20 THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO. [chap. i. 



districts could be expected to do even if they still formed 

 a part of Asia ; and this close resemblance, joined with 

 the fact of the wide extent of sea which separates them 

 being so uniformly and remarkably shallow, and lastly, 

 the existence of the extensive range of volcanoes in 

 Sumatra and Java, which have poured out vast quantities 

 of subterranean matter and have built up extensive 

 plateaux and lofty mountain ranges, thus furnishing a 

 vera causa for a parallel line of subsidence — all lead irre- 

 sistibly to the conclusion that at a very recent geological 

 epoch the continent of Asia extended far beyond its 

 present limits in a south-easterly direction, including the 

 islands of Java, Sumatra, and Borneo, and probably reach- 

 ing as far as the present 100-fathom line of soundings. 



The Philippine Islands agree in many respects with 

 Asia and the other islands, but present some anomalies, 

 which seem to indicate that they were separated at an 

 earlier period, and have since been subject to many 

 revolutions in their physical geography. 



Turning our attention now to the remaining portion of 

 the Archipelago, we shall find that all the islands from 

 Celebes and Lombock eastward exhibit almost as close a 

 resemblance to Australia and New Guinea as the Western 

 Islands do to Asia. It is well known that the natural 

 productions of Australia differ from those of Asia more 

 than those of any of the four ancient quarters of the 



