Chap. XIV. MISCELLANEOUS. 515 



of whose proceedings follows. But, in the first place, 

 it may be right to point out that the Committee, in 

 their Report, have been grossly misled in stating, 

 among the great public services which Ross has 

 performed, " the demonstration that one passage, 

 which had been considered by preceding navigators 

 to be one of the most likely to lead from the Atlantic 

 to the Pacific Ocean, does not exist" Now, what 

 was this demonstration ? They had asked him if he 

 conceived he had ascertained the fact, that no prac- 

 ticable communication existed between the Atlantic 

 and Pacific Ocean ? and he replies, " Positively to 

 the southward of the 74th degree :" and he further 

 takes occasion to tell them — " We established Leo- 

 pold's Island to be the north-east point of America :" 

 in other words, no communication exists between 

 the western and the eastern seas to the southward of 

 that point ; and his demonstration, or positive proof, 

 is thus brought out. 



Captain Ross examined : — 



" Did you observe the difference in the altitude of the two 

 seas east and west of Boothia Felix ? 



" Yes. 



" What was the difference ? 



" The difference is thirteen feet. 



" Upon the supposition that the land is continuous north- 

 ward from the 74th degree to the Pole, should you expect 

 to find that difference of altitude in the seas ? 



" I should certainly, from the rotative motion of the 

 earth." 



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