492 
LAST VOYAGE OF CAPT. ROSS. 
morous, and he applies to the government of the country to help 
him out of his embarrassment. Now, in fact, this speculator had 
no more right to appeal to the lords of the Admiralty for relief, 
than any other speculator, in whatever pursuit he might have 
been engaged ; and our aforesaid friend, Hans Klein , has as 
much right to apply to their lordships for relief, if he fail in 
his expedition to the bottom of the Maelstrom, as Capt. Ross 
had, in the failure of his expedition in search of a North West 
Passage. It was true, that humanity pleaded strongly in behalf 
of the men; but so it has, in many cases, where a deaf ear has 
been turned to the call, but perhaps not under such urgent and 
pressing circumstances, as distinguished the ease of the seamen 
of the Victory. But we will venture boldly to tell the lords of the 
Admiralty, that they had no power whatever to award the grant of 
nearly 5000/. to Capt. Ross, to pay his men with, without the direct 
sanction of Parliament. They have no such privilege vested in 
their hands, as to award thousands of the public money to defray, 
in a great degree, the expenses of an expedition, which was 
entirely of a private nature ; and which was as totally uncon¬ 
nected with government, as a balloon expedition of Sadler or 
Green, to explore the mountains of the moon. If the case of the 
seamen of the Victory had been regularly and properly brought 
before Parliament, we should have cried shame upon that member, 
who could have raised a dissentient voice to the grant prayed 
for ; on the same principle, that we do cry shame upon the same 
Parliament, for awarding the entire sum of 5000 /. to Capt. Ross, 
an acknowledged incubus, rather than a benefit to the expedition ; 
and leaving the individuals, who bore the brunt and hardships, 
the toils and dangers of the expedition, to feed upon the fame, 
which their country has awarded them. The grants of money 
that the country thought proper to bestow upon such men a 
Jenner, Me 1 Adam, Parry, and other great scientific characters 
were brought regularly before Parliament; nor could a farthing 
be paid, until the grant had been confirmed by the three estates 
of the kingdom: but, in the present instance, a private indivi¬ 
dual, (for Capt. Ross could not present himself before the lords 
of the Admiralty, in any other capacity,) appeals to their lord- 
ships : stating, that he had undertaken a certain expedition, and 
