THE GREAT OCEAN. 355 



treme nortli and soiitli, by a few islands, and has 

 only one inlet, the gulph of California, towards the 

 northern tropic. 



A burning volcano rises on the sea-shore in 

 New California, and the peninsula shows a volcanic 

 nature. The lofty back of the New World, which 

 is turned to the Great Ocean, presents a series of 

 burning volcanoes from New Spain to the southern 

 point of America. 



The islands of this watery basin, thus bounded, 

 are divided into two chief provinces, and a de- 

 tached group. 



To the first province belong the islands which 

 lie to the east of the Philippines, between the 

 equator and the northern tropic, as far as to the 

 meridian of Greenwich. The second province 

 lies southwards of the line, towards the tropic, 

 which it passes over in some places, and stretches 

 from west to east, from the Forelands to Easter 

 Island, and the Rock of Sales y Gomez to the 

 extent of above 100" of longitude. The group of 

 the Sandwich islands lies detached towards the 

 northern tropic. The islands of the second pro- 

 vince, the Sandwich islands, and New Zealand, are 

 to be united with respect to the people who inhabit 

 them. 



In a geognostic view, these islands belong to 

 two different formations. The high islands, v. hicli 

 are the smaller ninnber in the Great Ocean, though 

 they form the principal groups, aie universally, as 



A A 2 



