the same ship, and sent to the North Sea. We subsequently find him commanding at Guernsey, where he remained until the renewal of hostilities, when he joined Admiral Cornwallis off Brest, and continued to be employed under that excellent officer about 18 months; part of which time he had the charge of the in-shore squadron, appointed to watch the motions of the enemy.
On the 2d Oct. 1803, Captain Wood being on a cruise in the Bay of Biscay, discovered, and, after a series of masterly manoeuvres, succeeded in capturing, l’Avanture de Bourdeaux, a French privateer of 20 guns and 144 men, and re-taking three merchant vessels, her prizes. This was a service of great importance to our commerce; as, from the circumstance of the Acasta passing through a large fleet of West Indiamen during the chace, there can be no doubt that many of them would otherwise have been cut off by the privateer, they having previously parted from their convoy.
About this period Captain Wood transmitted to Sir Thomas Troubridge, then at the Admiralty, the following remarks, which he thought might be useful to the country in the event of a war with Spain; the reason why his suggestion was not acted upon, it is not our province to enquire:
“Permit me to lay before you a few observations made during my last cruise on the north coast of Spain, which in the event of a war with that country, an event that appears to me not very distant, might prove advantageous to his Majesty’s service. There are several small ports from Cape Pinas to the eastward of it, from whence the Spaniards draw very considerable quantities of large timber for building line-of-battle ships. This timber is cut in the mountains where it abounds, and during the floods is floated down the numerous rivers along that coast, particularly Riva de Cella, Riva del Campo, Tina Mayor, St. Vincente de la Rarquera, and Villa Viciosa. There is water enough for sloops of war and small frigates at Riva de Cella, and Riva del Campo, but the entrance is narrow and would require a pilot. The Acasta watered at Riva de Cella, at which time, the latter end of Oct. 1803, there was a quantity of timber floated and floating down the river. The Spanish government at this time had just appointed a person to raise seamen for their navy, as is customary in war time. This man dined on board the Acasta, and informed me of the circumstance. What struck me as of the greatest importance to this country was the fine road, I may almost say harbour, of Mount St. Antonio. This impregnable mountain, which commands the road of St. Antonio, is situated at the west entrance thereof, and is joined to the continent by a low neck of sand. On the highest part of the mountain the Spaniards have a small
