334 
LAST VOYAGE OF CAPT. ROSS. 
great and potent men, have been swept away from the remem¬ 
brance of man ; it was the acting principle of those two great, but 
in many respects opposite characters, to husband the force and 
power of those under them to the utmost extent of their ability, 
justly considering that if they abused them when not wanted, 
they would not have them at their command when they did ; 
there are however some men too conceited and opiniative to fol¬ 
low the course prescribed by others, even though wisdom were 
the dictator, and experience the guide. We know that the 
murmurs of the crew of the Victory were deep and incessant, 
respecting the labor to which they were put in the building of 
the snow monuments, at the same time that if leave were asked 
by them to recreate themselves by a walk on land, it was 
generally refused, so little did Capt. Ross appear in some in¬ 
stances to attend to the comfort of his crew, under the severe 
privations and sufferings to which they were constantly exposed. 
A more striking proof of the truth of this assertion cannot be 
adduced, than in two instances which occurred about this time, 
in regard to the traffic which was carried on with the Esquimaux. 
It was observed by some of these people, that the crew were 
much in want of mittens, and the chief merchandize which they 
brought to the ship consisted of that article and slippers, but 
although the hands of the crew were hourly in danger of being 
frost-bitten, still Capt. Ross issued his orders that neither of the 
above articles should be purchased of the natives, the consequence 
of which was, that a system of smuggling was established 
between the natives and the sailors, by which they were enabled 
to provide themselves with those necessaries, which were actually 
requisite for their protection against the severity of the climate. 
A similar instance of inattention and indifference to the comfort 
of his crew, was practised on the occasion of Capt. Ross issuing 
his orders, that none of the crew should be allowed to purchase 
any of the seals, which the natives were almost in the daily 
habit of bringing to the ship for sale, or barter; at the same 
time that several of the crew r had not a cap to their head. It 
was therefore their anxious desire to obtain a seal, wherewith to 
employ the skin in the making of their caps, but so great was 
