The aduaneros were a special military force created by Tomás de Zumalacárregui

Tomás de Zumalacárregui

- From Peninsula War to Ferdinand VII:Zumalacárregui was born at Ormaiztegi in Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, on 29 December 1788. His father, Francisco Antonio de Zumalacárregui, was a lawyer who possessed some property, and the son was articled to a solicitor....

 during the First Carlist War

First Carlist War

The First Carlist War was a civil war in Spain from 1833-1839.-Historical background:At the beginning of the 18th century, Philip V, the first Bourbon king of Spain, promulgated the Salic Law, which declared illegal the inheritance of the Spanish crown by women...

. They were entrusted with the levying of revenue for various consumer goods. During the first years of the war, they prohibited the export and import of goods to isolated barracks and fortified villages that had sided with the Liberal (Isabeline) cause.

The aduaneros' uniform included corduroy

Corduroy

Corduroy is a textile composed of twisted fibers that, when woven, lie parallel to one another to form the cloth's distinct pattern, a "cord." Modern corduroy is most commonly composed of tufted cords, sometimes exhibiting a channel between the tufts...

 pants, jacket, and vest; a flesh-colored corset; blue beret

Beret

A beret is a soft, round, flat-crowned hat, designated a "cap", usually of woven, hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, or wool felt, or acrylic fiber....

 with white tassel; gray cloak; and alpargatas, a sort of light sandal made of hemp. Their weapons included a bandolier

Bandolier

A bandolier or a bandoleer is a pocketed belt for holding ammunition. It was usually slung over the chest. In its original form, it was common issue to soldiers from the 16th to 18th centuries. This was very useful for quickly reloading a musket....

 and carbine

Carbine

A carbine , from French carabine, is a longarm similar to but shorter than a rifle or musket. Many carbines are shortened versions of full rifles, firing the same ammunition at a lower velocity due to a shorter barrel length....

.

Mariano José de Larra

Mariano José de Larra

Mariano José de Larra was a Spanish romantic writer best known for his numerous essays, as well as his infamous suicide...

 wrote a satirical article about them called "Nadie pase sin hablar con el portero" ("No one can pass without speaking first with the doorman.").

Sources

• Álbum de las tropas carlistas del ejército del norte. Madrid, sin fecha. (184?)
• Juan Antonio Zaratiegui. Vida y hechos de don Tomás de Zumalacárregui. San Sebastián, 1946.
• C.F. Henningsen. Campaña de doce meses en Navarra y las Provincias Vascongadas con el General Zumalacárregui. Madrid 1935
• Diario de Guerra del Teniente General D. José Ignacio de Uranga. (1834-1838). San Sebastián 1959.