192 GEOGRAPHY. 



4. Patagonia, the southern division of South America, is a cold 

 and rather barren region, sparsely inhabited by Indians, of whom 

 the Puelches, in the north, and Moluches, in the south, are said to be 

 the principal tribes. The islands of Terra del Fuego are included 

 with Patagonia ; but the Falkland Islands on the east are claimed by 

 Buenos Ayres, and by Great Britain. The islands of South Shet- 

 land, South Orkney, and Sandwich Land, farther south, discovered 

 since 1819, are chiefly visited for the purpose of procuring the skins 

 of the seals in which they abound. 



CHAPTER VI. 



OCEANIC GEOGRAPHY. 



THE name Oceanica, was introduced by Malte-Brun, to compre- 

 hend New Holland, and the numerous islands of the Pacific Ocean, 

 which together form the sixth grand division of the earth. It is 

 usually subdivided into Malaysia, including the islands north-west 

 of New Holland and New Guinea; Australasia, including these two 

 islands, and the range eastward of them ; and Polynesia ; including 

 the numerous other groups farther eastward and northward ; excepting 

 those on the immediate coast of America, or Asia. Most of these 

 islands are inhabited by savage tribes, imperfectly known. Java, 

 and Sumatra, were discovered by the Portuguese, in 1510 ; Celebes, 

 in 1512; and Borneo, they visited in 1526. The discovery of New 

 Holland, has been attributed to Gonneville, in 1503 ; and more pro- 

 bably to Menezis, a Portuguese, in 1527 ; but if so, it was redisco- 

 vered by Quiros, a Spaniard, in 1606, or by Dirk Hartag, or Har- 

 tigh, a Dutchman, in 1616. Van Diemen's Land, and New Zealand, 

 were discovered by Tasman, in 1642. Lemaire and Schouten were 

 also sent out by the Dutch government ; but their discoveries were 

 of minor importance. 



Most of the other discoveries in Oceanica, have been made by 

 circumnavigators, while on their Voyages around the World; of 

 which this seems the proper place to speak. The first of these 

 voyages was that of Fernando Magellan, (or Magalhaens), who 

 sailed from Spain, in 1519 ; discovered the straits bearing his name, 

 in 1520; and, passing through them, into the Pacific ocean, disco- 

 vered the Ladrones, and Philippine Islands, in 1521. He was killed 

 on one of the latter islands, in the same year; but one of his ships, 

 after discovering Borneo, returned to Spain, in 1522. Next to this, 

 we would mention the voyage of Saavedra, though it was only 

 across the Pacific Ocean. He sailed from Mexico around South 

 America, in 1527; and is said to have discovered New Guinea, and 

 Gilolo, in 1528. The second voyage around the world, was that of 

 Sir Francis Drake, who sailed from England, in 1577 ; discovered 

 Cape Horn, and visited California, in 1578; and returned to England, 

 in 1580. The third circumnavigator, was Sir Thomas Cavendish, 



