Starting Up

Exercise 1. Answer the following questions:

1. What were the reasons for establishing national Customs Services?

2. What was the attitude of ordinary people towards Customs officials at various times in history?

3. What time does the history of smuggling date back?

Exercise 2. Think of some reasons why people smuggle. Add more words to the list below:

poverty, being thirsty for easy money, a sense of adventure and risk, necessity to earn money, etc.

Word Study

Exercise 3. Give your own definitions of the following words:

Example: a port is a place where ships can load and unload people and goods;

port, captain, salary, search, to smuggle, to board, criminal, authority, coast, tide.

Exercise 4. Give the Russian equivalents for the following words paying attention to their suffixes and prefixes:

Duty dutiable duty-free

Activity active inactivity

Response responsible irresponsible

Popularity popular unpopular

Satisfaction satisfying unsatisfactory

Coast coastal coaster

Fortune fortunate fortunately

Exercise 5. Study the following words and word-combinations:

discharge разгрузка

dutiable goods товары, подлежащие обложению пошлиной

completeполный, детальный, доскональный

perimeter внешняя граница

to appoint назначать (на должность)

salary жалованье, заработная плата

survey осмотр

to supervise надзирать; заведовать

search таможенный досмотр (обыск)

to be in charge of отвечать за кого/что-либо

vain effort тщетное усилие

contempt презрение, неуважение

hint намек

zealous рьяный, усердный

persistent настойчивый, упорный

prolonged продолжительный

cobblestone булыжник

prosecution судебное преследование

to cause послужить причиной/поводом для чего-л.

crew команда, экипаж

irritation гнев, раздражение

frustration расстройство (планов), крушение (надежд)

to capture взять в плен, поймать

inhabitants жители

to imprison заключать в тюрьму

Reading and Speaking

Exercise 6. Before reading Text 1 suggest and think of the goods that might be smuggled in the 17^th, 18^th, 19^th centuries.

Exercise 7. Read Part 1 (Text 1) to answer the questions below:

1. What was the concern of the London Custom Officers?

2. What territories did Captain Greenville Collins control?

3. What classes of Custom Officials existed at that time?

4. How were the Custom officials treated by the ordinary people?

Text 1 Part I

The office of a Custom Officers had arisen following the serious concern of the London authorities about the large amounts of taxable tea, tobacco and other dutiable goods that were smuggled into the country. King Charles (1660-1685) was so worried about this activity at the perimeter of his country that he appointed Captain Greenville Collins, R.N. to make a complete survey of the Welsh coast.

There were various classes of Custom officials:

• “Searchers” supervised officers while enjoyed good salaries in instructing officials in searching for hidden smuggled goods.

• “Tide waiters” were Custom officers that met ships arriving on the tide and made sure of the safe discharge of the goods to the satisfaction of the Authorities.

• “Land waiters” were land based officials who made sure that all duties were paid.

• “Coastal waiters” were responsible for coastal traffic between ports.

• “Coal Masters” were in charge of collecting the tax on coal as it was moved from port to port.

• “Riding Officers” were also employed, men who patrolled the coast in the vain effort to catch the criminals.

These officials were extremely unpopular and were treated with much contempt.

An example of this contempt could be seen when Custom officers boarded a suspicious ship anchored at Aberdaron. On arriving on board they were invited to go the captain’s cabin to exercise their duties, but with a hint of being entertained.

Once below, they soon found out that they had been locked in the cabin while the smugglers proceeded to sell their contraband, releasing the unfortunate and most embarrassed officials after completing their sales. All evidence had disappeared before they quietly sailed away.

Exercise 8. Agree or disagree with the following:

1. King Charles appointed Captain Greenville Collins, R.N. to make a complete survey of the Welsh coast.

2. “Tide waiters” were in charge of collecting the tax on coal as it was moved from port to port.

3. Smugglers made the Custom officials furious, frustrated and annoyed.

4. “Coastal waiters” were responsible for patrolling the coast in the vain effort to catch the criminals.

5. Custom officials boarded the ship anchored at London.

Exercise 9. Find corresponding classes of Custom officials. Translate these sentences into English.

• ..................заведовали взиманием пошлины на провоз угля.

• ..................осуществляли проверку прибывающих кораблей и контролировали разгрузку товаров.

• ...................патрулировали (верхом) побережье с целью обнаружения нарушителей.

• ...................получали хорошее жалованье; инструктировали, как проводить досмотр; осуществляли общий надзор.

• ...................отвечали за передвижение людей и товаров по береговой линии между портами.

• ...................несли ответственность за уплату пошлин и налогов.

Exercise 10. Read Part II (Text 1) to answer the questions below:

1. Why were the Custom officials very zealous in their duties?

2. Why was the Custom official suspicious?

3. What did Captain Thomas Samuel smuggle?

4. What was the name of his ship?