fort, which might be surprised. Ships may lie at anchor under the protection of this mountain, out of gun-shot of the main land. It appears to me equally as strong by nature as Gibraltar; and when it is considered that a squadron of British ships may leave the road in the evening, and appear off either Rochefort or Ferrol next day, it must be considered as a place of very great importance to Great Britain to be possessed of. It is also in sight of the two principal Spanish ports of St. Andero and Bilboa. The possession of this place would also enable us to supply all the north of Spain with British manufactures through the numerous little ports on the coast, and to make our returns in dollars or wool. The French, at present, monopolize the whole trade of the coast, and make their returns in dollars. It is carried on in small chasse-marées, or boats which never quit the land very far, and in war time wear Spanish colours.
Towards the latter end of 1804, Captain Wood was ordered to escort a very valuable fleet to the West Indies. Before his arrival at Jamaica, Sir John T. Duckworth, the Commander-in-Chief on that station, had heard of his recall, and determined to return to England in the Acasta. With this view he appointed his own Captain to supersede Captain Wood, and nominated the latter to the Hercule, a 74-gun ship, then at sea, and in which it was well known his successor intended to hoist his flag; consequently leaving our officer without any ship, to make his way to England in the best manner that he could. Captain Wood strongly remonstrated with the Vice-Admiral against this measure, which he conceived to be highly unjust and oppressive, as he had been appointed to the Acasta by the Board of Admiralty. Notwithstanding his representations, however, Sir John persevered, and Captain Wood was therefore obliged to return to England as a passenger on board of his own ship.
Immediately that the Lords of the Admiralty were apprized of this proceeding, they re-appointed Captain Wood to the Acasta; and, at the same time, adopted a regulation to prevent, in future, any Admiral upon a foreign station, from exercising his authority so much to the detriment of the public service.
Subsequent events, which are generally known to the profession, prevented Captain Wood from resuming the command of the Acasta; but he was soon after appointed in succession to the Uranie and Latona frigates; and in the latter, after serving for some time in the Channel, again ordered to convoy
