in commerce, certain duties, either of the customs or of the excise, allowed upon the exportation of some of our own manufactures; or upon certain foreign merchandise, that have paid duty on importation.

The oaths of the merchants importing and exporting 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 corporation or company; or by the known servant of any merchant, 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 shipped out than what is expressed in the exporter's certificate, 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 obtain the drawback, not shipped or exported, or re-landed 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 vessels, horses, carriages, &c. employed in the reloading thereof; and the persons employed in the reloading them, or by whose privity they are reloaded, or into whose hands they shall knowingly come, are to forfeit double the amount of the drawback. Officers of the customs conniving at or aiding in any fraud relating to certificate goods, besides other penalties, are to forfeit their office, and suffer six months imprisonment 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 allowed for any goods, till a certificate under the hands and seals of the collector or comptroller, &c. of the customs he produced, testifying the landing.

Draw-Bridge, a bridge made after the manner of a float, to draw up, or let down, as occasion serves, 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 pliers, 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 pliers 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 platforms, 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 XCVI. where A B is the width of the middle arch; A L and B L, the two piers that support the draw-bridge N O, one of the platforms of which is raised, and the other let down, having the beam P Q for its plier. To N O are suspended two moveable braces E H, E H; 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 S L F.

Draw-Net, a kind of net for taking the larger sort of wild-fowl, which ought to be made of the best sort of pack-thread, 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.