A Hundred Years Ago
`.` THE SPECTATOR," AUGUST 15111, 1835.
A very singular cliiicovery of contraband goods was made on Saturday, by the Revenue.officers. On Galley Quay, Lower Thames Street, a case of foreign toys had been just landed from a ship recently arrived froth Calais ; and a Customhouse-weigher, wishing to .please his children with a wodden horse, asked the merchant, to whom they were consigned, for one. • The merchant refused ; and rather peremptorily ordered the weigher to return it to the box. After the Merchant had retired, the officer pulled a horse out of the case ; which broke, and displayed to his view twelve pairs of French silk not gloves, that had been ingeniously secreted in the interior before the horse was painted. The inside of every toy was found to contain similar articles ; horses, dogs, lambs, and donkies were stuffed with silk gloves; and 178 dozen pairs 'were seized, valued at 2001,