298 PfiOFESSOR RIGAUD, ON THE RELATIVE QUANTITIES' 



the Earth's surface. Whether his results are more to be depended 

 upon than those which have been now obtained, must be left for others 

 to decide; but there is a circumstance which seems to corroborate very 

 strongly the dependence which may be placed on the present metliod, 

 since there is a remarkable comcidence between the numbers, Avhich 

 were found from Mr Carey's globe-plates in 1823, and Mr Addison's 

 in the more recent examination. 



The proportionate quantity of land in the southern hemisphere was 

 found in 1823 to be 69.58, which exceeds that which is now given 

 by only 0.87. The extents of the continents, likewise, with the islands 

 respectively belonging to them, came out as follows: 



18-23. 1836. 



Europe lC.80 16.65 



Asia 89.211 88.731 



U04..48 >10-i.40 



New Holland 15.27J 15.73J 



Africa 59.14 59.58 



North America 46.99 50.59 



South America 35.36 34.64. 



" In the icy zone of the north 0.400" (or the ratio of the land to the water 1 00 to 1 50) 



" In the temperate zone of the north . . . 0.559" ( 100 to 79) 



" In the northern part of the torrid zone 0.297" ( 100 to 237) 



" In the northern hemisphere 0.419 ' 



" In the icy zone of the south 0.000" 



"In the temperate zone of the south ... 0.075" ( 100 to 1233) 



"In the southern part of the torrid zone 0.313" ( 100 to 219) 



" In the southern hemisphere 0.129" 



As M. Make Brun does not explain his method of computation for the several zones, no 



more can at present be said, in that respect, than is pointed out in the text: but it may be 



remarked that he is not correct in the quantity of land, which he has deduced from his own data 



„ , ^ . L 0.400 + 0.559 + 0.297 1.256 „„„ ,0.075 + 0.313 0.388 „ ,^„ 

 for the two hemispheres, — ^ ^ = — — = 0.419 and = — ^ = 0.129; 



but the fundamental decimals are parts of three different integers, and consequently the third of 

 their sum will not give the true proportion of them when taken together, to the whole. 



