of which are likely to be tried for till after my return and dissolution of partnership with Bishop, a point fully fixed upon.  With kind love to Mrs. W. and all your family, I am, even at this distance and at this length of time, and under all my sad labours, as much as when I saw you.”

At this time Bass was a young man of thirty-four, [Sidenote:  1817] “six feet high, dark complexion, wears spectacles, very penetrating countenance,” says his father-in-law.  Nothing more was heard of the Venus or her crew until there arose a rumour that the ship had been taken by the Spaniards on the coast of Peru.  A Captain Campbell, master of the Harrington, is alleged to have made the statement that a Spanish gentleman told him that Bass had been seized when landing from his boat and carried to the mines, and that the ship was afterwards taken and the crew sent to share the fate of their chief.  The cause of this seizure was, says one unauthenticated account, because Bass requested permission to trade, was refused, and then threatened to bombard the town.

Lieutenant Fitzmaurice was at Valparaiso in 1803, and he states that all British prisoners in Chili and Peru had been released, and that he had heard of Mr. Bass being in Lima five or six years before.  A letter in the Record Office, London, dated Liverpool, New South Wales, December 15th, 1817, says:—­

“I have just heard a report that Mr. Bass is alive yet in South America.  A capt’n of a vessel belonging to this port, trading among the islands to the east, fell in with a whaler, and the capt’n informed him he had seen such a person, and described the person of Mr. Bass.  The capt’n, knowing Mr. Bass well, is of a belief that, [from] the description that the master of the whaler gives of him, it’s certainly Mr. Bass, being a doctor, too, which is still a stronger reason.

    I am, etc., THOS.  MOORE.”

And so in this sad fashion, his fate a mystery, perhaps the victim of savages on some lonely Pacific island, perhaps dragging his life out a broken-hearted prisoner in the mines of Peru, the gallant young explorer passes out of history.

When Flinders returned to England he found an enthusiastic admirer and a powerful friend in Sir Joseph Banks.  The young lieutenant was getting ready for publication a small book describing the circumnavigation of Van Diemen’s Land, and while he was doing this Banks induced the Admiralty to prepare H.M.S. Investigator for surveying service in Australian waters and give Flinders charge of her, with the rank of commander.  Banks had everything to do with the arrangements for the expedition; and how much was thought of his capacity for this work is shown by a memo from the Secretary to the Admiralty in reply to a request [Sidenote:  1800] from the naturalist:—­

    “Any proposal you may make will be approved; the whole is left
    entirely to your decision.”