20 PACIFIC ISLANDS. 
so far distant, with only a few intermediate points, that we barely 
suggest this idea, without laying any stress upon it. 
VIII. Tonea Rance.—The Tonga Group is continuous with New 
Zealand through the Kermadec Islands, and may be considered as 
extending to Macquarie Island, which lies in the same course. The 
whole length is therefore about 2900 statute miles. _ 
It is worthy of remark, that the Samoan, Fakaafo, Fanning, and 
Hawaiian Groups range in a single line. While, therefore, the 
Samoan chain is the back-bone of the Pacific, the group Samoa 
is situated also in the course of the great transverse chain of the 
ocean. 
IX. Laprone RancEe.—This range includes some islands to the 
north of the Ladrones, and may be about 1000 miles in length. 
The idea of mountain chains in an ocean may to some appear 
hypothetical. Yet on reflection, it must be apparent that we should 
find this to be simple truth, were the ocean’s bottom laid bare. The 
islands would be found to be but the summit peaks of the great 
ranges that rib this watered portion of our globe. Could we in such 
a case take a bird’s eye view over the six thousand miles between 
New Holland and Mexico, we should see some of the most extensive 
mountain chains of the world: the Samoan stretching over its 3800 
miles, the Hawaiian its 2000, and others no less remarkable, all pre- 
serving a systematic regularity, which seems even to exceed the regu- 
larity of continental chains. The height of summits in these chains, 
measured from the bottom of the ocean, would exceed the most 
majestic peaks of the Himmaleh range. Even allowing but three 
miles for the depth of the sea near Hawaui, and Mount Loa will stand 
30,000 feet above its base. 
We cannot fully understand the bearing and importance of the 
foregoing facts, without considering their correspondence with the 
general topography of the earth. We thus learn that no new prin- 
ciples in physical geography have been indicated, but simply a con- 
formity toa system marked in the very structure of the globe. We 
might follow the subject farther by pointing to the examples of similar 
trends in the Atlantic Islands, and in the mountain ranges and coast- 
lines of the continents. But it would lead us too far from the topic 
immediately before us, and we defer it to a future chapter. 
Without entering into any speculations, we may continue our state- 
ment of facts respecting the Pacific ranges, by mentioning certain 
