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Viscount Sydney of the Admiralty. Collins, the historian of the expedition, and afterwards the founder of both the colonies of Port Phillip and Hobart Town, thus addressed this nobleman after whom the first settlement was called: “ Your benevolent mind,” says he, “ led you to conceive this method of redeeming many lives that might be forfeited to the offended laws ; but which, being preserved, under salutary regulations, might afterwards become useful to society ; and to your patriotism the plan presented a prospect of commercial and political advantage.” The Government was formally established February 7th, 1788, and the colony of New South Wales declared to extend from Cape York to Cape Howe, and from the sea to the 135th degree of east longitude, nearly including the whole of the present regions of South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales. Although Captain Cook sighted some land westward of Cape Howe, and therefore, within our boundary, yet Mr. Bass has the honor of entering the first harbour of this colony, and of discovering the strait since called by his name. He was, according to the testimony of his friend Flinders, “ a man whose ardour for discovery was not to be repressed by any obstacles, nor deterred by danger.” Arriving at Sydney with the second fleet, as Surgeon of the “Reliance," he at once entered upon his career as an explorer. He asked for no outfit, and looked for no aid, but depended upon his own energetic will and private means. Associated with young Flinders the midshipman, he engaged the “ Tom Thumb” boat, only eight feet in length. Accom panied by a lad, the bold sea heroes ventured out upon the ocean in November, 1795, and explored the mouth of George River, &c. In March, the following year, the trio took “ Tom Thumb ” to make fresh surveys on the coast south of Port Jackson. In December, 1797, Bass procured a whale boat, and with six men and six weeks provisions undertook the memorable voyage, which so distinguished his name in Port Phillip history. On the 19th instant be discovered Twofold Bay, north of Cape Howe. The next day he landed on our shores at Ram’s Head, and was there detained nine days by a gale. As Captain Cook had described his Point Hicks as 15 leagues west of Ram’s Head, Bass went in search for it, but found nothing but an open beach 150 miles long. On January 4tli, 1798, he discovered Western Port, and remained thirteen days to repair his boat. There he had great diffi culty in procuring water. He named a Cape Wollamai from its resemblance to the helmet headed fish Wollamai, or Seahorse of Port
