among the rabble there was a man notable for the fineness of his dress , and the freedom with which he spent his coin-liston heard this man referred to as bonnet , and was told by the landlord that this bonnet had the name of a smuggler upon the outer banks , being popular with the merchants of the coastal towns in north carolina , though much less so with the authorities , who were helpless to deal with the man by reason of his business and the dependence of the towns of wilmington , edenton , and new bern upon his trade .