PRIVATE TRADE ON THE FALMOUTH PACKETS. 81 



endeavouring to escape, and might possibly liave got clear off 

 had not fully half his crew refused either to work the vessel or 

 to fight her, and gone below in a body. Their action is scarcely 

 comprehensible on any other ground than that they wished to be 

 captured. Cowardice would have impelled them to do their 

 utmost to escape, but these men refused to work the vessel, 

 which was of course captured, through no fault of Capt. Deake 

 or of his officers. 



The second case is that of the "Duke of York," captured 

 on the 18th September, 1803, while on her homeward voyage 

 from Lisbon. The undisputed facts are these. The packet was 

 chased throughout the day by a French privateer of scarcely 

 more than half her size, though more heavily manned. Towards 

 evening the master, who was acting commander at the time, 

 consulted with the surgeon as to the course proper for them to 

 take in view of the fact that the enemy was gaining on them. 

 The surgeon advised surrender, and the master adopted his 

 suggestion. They came to this resolution while the enemy's 

 vessel was still a mile distant from them, and before she had 

 even fired a summoning gun, they hauled their colours down. 

 It was then seven o'clock, and the night was falling rapidly. 

 This circumstance, however, did not suggest to them the chance 

 of escaping under cover of the darkness, it brought to their 

 minds only the possibility that the enemy might not have seen 

 their fiag pulled down. To avoid any misapprehension on this 

 subject they sent a boat on board the privateer, and so, without 

 attempting the slightest defence, they gave away their ship. 



A committee of enquiry was held at Falmouth, but the 

 captains who composed it put their questions in such a manner 

 as to shield the culprits so far as possible, and finally stultified 

 themselves by finding that all the officers did everything possible 

 to save their ship. This was simply untrue. 



The Inspector of Packets thereupon set himself to work to 

 investigate the matter. He traced, so far as possible, the value 

 of the goods which each sailor had on board, what insurances 

 he had effected on the outward voyage, and what on the home- 

 ward, and finally what sum he had gained by the capture. One 

 man, he found, admitted that he had made £300 by this event ; 



