Letter from Rear-Adm. Sir Samuel Hood to General Jacob de Budé debating what actions the various enemy commanders may take and describing what action he thinks the British fleet should take to counteract the various possible threats, expressing disapproval at Lord Rodney's commandeering of several ships 'to protect his own person', agreeing with comments by French commanders that the British do not know how to make use of its victory in April, and reporting that he had calmed Adm. Pigot's fears about troops and ships which had arrived from Carolina, and offered him advice. Also, near duplicate of part of letter dated 8 April [but undated itself: 0711a].
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and order her Captain to join me at New York, as Expeditiously as possible, and I would direct another Frigate from that quarter, to cruize for me, between Cape Francois, & the Caygnes banks, that I might know the exact state of the Windward Islands. But should I find Vandreuil harboured, upon the American coast I would leave a force sufficient to watch him, and proceed with the remainder of the Squadron off Cape Francois, to guard that Port against Solano's Entrance or Vandreuil's, should he be able to give the Squadron cruizing for him, the Ship. This I shall communicate to Admiral Pigot, if he does me the honor to ask my thoughts. [[underline]] August [[/underline]] 9th. I begin to suspect, the Convoy is gone by in the night, by keeping on the Florida Shore, to avoid the Havanna, and on that account I wished the Admiral to station a couple of ships, between Bahia [[unclear]] and the dry Tortuga's. So that Mr. Graves should not pass [[underline]] unseen [[/underline]] but the Admiral is so very intent upon keeping his fleet together that he will not suffer a single Ship to be out of his sight, or try to gett hold of a small coaster, for fear of a Frigates getting ashore; but if he will risque nothing, and suffer himself to remain in ignorance of what is very material for him to know, he will do nothing, but from the Chapter of accidents--It was a very great mistake in my humble opinion, that a small two deck Ship, and a frigate or two, was not ordered to precede the fleet off the Havanna, in order to have procured intelligence [[underline]] August 10th [[/underline]]
