Feb. 9th 1851. >From the Nenagh Guardian. A Chase after Smugglers. During the last fortnight or three weeks the Excise Officers of Killaloe and other districts have been more active than usual in endeavouring to discover illicit distilleries and genuine potteen, but, owing to the ingenuity and dexterity of the illegal brewers, they baffled in many instances their efforts. On Friday week, from private information which we received, a number of "The Potteen Peelers"- by which cognomen they are generally known in this Country, commanded by their Officer, marched in different directions towards the house of a man named Cummins, residing at Garrykennedy, with the determination of being certain of making a good seizure:-but the movements of the revenue were observed, and in an instant the cry was raised of the "Gaugers are coming". Cummins and his wife were away from home, and there were only two boys and two girls in the house whose respective ages were between 16 and 18 years. With an extraordinary degree of agility they put on their backs four bags of malt, with which they ran to the banks of the Shannon, and having placed them in a boat, seized the oars and rowed with the utmost quickness. In a moment afterwards the police were in Cummin's house, in which, after a close search, they could not find neither potteen, malt, or any distilling apparatus. They then came to Garrykennedy Quay, and four of them with the Officer, jumped into the first boat they met, and went in pursuit of the fugitives, who were only a short distance in advance. A large number of persons assembled on the surrounding hills to witness the chase, which excited much laughter and a great deal of interest. The general impression was, that the boys and girls would be captured in a short time, from the fact of the boat being heavily loaded, and not possessing such muscular strength as the "Peelers", but, nothing daunted, and being determined not to give up until the last, they pulled the oars with renewed vigour, in which they displayed great skill. Having rowed over six miles, their pursuers were quite close to them. The spectators were shouting, "Now they're caught-they're caught, more's the pity". The boys and girls finding their strength unavailing when compared to their adversaries, they put the power of their minds to work, and accordingly faced towards "Hare Island", which is the most intricate part of Lough Derg, and through which it is very difficult to get, from its rocky and shallow nature, and in consequence of the circuitous course which the water takes. This was the last resource with the boys and girls, who got clear out of this island. In a few minutes afterwards the Police came to the spot, following the track of the boys and girls, and rowing powerful. In an instant they came in contact with a stone, which nearly upset the boat. Here they lost some time in shoving the boat of the rock, and then again ran aground, which gave them a great deal of trouble and much annoyance from the immoderate laughter of the spectators. Before they could get out of the place, the runaways were considerably ahead and landed safely at the Galway side of the Shannon. They conveyed the bags of malt ashore, and having secreted them safely, which the sharp eye of the gauger could not discover, they ran off through the Country, defying their opponents, who, on arriving, found nothing but the remnants of an old bag in the boat. Mary