THE WORLD S WONDERS. 



THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO. 



INDESCRIBABLE BEAUTIES. 



ALFRED RUSSEL WALLACE, an English naturalist of great repu- 

 tation, has added to the sum of geographic knowledge a vast 

 amount of information respecting the Malay Archipelago, in 

 which region of the earth he made a protracted tour of discovery, 

 extending over eight years. This archipelago proper, the largest 

 group of islands, including also the greatest islands in size, on 

 the globe, comprises the Indo-Malay islands, the Timour group, 

 the Celebes group, the Moluccas, and the Papuan group, all 

 lying north and northwest of Australia, between that continent 

 and the countries of southeastern Asia. The largest of these 

 islands are, New'Guinea, Borneo, Summatra, Java, and Celebes, 

 in the order named, though there are hundreds of islands in the 

 several groups. This extensive archipelago lies under or near the 

 equator, and being bathed bj' the tepid water of the great tropical 

 ocean, the region enjoys a climate more uniformly hot and moist 

 than any other portion of the globe, and teems with natural pro- 

 ductions which are elsewhere unknown. In some respects it is 

 the most wonderful district of the earth. It not alone teems with 

 animal life, as Africa, but nowhere else does nature revel in such 

 gorgeous hues and enrapturing beauty. F^wers bejewel the 



