the score of petticoats fluttering about
the decks of the King's ships. It seems that they were inclined unjustly
and ungallantly to frown and cry cherchez la femme about small things
that went wrong, even when Flinders was in no way to blame for them. They
blamed him for some desertions before properly apprehending the
circumstances, and when he had merely reported a fact for which he was
not responsible.

The next two letters close the whole incident, which gave more annoyance
to all parties than ought to have been the case in connection with an
officer so sedulously scrupulous in matters concerning the honour and
efficiency of the service as Flinders was. Banks, in quite a patron's
tone, wrote on June 5th:

"I yesterday went to the Admiralty to enquire about the Investigator, and
was indeed much mortified to learn there that you had been on shore in
Hythe Bay, and I was still more mortified to hear that several of your
men had deserted, and that you had had a prisoner entrusted to your
charge, who got away at a time when the quarter-deck was in charge of a
midshipman. I heard with pain many severe remarks on these matters, and
in defence I could only say that as Captain Flinders is a sensible man
and a good seaman, such matters could only be attributed to the laxity of
discipline which always takes place when the captain's wife is on board,
and that such lax discipline could never again take place, because you
had wisely resolved to leave Mrs. Flinders with her relations."

It was a kindly admonishment from an elderly scholar to a young officer
of twenty-seven only recently married; but to attribute affairs for which
Flinders was not to blame to the presence of his bride, was a little
unamiable. With excellent taste, Flinders, in his answer, avoided keeping
his wife's name in the controversy, and he disposed of the allegations
both effectively and judiciously:

"My surprise is great that the Admiralty should attach any blame to me
for the desertion of these men from the Advice brig, which is the next
point in your letter, Sir Joseph. These men were lent, among others, to
the brig, by order of Admiral Graeme. From her it was that they absented
themselves, and I reported it to the Admiralty. I had been so particular
as to send with the men a request to the commanding officer to permit
none of them to go on shore, but Lieutenant Fowler pointed out to him
such of them as might be most depended on to go in boats upon