On arriving at New York, about the beginning of November, where he found Lord Hood, he requested that admiral would take him to the West Indies.  Lord Hood, accordingly, wrote to Admiral Digby, who was commander in Chief at New York; and, he was, in consequence, to have sailed with the fleet:  but, for some private reasons, when his ship was under sail from New York, to join Lord Hood, Captain Nelson was sent for, on shore; and informed, that he was to be kept forty-eight hours after the sailing of the fleet.  Though this is said to have been for his own individual advantage, he felt much disappointed at not sailing with the fleet.  In the mean time, Lord Hood had highly praised him, in a very liberal letter, for wishing to go off this station, to a station of service, concluding with the most encouraging assurances of friendship.

Without pretending to penetrate into all that relates to the private reasons above stated, it is certain that Lord Hood was desirous to have Captain Nelson, and that Admiral Digby was unwilling to part with him:  so sensible, at this early period, were both these commanders of his value.  The contest, however, was at length concluded, by Admiral Hood’s agreeing to leave a ship of nearly double the force for the Albemarle; which, after all, Admiral Digby is said to have scarcely considered as sufficient.

On joining the fleet, Lord Hood’s notice of Captain Nelson was in the highest degree flattering to so young a man.  He actually treated him as a son, and was always ready to grant him every thing that he could ask.  Prince William Henry, too, as the Duke of Clarence was then called, having recently entered into the navy under Admiral Digby, contracted a strong friendship for Captain Nelson, which was ever retained.  Lord Hood even told the prince, on first introducing them to each other, that if he wished to ask any questions relative to naval tactics, Captain Nelson could give him as much information as any officer in the fleet.  This was, indeed, acting the part of a professional father to both the young men.

In a letter from Cape Tiberoon, dated February 25, 1783, written by Captain Nelson to his friend Captain Locker, from which some of the above facts are also extracted, he says, speaking of the Duke of Clarence—­“He will be, I am certain, an ornament to our service.  He is a seaman; which, perhaps, you would hardly suppose:  every other qualification you may expect from him.  A vast deal of notice has been taken of him at Jamaica:  he has been addressed by the Council, and the House of Assembly were to address him the day after I sailed.  He has his levees at Spanish Town; they are all highly delighted with him.  With the best temper, and great good sense, he cannot fail being pleasing to every one.”

What a pity it is, that any impediment should have ever prevailed against the royal duke’s taking an active command!