Lord Melville was the First Lord of the Admiralty, and his colleagues, Sir J. S. Yorke, Sir George Hope, and Sir Graham Moore, were enlightened and accomplished naval officers. For the command of the expedition Sir George Hope recommended his old shipmate, John Ross, as zealous and energetic and a thorough seaman. This officer, born in 1777, was the fourth son of the Rev. Andrew Ross of Ballaroch in Wigtonshire, by Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Corsane, Provost of Dumfries. Entering the navy at a very early age, he served for four years, and was then in the merchant service for some years. Returning to the navy he served under Sir James Saumarez in the Baltic and the White Sea, where he fixed the longitude of Archangel by occultation of Jupiter’s satellite. In 1812 he became a commander. He was in three actions, and was wounded in every one. After his promotion he had command of the _Briseis_. The selection of Ross was very carefully made, and his second in command was Lieutenant Edward Parry, on board the _Alexander_. The two first Lieutenants were Robertson in the _Isabella_ and Hoppner, a son of the artist, in the _Alexander_. The younger aspirants for Arctic fame, all to be heard of again, were A. M. Skene, J. Bushnan, Joseph Nias, and the Commander’s nephew James C. Ross. Drs Edwards, Beverley, and Fisher were the surgeons. Captain Sabine, R.E., joined the _Isabella_ for magnetic observations. An Eskimo interpreter was also secured in the person of John Sacheuse, who had found his way from Greenland to Leith. He was recommended as a useful member of the expedition by Captain Basil Hall, R.N. The expedition sailed in April, 1818, proceeded up Davis Strait, and. reached Hare Island off the north-west cape of Disco I. on June 17th. Here 45 whalers were found waiting to go north, and Ross received the excellent advice from the captain of the whaler _Larkin_ to “stick to the land floe.” The reason why all the attempts by the Spitsbergen route failed is that there is no land floe to stick to. On July 2nd the _Isabella_ and _Alexander_ were off Sanderson’s Hope, the further point of Davis, and entering upon Baffin’s work. Up to this time the whalers had never been north of 75° 10′. The formidable ice-encumbered sea to the north received from Ross the name of Melville Bay. Here they were beset, pressure raised the ships out of the water, and they had to track through narrow lanes in the ice. The point at the north end of Melville Bay, so well known in after years, received the name of Cape York. Between Cape York and Cape Dudley Digges the crimson snow was seen from the ships, and Mr. Beverley landed on August 17th, and Ross’s nephew on the 18th, to collect specimens of it[114].