112 
LAST VOYAGE OF CAPT. ROSS. 
men was not done, until he had himself infringed the agreement 
which he had entered into with them. It was amongst other 
things, which will be hereafter noticed, stipulated that in case 
the men should at any time be short of provisions, they should 
then receive double pay, which was to be paid them on their 
arrival in England. That this paucity of provisions did take 
place, amounting to almost positive starvation, cannot nor was 
denied by Capt. Ross, but so far from this part of the agree¬ 
ment having been fulfilled, an objection was raised to the pay¬ 
ment of even the usual wages to the men, on the pitiful plea that 
the moment that they were taken on board the Isabella, they 
could not consider themselves as forming any part of the crew of 
the Victory, which had been abandoned, and consequently as 
their duty as seamen had ceased, they were not entitled to the 
payment of the stipulated wages. 
This subject will, however, be more fully discussed at the 
close of the work, when we shall also entermore fully into a detail 
of the extraordinary, and it may be added ungenerous and unjust 
circumstances of the refusal of the government, to award any 
compensation to the men employed in the expedition, on the 
ridiculous and erroneous plea, that no precedent could be found 
for it, whereas one was actually existing in the case of the 
reward of Government to Capt. Parry, of £5000, on his pene¬ 
trating beyond a certain longitude, which sum was divided in 
the customary proportions between the officers and crew, 
whereas in the case of Capt Ross, who it is well known by all 
the crew, was almost the most ineffective man on board, the 
entire sum of £5000 has been awarded to him to the total exclu¬ 
sion of all the other persons composing the crew, and particu¬ 
larly of Commander Ross, to whose skill, energy and enterprise, 
may be ascribed all the success by which the expedition was 
distinguished. 
On the 23rd May, the steam being got up, the Victory cast off 
from the buoy at Limehouse, and sailed down the river. Whilst 
off Deptford, a number of useful articles were obtained from his 
majesty’s dock yard, which it was conjectured would prove 
highly useful on the voyage, and conducive to the health and 
