Letter from Rear-Adm. Sir Samuel Hood to General Jacob de Budé, describing British attempts to reach the garrison on Brimstone Hill [on St Kitts] and its eventual surrender to the French, reporting his squadron's subsequent departure from the area to join the fleet at Barbados, on their lack of bread, on the strength of the French fleet and their movements, and commenting what could have been achieved against the French if Rear-Admiral Kempenfelt had come to the West Indies.
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carry His Majesty’s Squadron to him, in as perfect state as I could; I judged it necessary, that every ship might be under sail nearly at the same moment, for the better preserving a compact body, to give orders, for the squadron to cut, exactly at eleven oclock, in which rear Admiral Drake most readily concur’d, thinking it highly expedient, as we had every reason to expect, to be attacked, the Enemy’s ships being not more than five miles from us, and their Lights very distinctly seen Expect Governor Shirley’s letter & the Message General Prescott’s officer brought from General Fraser on the 24th. of last month, I never heard a syllable from Brimstone hill, or any one person in the Island; and what is still more wonderfull to tell, The Garrison in all probability could not have been reduced, but for the eight brass 24 lb cannon, [[underline]] Two [[/underline]] brass 13 Inch mortars, 1500 Shells, & [[underline]] 6000 [[/underline]] 24 lb cannon ball, the Enemy found at the foot of the hill, which had [[catchword]] been [[/catchword]]
