20 GEOGRAPHY. 



assemblage of huge insular masses of land, occupying the -western parts of the 

 Pacific, and extending southwards from Eastern Asia. These great oceanic 

 tracts consist of : 1, New Holland, often called Australia ; 2, Van Diemen's 

 Land ; 3, New Zealand ; 4, Papaa ; 5, New^ Britain, New Ireland ; 6, Solo- 

 mon's Island ; 7, New Hebrides ; 8, New Caledonia ; 9, Polynesia. Of these 

 New Holland is by fjir the most extensive, embracing an area of nearly 3,000,- 

 000 square miles, with a length of 2600 miles from east to w^est, and 2000 

 from north to south. It is included between 10° 30^ and 39° south latitude, 

 and between 112° 20' and 153° 40' longitude, east of Greenwich. It is 

 watered partly by the Indian, partly by the Pacific Ocean. The former in- 

 dents the north shore in the Gulf of Carpentaria, and separates the Continent 

 from Papua or New Guinea, in Torres Straits. Bass Strait separates it to 

 the south from Van Diemen's Land. 



Little is known of the Mountains of New Holland, excepting that they con- 

 stitute a rocky wall running nearly round the whole island. Their highest 

 summits do not appear to exceed 3000 feet. Mount Kosciusko is said to be 

 the loftiest, next to which come Mounts Bellenden, Elliot, Abbon, Mitchell, 

 Cockburn, Rugged, Sterling, and Round Mountains. 



The principal Capes are Wilson's promontory, the extreme south point. Cape 



■ Leeuwin (south-western point), Cape Escarpee (westevn point). Cape Grenville 

 ■ (northern), and Sandy Cape (most eastern point). 



The principal Rivers on the eastern coast are the Brisbane, the Hastings, 



■ and the Hawksbury ; on the south coast, the Murray, with its tributaries, the 

 '•' Morumbidgee and Darling ; on the western coast. Swan River. 



Van Diemen's Land lies to the south of New Holland, of which it may be 

 considered an island. It contains an area of 27,192 square miles. New Zea- 

 land comes next in point of importance, ranging parallel to the south of New 

 '' Holland, with a broad intervening expanse of ocean ; area 62,160 statute 



■ square miles. Papua is the largest mass next to New Holland, being from 

 1200 to 1400 statute miles in length, and varying from 150 to 200 miles in 

 breadth. It possesses various mountains of great elevation. New Britain 

 and New Ireland are the largest of a group of islands beginning at the north- 

 eastern boundary of New Guinea, and ranging in a circuitous line parallel to 

 New Holland. The area has been estimated at 16,000 statute square miles. 

 Solomon's Islands form an archipelago lying east of New Guinea. The New 

 Hebrides are situated to the south-east of the preceding. New Caledonia is 

 ,a large island 250 miles long and sixty broad, forming the southern termina- 



' tion of the great chain of archipelagoes to the east of New Guinea and New 

 Holland. 



The islands constituting the extended group called Polynesia, although 

 in all strictness excluded from Australia, may yet be considered in this 



''■place for the sake of convenience. First among them are the Society 

 Islands, including Tahiti, Eimeo, Ulietea, Huahine, (fee. The Paumotu 

 group is a series of very low coral islands, extending E.S.E. from the 

 Society Islands. Pitcairn's Island, Easter Island, and Cook's Island, are of 

 small size. The Sandwich Islands constitute a solitary group far north of 



••the mam range. They are ten in number, of which eight are habitable. 

 ■ 20 



