HOOD, SAMUEL, VISCOUNT, was born December 12th 1724 at Butley in Somersetshire, of which parish his father was the incumbent. He was brought up to the navy, and after passing with credit through the iuferior ranks of the service, was appointed in 1757 to command the Antelope, 50 guns, in which he took a French 50.gun ship. In 1759, in the Vestal, 32 guns, he was again successful io capturing the Bellona, a French frigate of equal force. Ho served iu the Mediter ranean, under Sir Charles Saunders, till the end of the war in 1763, and was appointed to command on the Boston station in 1768. In 1778 his services were rewarded with a baronetcy. In 1780 he was promoted to the rank of rearadmiral, and sailed with a squadron to the West Indies to join Sir George Rodney. Though only second in command, Hood found several opportunities to display hies talents. On the 28th of April 1781 he encountered a superior French fleet under the Comte de Grasse, who, having the advantage of the wind, baffled the English admiral's attempts to bring him to a close and decisive engagement. By Rodney's departure to England at the end of July, Hood succeeded to the command of the fleet. The events of the war called him almost immediately to America. Ile fought another indecisive action with He Grasse off the mouth of the Chesa peake, but was unable to prevent the blockade of that bay, and the consequent surrender of the British army. [Consweeeis.] In January 1782 the French invaded the island of St. Christopher. Hood hastened to relieve it; and having ioduced Do Crease, who lay in the road of Baase-Terro with a considerably superior fleet, to sail out and offer battle, January 25th, he quietly Blipped into the vacant anchorage, and maintained his position against repeated efforts to dislodge ]rim; but be was unable to prevent the surrender of the island, which took place on the 18th of February, and on the same night he stood out to seg. It was his desire to preserve his fleet uninjured until Rodney, who was daily expected, should arrive with reinforcements, rather than oocounter a premature action with a superior enemy ; and so well was the manmuvro executed, that he passed undiscovered within five miles of the enemy. His conduct in the whole of this affair has been warmly applauded by naval critics. For the following trausactiona see RODNEY. The brunt of the action of the 9th of April fell on the van division, which Hood commanded : his own ship, the Barfleur, had at one time seven, and generally three, antagonists. On the great day
of the 12th his conduct was equally distinguished. For these services he was created an Irish peer by the title of Baron Hood of Catherington. After this battle Rodney returned finally to England, leaving Lord Hood again in the chief command, which he retained till the peace of 1783.
In the memorable Westminster election of 1784 Lord Hood opposed Fox, and was returned at the head of the poll. He lost his seat on being made a lord of the admiralty in 1788, but was re-elected in 1790. In 1793 be was appointed to command the Mediterranean fleet. An arduous responsibility, both civil and military, devolved on him, in consequence of the surrender of Toulon to the British fleet by the French royalists. After a long siege the town was pronounced unten able [BoxasunTE], and evacuated December 18th. On this occasion a severe injury was done to the French navy by burning the arsenal, dockyard, and fifteen ships of war; in addition to which eight were carried away. Early in 1794 Lord Hood applied himself to the expulsion of the French from Corsica, which was accomplished chiefly by the astonishing exertions of the British sailors on shore. These were most signally displayed in the capture of &natio [NEtsow], for which Lord Hood received the thanks of both houses of parliament. His health being much impaired, be returned to England at the close of the year, and was not again employed in active service.
In 1796 he was appointed governor of Greenwich Hospital, and raised to the English peerage by the title of Viscount Hood of Whitley. He afterwards received the Grand Cross of the Bath. He died at Bath, in his ninety-second year, June 27, 1816. His professional character has been thus given :—" To great bravery he united great seamanship: he possessed at the same time a certain promptitude of decision, coupled with extraordinary coolness, skill, and judgment. These qualities justly entitled him to the confidence of the public, which he uniformly pos sessed ; while all under his authority yielded a ready obedience to a commander who, when necessary, always appeared foremost in danger, but never risked either ships or men except for the attainment of some great object."