты продолжали распродавать свой контрабандный товар.

3. Во время расследования таможенник обнаружил во дворе капитана большое количество угля.

4. Контрабандисты наверняка знали, что таможенники внимательно следили за их передвижениями.

5. Контрабандистов сурово наказывали, на корабль и всю команду накладывали арест, затем корабль конфисковывали.

6. Несмотря на изощренные уловки, Боаза Причарда поймали, и властям ничего не оставалось делать, как посадить его в тюрьму.

7. Товары были распроданы на аукционе.

8. В ночь до этого Томас Сэмюэль пришвартовал свой корабль в порту и разгрузил уголь, за который следовало заплатить налог.

Exercise 17. Read Text 2 to speak on the history of the Custom House in London.

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