548 
LAST VOYAGE OF CAPT. ROSS. 
the ship was got to the head of it. The wind N. N. E. with 
snow ; the ice running to the southward. 
Commander Ross gave the name of Victory Harbour to 
the bay. About two miles and a half to the north-east of this 
harbour, there is a passage round the point, through which runs 
a very strong tide. The Victory ran up this passage, as she 
came up the inlet in 1829; it is very narrow, and on the island, 
which forms the passage, there was, what one of the seamen, 
who was a native “of the first gem of the sea, 1 ’ denominated, a 
very large gull rookery . It was, however, a very rare circum¬ 
stance to find this passage clear of ice; for generally, in con¬ 
sequence of the tide running so rapidly, the floe pieces get 
athwart, both with the ebb and the flow. It was the general 
custom for one of the crew to be sent over the land, for the 
purpose of ascertaining the state of the ice to the northward; 
the sea in that direction being a great distance, and the travel¬ 
ling bad, it being over very high hills, and the surface of so 
rocky a nature, that the men did not call it walking, but scram¬ 
bling. The difficulty of walking was so great, that it generally 
occupied a man three hours to go over the hills to arr ; ve at 
the sea on the other side. In general, there was a great extent 
of clear water to be seen to the north ; but it was found impos¬ 
sible for the Victory to get to it, owing to the bay, in which she 
thep lay, being so full of ice. 
On the 30th, Commander Ross, and a boat’s crew, went to 
the passage, to see if it were clear of ice ; and, on his return, 
he reported, that it was blocked up, the ice running to the 
northward. On the evening of the same day, he made another 
survey, and found the ice much more open ; some hope was there¬ 
fore entertained, that their present harbour was not intended to 
be their winter one. 
On the 31st, the hands were employed in mooring the ship. 
Capt. Ross and his nephew went on shore, to take some obser¬ 
vations ; the former having expressed his determination to make 
a personal examination of the ice : for he seemed on a sudden 
to be endowed with that kind of resolution, which is often 
taken for courage; but which is, in reality, the effect of a 
