ON ITS EXTERIOR. VOLCANOES. 379 



the island Sesarga.* Near to it, and therefore near also 

 to the south-eastern extremity of the long range 

 of islands, and in the direction of the Vanikoro or 

 Santa Cruz group, outbreaks of volcanic activity have 

 been remarked on the coast of Gruadalcanar. 



In the Ladrones, or Marianas, in the northern part of 

 that range of islands which seems to have been elevated 

 from a fissure running in the direction of the meridian, 

 Gruguan*, Pagon *, and the Volcan Grande of Asuncion * 

 are said to be still active. 



The direction of the coast-line of the small continent 

 of New Holland, and especially the alteration of direc- 

 tion undergone by its east coast in 25 S. (between Cape 

 Hervey and Moreton Bay) appears reflected, or repeated, 

 in the zone of neighbouring eastern islands. The great 

 southern island of the two islands of New Zealand, and 

 the Kermadec and Tonga groups have a general south- 

 west and north-east direction : while on the other hand 

 the northern part of the northern island of New Zealand, 

 from the Bay of Plenty to Cape Oton, New Caledonia 

 and New Guinea, the New Hebrides, the Solomon 

 Islands, New Ireland and New Britain, all follow a 

 south-east and north-west direction, for the most part 

 N. 48 W. Leopold von Buch ( 517 ) was the first to 

 call attention to these relations between continental 

 masses and the neighbouring islands, in the case 

 of the archipelago of Greece, and of the coral-sea of 

 Australia. In the islands of this last-named sea also, as 

 was already remarked both by Cook's companion, Forster, 

 and La Billardiere, granite and mica-slate, the quartzose 

 rocks which were once termed primitive, are not wanting. 

 Dana has also found them in the northern island of 



