LAST VOYAGE OF CAPT. ROSS 
693 
grant; but to bestow it upon a total stranger, who possessed 
not the slightest claim to a farthing of it, raised in the breast 
of every one of the crew, a spirit of indignation, which broke 
forth on every occasion, to the great detriment of the cha¬ 
racter of Capt. Ross, and ultimately led to the exposure of 
many circumstances, which would otherwise have sunk into 
oblivion. 
It must, however, be stated in addition, that no real statement 
was ever given by Capt. Ross, of the manner, in which the 
£ 150 were appropriated ; and that, according to the opinion of 
the crew, a very small portion of the money found its way into 
the pockets of the parties, who were supposed to have received 
the whole of it. 
It was, however, not only the deductions from their wages, 
that the men had to complain of, but it was also the infraction 
of the promises, which Capt. Ross made to them, previously to 
the abandonment of the Victory, when he called them into 
the cabin, and harangued them on the severe and arduous trials, 
which awaited them, and that they were henceforth to consider 
that it was either life or death with them ; to encourage them, 
however, in the accomplishment of the task, which was before 
them, Capt. Ross promised, that should they be so fortunate as 
to reach England, such situations should be procured for each 
of them, through his immediate interest, as should insure them 
a comfortable independence for the remainder of their lives. 
To Mr. Light, the steward, he promised a place in the Customs 
or Excise, but, on the return to England, the promise was never 
attended to. Mr. Light had been two voyages with Capt. Parry, 
and the duties, which he had to perform on board the Victory, 
were of a very responsible character, independently of the great 
fatigue, which, in several instances, was imposed upon him. 
In the first place, he had the charge of, and the issuing of all 
the provisions; in the second, he had to make all the pies and 
puddings, and the bread for the use of the cabin; and, in the 
third place, he had to wash, starch, and iron for all the officers, 
and for the last year, without that most indispensable of all 
requisites in his laundry, namely, soap; but although the wash- 
