Letter from Rear-Adm. Sir Samuel Hood to General Jacob de Budé reporting on escorting the Jamaica convoy to New York [?], complaining of the time this was likely to take and what actions should be being taken by the British fleet to patrol against the enemy's movements, and giving his opinion of Adm. Pigot, expressing sympathy for his lack of experience at sea, and for the lack of anyone to give him worthy advice.
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and the dry Tortuga’s, not only for intercepting anything to the Havanna, but to have cutt off all intercourse from the Island to the bay of Campeachy, as we had certain intelligence that ships with treasure were daily expected; instead of that we kept to the eastward near the Matanza’s, and suffered ships from Cadiz to gett in, which sailed in company with two we had taken; and though a clear knowledge whether the Spanish General Don Galvez was left at the Cape, is of the utmost consequence to us, we are still ignorant of that circumstance: But His Majesty’s fleet should not have Shewn itself off the Havanna, or even in sight of Cuba but at some distance in the rear of the Convoy, and the Jupiter, and a frigate sent to reconnoiter, which could not have failed procuring that information so very proper and important to us; for so soon as our formidable fleet was discovered, it is very natural to suppose a close Embargoe was laid on, and express boats sent off, from the out posts, to stop the Treasure ships &c from the Main, and not a ship or ours was stationed to the westward of the Havanna. I suppose the Convoy is now above forty Leagues a head of us, when we surely should not be farther astern, than just to keep sight of the tail of it [[catchword]] from [[/catchword]]
