ANNOTATIONS AND ADDITIONS. 139 



whelming the plains adjoining the Baltic. The sequence 

 and identity of the sedimentary strata, and of the organic 

 remains of plants and animals belonging to the ancient 

 world enclosed in those strata, shew that several great 

 depositions have taken place almost simultaneously over 

 the entire globe." (For the fossil vegetable remains in the 

 coal formation in North America and in Europe, compare 

 Adolph Brongniart, Prodrome d'une Hist, des Vegetaux 

 Eossiles, p. 179; and Charles LyelTs Travels in North 

 America, vol. ii. p. 20). 



(2) p. 10. " The Southern Hemisphere is cooler and 

 moister than our Northern half of the globe." 



Chili, Buenos Ayres, and the southern parts of Brazil and 

 Peru, have all, as a result of the narrowness of the conti- 

 nent of South America as it tapers towards the south, a 

 true " insular climate j or a climate of cool summers and 

 mild winters. As far as the 48th or 50th parallel of 

 latitude this character of the Southern Hemisphere may 

 be regarded as an advantage, but farther on towards the 

 Antarctic Pole, South America gradually becomes an inhos- 

 pitable wilderness. The difference of latitude of the 

 southern terminating points of Australia, (including Yan 

 Diemen Island), of Africa, and of America, gives 

 to each of these continents a peculiar character. The 

 Straits of Magellan are between the 53d and 54th degrees 

 of latitude, and yet in December and January, when the 

 sun is 18 hours above the horizon, the temperature sinks 



