LAST VOYAGE OF CAPT. ROSS. 
4S1 
severe indeed, in cutting away the young ice, to keep the ship 
clear: but it was a most disheartening task, for they had no 
sooner cleared her in one quarter, than she was blocked up in 
another; and faint, indeed, was now the hope of ever moving 
the vessel from the perilous situation, in which she lay. 
On the morning of the 21st, the wind blew from the eastward 
but the ice deviated not from its usual direction; towards mid 
day, however, it veered suddenly round to the northward, and ; 
on account of this sudden change, the icei came rushing in, 
driving every thing before it. At that time, the Victory was 
fast to two large bergs: but the pressure of the ice was so 
great, that it sent the bergs and the' ship right on shore, so that 
at low water she was lying aground, on some very heavy pieces 
of ice, the ice itself being aground also. As the tide rose, she 
floated, but with every ebb she rested^on the ice, endangering 
her bottom, and rendering her situatiolfeme of the greatest peril. 
All hands were now employed in clearing away the ice from 
under her bottom ; the consequence of which was, that when the 
tide ebbed, she careened nearly on her broadside. 
It now amounted almost to a certainty, that they were in 
their winter harbour, the whole blame of which was attributed 
toCapt. Ross; and it occasioned some bitter bickerings betweer 
that officer and his nephew, who was, from the commencement, 
decidedly adverse to the course of proceedings, which were 
adopted, and to which their present disastrous situation was 
alone to be ascribed. It must indeed have been most galling to 
the feelings of the crew, to be cooped up in an inlet, when about, 
two miles further outside of the land ice, there were an abun¬ 
dance of clear water, and the signs of it, to a considerable distance. 
The very elements, however, seemed to conspire against them; 
for the prevalence of the northerly winds drove the ice into the 
inlet, and the frost was so severe, that the young ice began to 
assume a thickness, through which it was difficult to effect a 
passage. 
On the 21st, the wind was variable, but blowing very hard; 
the ice cleared away a little, but left the ship a-ground on 
ground ice. At 5 p.m. the wind veered round to the north- 
