1880.J on Land and Sea in relation to Geological Time. 273 



vast Pacific dcin'cssion. And as similar features present themselves 

 elsewhere, it may bo stated as a general fact that the great Continental 

 platforms usually rise very abruptly from the margins of the real Oceanic 

 depressed areas. 



If, on the other hand, we inquire what would be the effect of a 

 depression of the existing Land of northern Europe to the same, or 

 even half that amount, we find that very extensive areas of what is 

 now dry land would bo overflowed by sea ; the higher tracts and 

 mountainous regions alone remaining as representatives of the Conti- 

 nental platform, to wliich, nevertheless, the submerged portions equally 

 belong. This, as every geologist knows, has been, not once only, but 

 many times, the former condition of Euroi)e ; to which a singular 

 parallelism now shows itself in that great Continental platform, of 

 which the peninsula and islands of Malaya are the most elevated 

 portions. For the Yellow Sea, which forms the existing boundary of 

 south-eastern Asia, is everywhere so shallow, that an elevation of 100 

 fathoms would convert it into land ; while half that elevation would 

 lay dry many of the channels between the Malay Islands, so as to 

 bring them into continuity not only with each other, but with the 

 continent of Asia. And Mr. Wallace's admirable researches on the 

 zoology of this region have shown that such continuity undoubtedly 

 existed at no remote period ; its Mammalian fauna being essentially 

 Asiatic. On the other hand, a like elevation would bring Papua into 

 land-continuity with Australia; with which, in like manner, the 

 intimacy of its zoological relations shows it to have been in former 

 connection. The Indo-Malay province is separated from the Papuo- 

 Australian province by a strait, which, though narrow, is so much 

 deeper than the channels which intervene between the separate 

 members of either group, that it would still remain as a fissure of 

 considerable depth, even if the elevation of the two parts of the great 

 area it divides were sufficient to raise each into dry land. The 

 Malayan land-area would, however, be still broken by small Inland Seas 

 of extraordinary depth. One of these, known as the Sulu Sea, which 

 lies between the north-west coast of Borneo and the Philippines, and 

 is elsewhere enclosed by smaller islands and reefs connecting them, 

 ranges downwards to 2225 fathoms. Another, the Celebes Sea, which 

 lies to the west of Borneo between Mindinao and Celebes, has a depth 

 of 2050 fathoms. And the Banda Sea, which lies between the 

 southern part of Celebes and New Guinea, with the islands of Coram 

 on the north and Timor to the south, has the still more extraordinary 

 depth of 2800 fathoms. A general elevation of a few hundred fathoms 

 would detach these Seas from the two great Oceanic areas which they 

 now help to connect ♦ ; and yet they would still remain by far the 



♦ The depth down to which each of tliem communicates with the Ocean out- 

 side, is determinable by its correspoudence in temperuturo. Below the plane of 

 continuity, the temperature of the enclosed Sea remains constant to the bottom 

 (as in the Mediterranean), while that of the Ocean shows a continuous descent. 

 Vol. IX. (No. 72.) u 



