LAST VOYAGE OF CAPT. ROSS. 
087 
in which the importance of his last discoveries depend, to arrive 
at some knowledge of the degree of importance, which ought to 
be attached to those, which were made anterior to his reception 
on board the Isabella. From the concurrent testimony of the 
crew, however, there was not a single discovery made after 
joining the Isabella, which is worthy of being characterised as 
of the least importance; if, therefore, that statement be correct, 
and the degree of importance of the early discoveries, whilst on 
board the Victory, is to be regulated by the standard of the 
importance, which is affixed to the discoveries on board the 
Isabella, we arrive at once at the value, which we ought to attach 
to those discoveries, of which Capt. Ross speaks in such lauda¬ 
tory terms, in his letter to Capt. Elliott. If, then, the ultimate 
discoveries on board the Isabella, turn out to be of no real value 
nor importance, and yet are considered by Capt. Ross himself 
to be of greater consequence than any which had been previously 
made, we consider ourselves fully warranted in denouncing the 
whole of the discoveries as comparatively of no value at all, and 
that the committee of the House of Commons, in the recom¬ 
mendation of the grant of £5000 to Capt. Ross, could not have 
been actuated by any sense of the services, which had been ren¬ 
dered by Capt. Ross, but as the easiest and most expeditious 
method of assisting him out of the embarrassments, which his 
unsuccessful expedition had brought upon him. 
After a passage of two days and a half from Stromness, the 
Isabella arrived and cast anchor in the Humber, and the crew of 
the Victory, on hearing that it was the intention of Capt. Ross 
to proceed to Hull on the following morning, by one of the 
steam boats, and being themselves wholly destitute of money to 
defray their expenses to London, they determined to make an 
application to Capt. Ross, for some pecuniary assistance, and 
accordingly they sent Mr. Light into the cabin, to inform him 
that his crew were desirous to speak to him. Capt, Ross 
immediately came on deck, and in a gruff, surly tone, he ex¬ 
claimed—“ Well, and what do you want They then informed 
him, that they heard it was his intention to leave them in the 
morning, and requested the advance of a little money to enable 
