42 ARCTIC VOYAGES. Chap. II. 



on any pretence to avoid entering it ; and the ships 

 therefore stood in. 



As this sound or bay has afforded the means of 

 pretty well settling Commander Ross's reputation 

 as a discoverer or explorer, it is fair to give him 

 the full benefit of his own account of it : — 



" During this day (30th of August) much interest was 

 excited on board by the appearance of this strait ; the gene- 

 ral opinion, however, was that it was only an inlet. Captain 

 Sabine, who produced Baffin's account, was of opinion that 

 we were off Lancaster Sound, and that there were no hopes 

 of a passage until we should arrive at Cumberland Strait ; 

 to use his own words, there was ' no indication of a passage,' 

 ' no appearance of a current,' ' no driftwood,' and ' no swell 

 from the north-west.' " — p. 171. 



In the first place it may be observed that Baffin 

 never entered Lancaster Sound, and it may there- 

 fore be presumed never gave any account of it. 

 The rest must be altogether, and cannot be other- 

 wise than, a misstatement. Captain Sabine might 

 observe, merely as a fact, that no current or drift- 

 wood appeared, which Ross by a strange mistake 

 fancied he was ordered to search for, and constantly 

 kept talking about ; but those who know Captain 

 Sabine, and are acquainted with his great talents, 

 his love for science, and his zeal in pursuit of it, 

 will be slow to believe anything of the kind to have 

 proceeded from him. But even were it possible 

 he should have given utterance to an opinion, for 

 which he had no grounds, as no human being 



