SUPPLEMENT. 
7 
to Capt Elliot, we doubt not that such a discovery may have 
been made in the vicinity of the continent of Boothia, as we are 
scarcely aware of any continent without a river, nor an inlet of 
the sea, in which some islands are not to be found. In regard, 
however, to the islands, the discovery was forced upon him, much 
against his will, for the Victory got so jammed in between them, 
that she never could be afterwards extricated; in fact, so great 
was the number of the islands, that if the value of the discoveries 
rs to be estimated by the extent of the number discovered, the islands 
will certainly stand first on the list, for according to the statement 
of several of the crew of the Victory, that part of Prince Regent's 
Inlet, in which the Victory wintered, bears the complete character 
of an archipelago. There was scarcely a tract of land, which pre¬ 
sented the appearance of a continent, which, on a more minute 
examination, was not found to be an island; in fact, it was the 
land being so frequently intersected with water, that threw the 
greatest obstacle in the way of Commander Ross from pursuing 
his scientific discoveries, to that extent which his talents and 
perseverance would have otherwise accomplished. Capt. Ross 
certainly speaks largely of his discovery of the breeding place 
of the whales; and so great was the credulity of the members of 
the committee of the House of Commons, who were appointed 
to ascertain the extent of the claim of Capt. Ross to £5,000 of 
the public money, that if, in addition to the discovery of the 
breeding-place of the whales, he had informed them that he had 
discovered the very whale in which Jonah, in former times, took 
up his lodging for three days, it would have been thrown in as a 
very ponderous item into the scale of his professional services. 
It must, however, be observed, that according to Capt. Ross’ 
own admission, the survey of the creeks where the whales resort 
to breed, was performed by him after he had joined the Isabella. 
This statement, however, ought to have excited some doubts in 
the minds of the sapient interrogators of the committee ; for 
Capt. Humphreys knew his own business too well, and was too 
much alive to the interests of his employers, than to lose sight of 
the actual object of his voyage, merely for the purpose of con¬ 
veying Capt. Ross into any creek or harbour, which he might 
