George Bass timeline

Time Line
This is a general time line for historical events associated with the surgeon-explorer George Bass.

World Events Date The life of George Bass

30 Jan 1771 George Bass born in Aswarby, Lincolnshire, England, to parents George and Sarah Bass.

1777 George Bass senior dies, and George and his mother move to Boston Haven.

1784-1789 Bass is apprenticed to the local Surgeon-Apothecary, Patrick Frames for five years.

In NSW, Australia, Aborigines begin to die of smallpox. 2 April 1789 Bass sits and passes his first medical examination, and is given the MCS; Member of the Company of Surgeons.

June 1789 Bass sits and passes a naval medical examination, which allows him to join the navy immediately as 'Mr Bass', first assistant to a surgeon on a first-rate ship.

June-Nov 1789 Joins 'HMS Flirt', a 14 gun sloop under the command of Captain James Norman, serving as Surgeon's mate.

1790 Assigned to 'HMS Gorgon' for service in the new colony of New South Wales with the New South Wales Corp, but the sailing was delayed.

1 Jul 1790 Bass returns to London where he sits another medical examination, qualifying as a second-rate Naval surgeon - he could now serve as surgeon on a second rate ship.

Oct 1790 to Sep 1793 Mr Bass served as surgeon on the 304 ton 'HMS Shark', on which he was assisted by Thomas Thompson, and they attending 125 men under the command of the Hon. Arthur Kaye Legge. George received Ł90.00 per annum.

30 Sep 1793 Bass transfers to 'HMS Druid', a much bigger ship, and under the command of Captain Joseph Ellison. George was given two assistants, William Halfpenny and Dubliner James Fry

Napoleon declares war on England. 1793 Bass is overseas at the time and has no direct involvement in the war.

April 1794 In April 1794 George was discharged to the 'HMS Reliance' , a 304 ton ship built in South Shields, purchased by the Admiralty in 1793, with a crew of only fifty-nine men. The surgeon's mate was William Bayley. Bass had in fact requested the transfer when he learned the ship was to sail for New South Wales.
For this posting Bass requested and got a personal servant, one William Martin from London. Martin was to figure in a number of explorations.
Bass also met up with Matthew Flinders, who was a lieutenant on the ship.

Mar 1795 'HMS Reliance' and 'HMS Supply' travel together, and arrive at Teneriffe in the Canary Islands.

7 Sep 1795 'HMS Reliance' arrives at Port Jackson.

In October the sailing vessel 'Endeavour' is scuttled at the sealing camp at Facile Harbour, Dusky Sound in NZ, having been proven unseaworthy on this first part of the voyage back to England via Cape Horn. 26 Oct 1795 Bass, Flinders and Martin leave in Bass' small vessel the 'Tom Thumb' on a voyage of discovery up the George River, which empties into Botany Bay.

Nov 1795 Bass explores the Cowpastures.

Feb 1796 Bass and Flinders journey to Norfolk Island in 'Reliance'.

25 Mar 1796 Bass and Flinders leave to explore the southern coast (Lake Illawarra) in 'Tom Thumb II'.

Early 1796 Bass explores the Blue Mountains.

Sep 1796 Bass voyaged to Cape Town via Cape Horn with 'HMS Reliance' and 'HMS Supply' to procure more cattle and supplies for the colony, at Governor Hunter's request. It is believed that it was on this voyage that Flinders acquired his cat Trim..

Sailing ship 'Sydney Cove' is beached on Preservation Island, off Tasmania's NE coast. 9 Jan 1797 Longboat with 16 men sent on to get help at Port Jackson, but they in turn are wrecked on the mainland.

Sailing ship 'Duff' arrives in Tahiti with LMS missionaries. 5 Mar 1797 The London Missionary Society was the first organised missionary organisation with the backing and commitment necessary to actually undertake the holy task of saving native souls.

Three survivors of the 'Sydney Cove' finally reach Botany Bay with the news of the shipwrecks. 15 May 1797 Schooner 'Francis' and the smaller vessel 'Eliza' sent to rescue remainder of survivors on Preservation Island. The rescue is successful, but 'Eliza' is lost in the process, along with her crew.

26 Jun 1797 'Reliance' and 'Supply' arrive back from the Cape of Good Hope, having effectively circumnavigated the southern part of the globe.

5 Aug 1797 Bass sets out in a whaleboat with 2 survivors of the 'Sydney Cove'to find the deposits of coal reported on the south coast. He subsequently finds and names Coalcliff.

13 Aug 1797 Bass returns from search for coal.

5 Dec 1797 Bass sets out in the same 28 ft whaleboat with 6 volunteers to explore the coast southwards and attempt to prove the existence of a strait between Van Diemen's Land and the NSW mainland.

25 Jan 1798 The whaleboat arrives at Phillip Island, at what will one day become the port of Melbourne.

25 Feb 1798 Bass sails back into Port Jackson after an epic voyage, convinced that he has indeed found the strait, but unable to prove it.

Flinders sails to Preservation Island in 'Francis' to recover the cargo of the 'Sydney Cove' and some seamen left there to care for it. Feb 1798 He finds himself in agreement with Bass concerning the probability that VDL is in fact an island itself.

Sealer'Nautilus' under the command of Charles Bishop arrives in Port Jackson (Sydney) from a voyage in the Pacific. He brings with him a number of missionaries from a failed mission in Tahiti, amongst them James and William Puckey. 14 Aug 1798 It was this same Charles Bishop that Bass was to become fast friends with, and whom he entered into a business venture.

The 'Norfolk' is accompanied by the 'Nautilus', still under the command of Capt. Bishop, who is interested in the sealing islands Bass reported seeing on his whaleboat voyage. 7 Oct 1798 Flinders and Bass set out in the 'Norfolk' with a commission to determine once and for all if VDL is an island. They are instructed to circumnavigate the island if possible.

19 Oct 1798 'Norfolk' arrives at Preservation Island.

3 Nov 1798 'Norfolk' arrives at Port Dalrymple (Launceston).

The 'Nautilus' returns to Port Jackson with a cargo of 9000 sealskins, taken largely from Cape Barren Island. 25 Dec 1798

12 Jan 1799 The 'Norfolk' returns in triumph to Port Jackson. Bass and Flinders have been vindicated, and a week has been shaved off the voyage from England.

May 1799 Bass joins the 'Nautilus' to return to the islands of Bass Strait for sealing purposes, discovering and mapping several islands. He knows Bishop intends to sell his skins in China afterwards, and will then return to England sooner than 'Reliance' would.

'El Plumier', a Spanish vessel, is captured by English privateers off the coast of California, at that time a Spanish possession. 7 Jul 1799 This was one of two vessels captured by sealers with privateering licences.

Jul 1800 Bass arrives back in England on the 'Woodford' and is given 12 months leave by the Medical Board. He was then free to work with Bishop on a commercial venture, taking goods back to NSW for sale.

'Reliance' arrives back in England. Nov 1800 Bass falls in love with Captain Waterhouse's sister Elizabeth.
Captain Waterhouse is enthusiastic about Bass's plans to buy a ship for trading purposes and provides much of the money needed.

8 Oct 1800 George Bass and Elizabeth ('Betsey') Waterhouse marry secretly in England.

9 Jan 1801 Bass sails for Australia in the 'Venus'

'El Plumier' leaves Port Jackson for NZ, and thence officially for Valapraiso in Chile. She has been bought by a group of enterpreneurs organised by one George Ellis. She is rotten and desperately needs repairs. 5 Jan 1801 She sails to that part of NZ's North Island now known as Thames, where there are plenty of kauri spars to trade for. James Puckey was the ships carpenter charged with the rebuild.

16 Sep 1801 'Venus' arrives in Port Jackson but her goods prove unsaleable.

Early 1802 Bass and Bishop contract to Governor King to make a voyage to the Sth Sea Islands for pork. They went via the southern end of NZ, then north to Otaheiti (Tahiti), where Bishop stayed to set up a trading post while Bass took the ship to buy pork and salt from the Hawaiian and Sandwich Islands.

14 Nov 1802 'Venus' arrives back at Port Jackson after a successful voyage.

At this time the Spanish and the British were at war, and thus any goods intended to be sold to the enemy would be contaband, and the act 'treasonous'. 5 Feb 1803 Bass sails for Dusky Bay in NZ, in the 'Venus', the very same port where the 'Endeavour' lay. This was to be a stopover on a clandestine voyage to ports of Sth America with contraband. He had plans to obtain land and settle in that area of NZ. It was the last ever officially seen of him or his ship.

Later... There are many theories as to what happened to Bass, but most of the more interesting stories of a life in hiding ignore the type of man he was, and the fact that his wife Betsey awaited him. Another, vaguer story by Maoris in NZ who claimed to have eaten the survivors of a shipwreck in the area of Foveaux Strait would seem far more realistic, given the times and the dangers to ships in that area.
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World Events	Date	The life of George Bass
	30 Jan 1771	George Bass born in Aswarby, Lincolnshire, England, to parents George and Sarah Bass.
	1777	George Bass senior dies, and George and his mother move to Boston Haven.
	1784-1789	Bass is apprenticed to the local Surgeon-Apothecary, Patrick Frames for five years.
In NSW, Australia, Aborigines begin to die of smallpox.	2 April 1789	Bass sits and passes his first medical examination, and is given the MCS; Member of the Company of Surgeons.
	June 1789	Bass sits and passes a naval medical examination, which allows him to join the navy immediately as 'Mr Bass', first assistant to a surgeon on a first-rate ship.
	June-Nov 1789	Joins 'HMS Flirt', a 14 gun sloop under the command of Captain James Norman, serving as Surgeon's mate.
	1790	Assigned to 'HMS Gorgon' for service in the new colony of New South Wales with the New South Wales Corp, but the sailing was delayed.
	1 Jul 1790	Bass returns to London where he sits another medical examination, qualifying as a second-rate Naval surgeon - he could now serve as surgeon on a second rate ship.
	Oct 1790 to Sep 1793	Mr Bass served as surgeon on the 304 ton 'HMS Shark', on which he was assisted by Thomas Thompson, and they attending 125 men under the command of the Hon. Arthur Kaye Legge. George received Ł90.00 per annum.
	30 Sep 1793	Bass transfers to 'HMS Druid', a much bigger ship, and under the command of Captain Joseph Ellison. George was given two assistants, William Halfpenny and Dubliner James Fry
Napoleon declares war on England.	1793	Bass is overseas at the time and has no direct involvement in the war.
	April 1794	In April 1794 George was discharged to the 'HMS Reliance' , a 304 ton ship built in South Shields, purchased by the Admiralty in 1793, with a crew of only fifty-nine men. The surgeon's mate was William Bayley. Bass had in fact requested the transfer when he learned the ship was to sail for New South Wales. For this posting Bass requested and got a personal servant, one William Martin from London. Martin was to figure in a number of explorations. Bass also met up with Matthew Flinders, who was a lieutenant on the ship.
	Mar 1795	'HMS Reliance' and 'HMS Supply' travel together, and arrive at Teneriffe in the Canary Islands.
	7 Sep 1795	'HMS Reliance' arrives at Port Jackson.
In October the sailing vessel 'Endeavour' is scuttled at the sealing camp at Facile Harbour, Dusky Sound in NZ, having been proven unseaworthy on this first part of the voyage back to England via Cape Horn.	26 Oct 1795	Bass, Flinders and Martin leave in Bass' small vessel the 'Tom Thumb' on a voyage of discovery up the George River, which empties into Botany Bay.
	Nov 1795	Bass explores the Cowpastures.
	Feb 1796	Bass and Flinders journey to Norfolk Island in 'Reliance'.
	25 Mar 1796	Bass and Flinders leave to explore the southern coast (Lake Illawarra) in 'Tom Thumb II'.
	Early 1796	Bass explores the Blue Mountains.
	Sep 1796	Bass voyaged to Cape Town via Cape Horn with 'HMS Reliance' and 'HMS Supply' to procure more cattle and supplies for the colony, at Governor Hunter's request. It is believed that it was on this voyage that Flinders acquired his cat Trim..
Sailing ship 'Sydney Cove' is beached on Preservation Island, off Tasmania's NE coast.	9 Jan 1797	Longboat with 16 men sent on to get help at Port Jackson, but they in turn are wrecked on the mainland.
Sailing ship 'Duff' arrives in Tahiti with LMS missionaries.	5 Mar 1797	The London Missionary Society was the first organised missionary organisation with the backing and commitment necessary to actually undertake the holy task of saving native souls.
Three survivors of the 'Sydney Cove' finally reach Botany Bay with the news of the shipwrecks.	15 May 1797	Schooner 'Francis' and the smaller vessel 'Eliza' sent to rescue remainder of survivors on Preservation Island. The rescue is successful, but 'Eliza' is lost in the process, along with her crew.
	26 Jun 1797	'Reliance' and 'Supply' arrive back from the Cape of Good Hope, having effectively circumnavigated the southern part of the globe.
	5 Aug 1797	Bass sets out in a whaleboat with 2 survivors of the 'Sydney Cove'to find the deposits of coal reported on the south coast. He subsequently finds and names Coalcliff.
	13 Aug 1797	Bass returns from search for coal.
	5 Dec 1797	Bass sets out in the same 28 ft whaleboat with 6 volunteers to explore the coast southwards and attempt to prove the existence of a strait between Van Diemen's Land and the NSW mainland.
	25 Jan 1798	The whaleboat arrives at Phillip Island, at what will one day become the port of Melbourne.
	25 Feb 1798	Bass sails back into Port Jackson after an epic voyage, convinced that he has indeed found the strait, but unable to prove it.
Flinders sails to Preservation Island in 'Francis' to recover the cargo of the 'Sydney Cove' and some seamen left there to care for it.	Feb 1798	He finds himself in agreement with Bass concerning the probability that VDL is in fact an island itself.
Sealer'Nautilus' under the command of Charles Bishop arrives in Port Jackson (Sydney) from a voyage in the Pacific. He brings with him a number of missionaries from a failed mission in Tahiti, amongst them James and William Puckey.	14 Aug 1798	It was this same Charles Bishop that Bass was to become fast friends with, and whom he entered into a business venture.
The 'Norfolk' is accompanied by the 'Nautilus', still under the command of Capt. Bishop, who is interested in the sealing islands Bass reported seeing on his whaleboat voyage.	7 Oct 1798	Flinders and Bass set out in the 'Norfolk' with a commission to determine once and for all if VDL is an island. They are instructed to circumnavigate the island if possible.
	19 Oct 1798	'Norfolk' arrives at Preservation Island.
	3 Nov 1798	'Norfolk' arrives at Port Dalrymple (Launceston).
The 'Nautilus' returns to Port Jackson with a cargo of 9000 sealskins, taken largely from Cape Barren Island.	25 Dec 1798
	12 Jan 1799	The 'Norfolk' returns in triumph to Port Jackson. Bass and Flinders have been vindicated, and a week has been shaved off the voyage from England.
	May 1799	Bass joins the 'Nautilus' to return to the islands of Bass Strait for sealing purposes, discovering and mapping several islands. He knows Bishop intends to sell his skins in China afterwards, and will then return to England sooner than 'Reliance' would.
'El Plumier', a Spanish vessel, is captured by English privateers off the coast of California, at that time a Spanish possession.	7 Jul 1799	This was one of two vessels captured by sealers with privateering licences.
	Jul 1800	Bass arrives back in England on the 'Woodford' and is given 12 months leave by the Medical Board. He was then free to work with Bishop on a commercial venture, taking goods back to NSW for sale.
'Reliance' arrives back in England.	Nov 1800	Bass falls in love with Captain Waterhouse's sister Elizabeth. Captain Waterhouse is enthusiastic about Bass's plans to buy a ship for trading purposes and provides much of the money needed.
	8 Oct 1800	George Bass and Elizabeth ('Betsey') Waterhouse marry secretly in England.
	9 Jan 1801	Bass sails for Australia in the 'Venus'
'El Plumier' leaves Port Jackson for NZ, and thence officially for Valapraiso in Chile. She has been bought by a group of enterpreneurs organised by one George Ellis. She is rotten and desperately needs repairs.	5 Jan 1801	She sails to that part of NZ's North Island now known as Thames, where there are plenty of kauri spars to trade for. James Puckey was the ships carpenter charged with the rebuild.
	16 Sep 1801	'Venus' arrives in Port Jackson but her goods prove unsaleable.
	Early 1802	Bass and Bishop contract to Governor King to make a voyage to the Sth Sea Islands for pork. They went via the southern end of NZ, then north to Otaheiti (Tahiti), where Bishop stayed to set up a trading post while Bass took the ship to buy pork and salt from the Hawaiian and Sandwich Islands.
	14 Nov 1802	'Venus' arrives back at Port Jackson after a successful voyage.
At this time the Spanish and the British were at war, and thus any goods intended to be sold to the enemy would be contaband, and the act 'treasonous'.	5 Feb 1803	Bass sails for Dusky Bay in NZ, in the 'Venus', the very same port where the 'Endeavour' lay. This was to be a stopover on a clandestine voyage to ports of Sth America with contraband. He had plans to obtain land and settle in that area of NZ. It was the last ever officially seen of him or his ship.
	Later...	There are many theories as to what happened to Bass, but most of the more interesting stories of a life in hiding ignore the type of man he was, and the fact that his wife Betsey awaited him. Another, vaguer story by Maoris in NZ who claimed to have eaten the survivors of a shipwreck in the area of Foveaux Strait would seem far more realistic, given the times and the dangers to ships in that area.