LAST VOYAGE OF CAPT. ROSS. 
175 
burning thoughts of everlasting constancy, and inflame the heart 
of his beloved, with the fiery protestations of his everlasting 
love. 
Nevertheless the domine of the Victory could “lay the flatter¬ 
ing unction to his soul,” that he had only failed, where many 
and wiser men have failed before him, and that if he had not 
succeeded in making any addition to the march of intellect on 
board the Victory, he was still entitled to as much applause, as 
many falsely celebrated members of the intellectual corps, who 
undertake to teach a chimney sweeper the science of astronomy, 
because he is professionally engaged in ascension, or attempt to 
make a statuary of a cook, because he is generally employed in 
carving. 
It being found that the stock of biscuit was getting very low 
the baking of bread was commenced, during which operation 
the temperature of the lower deck increased ten degrees, and 
the baking days became, comparatively speaking, days of com¬ 
fort to the crew. The allowance per week was GOtbs. of bread, 
and 76Jibs, of flour including suet and raisins. 
The weather being rather mild, the crew succeeded in obtain¬ 
ing a sufficiency of gravel for the upper-deck, and the interior 
arrangements of the ship may now be said, in a certain degree 
to be completed. It being found necessary to erect some edifice 
on shore, for the purpose of affixing the instruments necessary 
for making the usual scientific observations, the crew, whenever 
the weather permitted were sent on shore, and they began 
their operations by making a pillar of snow for the thermo¬ 
meter, and an observatory on the highest hill from which the 
observations could be taken. A fire hole was also commenced 
in the observatory, but as it was impossible to keep up a constant 
fire in it, the temperature was generally so cold as to preclude 
almost the possibility of taking any of the observations. 
The manner in which the observatory was built was by cut¬ 
ting large square slabs of snow, which were worked off to such 
a nicety as to resemble blocks of marble, and when placed upon 
each other, had all the appearance of a handsome piece of masonry, 
and is as impervious to the influence of the exterior atmosphere as 
if it had been constructed of granite. It is a false idea that a 
