132 
LAST VOYAGE OF CAPT. ROSS. 
ten inches, and in breadth five inches and three quarters; the 
hind flippers were fifteen inches in length, and in breadth when 
expanded, two feet. 
On the 26th the weather was foggy, the steam was however 
got up and they stood in for land. Commander Ross shot a seal, 
and a boat was hoisted to bring it on board, when it was found 
that it was not mortally wounded ; a knife was plunged into its 
heart, and immediately afterwards the thermometer was in¬ 
serted, when the temperature was found to be 99. 
Some progress was still made with the steam, but it was oblig¬ 
ed to stop every now and then for the purpose of obtaining more 
power. At 6 the boat was sent away to seek for a place to make 
fast to, and on her return reported that a very good one had been 
found. With some difficulty and not without some danger the 
place was reached, and the ship made fast to two or three pieces 
of ice well sheltered from wind, tide, and pressure. The officers 
went on shore and returned with a very fine hare, it was nearly 
the same size as the common hare, the body was white with the 
exception of a few solitary black hairs, rather longer than the 
rest being dispersed over every part, and which appeared as if 
the animal were shedding them, as they came away at the slight¬ 
est pull. The tips of the ears, and the short hair within the 
ears were black; the tail was short and white. 
On the 27th Commander Ross went on shore to make some 
observations, whilst the remainder of the officers extended their 
walk up the country. On their return they reported that they 
had seen some small fish in a lake, as well as the print of some 
deer’s feet; they had also seen some huts and graves of the 
Esquimaux. Some of the men took the dingy to the lake, and 
caught with a net about forty fish of the size of a sprat; they 
partook of the flavour of the whiting, but the smallness of their 
size did not repay the trouble of their caption. The men also 
shot a hare and two grouse. 
On the 28th a fine northerly wind sprung up, but it was found 
impossible to take any advantage of it, on account of the 
weather proving very foggy, and the ice being very closely 
packed. On the following day the wind blew strong from the 
