692 
LAST VOYAGE OF CAPT. ROSS. 
At the time that Capt Ross put an end to the subscription, 
the amount in hand was £150 , which was paid over to Capt. 
Ross, and an opportunity now presented itself of showing' his 
gratitude to a set of men, whose constancy was never shaken 
under the most appalling prospects, and to whose fidelity and 
obedience he owed so much, and on account of which he ex¬ 
pressed himself very properly, when he declared, that he should 
be ashamed of himself, if he could for a moment entertain a 
thought of any subterfuge , whereby he might evade the payment 
of their well earned wages. It was, however, a very natural 
conjecture on the part of the crew, that the £150 would be 
divided amongst them; for, in their opinion, as it was raised 
expressly for them, it wotild be a dereliction of every principle 
of integrity and fair dealing, to appropriate it to any purpose, 
than what it was originally intended for. Great, however, was 
their surprise, when they heard that £50 was to be given to 
Bu k, the man, who had lost his sight by the frequency of 
his fits, brought on by eating the food boiled in the copper 
vessels; and the remaining £100 was to be given to H. Thomas, 
the father of Chimham Thomas, who died at Fury Beach, and 
who was a superannuated mechanic of one of his majesty’s 
dock yards. In regard, however, to the £50 to Buck, it was 
subsequently ascertained by a letter received from him, and 
directed to Mr. Light, the steward, that the whole sum, which 
he received from the subscription, was £4. 4s. lOd. and this, as 
Buck expresses himself, “ is all, that I have got for my sad 
misfortune* and I must apply to my parish if I want any redress, 
as I am now wholly dependent on my poor mother, who earns 
her livelihood at the wash tub.” 
In regard to the remaining £100, the crew very properly 
desired to know what right the father of Chimham Thomas had 
to the money ; and on what grounds Capt. Ross had presumed 
to appropriate it to a different purpose, than the individuals, 
who had subscribed the money, intended that it should be. 
The men declared, that if the £100 had been given to George 
Taylor, who had been rendered a cripple for life, there was 
not one, who would have raised a dissentient voice to the 
