Chap. XIV. MISCELLANEOUS. 509 



most material points in the ' Narrative ;' and on 

 that account the only notice of it will be confined 

 to the proceedings of this Committee. 



Besides, the title-page of the book gives no en- 

 couragement for one to look into it, especially one 

 who was using his best endeavours to promote ex- 

 peditions for the search of a north-west passage, 

 which Captain John Ross repudiates, though, with 

 his usual consistency, he announces his book to be 

 the ' Narrative of a Voyage in Search of a North- 

 West Passage.' And this he still announces after 

 the following questions and his answers, on examina- 

 tion before the Committee, had been published : — 



" Do you conceive that any further attempt to discover 

 the North- West Passage would be attended with great 

 danger ? " 



Captain Ross says — " I do." 



" And if successful, would it be attended with any public 

 benefit ? 



" I believe it would be utterly useless/ 1 



A further question might here properly enough 

 have been put, but was not — " Then why did you go 

 in search of a thing so utterly useless, and attended 

 with so much danger?" And now (having as- 

 signed reasons for not meddling with the ' Narra- 

 tive ') to proceed. It is not the business of any 

 one to search into the real object that could have 

 induced a captain of the navy to take the command 

 of a merchant-ship, without a commission, without 

 official instructions, and without any authority but 



