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2 rol«. 4to.), to thofe countries that lie to the Toutli of Afia, 

 namelv, New Holland, New Guinea, New Zealand, &c. ; 

 vliiUrhe diftinguillied the numerous ifies in the Pacific by 

 the appellation Polynesia. Thcfe regions conftitute, by 

 difcoveries already made, about a fifth part of the world, 

 and mclude, under the name of " Auihal Lands," " Sou- 

 thern Indies," and other denominations. New Holland, 

 New Guinea, New Britain, New Ireland, New Caledonia, 

 New Zealand, the Priendly ifles, Society idauds, the Marque- 

 fas, and even the Sandwich illands in the north. But as 

 thefe regions are of wide extent and dillinft nature, con- 

 fiding of almoft a new continent in the fouth of Afia, and 

 fcattered groups of ifles in the Pacific, many of which are 

 nearer to South America, than to Afia, whilll moll of them 

 are not above twenty degrees to the fouth of the equator, 

 the denomination of " Aullial Lands," has been thought 

 to be very objedionable, and that of the " Southern Indies," 

 ridiculous. Since, therefore, they cannot well be blended 

 under one common appellation, De BrolTes adopted the 

 above-mentioned diftribution. Some recent German geo- 

 graphers have confidered Auilralalla and Polynefia as fynony- 

 mous terms, in contradiction to the firlt inventor of thefe 

 appellations. This fifth part of the world, as the Germans 

 call it, would not even then exceed the wide extent of 

 Alia or America ; but it has been thought preferable, for 

 feveral reafons, to confider Auftralafia and Polynefia, as 

 two great and dillindt maritime divifions of the globe. The 

 name of Aullralafia is the more proper, becaufe it not only 

 implies a continent but the reminifcence that this region 

 fupplies the place of the ideal Terra Auftrahs, after which 

 geographers and navigators have fo long inquired in vain. 

 Mr. Dalrymple (Introd. to CoUeft. of Voyages), whofe 

 judgment in thefe matters cannot be difputed, approves of 

 the two divifions affigntd by De BrofTes. But if thefe fliould 

 be rejefted as divifions of the globe, they mud of courfe be 

 arranged among the " Afiatic iflands ;" and in this cafe the 

 appellation may be ftill retained. The length of Auilralafia 

 may be computed from 95' of E. longitude to 185°, that 

 is 90° in lat."30% or nearly 5000 geographical miles ; while 

 the breadth, N. lat. 3° to S. lat. 50^, will be 3 180 geogra- 

 phical miles. "The weftern boundary of Auilralafia may 

 be taken in the meridian from the fouth of Sumatra, or 

 extended to 100°, or even 90°, eaft from Greenwich; but 

 as few or no ifle? of confequence have yet been difcovered in 

 that direftion, the ftrift demarcation may be difcovered by 

 future circumftances. A like obfei-valion may be applied 

 to the fouthern boundary of Auftralafia, wliich, as including 

 New Zealand, and fome ifles not far diftant, muft be extended 

 to the fouthern latitude of 50^^, or even of 60", where the 

 idands of ice begin to appear. The moll difficult boun- 

 daries are thofe on the north and eaft. A wide and vacant 

 channel feems to divide the north-weft part of Notafia, or 

 New Holland, from the ifles of Sunda, or Sumatran chain. 

 From the north cape of Van Diemen, E. long. 131° from 

 Greenwich, a line afcends to the north between the Indian 

 and Pacific oceans, leaving in the former the ifles of Banda, 

 Ceram, Myfol, and Gilolo ; while in the Pr-cific, and belong- 

 ing to Auftralafia, are Timorla'ut, Waijoo, and other illes 

 iminediatelv connected with Papua. This line being ex- 

 tended in the fame diredtion about two degrees to the north 

 of the equator, turns eaft into a wide channel of feparation 

 between the Carolines, 5:c. and New Ireland, and other ifles 

 belonging to Auftralafia. Bending foutli-eall, fir Jofeph 

 Banks's ifles and the New Hebrides are left in Auftralafia, 

 while a confiderable interval leaves the Feejee iflands in 

 Polynefia. Theace a wide and open fea gives the line of 

 deinarcatiou an ample fweep, about fix or leven degrees, to 



I 



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the eaft of New Zealand, when bending S. W. it joins the 

 fouthern boundary." 



" From thefe indications it will be perceived, that Auftra- 

 lafia contains the following countries : i. The central and 

 chief land of Notafia, or New Holland, with any ifles which 

 may be difcovered in the adjacent Indian ocean, twenty 

 degrees to the W., and between twenty and thirty de- 

 grees to the E., including particularly all the large iflands 

 that follow. 1. Papua, or New Guinea. 3. New Britain, 

 and New Ireland, with the Solomon ifles. 4. New Caledonia, 

 and the New Hebrides. 5. New Zealand. 6. The large 

 ifland called Van Diemen's land, recently difcovered to be 

 fcparated from New Holland by a iliait, or rather channel, 

 called Bafs's ftrait." See the feveral articles. Pinkerton's 

 Mod- Geog. vol. ii. p. 431 — 464, &|. 



AUSTRALASI jE, in Eniomulogy, a fpecies of Blatta, 

 very frequently found in fhijjs that have vifited the iflands in 

 the South feas. It is of a ferruginous colour, with a white 

 rino- on the thorax ; and a Ultle white fine at the bafe of the 

 wing-cafes. Fabricius, &c. 



Australasi;f., one of the New Holland fpecies of 

 Phalsna, defcribed by Fabricius in his Spec. Inf. The 

 wings reddifti-orange ; bale of the lower ones beneath fer- 

 ruginous. Muf. fir J. Banks. 



AusTRALAsiiE, a fpecies of Scorpio, <lefcribed by 

 Forfter as a native of the iflands in the Southern ocean. It 

 is diftinguiflied by having combs with fix teeth, and the 

 hands, or hand-claws being fmooth. Tlie body is rather 

 deprefled ; brown above, paler beneath ; extreme joint of 

 the tail and legs pale. 



AUSTRALASIAN Snake, in Zoology, a trivial name 

 affigned by Dr. Shaw to a fpecies of Coluber that is 

 figured in White's Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales; 

 and which he defcribes as a blackifli-brown fnake, fpeckled 

 with yellow, with very narrow fcuta, and abdomen clouded 

 with brown and yellow. This is a large fnake, meafuring 

 nine or ten feet, and is rather flender in proportion to its 

 length. The number of abdominal fcuta, and fubcaudal 

 fcales, from the imperfeft manner in which the dried fl<ins 

 of this kind have been preferved, has not yet been afcertained. 



AL^STRALE, in Conchology, a fpecies of Buccinum, 

 found in rivers in New Zealand. The fliell is oblong, 

 fmooth, thin, fafciated ; aperture ovate and entire. Obf. 

 This appears to be an intermediate fpecies between the Buc- 

 cinum, Bvflla, and Helix genera. Gmelin. 



AUSTRALIS Corona, in AJlronomy. See Corona 

 AuJlraVis. 



AusTRALis Pijch, is a conftellation of the fouthern he- 

 mifphere, being one of the forty-eight conftelUitions men- 

 tioned by the ancients, not vifiblein our latitude. The ftars 

 in Ptolemy's catalogue are iS; and in the Britannic cata- 

 logue 24. The ftar Fomahaut, of the firft magnitude, is 

 \i\ the mouth of this fifli. 



ArsTRALis, in Conchoh^y, a fpecies of Haliotis, ra- 

 ther exceeding three inches in length, and two inches in 

 breadth. This flicU is varied with grey, blueilh, and red ; 

 form ovate, convex, and cancellated ; i'pire promineiil and 

 inflated. Found adhering to the rocks upon the coaft of 

 New Zealand. Within, this kind is very pearly, and finely 

 gloffed with red and yellow. 



AusTRALis, a fpecies of Murex that is found in t!ic 

 South Seas. The Ihell is ovate, with longitudinal llri^ ; 

 lip undulated ; whorls of the fpire guttered ; firft whorl 

 turgid with four plaits ; fecond with three pliiitr;. Gmel. 

 Spengl. This fticU bears affinity to Murex ftramineus ; is 

 about an inch and a half in length ; of a ilraw colour, with 

 a yellow pillar; and hp pure white. 



ArsTRALis, 



