Letter from Rear-Adm. Sir Samuel Hood to General Jacob de Budé, partly duplicate of 0680, but forcibly expressing his disappointment at not pursuing and capturing the fleeing French fleet, criticising the abilities and actions of Sir Charles Douglas and Adm. Sir George Rodney, and remarking that his (Hood's) health has suffered as a result of 'seeing things go as they do'.
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was, Sir George, chose to pursue in a [[underline]] body [[/underline]]. Why Sir Charles Said I, the signal for a general chace, was the only way of doing it, with proper attention--because if a ship is [[underline]] too wide [[/underline]], upon the starboard wing, you have a signal to make her alter her course to [[underline]] Port: [[/underline]] if a ship is [[underline]] too wide [[/underline]] upon the Larboard wing, you have a signal to make her alter her course to [[underline]] starboard [[/underline]] if a ship is too far a head, you can by signal make her [[underline]] shorten sail [[/underline]]; if a ship is too far a stern, and has not all her sail sett, you have a signal for her to make [[underline]] more sail; [[/underline]] and if Sir George was unwilling to have his Ships engage in the night, for fear of their firing into one another, the [[underline]] White Flag [[/underline]] at the Foretop Gales masthead before dark calls every ship in, and that signal followed by the [[underline]] one [[/underline]] for the form of sailing the fleet might have gone on, in sight of the Enemy in the most compact, and safe order, for compleating the business most gloriously--upon which he said not another word, and walked off. Sir George is so vastly civil, that in the humour I am in at present, I find it a difficult task to keep pace with him. This is pretty [[catchword]] much [[/catchword]]
