LAST VOYAGE OF CAPT. ROSS. 
117 
gloomy impressions on the minds of the crew of the John., little 
surprise need be excited at the condition which they imposed 
upon Capt. Ross, that in the event of their sailing in the John 
they should not be called upon to navigate the vessel beyond a 
certain latitude, and that security should be given to them, that 
they should not be obliged to winter amongst the ice. To these 
some other conditions were attached, to which Capt. Ross refused 
to accede, and the crew of the John expressed their determi¬ 
nation not to proceed on the voyage. This untoward circum¬ 
stance placed Capt. Ross in a state of great embarrassment, as 
it became a question, whether the crew of the Victory would 
sail without the John, but he was happily relieved from all 
anxiety on this point, for on Capt. Ross putting the question to the 
crew, whether they would proceed on the voyage without the 
John, they one and all gave their consent, and every exertion 
was immediately made to tranship the stores from the John, in 
order that no further time might be lost, and that the crew of the 
Victory might not be exposed to any sinister influence, which 
the refractory spirit of the crew of the John might attempt to 
exercise upon them. Three of the crew of the John, James 
Dixon, Barney Lachey, and George Baxter, volunteered on board 
the Victory, but never having been at sea before, their services 
could not prove of any great value; almost all the remainder, 
taking the advantage of the absence of Capt. Ross and his nephew, 
who where gone to the house of the former at Stanraer, left the 
ship, and the whole of the duty of the removal of the stores of 
the John, now devolved upon the crew of the Victory. 
On the 13th, Mr. Thom went in the preventive boat to Stanraer, 
and on the same day Mr. Adair brought on board a large quantity 
of garden stuff, viz. cucumbers, radishes, lettuces, onions, &c., 
but at the particular request of Capt. Ross, he left the ship for 
the purpose of going to Stanraer in search of Mr. Thom, in order 
to hurry him on board, as a fair wind had sprung up, and Capt. 
Ross was unwilling to lose the advantage of it. In the evening 
Mr. Thom and Mr. Mc’Diarmid came on board, and shortly after¬ 
wards the Victory cast off from the John, giving her three hearty 
cheers, but which were not returned with that spirit and anima¬ 
tion, which usually belong to the British sailor. 
