Post Captain - Bellone - Aubrey’s decision

On my umpteenth re-read. Aubrey leaves the two surrendered merchant ships to pursue the Bellone. He knows perfectly well that the merchants will flee immediately, but he does not stop to take possession or send boats to do so. In the event, the Bellone is driven upon the rocks in Spain and Admiral Harte is angry that Aubrey let the merchants escape.

My question is, was Aubrey’s decision clearly the correct one in terms of his duty and orders? Was he obliged to ignore the merchants or should he have take few minutes to send the boats to take possession before continuing the chase? I know that the reader is meant to interpret Harte’s rebuke as a function of his greed, but I am curious about this community’s take on Aubrey’s decision.