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 1 
 
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 6 
 
UNU MY MUOII 
 
'■ M 
 
 '^ 
 
 « 
 
 '*i: 
 
 X 
 
 ■■t 
 
 1- \ 
 
 AN 
 
 EXPLANATION, 
 
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 &ic. S^c. 
 
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 •V---!i. * ' ^" 
 
 
fir 
 
 HH 
 
AN 
 
 EXPLANATION 
 
 or 
 
 CAPTAIN SABINE S REMARKS 
 
 ON THE 
 
 LATE VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY 
 
 TO 
 
 BAFFIN S LAY. 
 
 BY CAPTAIN JOHN ROSS, R. N. 
 
 LONDON: 
 JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE-STREET. 
 
 1819. 
 
I.OVOON : W. 1 !,(JV, 
 
 Sj NO K'l n U M B I. B I, A N D-Cfl D tlT. 
 
AN 
 
 EXPLANATION 
 
 Off 
 
 CAPTAIJV SABIJVE'S REMARKS. 
 
 1 HAVE been long aware of the discussions 
 which have been afloat respecting the late 
 Voyage of Discovery, performed under my 
 command. Being unwilling to engage in 
 controversy, I have steadily avoided noticing 
 these, even in my publication ; being con- 
 vinced that my statements stood on a firm 
 foundation, and trusting that they would be 
 verified by the event of the next Expedition, 
 It has now become impossible to maintain 
 this silence any longer; Captain Sabine's 
 pamphlet having excited some doubts, and 
 introduced some obscurities into the subject, 
 
 m 
 
 
2 
 
 II \ 
 
 wliich it is no less ;i duty to llic Public, than 
 to niyscli" to remove and explain. Unfor- 
 tunately, it is out of" my power to enter 
 into this explanation, without a[)pearing to 
 contradict Captain Sabine ; and J can oidy 
 hope that, as in other cases, his statements, 
 wherever they disagree with mine, will ])r()ve 
 to be the result of haste or misapprehension. 
 It would be a cause ol'reorct to me, were it 
 to prove otherwise ; as J had conceived a 
 friendship for him, and j)aid him all the 
 attentions retjuired to make his situation on 
 board comfortable, as long as these were ac- 
 ceptable to him. Whatever diftbrences of 
 opinicn had arisen between us during the 
 voyage, 1 had long buried them in oblivion ; 
 and my publication will shew that 1 intended 
 to do him credit with the Public, even far 
 beyond his claims. . : * .'> .* : 
 
 I shall attempt, as strictly as possible, to 
 follow the order of the statements in the pam- 
 phlet. . 
 
 The Public cannot be concerned re- 
 cement < ^ 
 
 spectmg 
 
 it 
 
 igt 
 
 my 
 
 necessary 
 assertion 
 
 to rectify Captain Sabine's 
 that 1 had informed him that 
 
Government was to order nic to draw up an 
 official account. 1 accjuaintcd liim, on the 
 contrary, that the Government would not do 
 this, and that I had therefore some thoughts 
 of doino- it myself. It is possible that 
 Captain Sabine may have misunderstood 
 me; whether he did or not, he kindly 
 offered me his assistance, which I accepted, 
 and acknowledged; but this offer he very na- 
 turally retracted, when he afterwards formed 
 the resolution of publishing himself. Hav- 
 ing, in the month of February last, re- 
 linquished his idea of a complete puhlication, 
 he again offered to correct his papers, which 
 he supposed were in my possession. This 
 offer 1 accepted, informing him that they 
 had been returned to the Admiralty on the 
 day after I received them. It appears, how- 
 ever, by the follov/ing passage in the pam- 
 phlet, that Captain Sabine injagined I was 
 printing his observations without his consent, 
 having received them from the Admiralty. 
 
 " A few days after I had written the above letter, ]t came 
 to my knowledge accidentally, that Captain Ross designed 
 to publish, and had already printed, observations, which, 
 
 B 2 
 
I knew, could only have been mini-. I imnn-dialtly wrote 
 him, 8talin<; what I iiail hcaiil, ami rcMnarkinj;, that if he 
 had got any papers of mine from the Admiralty OtVue, 
 their contents were not complete, or in a state to meet the 
 public eye; but that if the Admiralty had j^iven him any of 
 niy papers, I had no objection to prepare them for pub- 
 lication, and return them." 
 
 The subjoined note ironi Mr. T^arrow will 
 shew that Captain Sabine war; here under ii 
 iiusapprchension ; — 
 
 " I certainly did tell Caj>tain Sabine that I had given the 
 papers in question to Captain llos.s, to make use of them 
 for his publication, conceiving that, as Con)manding Ofilcer 
 of the Expedition, and about to give the Public un aecouiit 
 of it, he was entitled to every thing the Admiralty could 
 give him ; but I did not tell Captain Sabine that they were 
 iu the press, because I well knew that they were nol, 
 Captain Ross having taken them away, only, as far as I re- 
 collect, the precedmg evening. But as Captain Sabine laid 
 great stress on his papers, I told him that I would get them 
 back from Captain Ross, who, I had not the smallest doubt 
 would send them without hesitation. I immediately wrote 
 Captain Ross, desiring to see him, and he actually returned 
 them the following day. Since that time I have not seen 
 Captain Sabine at the Admiralty, but causc^d copies of the 
 papers in question to be taken, and the originals sent 
 officiality to the Royal Society, who had recommended Cap- 
 tain Sabine. ■•■■" ■ /"^ " •' ■■ ■• ' 
 
 '-' ■ ■■'•"' ' •■' ' '■ ■'"■ « J. B." ■ 
 
 I I 
 
Oil inquiry, however, 1 found timt a book 
 containing an abstract of latitudes and lon- 
 gitudes, <!('C., which was supposed to be a du- 
 plicate, had been detained at the Admiralty ; 
 and I caused it to be sent to Captain Sabine, 
 informing him that the rest were at the Royal 
 Society, of which he was a member. After 
 one of these pa])ers had been some days in 
 the press, I wrote Captain Sabine a letter 
 requesting his report on Natural History ; 
 and having received for answer — 
 
 " That he had no pretensions to more than a very ordinary 
 knowledge of any brancli of it, excepting ornithology," 
 
 and having also been disappointed in a 
 report on that subject, which I was entitled 
 by the tenor of my Instructions to expect, I 
 wrote the letter which he has printed in 
 pages 8 and 9- 
 
 In Captain Sabine's reply to this (which 
 (page 9) he gives me permission to publish) 
 written under the impression that they ought 
 to be published in the Philosophical Trans- 
 actions, he says : — 
 
 i 
 
• " Had I any voice in the matter, it would certainly be 
 more agreeable to mc that they should appear there, if they 
 are deserving that honour, than in any temporary publication 
 of yours or mii!e. Had my papers been returned to my 
 disposal, 1 should have published them myself before this 
 
 time. 
 
 » 
 
 Being unwilling to deprive Captain Sabine 
 of the honour of having any part of his papers 
 published in ihe Philosophical Transactions, 
 which, according to the regulations of the 
 Royal Society, could not take place if 
 printed by nie, I wrote him the following 
 note which put ?n end to our correspon- 
 dence : — 
 
 " Dear Sik, — I am sorry you should have given your- 
 self the trouble of explaining your reasons for not sending 
 me more of your papers for publication; for shice it appears 
 to have been your wish to publish them yourself, 1 cannot 
 think of receiving any part of them, and shall therefore 
 immediately give directions for the suppression of that 
 which has been already printed. You must be fully aware 
 that your papers have been all along at the Royal Society, 
 and, as a member of that learned body, you can always 
 have access to them. I have, therefore, only to request you 
 will be pleased to return the proof sheets to Mr. Murray 
 to be destroyed. 
 
 *' Your^, &c 
 
 John Ross. 
 
"*' Thus J have cxphiiiKxl the reasons why t 
 eon Id not publish " any part'* of Captain 
 Sabine's papers, and rendered it at the same 
 time plain, that I could not have made any 
 improper use of them, even had I been so 
 inclined. 1 shall now sliow that there were 
 no observations of that officer of which I 
 could stand in need, and proceed to state 
 what the nature of these observations was, 
 on which so much stress is laid, and to whom 
 they were properly due. 
 • Captain Sabine proceeds to state, that 
 certain observations published by me, as 
 furnished by my ncjihew were exclusively 
 his ; to establish which, he relates the exa- 
 minaljon of Mr. Ross, midshij)man, on board 
 the Hecla, before his conuuander. Lieute- 
 nant Parry, and two other officers mentioned 
 in his pamphlet. 1 shall not animadvert on 
 the very doubtful propriety of this proceed- 
 ing ; Mr. Jloss was unprepared to answer 
 the questions put to him, and, as may be 
 supposed, was easily led into mistake by 
 the similarity of the documents ■ ) those he 
 Lad formerly co[)ied iVom Captahi Sabine ; 
 
8 
 
 
 If 
 
 but, as soon as he had discovered his mis- 
 take, and was informed that Captain Sabine 
 intended to publish his answers, he wrote to 
 me, and also to Captain Sabine, acquaint- 
 ing him with his mistake. Captain Sabine, 
 however, came to no explanation with him, 
 after receiving this letter ; and his answer to 
 Mr. xioss enclosed the pamphlet, which was 
 published without noticing the correction of 
 his evidence thus made. 
 
 It therefore became necessary to remove 
 all doubt on the subject, and Mr. Ross con- 
 sequently made a voluntary deposition, that 
 the observations on the magnetic dip and 
 magnetic force, were copied from my ma- 
 nuscript memorandum-book, in my pre- 
 sence ; that he assisted me in making obser- 
 vations on the magnetic dip, and magnetic 
 force, in the month of August last; that 
 the meteorological tables, he now be- 
 lieved, were not the same which he copied 
 from Captain Sabine ; that he was pre- 
 sent and assisted at the observations 
 made in Baffin's Bay on the pendulum; 
 that, on the 51st of August, about three 
 
o'clock (when relieved by Mr. Lewis the 
 master) he came into the gun-room, where 
 Captain Ross, Captain Sabine, and the 
 officers were at dinner, and reported pub- 
 licly, that there was an appearance of clear 
 weather, in consequence of which Captain 
 Ross went immediately on deck, but no 
 other person ; and that he saw the land at 
 the bottom of the bay, with the exception ot 
 about three points. 
 
 By this it is proved, that Mr. Ross fur- 
 nished the observations on the dip and mag- 
 netic force, inasmuch as he had copied them 
 from my papers, (which, indeed, he did in 
 my presence ;) that he made one of the 
 most important observations, and that he 
 assisted in others. It is here proper to ob- 
 serve, that, in the manuscript given to the 
 engraver, it was written " partly furnished,^' 
 and that the word " partly" was left out in 
 the engraving by mistake. It does not, how- 
 ever, follow, that although only one of these 
 observations was taken by Mr. Ross, the 
 rest are exclusively Captain Sabine's. The 
 papers from which the observations were 
 
10 
 
 t ^ 
 
 ii- / 
 
 M 
 
 
 copied are the same in which they 
 were entered and worked. These observa- 
 tions are also noticed as taken by myself, in 
 my diary, written at the time ; and in the 
 ship's original log it is mentioned, that I went 
 several times on shore for the purpose of ob- 
 serving the d*p. These documents, which 
 have been produced at the Admiralty for ex- 
 amination, are ready for the inspection of 
 any one who chooses to inciuire more parti- 
 cularly. It will be found that, eight times 
 out of twelve in which the observations were 
 made, I was present, and made the obser- 
 vations, having gone on shore or upon the 
 ice for that purpose. As the veracity of 
 these observations depend materially on 
 exactness in reading off a graduated arc, in 
 which I had more experience than any other 
 person, I wished to satisfy myself that the 
 dip was correctly read off, and the instrument 
 adjusted. Besides myself. Captain Sabine, 
 Mr. Ross, Mr. Bushnan, and other officers, 
 were generally present and assisting ; and the 
 results, which were often taken down by dif- 
 ferent persons, were those which were most 
 
n 
 
 approved by me ; but as we generally agreed to 
 the nearest second, there can be but little dif- 
 ference, especially when the means of the ob- 
 servations were taken. That Captain Sabine 
 was present in every instance but one, may be 
 true ; but he has not thus acquired a right 
 to publish that they are exclusively his. In 
 one instance Mr. Bushnan and he had finished 
 their set of observations before I went on the 
 iceberg ; but that being the place of most 
 importance, I thought it necessary to take a 
 set myself, which are still standing in my 
 book as they were originally inserted. In 
 this instance Captain Sabine's observations 
 and mine agreed to the nearest second. In 
 two other instances I was not present, and 
 the observations given are the results of those 
 taken by the whole party. Captain Sabine 
 often had my book in his possession, that he 
 might copy out of it various observations, and 
 for the purpose of comparing his own with 
 mine. •'''-^' ' . » 
 
 ' In page 12, Captain Sabine says, " For 
 instance, an account is given of the pendu- 
 lum,' for the purpose of proving that I must 
 have copied from his book, because I could 
 
T 
 
 ■I 
 
 12 
 
 have obtained this account in no other 
 way. Now the fact is, that this very account 
 was transmitted by Mr. Browne to me, and 
 dehvered officially by Captain Sabine, as a 
 ground-work for our future observations : 
 I was entitled to receive it from the per- 
 son (Mr. Browne) who undertook these ne- 
 cessary and preliminary experiments. This 
 paper was given to Mr. Ross, who was or- 
 dered to take a part in those operations, and 
 whose report on the subjects on which he has 
 been employed, was the same which he in- 
 serted in my observation book at the time, 
 and which he re-copied for publication. Whe- 
 ther they were originally Captain Sabine's, 
 I know not ; but I know that he was actually 
 employed in making them. If they are of 
 no use in their present state, it cannot be my 
 fault: it is the duty of those who now have 
 the instrument and the observations, to make 
 them of use to the Public. 
 
 With respect to the magnetic observations, 
 I have only to observe, that although they 
 may differ from Captain Sabine's^ they are 
 clear of the imputations bestowed upon 
 
13 
 
 them ; and it will hereafter be made to ap- 
 pear, whether Captain Sabine's observations 
 ci" mine are most likely to be " incomplete, 
 imperfect, or incorrect/' ... • 
 
 Mr. Bushnan's letter* on the subject, as well 
 as Mr. Ross's deposition, will fully prove that 
 the meteorological register given in my work 
 was not the production of Captain Sabine ; 
 and, in justice to the merit of Mr. Bushnan, 
 I must beg leave to pay him the compliment 
 which Captain Sabine has appropriated to 
 himself. 
 
 It is of very little consequence whether 
 Captain Sabine or myself are best acquainted 
 Avith the Eskimaux language, as neither of 
 us can pretend to any great acquirements on 
 that subject ; but I must be allowed to state, 
 that the words which are printed in the vo- 
 cabulary, were collected by myself from the 
 people. Having thus collected them, I read 
 them to him, that he might copy them into 
 his own journal. In doing this, from mis- 
 conceiving the words, and from other causes, 
 he has mis-spelt nearly the whole. The 
 principal errors appear to have arisen from 
 
 * Mr. jdushnan's Letter, Appendix. 
 
T 
 
 i' v< 
 
 14 
 
 confounding the Iluniooke dialect, as spoken 
 by the Southern Eskiniaux, with the pure 
 Eskimaux, a language to which it was never 
 my intention to allude. Pages 121, 122, 123, 
 and 132 of my work, which he refers to, and 
 appropriates to himself he has no title to, 
 since they were originally taken from my 
 papers. As I wished to give him the credit of 
 this part of the conmiunication with this in- 
 teresting people, I desired him to add any ob- 
 servations he could collect ; butaftcr alapseof 
 two months, I at last received my own cbser- 
 tions, in his hand-writing, bijt so perverted, 
 that 1 was obliged to send for Sacheuse ; and 
 with his assistance, and that of my memo- 
 randum-book, to turn them back into their 
 original and proper form. His instance of 
 the animal, which he says I have mis-printed 
 Ancarok, is an unfortunate error, which I 
 must attribute to his not having attended to 
 the subject, Aricarok being the true Humooke 
 name for the animal, which I have men- 
 tioned as not noticed by the writers on 
 Greenland. The Amarok mentioned by 
 Egede, is treated by that historian as fabu- 
 lous, and was not alluded to in my work. 
 
 Iv 
 
15 
 
 I need only add, that the lists of words 
 which I have given, are exactly as Sacheuse 
 pronounced and wrote them in my presence, 
 both before and after our return to England. 
 Captain Sabine will, doubtless, on reading 
 this statement, yield that palm to a native, 
 to which neither he nor I can have any jire- 
 tensions. With respect to the comparison 
 of the Humooke language, as spoken in the 
 Northern and Southern countries, I am sorry 
 that he has misunderstood my illustrations ; 
 but as they have been perfectly understood 
 by every one else with whom I have com- 
 municated, it is unnec^essary to enter further 
 on this trifling subject. ."- •• » • - 
 
 I need not follow the diffuse statements in 
 the pamphlet, but the two next subjects requir- 
 ing comment are the following : I am, in the 
 first place, accused of making use of his ac- 
 count, and of having published it as my own ; 
 and to prove that I have done so, he inserts 
 a quotation, which he says I could only have 
 borrowed from his paper. That quotation 
 is indeed from his paper, because he gave it 
 to me officially, soon after my return ; I 
 having a right to it, as Commander of the 
 
T 
 
 h t 
 
 1ft 
 
 Expedition. If I had not received it from 
 him, I should have appHed to the watch- 
 maker for it. It is not therefore proved, 
 (page 15) " that although" 1 ** would not pub- 
 hsh the account" Captain Sabine " had sent 
 me," " because I had not all his observations," 
 I " still would and did use it to make up one 
 which should appear my own." Captain 
 Sabine must surely have forgotten what my 
 situation and his own were in the Expedition. 
 It is next said, that I have " introduced 
 mistakes and contradictions, which have de- 
 stroyed the whole." It will be obvious to every 
 one, that the whole of this charge rests on two 
 errors of the press, and on one mistake made 
 by Mr. Ross. The former consist in the inter- 
 change of the terms, " new " and " old " rates, 
 and in printing the marks of minutes in place 
 of that for seconds ; errors easily arising from 
 the rapidity with which this part of the work 
 was hurried on. Mr. Ross's error consists 
 in taking the sum instead of the difference ; 
 a very venial mistake, particularly as it makes 
 no difference in the ship's reckoning, since I 
 used my own observations, in which that mis- 
 take did not exist. 
 
17 
 
 In paoo 15, Captain Sabine says, «< As[ 
 am known to have had the rcguhition ol" the 
 chronometers, not only by the ofticcrs <jf 
 the Expedition, but also at the Admiralty ;"— 
 I can only say, that neither the Admiralty, 
 nor any officer of* the Expedition, was ever 
 told so by me; and Captain Sabine nmst 
 recollect, that the rates of" the chronometers 
 were corrected by means of the lunar ob- 
 servations, of which I always took the ureat- 
 est number, and the new rates were fixed for 
 each by myself. The only positive charge 
 I did actually give Captain Sabine was, to 
 wind the watches up regularly at 9, A.M. ; and 
 in this respect he obliges me to say that he did 
 not perform his duty to my satisfaction; for 
 instead of winding them up regularly at the 
 hour of nine, when every person who does 
 not keep watch is supposed to be out of his 
 bed, they were wound up at ten, or eleven, or 
 at any time between 9, A.M. and noon ; an 
 irregularity which I was to blame in having 
 suffered. 
 
 I have next to remark, that the chrono- 
 meter. No. 2151, which I mentioned to have 
 been forgotten to be wound up, a few days 
 
 c 
 
18 
 
 nfter it was received, Iwid never l)ccn worn by 
 me before it was let clown ; and lie knows I hat 
 the reason I gave Ibrwcaring it afterwards was, 
 that in ease the box chronometers should at a 
 future period be ibrgotleii, I niigbt have the 
 other still going. .. , t- ». 
 
 1 donotiniagine thalllieobservationsl liavt; 
 published are perieetly correct ; they liave 
 never been revised by any [)erson more com- 
 petent tlian myself, but were merely extracted 
 from my rough calculation book, by myself 
 and Mr. James Koss ; but 1 must repeat, that 
 1 have published none of the observations 
 made by Captain Sabine, to my knowledge ; 
 that he was never held by me answerable for 
 the regulation, but only for the winding u}) 
 of the chronometers, and the mistakes which 
 may occur in my work cannot be attributed to 
 Captain Sabine. In a future edition, 1 shall 
 take care to rectify any mistakes I may be 
 able to find, either in the press or the calcu- 
 lation, and shall be thankful to any one who 
 may (as Captain Sabine has done) be kind 
 enough to point them out. 
 
 I think 1 have thus proved that I did not 
 ** avail myself' of Captain Sabine's " papers 
 
If) 
 
 i\\u\ ohsiM'VMllons," nor liavc 1 any wlioiv 
 spoken olIiiTwisc llian ** well" of him. U 
 was Ibr llie pure purj)()se of s|)eaking 
 *' well" of liini, lliat 1 have so often in- 
 trodueed his name where it was unneces- 
 sary. Jn a ("uture edition, I will with pleasure 
 omit his name altogether, as the us(; 1 have 
 made ol' it has been disagreeable to him. 
 
 1 must now say that I have not " gone out 
 of my way" to make him a " Naturalist," as 
 my Instructions will shew. 
 
 " And havualso, at the recomiiumdaliou of the Prcsiilenl 
 and Council of the Royal Society, ordered to be received 
 on board the Isabella, Captain Sabine, of the Uoyal Artil- 
 lery, nfio is represented to iis as a i^entleman well skilled in 
 astronomy, natural historj/, and various branches of know- 
 ledge, to assist you in nralting such observations as may 
 tend to the improvenu nt of geography and navigation, and 
 the advancement of science in g»;neral." ' . ' . 
 
 ,f 
 
 ' Having no other information but that, on 
 which I was to ground my opinion, and 
 being no Naturalist myself, I took it tor 
 granted that he was one, in obedience to my 
 orders, until by his note he disclaimed any 
 knowledge of this nature, except in the de- 
 
 c 2 
 
20 
 
 ii? 
 
 pnrlinent of oniitliolooy. It now nppears, 
 however, by the Royal Society's letter, which 
 I had never seen until it was printeu in the 
 paniplilet, that he was not recommended as 
 such by that learkied body. If there has 
 been any misconception on that head, it 
 cannot be attributed to me ; the mistake, 
 such as it is, however, was maintained 
 by Captain Sabiiie^s anxiety for the collection 
 of specimens ; and it is still evident, by his 
 pamphlet, that he is desirous of proving liim- 
 self the possessor of that knowledge which 
 he is offended with me for believing him to 
 possess. 1 am willing to admit his claims to 
 a science of which I am ignorant, and nnist 
 believe, if he asserts it, that he has established 
 them with those who are competent judges ; 
 I have, therefore, the same reason now to 
 express the regret which I did at first in my 
 work, that he had not the kindness to fur- 
 nish me with observations that would have 
 been an ornamenl to it, and which, I presume, 
 those who read the Instructions were, as well 
 as myself, prepared to expect. , 
 
 Claiming no credit myself for the observa- 
 tions in natural history, I, however, as Com- 
 
2 1 
 
 inandcr of the Expedition, owe a justice lo 
 the offieers under my orders, which, as they 
 expect it, I must now execute, although no 
 less disagreeable to myself than it must be 
 to Captain Sabine, wherever it may interfere 
 with liis statements. I trust, liowever, that 
 a re-consideration on his part, will put this 
 misunderstanding in such a light as to detract 
 nothing from his merits; and that the little 
 warmth of feehng which he has expressed 
 will not be construed to his disadvantage, if 
 he has in any instance done less than he has 
 imagined. I have no doubt, from his zeal, 
 and from the increase of knowledge which 
 he has acquired by his perseverance, that he 
 will, on a future occasion, succeed even to 
 the warmest of his wishes. 
 
 Captain Sabine says, " I might call on the 
 officers of the Expedition at large to prove 
 my indefatigable pursuit in that branch of 
 natural history in which I am most inte- 
 rested,'' (ornithology) and he refers to the 
 " Memoir " which he " presented to the 
 Linnaian Society," " which will be printed in 
 their transactions," as '' the best testimony 
 of its result.'' If Capiain Sabine means, 
 
22 
 
 K '< 
 
 that he, in his own person, was indefatigable, 
 I fear this statement cannot be borne out. 
 I have iradc it my business to inquire of the 
 officers of the Expedition, and cannot find 
 that Captain Sabine himself procured any 
 specimens, having been only once, and un- 
 successfully, on that service. It is my duty 
 to those officers who actually did bring them 
 on board, to say, that they are the results 
 of their joint labours. I also beg leave here to 
 correct a statement which has appeared 
 in Thomson's Annals of Philosophy, under 
 Captain Sabine's name, and by which I 
 was led into a mistake. The Larus Sahini 
 has been found by Dr. Leach to have 
 been already described as Larus Collaris, by 
 Schreibers, and was probably discovered by 
 Geisiecke. Respecting the vr.rious specimens 
 of botany, I must also say, that these 
 were collected by the different officers of 
 the Expedition, and were given to Captain 
 Sabine to put ixito paper ; it was certainly 
 never meant that they should be reported in 
 his name, nor has he any claim to the dis- 
 covery of all the specimens to which Mr. 
 Brown has, in the paper on that article, 
 
attached tlie letter S. Captain Sabine also 
 claims the marine animals, (" insects,") al- 
 though these were brought from the bottom 
 of the sea by an instrument of my invention, 
 because he was emf^oyed to put them into 
 the spirit of wine. In like manner the speci- 
 mens of mineralo^-y sent by me to the British 
 Museum, labelled by myself, have been 
 claimed by him (page 21). It is impossible 
 any specimens could be in his possession of 
 which 1 also had not duplicates, as he gave 
 his word of honor to the Secretary of the 
 Admiralty, as well as to myself, that I had 
 duplicates of every thing, and his boxes were 
 therefore given up unopened. I requested 
 Dr. Leach, in his public capacity, to correct 
 Mr. Edwards's report, by which it appeared 
 that some of the specimens were wanting*; 
 but these, I suppose, have been since sent 
 to the British Museum, to which they bulono-. 
 As I did not understand that Mr. Kbnig was 
 a geologist, I could not apply to him. 1 was 
 glad to procure any assistance on this sub- 
 ject, and I had the permission of the Ad- 
 mi rait v to take that which I made use of. 
 
 * See Dr. Leach's Letter, p. 27. 
 
24^ 
 
 The set of minerals whicli was examined 
 is now in the Geological Society's collection, 
 with the same permission, and is equal to 
 that which was sent to the British Museum ; 
 if Captain Sabine had any observations 
 which could serve to elucidate that branch 
 of natural history, he ought to have delivered 
 them to me, when called upon at the arrival 
 of the ship. But it must be evident that he 
 had made none, as he signed a declaration 
 that he had delivered up all memoranda, ex- 
 cept the description of the birds. It must 
 aot, therefore, be imagined that there is any 
 leficiency in this catalogue, as it would be 
 njurious to Captain Sabine to suppose that 
 *ie had suppressed any information, or had 
 ^ent to the Museum any specimens, which 
 were not the duplicates of those that vere 
 described in my catalogue. - . . .,. 
 
 It is now, therefore, evident diat Captain 
 Sabine is under an error in saying, that " my 
 collection of plants united that of all the 
 officers and seamen under my command, 
 while his was his own alone," (page 20,) as 
 our specimens were both alike selected from 
 the collections made by every one who went 
 on shore. If Captain Sabine did add seven 
 
25 
 
 of the nine new species, he ought not, after 
 his dechiration above referred to, to have 
 done this. The objects of the voyage were 
 of a pubhc nature, and no individual was, at 
 any rate, to have had a distinct interest ; a 
 circumstance thoroughly understood by the 
 Admiralty, as well as by myself, and fully ex- 
 plained to Captain Sabine. 
 
 The charge at page 21, namely, that " I 
 lorbad any person to collect but myself," 
 having a harsh appearance, this is the order, 
 on a misrepresentation of which it is founded. 
 
 *' It is my direction that every specimen of the animal, 
 vegetable, and mineral kingdoms, which may be found or 
 procured by any person employed in the ships under my 
 command and orders, shall immediately be brought to me, 
 that I may give such directions respecting their disposal as 
 I may think fit ; and all officers going on any service to the 
 shore or ice, or having communication with the natives, are 
 to use their utmost endeavours to collect and procure every 
 thing which may contribute to the advancement of natural 
 knowledge ; and of larger animals, and other objects which 
 cannot be removed, sketches and descriptions are to be 
 taken ; and all such reports, descriptions, &c., are to be 
 signed by the officer, and sent to me, for His Majesty's 
 Service." 
 
 I am sorry to perceive, in that misrepre- 
 sentation, a direct, and apparently a wilful 
 assertion, which is contradicted by the very 
 
 !i 
 
 J 
 
2() 
 
 
 J 
 
 l I f 
 
 terms, " All officers going on any service lo 
 the shore or ice, or having coniiiiunication 
 with the Hcitives, are to use their utmost en- 
 deavours to collect and procure every thing." 
 I can only hope that Captain Sabine did not 
 read the order belbre he printed that pam- 
 phlet, and that his warmth of disposition has 
 led him to make a charge, which a moment's 
 reflection would have shewn \iiin to be utterly 
 unfounded. •..■■. •'" • * . ^ .' . • - 
 
 ' The remarks on the preserving powder, and 
 the preparation of the birds, are of so little 
 consequence, that it would have been un- 
 necessary to mention them, were it not in- 
 cumbent on me to point out the incor- 
 rectness which marks all these statements. 
 Instead of Captain Sabine having fur- 
 nished every preparation for preserving at 
 bis own expense, the most expensive ar- 
 ticle, viz., spirit of wine, Was furnished by 
 the College of Surgeons ; the Expedition 
 was supplied plentifully with every kind of 
 preparation, and the specimens now at the 
 British Museum were not preserved by Cap- 
 tain Sabine's preparations, as will be seen 
 by the deposition of James Clark,* who ac- 
 
 * Sec Appendix. 
 
 !i 
 
27 
 
 tiially preserved them. 1 have already stated 
 that Captain Sabine had no right to any 
 specimens of birds until after duplicates had 
 been sent to the British Museum. I trust that 
 those which had been sent to Captain Sabine's 
 brother by mistake, have been since delivered 
 to Dr. Leach.* • /- >. ., 
 
 Vt 
 
 : i'»--ri!" -v,.: !)■ 
 
 „ .,, ; * " British Museum, 6th Jan. 1819. 
 " Dear Sir, — On looking over your list of the birds 
 collected in the Northern Expedition, I find mention made 
 of the following species, that have not been sent to the 
 Museum. If you can cause them to be found, you will 
 very much oblige, i , 
 
 " Your obedient Servant, 
 
 « W. ELFORD LEACH. 
 " The birds not received are — ' 
 
 " 1. i\nas Spectabilis (King Duck), a pair killed about 
 Lat. 72. 
 
 " 2. Glacialis (long-tailed Duck). 
 
 " 3. Colymbus Septentrionalis (red-throated Diver). 
 " 4. Tetrao Lagopus (Ptarmigan), male and female." 
 
 " Captain Ross, R.N." 
 
 ■ y.i.. 
 
 " 9th Jan. 1819. 
 " Sir, — I have received your letter, desiring to be in- 
 formed what became of the undermentioned birds, described 
 iu Mr. Edwards's official report, but not received at the 
 
 \ 
 \ 
 
 i1 
 
 / I 
 
Si8 
 
 1 have now before me, in pnge 23, an 
 " Extract of the minutes of the Uoyal So- 
 ciety," in which Captain Sabine is praised 
 for his dihgence, &c., and recommended for 
 the New Expedition. Not knowing what 
 were the observations and experiments which 
 were required by the Royal Society, or the 
 reports which Captain Sabine made to tiiat 
 learned body, I cannot hazard an opinion 
 on this subject ; but if Ca])tain Sabine wishes 
 
 British Museum ; and, in answer, I have to acquaint you, 
 that those preserved must be in possession of Captain 
 Edward Sabine, of the Royal Artillery, who was appointed 
 to assist me in that particular duty. 
 " 1 am, Sir, 
 " Your obedient humble Servant, 
 
 "JOHN ROSS, C APT. R.N. 
 
 " I. Anas Spectabilis (King Duck), one killed by Mr. 
 Skene, and in possession of Capt. Sabine — others 
 mutilated, and not preserved. 
 
 *' 2. Glacialis (long-tailed Duck), killed by Mr. 
 
 Beverly, and in Captain Sabine's possession. 
 
 " 3. Colymbus Septentrionalis (red-throated Diver), 
 
 j not preserved. 
 
 « 4. Tetrao Lagopus (Ptarmigan), male and fe- 
 male, two pair in possession of Captain Sabine." 
 
 Dr. W. E. Leach." J. R. 
 
l)y this to make it appcnr tluil tlie sliip 
 was navigated by his observations, and that 
 no one but himself was capable of making 
 the necessary observations, it is my duty to 
 explain whether or not such was the fact, 
 what reason I had for placing confidence in 
 my own rather than in his observations, and 
 how far he is justified in calling the observa- 
 tions exclusively his own, by which the ships 
 were navigated. But I must first remark, 
 that the second paragraph in the Committee*? 
 Report seems to throw some reflection on the 
 insufficiency of the time allowed for experi- 
 ments on the pendulum. I am not aware of 
 any complaint having been made, but the 
 fact is, that we were only at one station where 
 these observations could be made, and from 
 that we were driven by the ice. It is plain 
 that the Royal Society was labouring under a 
 want of information, as no arrangement could 
 be adopted capable of preventing the motion 
 of the ice, nor could any situation be found 
 fit for performing that service, which in my 
 Instructions was certainly a secondary one, 
 without interfering with the chief objects of 
 the Expedition. 
 
Hi) 
 
 » I 
 
 I];ivin«ij said all that seoms lo \)v called lor 
 by the J{<)yal Society's letter, I shall uow 
 shew the reasons why 1 did not place confi- 
 dence in Captain Sabine. The 10th of May 
 was the fn-st day on which the sun and moon 
 were seen in distance, when every ollicer was 
 sunnnoned to observe. Captain Subine mo- 
 destly declared, that he had never taken a lunar 
 observation in his life, meaning, of course, at sea ; 
 and I must here do him the justice to say, that 
 he was very zealous and anxious to learn the 
 method of steadying the sextant, which he 
 had never before tried ; and, he actually suc- 
 ceeded in taking a lunar distance, which 
 gave a satisfactory result, on the 12th of 
 June. Every one conversant with the sub- 
 ject will be aware, that practice is absolutely 
 necessary to obtain perfection in taking ob- 
 servations of this nature. I trust I shall, there- 
 fore, be justified in depending on njy own 
 experience of thirty years, rather than on the 
 observations of a person who had never be- 
 fore observed on board of a ship. My 
 lunar distances on the 10th, 12th, 13th, 
 14th, and 27th of May, and subsequently on 
 the 9th of June, were furnished to Captain 
 
31 
 
 m 
 
 Sabine, but, as wo (liiVered on the molhod of 
 applying the refraction i?nnus parallax, 1 
 made no use of his observations— he judging 
 it proper to correct the observed altitude of 
 the sun's limb for the semi-diameter, belbre he 
 took out the refraction ; and, I being accus- 
 tomed to apply that correction to the altitude 
 of the sun's limb before the semi-diame- 
 ter was applied. In the Alexander, printed 
 forms were found according to the former 
 method*, which having confu'med Capkain 
 Sabine in his first opinion, he continued in 
 this error during the voyage, and therefore 
 neither his latitudes, longitudes, or variation, 
 were correct ; and, whenever I had occasion 
 to make use of his altitudes, I took them as 
 corrected only for the index ervor and the 
 dip of the horizon. That I constantly worked 
 my own observations both for the chrono- 
 meters and the lunar distances, and that 1 
 scarcely ever missed observing the latitude 
 at noon or midnight when the sun was visible, 
 can be testified by all the officers, and the 
 
 (V 
 
 *The printed forms for the present Expedition have been 
 since altered in consequence. 
 
:y> 
 
 M 
 
 work ilscIC is in lull I(mijj;11i in my hook, 
 lijivinu; luHMi |)ro(liic'0(l at llu^ Adminilly, Jiiul 
 hcing ready tor ihc iiis|){!ction of any |)crson 
 who wishes to he hetter assured of the fact. I 
 confess that had Ca[)tain Sahine hern a person 
 who had heen in practic^e as an ohserver, I 
 should have depenchid on liini, and saved 
 myself much trouI)le ; hut that was not the 
 case ; and, as I, and not Captain Sahine, 
 was held responsihle to the Achnirahy for 
 determining the geography of Jiaflin's Bay, 
 it became my duty to make those observa- 
 tions on which alone I could depend. He 
 must also admit, that it is to the person who 
 actually observes a lunar distance, or makes 
 any observation, not to him who notes down 
 and works the observations, that they pro- 
 perly belong. As it was, I went on the ice 
 whenever the ship's situation was such that I 
 thought myself justified in leaving her, and 
 made the observations I have published, 
 except a few which are the joint observations 
 of the officers employed, and which I have 
 a perfect right to publish. 
 
 With respect to the regulation of thechrono- 
 meters, it is impossible that they could have been 
 
33 
 
 ro^iiliiltMl IVoin Cnplain Siil)ine's observa- 
 tions, as lie knows that he never succeeded 
 in obtaining a kmar distance when the sun 
 or star was to the westward of the moon ; 
 the difliculty of taking that observation being 
 increased by the necessity of inverting the 
 instrument, and rccpairing very considerable 
 practice in tlic observer. That Captain 
 Sabine was employed in comparing the rates 
 of the chronometers, which were kept in a 
 different form by Mr. Bushnan and myself, 
 I have already stated ; but, that the rates were 
 fixed by any one but myself, I must declare 
 to be without fomulation. Captain Sabine 
 ought not to find fault with me for copying 
 his observations, for he ought to recollect, 
 that he has copied from me liie observations 
 on the deviation of the magneJ;ic needle, 
 which were made entirely on my plan, and 
 executed by myself on board the Isabella and 
 Alexander; the diagram which he has pub- 
 lished in the Philosophical Transactions, of 
 the experiments made in the Isabella, when 
 he was on shore at She.»and, was also copied 
 from me, as well as the diagram of the Alex- 
 ander's deviation; they were both taken from 
 
^3 
 
 34 
 
 my book, which Captain Sabine used alw^vys 
 to refer to when he corrected the bearings of 
 any object for the deviation. 
 
 Lu.xaster Sound. 
 
 Page 26, and those which follow it in the 
 pamphlet, are (except the two last) occupied 
 respecting Lancaster Sound, a subject which 
 has already been a very general and 
 fruitful source of ccnversatioa and dispute. 
 (2aptB,\n Sabine's name is not introduced 
 for the purpose of adding any weight 
 to my own opinions, but to shew that h6 
 thought differently, when he thought for him- 
 self at the time, than when he had afterwards 
 an opportunity of discussing these questions 
 with his friends. I must here acknowledge 
 the compliment he has paid to my knowledge 
 of my duty . by saying, that " I was accus- 
 tomed to act solely from my own judgement, 
 and that I formed and executed my plans 
 without reference to any person.'' This con- 
 duct was in fact the more necessary, as it was 
 evident to me that there was a wish to esta- 
 blish the doctrine, that I was not to act 
 "ithout consulting the second in conu:aand 
 
^ 
 
 35 
 
 and himself. I was thus called on to put an 
 end to notions so subversive of discipline, 
 and a correspondence accordingly took 
 place, of which Captain Sabine gives an 
 extract ; thereby acknowledo;ing himself a 
 principal in that transaction. It was fortu- 
 nate 1 did possess this confidence in my own 
 opinion, as it will be seen by perusing the 
 letters from Lieutenant Robertson and Mr. 
 Thorn, which, are printed in the Appendix*, 
 that had I followed the avowed opinion of 
 Captain Sabine, which he does not deny 
 having given, I should have passed the en- 
 trance of juancaster Sound on my way to 
 Cumberland Strait, at a greater distance 
 than Baffin, without even seeing this *' mag- 
 nificent inlet.*' 
 
 To answer pages 27 and 28, would be 
 merely to repeat what I have already said, 
 that I held Captain Sabine's opinion in no 
 estimation. That I should not value the 
 opinion of a landsman in a question of 
 navigation, will not probably be reckoned 
 very extraordinary by my brother officers. 
 
 * See Appendix! 
 
 I) 2 
 
36 
 
 There is, however, a sentence in the last p«ige 
 which requires to be balanced against my 
 statement. The passage is as follows : — 
 
 " The first knowledge which I had of Captain Ross's in- 
 tention of quitting Lancaster's Sound was from the officer 
 of the watch, who came down to the gun-room where 1 was 
 sitting, about seven P. M,, and said the ships were making all 
 sail out of the inlet ; I asked the reason, and was answered 
 'The Captain says he saw the land while we were at dinner'." 
 
 Captain Sabine seems to have forgotten that, 
 after I hanled to the eastward, I came into 
 the gunroom myself about four o'clock, 
 where he was still present, and said, " that I 
 was now satisfied, for I had seen the land all 
 ^ound/' Mr. Thorn, who was also present, 
 heard me say this, and went on deck in con- 
 sequence, but Captain Sabine kept his seat, 
 appearing not to think it worth his while to 
 go upon deck. Captain Sabine was there- 
 fore called, and by myself, at the very time I 
 saw the land ; and I cannot, therefore, allow 
 him to say, that he v/as not called " till four 
 hours afterwards.'' p. 29. I recommend him, 
 as a friend, to revise his memorandums, or 
 recall his recollections, as Mr. Ross' document 
 will also prove, that he received the san;e no- 
 
tice of " clear weather," at three o'clock, 
 as did all the officers present at that time in 
 the gunroom; in consequence of which notice 
 it was that I myself went on deck. 
 
 I need not pursue this subject through the 
 two pages that follow, as I do not wish to di- 
 minish any pleasure he may derive fiom the 
 contemplation of his own opinions respecting 
 Lancaster Sound* 
 
 It is now proper, for illustrating the cause 
 of this warmth on Captam Sabine's part, to 
 state what the real facts were respecting the 
 whole of the progress into and out of Lan- 
 caster Sonnd, as far as he had any share in 
 it. It is attested, by the letters of Lieutenant 
 Robertson' and Mr. Thom, that, during the 
 29th and 30th of August, Captain Sabine 
 ridiculed the idea of a passage in the direc- 
 tion of Lancaster Sound, and it was for that 
 reason that he did not come on deck on the 
 '•l';t, while the ship was still running up the 
 is i< u Captain Sabine knows nothino- of 
 what happened on that day, or he would have 
 seen that the current was particularly tried, 
 not by a boat, but by the more approved 
 method of the transit bearing of two objects 
 on the land. The assertion, that I was the 
 
I 
 
 'II 
 
 only person who saw the land in the bottom 
 of Lancaster Sound, will be contradicted by 
 Mr. Lewis's letter, which was written to me 
 in answer to my request, that he would inform 
 me if what I had mentioned in my work was 
 true *. 
 
 Captain Sabine says, p. 32, that there are 
 some material points of difference between 
 the statement Captain Ross made out at " the 
 period when my opinion was formed, and 
 that which he h ( '-^ce published/' That is 
 not true in genera^, >ecause it is not true in 
 the particulars. 
 
 The distance which he alludes to in his 
 " first," was that of mountains in the interior, 
 the distance of the nearest land being always 
 laid down by projection from the bearings 
 taken. 
 
 Secondly, Captain Sabine relates a con- 
 versation at a friend's table ; a circumstance 
 which I perfectly recollect. The fact is sim- 
 ply this : one of the party having asked one 
 of the officers if he had seen the land in Lan- 
 caster Sound, and a negative being given, 
 I said, I believed I was the only one present 
 who had seen it ; but the important word 
 
 * See Appendix. 
 
39 
 
 present is omitted, both in this anecdote, and 
 in Lieutenant Parry's note. Mr. Lewis*s 
 letter will shew it impossible that I could 
 have made the unqualified assertion as it is 
 stated. Again, instead of saying, as it is 
 quoted, that Mr. Lewis had not seen the land, 
 contrary to my hopes, my expression was, 
 that I did not think he had seen the land all 
 round at one time. 
 
 Thirdly, " Captain Ross referred me to the 
 log.^' Captain Sabine does not seem to under- 
 stand the method of making projections 
 from bearings, for if the deviation had been 
 properly a^ir wed, the land would be found 
 continuous. The deficiency of 30° is therefore 
 the consequence of Captaiii Sabine's blun- 
 der. Lastly, he unluckily refers to my pri- 
 vate log, and those of the two midshipmen, 
 as seen by him at the Admiralty : but the 
 first of these documents is now in my pos- 
 session, and never was at the Admiralty, 
 neither did either of the midshipmen keep 
 one ; Captain Sabine must have mistaken my 
 remark book, which contains only a few of 
 the bearings of the land, and it is very pro- 
 bable these may ha e been gmitted. I can 
 
 * 
 
 { 
 
 l\ 
 
 ! » f 
 
II > 
 
 40 
 
 only repeat in answer to pages 34 and 35, 
 that Captain Sabine had no one but himself 
 to blame, for losing the sight of the decisive 
 proofs he mentions, for he was positively 
 called, on their appearance, both by Mr. Ross 
 and myself, as I have already stated. In a 
 note it is said, that the temperature of the 
 water had averaged 31° and 32°, and became 
 36°, continuing so generally while we were in 
 Lancaster Sound. It was 36i° in the mouth 
 of the Sound, but had decreased to 34° when 
 we tacked to stand out ; a piece of know- 
 ledge which Captain Sabine must hereafter 
 make use of, in any statements on this sub- 
 ject he may find it necessary to make. In 
 page 34, Captain Sabine says he never heard 
 that I made a drawing of the land ; that is 
 very possible, as it was not my custom to tell 
 him when I made these sketches ; as a na- 
 vigator, I did not want his advice, and my 
 friendship he had ceased to value. Captain 
 Sabine has endeavoured to prove, that he 
 wanted to take on shore the dipping-needle, 
 and says, that I prevented him because the 
 boats were only ordered to stay " for a few 
 minutes/' The fact was that the boats had 
 
41 
 
 orders to stay six hours, as can be testified 
 by the officers who commanded them ; and 
 Lieutenant Parry, who was subsequently 
 sent, was ordered to return exactly at six 
 o'clock, having embarked at noon. I refer 
 to the affidavit of the person* whom I ordered 
 to bring up the dipping-needle, to disprove 
 this assertion ; and I can also refer to Lieu- 
 tenant Robertson and others who were pre- 
 sent when Captain Sabine made the objec- 
 tions I have stated, notwithstanding the 
 ingenious manner Captain Sabine took after 
 his return, to lay the blame on me. 
 
 I have now to thank Captain Sabine for 
 setting me right as to a date on the 8th of 
 August, on which day, instead of the 9th, 
 he was twelve hours on shore. He says that 
 they returned by signal of recall; yet no 
 signal of recall was made that night, nor does 
 it appear, either by the testimony of those 
 who were with Captain Sabine, or by the 
 log-book, where all such signals are inserted, 
 that any such signal was made. The ship 
 was not got under weigh until the party was 
 seen returning on the ice, when I concluded, 
 
 \.' « * See Appendix, affidavit of James Clark. r 
 
 11 
 
 * 
 
42 
 
 11 
 
 as usual, that their operations were finished ; 
 nor did I tell them that the ship had been de- 
 tained for them. As far, therefore, as any 
 interference on my part prevented the party 
 from proceeding further, they might have 
 found the mountain and the iron also. 
 
 Captain Sabine quotes the passage from 
 my work, page 148, apparently for the pur- 
 pose of showing that the ship was lying-to 
 during the time he was absent, and that 
 therefore he had a better view of Whale 
 Sound from the iceberg than I could have 
 from the ship. To prove this, he gives an 
 extract from my log, lodged at the Admiralty, 
 in which the ship is marked as lying-to be- 
 tween half past ten and half past eleven, at 
 which time a boat was sent away. The fact 
 is> that the boat in which Captain Sabine 
 and Mr. Bushn^n were, left the ship at half 
 past eight, A.M. instead of half past ten, 
 when she tacked and stood, as per log, 7| 
 miles, making a pprth course in his absence, 
 and consequently so much nearer to Whale 
 Sound. The reason why no courses are 
 marked on the ship's return, between half 
 past ten and half past eleven, was because 
 the ship returned to the spot she had left at 
 
 «' 
 
43 
 
 half past eight, so that a reckoning became 
 unnecessary. It was, moreover, my constant 
 practice in navigating among the ice, to 
 avoid marking intermediate courses and dis- 
 tances in the log, where I returned to the 
 same place ; as by taking a fresh departure 
 from that place, I prevented the errors that 
 arise from working too long by a dead reck- 
 oning. During the time Captain Sabine 
 was absent he visited two icebergs ; the first 
 w:!s found afloat, and, being unfit for their 
 purpose, was abandoned; the other was a 
 very large one, and they landed on the S.W. 
 side of it ; but being unable to ascend to the 
 top, Whale Sound was totally obscured from 
 them, if I am to believe Mr. Bushnan's re- 
 port made to me at the time. While Captain 
 Sabine was absent, a second boat was sent 
 to an iceberg, to make observations on the 
 current. This is the boat mentioned in the 
 extract, and not the one in which Captain 
 Sabine was. I have the bearings of Carey's 
 Islands and the land north of them, which 
 Captain Sabine gave me, but no bearings of 
 Whale Sound are given. As we were directly 
 between the iceberg which Captain Sabine was 
 on, and Whale Sound, we could have seen the 
 
 II 
 
 t 
 
44 
 
 observcM's on the berg had they seen Whale 
 Sound ; but I well ieniend)er remarking to 
 the officers of the watch, that I could not see 
 them with my glass : as we ran back we 
 passed to the northward, being also to wind- 
 ward of the berg, to lie-to for the boat, and 
 we then saw them on the south-west part of 
 the iceberg. It is therefore quite impossible 
 that Mr. Bushman and Captain Sabine should 
 have had the best view of Whale Sound, 
 when it is proved that we were nearer to it 
 by at least 7t "dies, a fact that would have 
 been apparent, had Captain Sabine printed 
 the extract of the log from eight to twelve on 
 that day. 
 
 Respecting the instruments, Captain Sabine 
 is under a mistake, — I gave a receipt for the 
 whole of them, and was made answerable 
 to the Admiralty for them by my Instruc- 
 tions, not only for their care, but for their 
 use ; and Captain Sabine was sent to assist me 
 in " making such observations as may tend 
 to the improvement of geography and navi- 
 gation, and science in general.'* These obser- 
 vations are particularly enumerated in my 
 Instructions, — page 10. 
 \ In concluding this disagreeable subject, I 
 
^ 
 
 45 
 
 shall make one remark, tliat will surpcrscdc 
 the necessity of answering any statements 
 through which it appeared unnecessary to 
 follow the pamphlet in all its numerous repe- 
 titions. I am sorry that Captain Sabine 
 should feel any soreness on the subject ; nor 
 would he feel any, if he had taken a correct 
 view of his own situation in the ship. He 
 was sent out as my assistant in taking those 
 philosophical observations which might be 
 expected to arise in this peculiar situation ; 
 not nautical ones, be it especially remem- 
 bered. On subjects of navig-ition, let him 
 recollect, that the Commander of a British 
 Ship neither requires nor asks the advice 
 which he, or any one in his situation, might 
 imagine himself capable of giving. If he 
 required it, he would be unworthy of his 
 trust ; if he asked it, he would deserve re- 
 probation, for introducing into the British 
 Navy a practice that must ultimately be sub- 
 versive of discipline, and would, in the mean 
 time, introduce discussion and dissensions, 
 perhaps mutiny, where the wise policy of the 
 Government has properly judged that one 
 opinion alone should rule. I will venture to 
 
 n 
 
i' 
 
 V i i 
 
 I. . 
 
 46 
 
 say still further, that it' the officers of His 
 Majesty's Navy shall be subject to have their 
 conduct canvassed before the PubHc in this 
 very improper manner, by those who may 
 be placed with them for similar purposes, it 
 will no longer be in their power to feel as they 
 have done when they were conscious that 
 they were amenable to no power but that 
 honourable and just one to which they are 
 always ready to bow, and whose investigations 
 they are ever anxious to court. That Com- 
 mander who may hereafter be placed in the 
 same situation as myself, will have reason to 
 exert a kind of circumspection which may lead 
 to hesitation and timidity, since he will con- 
 sider himself under an inspection, from the 
 effects of which he can never guard himself, 
 ifhe, who thus presumes to judge of his con- 
 duct, is unacquainted with nautical affairs, 
 and is at liberty to bring before a Public, 
 equally unable to judge of such questions, 
 that which belongs only to his brother officers 
 to investigate. ..|i 
 
 'J 
 
•^f h, 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 
 •V v*4 ' t ' » ■ .*" 
 
 No. I. 
 
 ^■\ 
 
 Bloomfield Place, Lower Road, Deptford, 
 9,2d December, 1818. 
 
 Sir, 
 
 Agreeably to your request, I beg leave to state to 
 you, that Captain £dward Sabine did on several occasions 
 publicly express his belief that no passage existed in Lan- 
 caster Sound, and that it was useless to look for one before 
 reaching Cumberland Straits ; in regard to his very earnest 
 request to Lieutenant Parry, to use all his influence to pre- 
 vail on you to enter Cumberland Strait, notwithstanding tlie 
 season was too far advanced, Lieutenant Parry gave a de- 
 cided negative to his proposition. The conversation was 
 public enough to be distinctly heard, but as I did not attach 
 much importance to it at the time, I do not recollect tlie 
 date. It is, however, a notorious fact, that the officers, with 
 few exceptions, (if any) had given up all idea of a passage 
 existing in Lancaster Sound, on the day previous to the one 
 
48 
 
 we stood further into the Bay; and so convinced wore they 
 to the contrary, that all interest in the voyage, as far as 
 regarded a passage in that direction, had entirely subsided. 
 I have the honour to be, Sir, 
 
 Your most obedient humble Servant, 
 
 WM. THOM, 
 Late Purser of the Isabella. 
 
 To Captain Ross, JJ.?/. 
 
 No. II. 
 
 vt I 
 
 I 
 
 Sir, 
 
 17> Devereux Court, Strand, 
 December 226?. 
 
 Agreeably to your request, I beg leave to state to 
 you, that I frequently heard Captain Sabine publicly express 
 his opinion that no passage existed in Lancaster Sound, or 
 any other Sound in Baffin's Bay, and that the whole atten- 
 tion of the voyage should be directed to Cumberland Straits. 
 It w^s not unti' some time after leaving Lancaster Sound 
 tha-. I heard Captain Sabine express a regret that ve had 
 not pushed fui ther up that Sound ; not, as I understood 
 him, from any idea he had of a passage existing there, but 
 from the near approach we could have made to the Mag- 
 netic Pole, and not until the ship was ne&r Shetland did I 
 ever hear h.'m express his opinion of a passage existing in 
 Lancaster Sound. 
 
 1 have the honour to be. 
 
 Your most obedient Servant, 
 
 W. ROBERTSON. 
 To Captain John Ross, R.N. 
 
f 
 
 1 
 
 49 
 No. III. 
 
 Hull, \Qji April, 1819. 
 Captain Ross, — Sir, 
 
 I received your vali'.able book, for 
 \\\i\'S I return you my sincere thanks. Should have an- 
 swered your letter sooner, and thanked you for your favour, 
 but was from home. I have carefully read your book from 
 the beginning to page 174, and find nothing in it but what 
 is correct; and concerning Lancaster Sound I am fuliy 
 satisiied it is correct ; and I am confident that no officer in 
 the Isabella knew any thing about the bottom of Lancaster 
 Bay but yourself, as they were not on deck for a long time 
 both before and after the time you hauled out to the east- 
 ward; and the Alexander, I believe, was the distance of 
 eight miles, as you have remarked. I have not had any 
 letters from any of the officers which were under your com- 
 mand, and I think neither Captain Sabine nor any of them 
 will write me On the subject, as they have heard me say 
 repeatedly, that I had seen the land round tlie bottom of 
 the Sound, I expect to sail the latter end of the week to 
 St. Petersburgh, but I am only engaged for o le voyage. 
 Sir, your obliged and humble Servant, 
 
 BENJAMIN LEWIS. 
 
 No. IV. 
 
 His Majesty's Ship Hecla, Deptford, 
 
 9.\st April, 1819- 
 My dear Uncle, 
 
 Understanding that Captain Edward 
 Sabine is to pubiis!", after our departure, some conversations 
 
 ( 
 
50 
 
 ill which I was concerned, -vhicii look place in ihe Cjuu 
 room of ihc Isabella, concerning yonr conduct timing the 
 late voyage, 1 feel it my duty to assure you, that whatever 
 I said was not intended to liave been reoeated out of the 
 mess, and being uttered it the moment I had received a 
 reprimand from you, any thing I might have said to your 
 prejudice was the impulse of passion; but as I was not 
 upon deck at the time when you saw the land at the bottom 
 of the bay in Lancaster Sound, what I said on that subject 
 could not have been from my own observation ; and the 
 bearings of the land, which 1 entered in the log at your 
 desire, are the same which were taken by Mr. Lewis and 
 written in his presence. I also feel it my duty to acquaint 
 you, I was much misled, as well as other officers, by Captain 
 Sabine, which I have already acknowledged, and which 1 
 hope you have forgiven, and believe me to remain, 
 Your affectionate Nephew, 
 
 JAMES CLARK ROSS. 
 P.S. When Captain Sabine asked me where I got tiie 
 dip which 1 gave to you, I told him I had got it from him, 
 not recollecting at the time that it was from your book I 
 copied it. J. C. ROSS. 
 
 
 No. V. 
 
 London, 2Q,d April. 
 Dear Sir, 
 
 Understanding it is your wish I should 
 certify my having formed the meteorological plates from the 
 original logs of the Isabella, and that the charts were also 
 formed from a corrc -t copy of the originals deposited in the 
 Hydrographic Oh.. , (Admiralty), I am most ready to 
 
■ ^ 
 
 51 
 
 assure you, iu obcdioiice to yv>ur directions, they were ex- 
 tracted from the aforesaid original documents. 
 I am Sir, 
 
 Your most obedient, humble servant, 
 
 T. BUSIINAN. 
 
 luCoptain Uosi, R. N. 
 
 No. VI. 
 
 My dear Uncle, 
 
 I beg of you to publish the few fol- 
 h wing remarks, in explanation to the Questions and Answers 
 published by Captain Sabine. 
 
 In the set of observations made on the pendulum in 
 Baffin's Bay, I was present and assisting. There was only 
 one other set made during our voyage — at them I was not 
 present. 
 
 I did copy Captain Sabine's Meteorological Register for 
 you, and was ignorant, when your work was published, of 
 the existence of any other. It vis not until you explained 
 this to me, and until I had conversed with, and learned 
 from, Mr. Bushnan, that he had framed a new one from the 
 ship's log, in consequence of my copy bein'^ found incorrect, 
 that I have been conscious of having labo»>itd under a mis- 
 take on this subject. 
 
 It was from the same source, during the same conversa- 
 tion, and by referring to the originals, that I am now satis- 
 fied that the table published by you on the magnetic dip, 
 and intensity of the magnetic force, was taken from your 
 book, and not from the copy which I had previously taken 
 for myself from Captain Sabine's papers, by his permission, 
 as I had reason to believe, when convershig with him in 
 Downing-street, on the '28th of March last. 'J'liis 1 notified 
 
 E '2 
 
i! 
 
 52 
 
 to Captain Sabine a few days before he published his book. 
 Tlie conversation in Downing-street took place a few days 
 after your publication appeared. — I had not then read it ; 
 but Captain Sabine shewed me the tables, which, having 
 every appearance of agreeing with the copies I had given 
 you, I then felt no hesitation in believing, and stating my 
 belief, that they were the same. — Wherein 1 have been 
 incorrect, I have sufficiently explained. 
 
 Ever, my dear Uncle, 
 
 Your affectionate Nephew, 
 
 JAMES CLARK ROSS. 
 
 
 No. VII. 
 
 This deponent James Clarke, late one of the crew of His 
 Majesty's ship Isabella, on the late Voyage of Discovery to 
 Baffin's Bay, maketh oath, and saith : 
 
 "That on the first September 1818, being the day on 
 which possession was taken of the coast near Lancaster 
 Sound, at the time the boats were preparing to leave the 
 ship, Captain Ross before Captain Sabine came on deck, 
 ordered me to bring up the dipping-needle, and put it into 
 the boat ; but, when I was in the act of carrying up that 
 instrument, a person called to me that it was not wanted, 
 at which time I believe Captain Sabine had gone up to the 
 Captain ; and, this deponent further maketh oath, that all 
 the specimens of rocks and birds and other animals were 
 landed and brought by him to the Admiralty, from thence to 
 Sir Joseph Banks, where some of ihem were left ; that he 
 then gave charge of the remainder to the Admiralty messen- 
 ger, who had directions to conduct them to the British 
 Museum. That this deponent has since been at the British 
 
. 
 
 53 
 
 Museum, where he saw part of the said specimens, which 
 were all collected by the officers and crew of the ship, and 
 was informed that the part which he had not seen, were 
 received. This deponent maketh oath that all the speci- 
 mens of birds were skinned and preserved by him, and that 
 the powder used for that purpose belonged to Captain 
 Ross, and had been sent to him from Bullock's Museum; 
 and, that a quantity of this remained after the expiration of 
 the voyage ; and this deponent was on deck several times on 
 the 31st of August, but never saw Captain Sabine on deck 
 during that day. This deponent further maketh oath, 
 that all the latitudes and longitudes of the specimens of 
 rocks, and the remarks which accompanied (affixed to each 
 parcel,) the chests and packages conducted in the manner 
 above stated to the Museum, were made by Captain Ross 
 in his hand- writing, and that he assisted in packing I hem, 
 and was present when the chests v/ere nailed down. 
 
 " JAMES CLARKE." 
 
 Sworn before me, 3 
 
 April 30th, 1819 J ^^™ ATKINS, Mayor. 
 
 No. VIII. 
 
 Captain Sabine having published, both in the Quar- 
 terly Journal of Science and the Arts, and in 
 his " Remarks," that the Isabella sailed up Lancaster 
 Sound for about thirty miles, when the fact was, she was 
 up that inlet above eighty miies ; to prove this by Captain 
 Sabine's own document, I have thought it proper to annex 
 an extract from the Report, containing his day's work, 
 which was calculated, signed, and delivered officially to me 
 by him.— Possession Bay, where the ship was at noon^ 
 1st Sept., is within the (>.ntraD':s of Lancaster Sound. 
 
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 THE END. 
 
 \ 
 
In the Press, and speedily will hepuhlkhed, in Two Folumes 8vo. 
 A SECOND EDITION OF 
 
 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY, 
 
 Made under the Orders of the Admiralty, in His Majesty's Ships 
 Isabella and Alexander, for the purpose of exploring Baffin's 
 Bay, and of inquiring into the probability of a North-Wcst 
 Passage. 
 
 BY 
 
 CAPTAIN JOHN ROSS, K. S., R. N., 
 
 Commander of the Expedition. 
 
 Printing for JOHN MURRAY, AlbemarlcStreet. 
 
 .^ 
 
 London : W. Clowes, Northumberland-court,