A fine evening in early April saw the group welcoming Tony Hawes to speak on the subject of 'Smuggling in Pembrokeshire in the 18th century.' Also welcomed were several new members. The legal definition of smuggling was explained as 'The evasion of any constraint placed upon the free movement of merchandise' which covered almost everything, including people. In the 18th century it was mostly a matter of evading very high import duties on tea, tobacco and spirits, tea being the most favoured, as it carried the highest profit. A large part of the talk was drawn from official sources - the archives of HM Customs the Admiralty and the records of Haverfordwest Jail. Whilst most people were familiar with the basic history of smuggling, the speaker proposed to focus on the procedures which enabled the actual smuggling to take place, i.e. the organisation of placing an order, finding a supplier and financing the operation. The archives are almost completely silent on this, but by using extrapolated clues, it was possible to describe a typical smuggling run into Pembrokeshire at that time. It was an interesting insight in that there were in Pembrokeshire virtually no native sea smugglers. Throughout this period, the actual carriage of goods was in the hands of, initially the French, then the Irish and Channel Islanders. The organisation was arranged by agents, mostly Cornishmen, acting on behalf of unspecified Pembrokeshire sources. There were many surprises in the talk which dealt with a quite new and different aspect from that which the term 'smuggling' had had hitherto been regarded. Questions from the floor concerned reports of the time that Manorbier Castle had been 'appropriated for smuggling on a most daring scale'. Whilst this could well be true, it was considered more likely to be anecdotal and could not be officially confirmed. The chairman thanked Tony for an illuminating talk. Arrangements for conducted visits by the group to the Tenby Lifeboat Station in May and the Pembroke Dockyard in June were confirmed, and also the group outing to Aberaeron and Llanerchaeron in July, a highlight in the season's programme. New members are always very warmly welcome. Contact Denise on (01834) 871209.