Letter from Rear-Adm. Sir Samuel Hood to General Jacob de Budé describing in detail successful British naval action against the French earlier in the month [presumably the Battle of the Saintes] and his great disappointment that the French fleet was not pursued, enclosing various letters exchanged between himself and Sir George Rodney [0681], and a list of French ships taken.
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and the succeeding morning, we could weather a part of the Enemy’s fleet, which brought the whole down, and they formed on a contrary attack with our fleet — Every ship on both sides were engaged — Sir George Rodney cutt through a part of the french Line; so soon as the Barfleur, (my Division being then the rear one) had passed the sternmost of the Enemy which it took a considerable time to do, being almost calm The signal for the Line was hauled down; upon which I gott my Boats out, towed the ship about, and made all the sail I could, and threw out the signal for every ship of my division to do the same, and took the Caesar, Ardent, and Ville De Paris —observing the Ville De Paris, to edge towards the Barfleur, I concluded the Count de Grasse had a mind to yield to [[underline]] an old friend, [[/underline]] and therefore mett his wishes by going towards him—so soon as I gott within random shott, he began to fire, which I totally disregarded, till I had proved by firing a simple gun from the Quarter Deck, that I was fairly within [[underline]] point blank [[/underline]] when I opened such a tremendous fire against him, that he could only stand it for about ten minutes and down came his Flag, at the main topmast head, and [[catchword]] ensign [[/catchword]]
