232 
LAST VOYAGE OF CAPT. ROSS. 
thing, and was a clever young man, and if I had no objection, 
he should like him to accompany him, as it might obtain his 
promotion. 
Had Commander Ross refused to go, would you have sent the 
expedition? Certainly I should. 
If Captain Back had been selected by Capt. Ross, would he 
have been equally acceptable to you ? Most undoubtedly ; I left it 
to Capt. Ross to appoint whom he pleased to accompany him. 
With regard to Commander Ross, after I was introduced to him, 
I told him I was delighted to think he was going, he having been 
out in the former expedition, and having been in the Fury when 
she was lost, I thought he would be of infinite service to the 
expedition. 
The result of the evidence of Mr. Booth must be considered 
as a direct corroboration of that given by Capt. Ross, and con¬ 
sequently a full contradiction to that which was given by Com¬ 
mander Ross. It establishes the point irrefutably, that Capt. Ross 
was in possession of the chief and sole command of the expedi¬ 
tion, and that Commander Ross could not regard himself in any 
other character than that of a subordinate officer. 
To return to our narration of the expedition; on the 30th the 
weather being moderate, with light winds from the S.S.W.; a 
party of Esquimaux were observed approaching the ship, but as 
it was not the intention of Capt. Ross that they should come on 
board, he with Mr. Mc’Diarmid set out to meet them, and 
accompanied them back to their huts, with the exception of 
Tullooachiu, who had privately brought an arrow as a present 
to one of the crew. He was allowed to proceed to the ship 
where he staid about three hours, amusing the crew with some 
of his antics on his wooden leg, on which he now appeared to 
be as completely at home as on his natural one. 
On the arrival of the party at the huts, not a single native was 
to be seen, for with the return of the sun, the fishing season had 
also commenced, and the seals began to emerge from their sub¬ 
marine dwellings to take their customary rambles on the ice. 
For the purpose of enticing the seals to a particular place, the 
Esquimaux make a large hole in the ice, in the immediate 
