In the year
1791, Captain Vancouver explored 110 leagues of the south-west coast, where
he discovered King George's Sound, and some clusters of small islands. In
the same year two vessels were dispatched from France in search of La
Peyrouse; in April 1792, they made several observations on Van Dieman's
Land, the south cape of which they thought was separated from the main
land; they also discovered a great harbour. In the subsequent year 1793,
they again made the coast of New Holland, near Lewin's Land, and they
ascertained that the first discoveries had been extremely accurate in the
latitudes which they had assigned to this part of it.
In consequence of the British forming a settlement at Botany Bay, much
additional information was gained, not only regarding the interior of New
Holland, in the vicinity of the settlement, but also regarding part of its
coast: the most interesting and important discovery relative to the latter
was made towards the end of the year 1797, by Mr. Bass, surgeon of His
Majesty's ship Reliance. He made an excursion in an open boat to the
southward of Port Jackson, as far as 40 degrees of south latitude, and
visited every opening in the coast in the course of his voyage: he observed
sufficient to induce him to believe that Van Dieman's Land was no part of
New Holland. Soon after the return of Mr.
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