sailing for
the mouth of the Elbe, the _Lutine_ commanded by an able and
experienced officer, and in all respects well manned and found, came to
be driven, within eighteen hours after leaving Yarmouth Roads, upon the
dangerous shoals of the Zuyder Zee, far out of her course, even when
every allowance is made for the strength of a northwesterly gale.

Another mystery of the voyage of this thirty-two gun frigate of the
royal navy is her employment as a mere packet, carrying cash and
bullion for the benefit of private individuals. The officer
responsible for sending the _Lutine_ on this unusual errand was Admiral
Lord Duncan who "received a pressing invitation from some merchants to
convey a quantity of bullion." It was his first intention to dispatch
a cutter, but the treasure given in his care was swelled by larger
amounts until its total value was L1,175,000 or more than five and a
half million dollars. The admiral thereupon discarded the cutter and
selected instead the swift and staunch _Lutine_ frigate, one of the
best vessels of his fleet. On October 9, he wrote to the Admiralty
from on board his flagship, the _Kent_, in Yarmouth Roads:

"The merchants interested in making remittances to the continent for
the support of their credit, having made application to me for a King's
ship to carry over a considerable sum of money, on account of there
being no Packet for that purpose, I have complied with their request,
and ordered the _Lutine_ to Cuxhaven with the same, together with the
mails lying there for want of conveyance; directing Captain Skynner to
proceed to Stromness immediately after doing so, to take under his
protection the Hudson's Bay's ships and see them in safety to the
Nore." When this letter was written, the _Lutine_ had already sailed,
and before Lord Duncan's communication reached the Lords of the
Admiralty, the splendid treasure laden frigate had laid her bones on
the sand banks of Holland.

Admiral Duncan appears to have escaped all censure for this disaster
which followed his action taken without consultation and without
waiting for the approval of his superiors. The merchants of London
were powerful enough to command the services of the navy, and English
credit was needed on the continent to buttress English arms and
statesmanship. With her millions of treasure and hundreds of lives,
the _Lutine_ drove straight toward as fatal a coast to shipping as can
be found anywhere in the world.

I