THE INDIAN OCEAN. 
. 5 
THE remaining great division of the waters of our 
globe is considerably less extensive than either of 
the others, but is scarcely less important, inasmuch 
as it is the pathway of the richest commerce of the 
world, the high road on which are borne the gems, 
and gold, and spices of the gorgeous East. It is 
separated from the Pacific by that grand assemblage 
of islands known as the Oriental Archipelago, which, 
for their immense size, the teeming luxuriance of 
their vegetation, and the valuable character of many 
of their productions, have no rivals. The isles of 
New Guinea, Borneo, and Sumatra are the largest 
in the world: their soil possesses a fertility that 
seems inexhaustible; their produce consists of the 
nutmeg, the clove, and other costly spices; frankin- 
cense, camphor, and other odoriferous gums; dia- 
monds, rubies, and other precious stones; gold, 
silver, silks, tortoise-shell, pearls, sandal-wood, and 
drugs, the most valued of earthly things. 
It isa singular fact, that at the very same point 
of time when the genius and daring of Columbus 
were leading Spain into the possession of a new 
world in.the west, Portuguese enterprise was- laying 
open the still more splendid and gorgeous regions 
of Asia in the east. It was in 1497 that Vasco de 
222 (329) 
