536 
LAST VOYAGE OF CAPT. ROSS. 
A serious remonstrance, in the shape almost of a round robin, 
was at this time made to Capt. Ross, on account of his deter¬ 
mined perseverance, in having the food of the sailors cooked 
in the copper apparatus. With the daily exhibition before his 
eyes, of the effect, which the victuals so cooked, had upon the 
health of his men, there being scarcely one, who did not com¬ 
plain of an affection of the bowels, and some actually unable 
to perform the duties of the ship ; it appeared to all, that their 
commander was laboring under a most deplorable infatuation, 
or under the influence of the most direct inhumanity, in 
obliging them to subsist on food, which bad been proved to be 
of so deleterious a nature; it was not, however, until an absolute 
refusal was made by the whole crew, to partake of any more 
food cooked in the copper apparatus, that Capt. Ross was 
brought to his senses, and he issued bis orders to the engineer 
to make some tin boilers to fit into the apparatus, and that, 
which a discreet and prudent man would have done, from a sense 
of propriety and humanity, was forced upon Capt. Ross, as a 
direct act of compulsion. 
On the 8th and 9th, the ice was quite stationary, with light 
winds from the southward ; a circumstance, however, occured 
on the latter day, which, although it passed off without any 
immediate injury, might have been attended with the most serious 
consequences. The vessel had for a length of time been made 
fast to a berg, which, as it was aground, and apparently to be 
permanently fixed, not the slightest apprehension was enter¬ 
tained, that any danger could occur to the vessel, in fastening 
her to it. On the afternoon of the 9th, however, the berg 
capsised with a tremendous crash, and would most probably 
have placed the Victory on her beam ends, but fortunately the 
hawsers snapped with the sudden strain, and left the vessel 
without any moorings. All hands were immediately turned 
out, and she was moored afresh to another berg; but, from the 
unsettled state of the ice, her position was not considered one 
of positive safety. 
Commander Ross was employed this day, in taking angles 
with the theodolite, it was, however, perceptible to the whole 
ciew, that some fresh disagreement had broken out between 
