292 GEOGRAPHY. [1840 



breath, but New Minister is considerably the largest. The 

 area of all the islands is estimated at about 86,000 square 

 miles. 



Along the centre of New Minister, throughout its whole 

 extent, and along rather more than the southern half of New 

 Ulster, runs a mountainous range, from south to north, whi»h 

 has every appearance of having been once continuous. Sub- 

 ordinate hilly ranges lie on either side, and, here and there, 

 are detached outliers of vast dimensions. Along the line of 

 the main cordillera are tall mountains, overtopping their com- 

 panions, and lifting their heads into the region of perpetual 

 snow. The loftiest peaks are the ' Lookers-on,' and Mount 

 Egmont, lying near the southern extremity of New Ulster, 

 which are supposed to be from eight to fourteen thousand feet 

 high. The country at the bases of the mountains is made 

 up of plain, pasture, marsh, and woodland. Some of the 

 hills are barren, or covered with a thick growth of fern, but 

 they are generally wooded to their very summits; and there 

 are immense forests spread out along the flanks of the Cor- 

 dilleras, which climb the sides of the highest mountains, and 

 encircle their snow-tipped peaks with rich fringing borders 

 and belts of evergreen. 



All the islands, so far as known, are well watered. Small 

 brooklets thread their way down the sides of the great central 

 mountain range that intersects New Ulster and New Mun- 

 ster, and singing ever so many a pretty refrain, as they wind 

 out and in among the nooks and fissures, or spring from rock 

 to rock, finally descend to the plain beneath. Here larger 

 streams are formed, by the union of several of the smaller 

 torrents, which proceed on their oceanward course, — now 

 lazily crossing some sandy barren, now flashing through the 

 interstices of the leafy forest, now half hidden beneath the 

 long waving fern, and now leaping gayly forth into the sun- 

 light, and bounding over the rocks and precipices, in pictur- 

 esque falls and charming cascades, till at length they mingle 

 their waters with those of " the dark, deep sea." 



Five principal rivers, and numerous minor streams, debouch 



