The accident gave rise to a tort court case that Amity Hall's owners lost to Albion's owners on the grounds that Amity Hall's master had not followed the sailing instructions that Captain Alms of Proserpine had issued on setting out.

On 26 March 1798 Proserpine, Captain James Wallis, captured the Danish merchant ship Neptunus.

She was under the command of Captain James Wallis, and was taking the Honourable Thomas Grenville and his party to Cuxhaven, from where they were to proceed on a diplomatic mission to meet Frederick William III of Prussia in Berlin during the War of the Second Coalition.

The next morning it became clear that she was aground on the Scharhörn Sand near Newark Island in the Elbe, and completely blocked in by ice, which was increasing.

At 1:30, all 187 persons on Proserpine left her and started the six-mile walk to shore, in freezing weather and falling snow.

Seven seamen, a boy, four Royal Marines, and one woman and her child died; the rest made it safely to Neuwerk where they took shelter in the tower there.