Parliamentary Act. Reign of George III

An Act to enable His Majesty to put the Customs, and other Duties, in the British Dominions in America, and the Execution of the Laws relating to Trade there, under the Management of Commissioners to be appointed for that Purpose, and to be resident in the said Dominions. London: Printed by Mark Baskett and the Assigns of Robert Baskett, 1767

Folio (324 x 194 mm). Woodcut arms of Great Britain, woodcut ꦫheadpiece and initial, t𒁏ext in black letter, side notes in roman type. Disbound. 

The American Board of Customs Commissioners Act. As an ancillary꧂ to the Townshend duties, the British tightened their supervision of colonial trade. Created in 1767, the American Board of Commissioners Act increased the number of customs officials, ordered the creation of a colonial coast guard, and provided money to informers. The latter were awarded one-third of all goods and ships confiscated from smugglers—an incentive to falsify charges and report shippers who committed even the slightest of offenses.

Customs officials enforced the duties rigorously and frequently in an underhanded manner. For example, they would often claim that small items stored in a sailor's chest were undeclare🔯d cargo, and seize entire ships on that charge. The behavior of the agents, known as "customs racketeering," was tantamount to legalized piracy. The activities of customs agents and their informers provoked a storm of vehement protests from the colonists, who in some cases resorted to rioting and such tactics as tarring and feathering.

REFERENCE:

ESTC N56983