LAST VOYAGE OF CAPT. ROSS, 
226 
panied by two of the strongest of the party, I advanced towards 
the Fury’s stores, to see whether they were there or not , for had 
they gone there without finding the provisions, the whole or 
nearly the whole party must have perished, but by my going and 
returning with a supply of provisions, I enabled them to reach 
the Fury*s stores. 
What would have been your own fate if you had not found 
the Fury’s stores? I should still have subsisted on my own perso¬ 
nal exertions, but I could not have rendered assistance to others. 
The preservation of discipline was perhaps a circumstance 
most necessary on such trying occasions, for the preservation of 
the lives of all parties concerned, some cases of insubordination 
might have arisen probably? There were trifling circumstances 
of insubordination, but very trifling. 
Did not Capt. Ross himself on those occasions exert a con¬ 
trolling power ? 
They seldom went to Capt Ross, they generally came to me. 
Do you not recollect any case, in which Capt. Ross exerted 
his controlling power under rather trying circumstances? 1 
remember one circumstance, after we had abandoned our ship 
in which Capt. Ross did exert his controlling power, but it was 
only on one occassion. 
Was not very prompt decision necessary on that occasion? 
Yes, certainly. 
State what Capt. Ross did upon the occasion ? I was not pre¬ 
sent upon that occasion, and only heard of it, I am not aware 
of the circumstances. 
We shall give a full account of this circumstance in its proper 
place, when the reason of Commander Ross for not giving an 
explicit answer to the question proposed to him, will be at once 
apparent. As it is now given, it carries with it the appearance 
of a direct evasion ; he was fully aware of the circumstances— 
he was also aware that Capt. Ross exerted his power on the 
occasion, but when pressed by a member of the committee, 
to state the conduct of Capt. Ross, he evades the question by 
declaring that he was not present, and therefore was not aware 
of the circumstances. This is however not the only case in 
