Note 144 — Chapter XXII
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La Lutine, a 32-gun frigate launched in 1785. It originally belonged to the French navy, but was captured by Admiral Duncan.
It sailed from Yarmouth Roads on the morning of October 9, 1799, for Hamburg, and was wrecked the same night off the island of Vlieland, one of the Frisian Islands. All on board were lost, except one man.
The frigate had on board a large amount of specie—gold and silver—the destination of which appears to be somewhat of a mystery. If the specie was merely sent by London Merchants to Hamburg on purely commercial transactions—as is alleged—how was it that a frigate ship was employed, and how did it come to be so near the Zuider Zee? To explain this some say that the specie was intended for the pay of British troops then in the Netherlands.
Up to the present, treasure to the value of £100,000 has been recovered; but it is estimated that gold and silver worth a million pounds still lie buried in the shifting sands north of the Zuider Zee.
Various attempts have been made to recover the specie. On July 17, 1858, divers brought to daylight the bell of the frigate. It was well preserved, and weighed 80 lbs. It now stands at the footboard of the table in the library at Lloyd's, where other relics of the Lutine are also to be found.