374 Notices respecting New Books. 
<* But I can do more than assert this—I can appeal to a letter 
which he wrote to the commander of the Alexander but a very 
few days before we arrived off Lancaster Sound, in which he ex- 
pressly states that ‘ he always acts on his own opinions, being 
alone responsible—that he has never been led by any one’s else— 
nor shall any one else share the blame, should any‘ever be attached 
to his proceedings.’ When he thus professed that he would not 
avail himself of the judgement of his second in command, it is 
not probable that he should have consulted with a person whose 
employment was quite distinct from the nautical conduct of the 
expedition: and in point of fact he did not. 
“€ But although my opinion was not asked whether I thought 
the inlet sufficiently explored or not, I should not have noticed 
the statement if it were a just one; but as it is not so, and as I 
did not consider the examination as satisfactory, being even greatly 
disappointed by our not proceeding further, I owe it to myself 
not to permit the following passages to pass unnoticed. 
“ The first occurs in page 171: ¢ Captain Sabine, who pro- 
duced Baffin’s account, was of opinion that we were off Lancas- 
ter’s 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 
drift wood—and no swell from the north-west.’ I shall not de- 
tain the reader by questioning words which can only have had 
a foundation in some casual conversation ; but content myself 
with referring to the time at which such conversation is stated to 
have taken place, § when we were off Lancaster’s Sound,’ that 
is, before we entered it. We were in the Sound early in the 
morning of the 30th of August, and proceeded to sail into it un- 
til the evening of the following day, an interval in which encou- 
ragement to our progress westward opened beyond the expecta- 
tions even of the most sanguine persons on board. Moreover, to 
what do the expressions amount ?—To the absence of certain in- 
dications which every person knows are not conclusive ; and to 
the speculations of an individual before the ships had even en- 
tered the inlet! 
<¢ The second sentence is in page 184: ‘ My opinions were 
mentioned to several of the officers after I had determined to pro- 
ceed to the southward, and also to Captain Sabine, who repeated 
on every occasion that there was no indication of a passage.’ 
* The first knowledge which I had of Captain Ross’s intention 
of quitting Lancaster’s Sound was from the officer of the watch, 
who came down into the gun-room where I was sitting about 
7 P.M. and said that the ships were making all sail out of the 
inlet. I asked the reason, and was answered, ‘ The Captain says 
he saw land when we were at dinner,’ 
“We 
