Bass, George

an English discoverer, whose name has been given to the strait which separates Tasmania from Austral asia. He was a surgeon in the English navy and went to New South Wales, in company with the celebrated Flinders, 7 years after the colony was founded. Having in the two previous years made several surveying voyages along the S. coast, B. was, in 1797, sent out on a voyage of discovery in a little whale-boat with only 6 of a crew. Though provisioned for only 6 weeks, В. persevered in his expedition for 77 days, and having sailed 600 m., returned to Port Jackson with the news that Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) was not part of the Australian continent, but a separate island. The discovery was confirmed in 1798, when B. and Flinders made a voyage in company. Ba a. See PASHA. Ba ano, ( bas - sa'no ,) a walled town of N. Italy, prov. of Vicenza, on the Brenta, 19 m. N.N.E. of Vicenza, and 21 N. by W. of Padua. It is well built, and seated in a fine salubrious country. Manuf . Silk, straw hats, . On 8th Sept., 1796, the Austrian general Würmser was defeated here by the French under Marshals Ma ena and Augereau. Pop . 14,411.