THE INDIAN OCEAN. 



The remaining great division of the waters of our 

 globe is considerably less extensive than either of 

 the others, but is scarcely less important, inasmuch 

 as it is the pathway of the richest commerce of the 

 world, the high road on which are borne the gems, 

 and gold, and spices of the gorgeous East. It is 

 separated from the Pacific by that grand assemblage 

 of islands known as the Oriental Archipelago, which, 

 for their immense size, the teeming luxuriance of 

 their vegetation, and the valuable character of many 

 of their productions, have no rivals. The isles of 

 New Guinea, Borneo, and Sumatra are the largest 

 in the world : their soil possesses a fertility that 

 seems inexhaustible ; their produce consists of the 

 nutmeg, the clove, and other costly spices ; frankin- 

 cense, camphor, and other odoriferous gums; dia- 

 monds, rubies, and other precious stones; gold, 

 silver, silks, tortoise-shell, pearls, sandal- wood, and 

 drugs, the most valued of earthly things. 



It is a singular fact, that at the very same point 

 of time when the genius and daring of Columbus 

 were leading Spain into the possession of a new 

 world in the west, Portuguese enterprise was laying 

 open the still more splendid and gorgeous regions 

 of Asia in the east. It was in 1497 that Vasco de 



2 b 2 (329) 



