18 PACIFIC ISLANDS. 
Vaitupu - - : : - trends - - - N. 56° W. 
Tarawan - - - - - oe - N. 42° W. to N. 25° W. 
Marshall—Ralick line - - : o - - - N. 87° W. 
Radack line - - se - : - N. 30° W. 
Vanikoro - - - - : ac - - - N. 44° W. 
New Hebrides - - : - oc - - - N. 40° W. 
Britannia - - : : . ee - - - N. 40° W. 
New Caledonia - - : - sc - - - N. 40° W. 
Flinders” - - : - - 06 - - - N. 45° W. 
North extremity of New Zealand - ‘6 - - - N. 50° W. 
Salomon Islands - - - “ - - - N., 57° W. 
Louisiade to New Guinea - - ne - - - N. 56° W. 
New Ireland - - - - ec - - - N. 65° W. 
2. Northeastward trend. 
Tonga Group” - - - - a6 - : - Ni22°58K. 
Feejees, Eastern side - - <iieanks - - - N. 23° E. 
Western side - - - ae - - - N. 40° E. 
Kermadec Group - - aT ns: - - : N. 15205. 
New Zealand - - - - Se - - - N. 30° E. 
Ladrones - : - = : ob - N. 22° E. to N. 10° E. 
Pelew Group - - - : ee - N. 22°E. to N. 25° E. 
Surveying the Pacific Ocean, we distinguish not only a prevail- 
ing northwesterly or southeasterly trend in the separate groups; but 
the collection of islands, viewed as a whole, stretch off from the Asiatic 
continent in the same direction. ‘The relation of the New Hebrides 
and Salomon Islands to New Guinea is scarcely more apparent than 
that of this vast oceanic archipelago to lands of the northwest. We 
see further that this grand system of island ranges is bounded on 
either side by continent ranges having the same direction; for on one 
side lies the coast of Mexico and California, with mountains trending 
nearly parallel with the Hawaiian Islands, and on the other the coast 
of New Holland, trending in the same direction.* 
But this view of the topography of the ocean may be much sim- 
plified by a closer attention to the relations of the several groups. 
We may thus refer all the different lines to a few grand chains tra- 
versing the ocean. ‘They are as follows :— 
* The trend of the south shore of Gulf Carpentaria, and the same line continued along 
the eastern coast to the east Cape of Australia, is parallel with that of the line by the 
Salomon Islands and New Hebrides or New Caledonia. ‘The prolongation of the north 
Cape gives the whole northeast shore a more northerly course than correctly represents 
the system in Australia. 
