LAST VOYAGE OF CAPT. ROSS. 
335 
the avidity of Capt. Ross to obtain possession of all the seal’s 
skins that were offered, that he appeared to divest himself of 
the common feelings of humanity towards his crew, and to 
see and know them actually in want of the very articles which 
he was hoarding up; monopolizing to himself the whole of the 
trade, and accompanied with the strictest prohibition against 
any of the crew purchasing a single skin of a seal. It was 
circumstances like these which alienated the affections of his 
crew from him; they saw in him their commander whom they 
were bound to obey, but they could not look upon him as their 
friend. 
The dispositions of a man appointed to the command of an 
expedition of so extraordinary a nature as the discovery of the 
North West Passage, should be kind, conciliating and humane ; 
he is himself in many respects but a passive individual, his 
whole safety and success depending on the physical power of 
those under his command, as well as on the confidence which 
he has been able to instil into the minds of his men, respecting his 
general character as a mariner, a man and a Christian. Amongst 
the crew of the Victory, there was nothing of that enthusiastic 
attachment of the sailor to his commander—of that ardent de¬ 
votedness to his interests, and of that voluntary sacrifice of all 
personal advantages, which have been so much the theme of 
praise during many of the voyages which have been undertaken 
for the purposes of discovery, and the success of which has been 
attributed in a great degree to the unanimity and social feel¬ 
ings that have existed between the commander and the com¬ 
manded. The conduct of Capt. Ross towards his men was sub¬ 
versive even of that common esteem, which the seaman ought 
to feel for his superior officer, and in the sequel of this work, we 
shall have to record many instances in which the feeling which 
the men entertained towards their commander, broke out into lit¬ 
tle short of direct mutiny. Capt. Ross himself allows before the 
committee of the House of Commons, that he had at one time 
great difficulty in preserving discipline amongst his men ; the 
reason of which was, that from his selfish mode of action, he had 
weaned the affections of the men from him, for it is not a general 
