LAST VOYAGE OF CAPT. ROSS. 
595 
previous voyages; they all point to about the same place, but he 
was much nearer to it than his predecessors.” 
“ You consider that he approached much nearer to it, than 
any of his predecessors?”—“ Yes, close to it, I should think.” 
“ Do you mean, that he in person approached nearer to it, or, 
that he fixed the point with greater accuracy, than his prede¬ 
cessors had done ?”—“ I mean to say, that either he, or his 
nephew, or both, from the description they gave of their ob¬ 
servations, appear to have been close to it.” 
It must be borne in mind, that Capt. Ross admits in his evi¬ 
dence that he himself was not within 40 miles of the position 
of the pole. 
The examination continues : Did he fix the situation of the 
magnetic pole with greater accuracy, than had been previously 
done by others?”—“ I think whoever approached nearest to it, 
may be considered to have the best claim to that honor ; but there 
can be no specific or precise point, within a degree or half a de¬ 
gree : like the point of a needle, its exact position must be in¬ 
volved in doubt, even with the most accurate observation, and 
can be determined only by observing the direction of the nee¬ 
dle, at several different points around it.” 
“ Do you conceive that the phenomena observed by Capt. 
Ross, with respect to the magnetic pole, are of any advantage 
to science?”—“ Certainly, as confirming the position of the north 
magnetic pole, and as contributing to our little stock of mag¬ 
netic knowledge, which Hanstein and others are still assiduously 
pursuing.” 
The examination of Mr. Children, one of the Secretaries of 
the Royal Society, is highly interesting and important, as 
far as it concerns the great question of the position of the 
magnetic pole; and in it, he very properly, and with a 
strict regard to truth, places the laurels on those brows, which 
are the most deserving of wearing them, 
Mr. Children is asked, “ Are you of opinion, from what you 
know of Capt. Ross’ discoveries in the last voyage, that the 
expedition has been productive of important advantages to 
science ?”—“ I think it has, by Commander Ross having’ 
