THE SUCCESSORS OF COOK 491 



He rounded the great Southern promontory, which seemed 

 " well worthy of being the boundary point of a large strait, 

 and a corner stone of this great island New Holland." 

 He named it Furneaux's Land, thinking that Furneaux 

 had seen it in 1773. But Flinders afterwards showed 

 that this was a mistake, and the name was changed to 

 Wilson's Promontory, " in compliment," says Flinders, 

 " to my friend Thomas Wilson, Esq., of London." 



Bass intended now "to make the North coast of Van Bass fails 

 Diemen's Land." But Governor Hunter's " excellent y an each 

 whale-boat " was showing that some of its parts were not Diemen's 

 so excellent as others. " The water was observed to gush Land - 

 in through the boat's side pretty plentifully," and Bass 

 thought it wisest to return to the promontory, and to coast 

 Westward ; " for the state of the boat," he writes, " did 

 not seem to allow of our quitting the shore with propriety." 

 They were in fact, comments Flinders who has a useful 

 way of saying things which his friend omits to mention 

 in " the greatest danger ; but the good qualities of his 

 little bark, with careful steerage, carried him through 

 this perilous night." On a tiny island near the promontory, 

 he discovered with amazement a party of seven convicts, 

 mostly Irish, who had escaped from Sydney, and had been 

 deserted by their companions. Bass relieved their extreme 

 distress, and promised to call at the island on his return. 



Then, coasting North-Westward, he discovered the But 

 " very extensive harbour," which, " from its relative 

 position to every other known harbour on the coast," Port, 

 he named " Western Port." Here he stayed twelve 

 days, receiving impressions that were only moderately 

 favourable. " He had the satisfaction, however," com- 

 ments Flinders always afraid lest his friend's modesty 

 should lead to an undervaluation of his work " of placing, . 

 at the end of his new coast, an extensive and useful harbour, 

 surrounded with a country superior to any other known 

 parts of New South Wales." 



Had Bass been able to sail round the Western Promontory And has to 

 of Western Port, he would have been the discoverer of turn back 

 Port Phillip, and would perhaps have been the first to 



