LAST VOYAGE OF CAFT. ROSS. 
599 
feature of the expedition, and which alone perhaps will render 
it memorable in the annals of navigation. 
There is, however, another subject connected w ith the igno¬ 
rance in which the crew were kept in regard to the discoveries, 
that were made, which goes a great way to confirm our suspi¬ 
cions, that some of the events of the voyage had a character 
given to them on the return of Capt. Ross to England, which 
did not take place according to the statements given by that 
officer to the committee of the House of Commons In the 
official letter, which Capt. Ross, wrote od board the Isabella of 
Hull, in Baffin's Bay to the honourable George Elliot, secretary to 
the Admiralty, he says, “ we have however the consolation that 
the results of this expedition have been conclusive, and to 
science highly important : and may be briefly comprehended 
in the following words ; the discovery of the gulph of Boothia 
the continent and isthmus of Boothia Felix , and a vast num¬ 
ber of islands, rivers, lakes, &c.” In all the voyages, which 
have Come under our perusal, we have generally found a certain 
ceremony performed on taking possession of a newly discovered 
country in the name of the reigning sovereign, and certainly 
it could not be supposed that so valuable an accession to the 
British dominions, as a few hundred miles of rocks, and sterile 
ground could have taken place without the necessary forms be¬ 
ing gone through, and the event celebrated with that pomp and 
ceremony befitting so important an occasion. Requiring in¬ 
formation on that point from one of our authorities, we were 
informed “ that the country of Boothia commences at Possession 
Place, which was the first land that Capt. Ross went on shore 
after sailing above Garry Bay, which point terminates Capt. 
Parry’s furthest discovery up Regent’s Inlet; the south point 
of Garry Bay is about 25 to 30 miles in S. S. W, direction 
to and Possession Place lies about eighteen miles in a S. by W. 
direction, so on we go till we get up to Felix Harbour, which 
I verily believe it is all called Boothia, but as to the name of 
Boothia, not a man knew such a. name was given until we came 
to England .” 
We have given this part verbatim , as it stands in the ma- 
