CHAP. IX.] CLIMATE. 173 



New Zealand, being situated within the temperate 

 zone, although nearer to the equator than Great 

 Britain, possesses, from its peculiar geographical 

 position, especially from its being insular, and also 

 from the nature of its surface, a climate so modified 

 as to resemble that of England more nearly than 

 that of any other country I am acquainted with. 

 It is moderate in every respect, the range of its tem- 

 perature throughout the year and during the day 

 being very inconsiderable. This is principally owing 

 to the immense expanse of ocean which surrounds 

 these narrow islands on all sides, preserving a tem- 

 perature little varying, and moderating alike the 

 cold of the antarctic regions and the heat of the 

 tropics. The continent of Australia for as such 

 we must regard it is too distant to affect the cli- 

 mate, whi^h it would undoubtedly do if it were 

 nearer, as New Zealand would then receive an air 

 heated in its passage over the vast plains of Aus- 

 tralia, which extend far within the tropics. In 

 like manner the southerly winds, which, although 

 at all times the coldest, as coming from a polar terra 

 firma surrounded by eternal ice, are greatly tem- 

 pered by the intervening ocean. If, instead of the 

 latter, a continent extended to within a little dis- 

 tance of New Zealand, as Europe and Asia do 

 with reference to England, it would produce all 

 the phenomena of climate in which we observe 

 England to differ from New Zealand, such as the 

 greater cold in winter and during certain winds. 



