DRAWBACK, in commerce, certain duties, either
of the customs or of the excise, allowed upon the ex-
portation of some of our own manufactures, or upon
certain foreign merchandises, that have paid duty on
importation.
The oaths of the merchants importing and export-
ing are required to obtain the drawback on foreign
goods, affirming the truth of the officers certificate on
the entry, and the due payment of the duties: and
these may be made by the agent or husband of any cor-
poration or company; or by the known servant of any
merchant usually employed in making his entries, and
paying his customs. In regard to foreign goods entered
outward, if less quantity or value be fraudulently ship-
ped out than what is expressed in the exporter's certifi-
cate, the goods therein mentioned, or their value, are
forfeited, and no drawback to be allowed for the same.
Foreign goods exported by certificate in order to ob-
tain the drawback, not shipped or exported, or reland-
ed in Great Britain, unless in case of distress to save
them from perishing, are to lose the benefit of the
drawback, and are forfeited, or their value, with the
vessel, horses, carriages, &c. employed in the reland-
ing thereof; and the persons employed in the reland-
ing them, or by whose privity they are relanded, or
into whose hands they shall knowingly come, are to for-
feit double the amount of the drawback. Officers of
the customs conniving at, or assisting in any fraud re-
lating to certificate goods, besides other penalties, are
to forfeit their office, and suffer six months imprison-
ment without bail or mainprize; as are also masters,
or persons belonging to the ships employed therein.
Bonds given for the exportation of certificate goods to
Ireland must not be delivered up, nor drawback allow-
ed for any goods, till a certificate under the hands and
seals of the collector or comptroller, &c. of the customs
be produced, testifying the landing.
Draw-Bridge, a bridge made after the manner of a
float, to draw up or let down, as occasions serve, before
the gate of a town or castle. See BRIDGE.
A draw-bridge may be made after several different
ways; but the most common are made with plyers, twice
the length of the gate, and a foot in diameter. The
inner square is traversed with a cross, which serves for
a counterpoise; and the chains which hang from the
extremities of the plyers to lift up or let down the
bridge are of iron or brass.
In navigable rivers it is sometimes necessary to make
the middle arch of bridges with two moveable plat-
forms, to be raised occasionally, in order to let the
masts and rigging of ships pass through. This kind
of draw-bridge is represented in Plate CLXVIII. where
AB is the width of the middle arch; AL and BL,
the two piers that support the draw-bridge NO, one
of the platforms of which is raised, and the other let
down, having the beam PQ for its piler. To NO
are suspended two moveable braces EH, EH; which
resting on the support E, press against the bracket M,
and thereby strengthen the draw-bridge. These braces
are conducted to the rest by means of the weight S,
pulling the chain SLF.
Draw-Net, a kind of net for taking the larger sort
of wildfowl, which ought to be made of the best sort
of packthread, with wide meshes; they should be about
two fathoms deep and six long, verged on each side
with a very strong cord, and stretched at each end on
long poles. It should be spread smooth and flat upon
the ground; and strewed over with grass, sedge, or
the like, to hide it from the fowl: and the sportsman
is to place himself in some shelter of grass, fern, or
some such thing.