Ross did not agree with the governor Arthur Phillip and other officers. David Collins had an “inexpressible hatred” for him. Ralph Clark said he was “without exception the most disagreeable commanding officer I ever knew”. He would not let the marines be used to guard or supervise the convicts. He would not let marine officers to sit as members of the criminal court. His own officers did not agree with his decisions. He believed the marines' task was to protect the settlement, and wanted Phillip to build defensive fortifications. He tried to embarrass and stop Phillip from carrying out his ideas to build a settlement. His actions made Phillip's task of starting a new colony more difficult.