ch. xxv] The Rosses and the Magnetic Pole 235 
Captain Ross gave a very good character to this 
Eskimo tribe, whom he named Boothians. They are very 
affectionate to children, and treat their aged people 
kindly. They are also very kind to their dogs, never 
driving them for more than four days in succession, seldom 
so much, and then giving them a day or two's rest. The 
tribe only numbered about 160 souls, and were quite 
uncontaminated by civilisation. Like the Eskimos of 
Igloolik the Boothians proved intelligent geographers. 
One of them drew a chart showing that Prince Regent's 
Inlet ended with the Gulf of Akuli, and that there was no 
channel leading westward, a statement which was after- 
wards confirmed by Dr Rae. James Ross, who conducted 
all the travelling, received much assistance from these 
people. They lent him dogs, sometimes drove them for 
him, and gave him much useful information. 
The young commander started on his first journey 
with a sledge and six dogs on March nth, 1830. Several 
short journeys followed. At last he crossed the Isthmus 
of Boothia, 15 miles wide, with a large lake in the middle, 
and reached the western sea. On May 17th he com- 
menced the great journey with Abernethy, first crossing 
the isthmus and turning northwards. He had 31 days' 
provisions and eight dogs. He discovered a bay or 
channel with a large island in it, which was named 
Matty Island. Crossing the channel, Ross and Abernethy 
left everything they could spare, and pushed onwards to 
the northern point, named Cape Felix, which was 200 
miles from the ship. The newly-discovered coast was 
named King William Land, and Ross appears to have 
thought that it was part of the mainland of North 
America. The coast then trended to the south, to a 
point which Ross named Point Victory (69° 37' 49" N). 
Here a cairn six feet high was built, and a canister de- 
posited in it with an account of their proceedings. The 
furthest point visible to the S.W. received the name of 
Cape Franklin. 
On May 30th, 1830, the return journey was commenced, 
and they reached their depot the next day, ultimately 
arriving at the ship in safety. The dogs, which had been 
overworked, had been useless after the eighth day. 
James Ross had been very diligent in taking magnetic 
