THE TOLL OF THE BRAVE 337 



institution. The wreck was claimed by the Dutch 

 Government, who, however, in 1801 granted one- third 

 of the salvage to the bullion fishers. After occasional 

 recoveries of treasure, and as the result of many negotia- 

 tions, the King of the Netherlands ceded to Great 

 Britain, for Lloyd's, half the remainder of the wreck. In 

 August 1857 a Dutch salvage company began opera- 

 tions, and in two years Lloyd's had received over 

 ,22,000. In course of time rather less than ,100,000 

 was secured, leaving more than a million sterling in the 

 wreck. The rudder of the Lutine was recovered in 1859, 

 and a chair and table were made from it for Lloyd's, 

 where the articles, with the ship's bell, still are. 



The Lutine, which was commanded by Captain 

 Lancelot Skinner, was lost on 9th October 1799. She 

 struck the sands of Vlieland, far out of her course, and 

 went down with all hands save the sole survivor. The 

 riches she carried were for the account of London 

 merchants trading with Germany. The regained 

 treasure was mostly gold and silver coinage ; that 

 which remains is chiefly bar bullion, and it has un- 

 doubtedly been driven deep down into the sand by the 

 action of the tides. It is only in calm weather and 

 certain winds that operations can be conducted ; but at 

 the time of writing it is claimed that powerful pumping 

 has resulted in almost reaching the treasure itself. 



That part of the North Sea which claimed the 

 treasure-ship more than a century ago, on her voyage 

 from England to Hamburg, has proved the graveyard 

 of many fine British ships and many gallant crews. The 

 most disastrous of these calamities occurred a hundred 

 years ago, when, on 24th December 181 1, the St. George, 



22 



