Chap. XIV. MISCELLANEOUS. 523 



The same question being put to Captain Beau- 

 fort, he replies, " There can be no specific or precise 

 point to fix the situation of the Magnetic Pole, 

 within a degree or half a degree." 



It was a general belief at the time that had Cap- 

 tain Ross's conduct before the Committee been of a 

 contrary tendency, the Committee would have been 

 disposed to have recommended for his nephew, 

 what he richly deserved, some pecuniary reward, 

 as compensation for his losses, which amounted to 

 300/. or 400Z. Everything, in fact, in this ill-ad- 

 vised expedition rested on the talent and activity 

 of the Commander; it is not clear indeed that the 

 lives of the whole party did not depend on him. 

 The Committee ask him — 



" Had you an opportunity of personal participation in 

 any specific service to the expedition, by which you consider 

 that the lives of the people were preserved ? ' 



He modestly replies — 



" I do not know whether I should quite say I had ; but 

 certainly it was essential to the safety of the people that I 

 should leave them on one occasion. Accompanied by two 

 of the strongest of the party, I advanced towards the 

 Fury's stores, to see whether they were there or not ; for 

 had they gone there, without finding the provisions, the whole 

 or nearly the whole party must have perished ; but by my 

 going and returning with a supply of provisions, I enabled 

 them to reach the Fury's stores." 



Captain Ross should have been the last person 

 to throw any impediment in the way of remunera- 



