“Then there is a very large amount of personal property, for half the claimants who were to go by her had forwarded their luggage previously; and there are the effects of the poor creatures who died. But these last, Mr Baskette declares, shall under no circumstances be touched. Happen what may, they are to be returned to the owners of their heirs undiminished. “Putting it all at the lowest estimate, the value of the vessel, the bullion, and cargo cannot be less than 893,000 pounds; and the salvage will equal a gigantic fortune. “So far I have dealt only with the salvage question. I will now proceed to give you a more detailed account than you will be able to get from the papers, of the terrible fate which overtook the _Lucca_. These I have learnt from Mr Baskette and from Mr Theodore Marese, who was on the yacht. “The reporters are, of course, incessant in their inquiries, but there is much that has escaped them, as a certain amount of reticence must of necessity be observed. These gentlemen have, however, made no reserve to me—I must beg of you not to publish this letter, or any part of it, lest there should appear to be a breach of confidence. “It appears that the _Lucca_ started at noon on the Friday, as per bond, with a full complement of crew, but a short list of passengers. About two hours after she had left, the _Gloire de Dijon_ put out to sea. Mr Baskette was at that time still at Imola, unable to get to New York. He and his cousin, Mr T. Marese, were to have gone together in the yacht to London, where Mr Theodore’s business was very pressing. “When Mr Baskette found himself unable to reach New York, he telegraphed to Mr Theodore telling him to take the yacht and go on to London as had been previously arranged, thereby showing the same character of consideration for others which he has since exhibited to me. “Mr Theodore put to sea in the _Gloire de Dijon_, and says that next morning they overtook the _Lucca_, or nearly so, the yacht being extremely swift. It occurred to him that, after all, as the Atlantic is still the Atlantic, notwithstanding steam, and there are such things as breaking machinery, it would be well to keep in company with a powerful vessel like the _Lucca_ as far as the coast of Ireland. “They did so, and even once spoke the steamship, which replied, ‘All well.’ All that day the two ships were not half a mile apart, and the night being moonlit, the _Gloire de Dijon_ followed close in the other’s wake till about four in the morning, when, as often happens at thick fog came on. Afraid of collision, the captain of the yacht now slackened speed to about six knots, and kept a course a little to the starboard of the steamer ahead.