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Formidable Octr. 17th. 1782

My dear Lord

My dear Lord I am much obliged to you for your very friendly letter and opinion, and altho I may differ in one point, be assured it only proceeds from my Idea of the situation of things at this place, I mean that of your following to sea, a day or two after me, therefore wish you to stay, untill the next spring tide, and agree with you, that it will be quite as well, your keeping the ships at Staten Island untill two or three days before the new moon spring tide— another reasons for my wishing you not going to sea immediately with me is that of my orders, which ware positive to keep a fleet equal if not superior to the enemy, as long as they continue upon the coast, the words of the part of the order, as far as relates to staying here are as follows.

“You are to remain in North America, untill ,, the first full moon in October, or so long as the Enemys fleet ,, continues in those seas, and when you return to the Leeward ,, Islands, you are to leave a superiority to the naval force of the ,, Enemy remaining in North America. Upon considering this it goes to almost a positive order not to quit this coast * whilst the Enemy is upon it, and nothing but the want of proper places to shelter ourselves, can justify us in it. I know you have the order, but as you might not recollect every particular, is my reason my sending you this, not from my disagreeing with you in opinion, for my own Idea is, that ships of our magnitude should not be trusted to the last moment, & thereby be brought into difficulties

I perfectly agree with you in every other part of your letter as to cruizing, and sending out ships for intelligence unless something particular arises to make it necessary to change it. You shall have your orders tomorrow

I am &c

underline Hugh Pigot /underline

Copy Hood

RL. Honbl. underline Lord Hood /underline

• I admit we should not quit the coast

leaving the enemy behind, while the season will allow their ships to act, but I think it would be more underline creditable /underline to go & look at the enemy than to remain useless at New York; Another strong reason is, we can gett no intelligence to be relied on, and before we may know, that the french ships are gone from Boston, they maybe half way to the West Indies. The intercepting them in their passage, is what I think we should look to.

Hood