Letter from Rear-Adm. Lord Hood to General Jacob de Budé, thanking him for his letter and particularly for his advice to Hood's son [?], Henry, commenting on his nomination for Westminster [presumably as a MP] and his strong disinclination to stand, reporting on the good health and progress of Prince William, expressing concern over the political situation, the prospect of further war and the future lack of experienced Naval officers, and remarking on a recent reported sighting of an enemy fleet which proved instead to be a [British?] convoy en route to Jamaica.
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active Service: In the night of the 11th I was joined by the Acteon, one of Rear Admiral Rowley’s ships, which I had stationed to look out for the Enemy to the northward of the Caycos Island, whose Commander informed me, he had on the 8th at noon, seen either a french or a spanish Fleet, steering for the Caycos passage, having counted fifteen large ships, and afterwards seen a frigate, with French or Spanish colours hoisted, bear down to two neutral vessels he had spoken with in the morning — I immediately examined how the winds had blown between the 8th and 11th and finding no fleet could fetch Cape Francois, I concluded the Enemy would steer for Cape Nicola Mole, or the Bite of Leogane, and bore up for those places — though I was pretty confident in my own mind, and told the Acteons Captain so, that the Fleet seen was the Transports from Charles Town for Jamaica, but he was so very positive it was either French for Spanish, I was under the necessity of attending to the information — very luckily no ill consequence arose from it, as I gott back to windward of the cape on the 18th and found nothing had arrived while I was away, but an American [[catchword]] frigate [[/catchword]]
