During the interval at which we are now arrived, between the expeditions of M. de la lerouse in 1786, and M. Labillardiere in 1794, the occasional voyages of the English bet*cen New Holland and Britain, or her eastern possessions, had been productive of some less important discoveries. In the course of the ex traordinary, or rather the extravagant voyage per formed by the ship Duff, a groupe of about eleven islands, lying in 9° 57' of S. latitude, and 167° E. longitude, was discovered in 1797. The two largest were entirely covered with wood, and bore the ap pearance of great fertility. The natives were stout and well made, and of a copper colour. Their canoes were twelve or fourteen feet long, only fifteen inches wide, and made of a single tree sharpened at the ends.
But we hasten to a voyage of greater importance, by Captain Flinders, which ascertained the fact of Van Diemen's Land being no part of New Hol land: The merit of this discovery does not be long to him alone, for Mr Bass, surgeon of his majes ty's ship Reliance, had previously made an excursion in an open boat to the southward of Port Jackson, to wards the end of the year 1797. He sailed as far as 40° of south latitude, and visited every opening in the coast during his voyage. Between 39° and 4.0° of south latitude, he thought he had sufficient reason to believe that there was an extensive strait, or rather an open sea : and conjectured that Van Diemen's Land consisted of a groupe of islands south of New Hol land. The want of a better vessel prevented him at that time from completing their circumnavigation. However, this was soon remedied by the governor of the English colony sending Captain Flinders, suitably provided, on a voyage of discovery, accom panied by Mr Bass. They sailed for Van Diemen's Land in October 1798, and visited Furneaux's islands, discovered in 1771• by the captain of the Adventure. Preservation Island, which had received that name from proving an asylum to a shipwrecked crew, on being particularly examined, exhibited a singular kind of petrifaction that had taken place in the stumps of the trees. It extended far above the ground, but did not penetrate more than two or three inches downwards into a sandy soil. On standing further into the supposed strait, they discovered a large har bour, which they called Port Dalrymple, in S. lati tude 41°, on the north of Van Diemen's Land. Though they were able to make interesting remarks on the animals, vegetables, and minerals, the shyness of the inhabitants prevented any intercourse or cation with them. To judge by appearances, they seemed even in a greater state of barbarity than the na tives of the neighbouring continent, and to be quite un acquainted with navigation in the rude canoes construct ed by the most savageof theAustralasians. One island, fifteen or twenty mile p in circuit, was next ed, and another in latieude 2 V, E. longitude 145• 2', which, from the innumerable quantities of alba trosses frequenting it, they called Albatross island. The wings of these birds expanded between seven and nine feet. • Other ten islands were discovered in the vicinity, and the whole received the general name of Hunter's isles. In this latitude the navigators concluded that they had passed through a strait be tween one and two degrees in width, which separated New Holland from Van Diemen's Laud. The ap
pearance of the coast changed ; a great swell rol led in, and a surf breaking on a bold shore announced the vicinity of the open ocean. On the 8th of Ja nuary they passed the south-west cape of Van Die men's Land ; and what had hitherto been universally de scribed as part of New Holland, proved a large island, completely separated from the continent. After being out twelve weeks, they arrived at Port Jackson. The 4liseovery of this passage, named by the governor Bass's Straits, promised great advantages. In voyages from New Holland to the Cape of Good Hope, it was judged that a whole week would be gained, and some mariners affirmed, that no other course would ever afterwards be taken. In the year 1804, the China fleet entered the strait on the 28th of October, pas sed it in safety, and reached the coast of China on the 28th of December. The real value of such a disco very will be best appreciated by the importance at tached to it'by our countrymen in the remote settle ments of Australasia. There, we are told by recent French navigators, that the remains of the vessel which made the discovery are preserved with a kind of religious veneration ; and that parts of the keel, made into various little articles, are presented to foreign officers as donations, which no pecuniary reeompence can obtain.
Captain Flinders was soon afterwards engaged in subsequent voyages of discovery. In the earlier part of the year 1802, he surveyed King George's sound, and the west coast of New Holland, from Lewin's land to Western Port. He again left Port Jackson in July of the same year, and sailing through Torres or Endeavour straits in thirty-six hours, arrived in the gulf of Carpentaria in the latter end of the sea son. The sickness of his crew obliged him to interrupt this survey, and sail for Timor in March 1803, but soon returning, he completed the circumnavigation of New Holland in eighteen months. In August 1803, he again sailed with the command of the Por poise and Cato, and a third ship in company. Both the former were wrecked on a reef of rocks in 22° 11' S. latitude, and 155° 13' E. longitude, nearlY'S00 miles from Botany Bay. A party of his men esca ped thither in an open boat : and after procuring as sistance from that settlement, Captain Flinders saw the remainder, ans. all his officers, safely embarked for China. Impatient to convey his papers, plans, and charts of discovery to England, lie embarked once more from Port Jackson in a vessel of only 19 tons burden, which carried him across the great ocean to the Isle of France, where, though he possessed pass ports from the French government, be was detained with all his dispatches. In consequence of an appli cation by the Royal Society of London to the Na tional Institute, an Order to liberate Captain Flin ders was transmitted from the French government to the Isle of France in 1805 or 1806. The governor, however, declined compliance, on pretence " that the English captain was so well acquainted with his island, he would be able to take it :" and we believe that Captain Flinders still remains a prisoner.