394 



parts of the southern hemisphere of the globe. 

 It resembles Africa more in its exterior configu- 

 ration than New Holland. The southern ex- 

 tremities of the three continents are so placed, 

 that in crossing from the Cape of Good Hope 

 (lat. 33° 55') to Cape Horn (lat. 55° 58') and 

 doubling the south point of Van Diemen's land, 

 (lat. 43° 38'), we see those extremities stretch- 

 ing on towards the south-pole in proportion as 

 we advance towards the east. A fourth part of 

 the 571,000 square marine leagues * which 

 South America contains, is covered with moun- 

 tains distributed in chains, or accumulated in 

 groups. The rest are plains forming long un- 

 interrupted bands covered with forests or gra- 

 mma, flatter than in Europe, and rising pro- 

 gressively, at 300 leagues distance from the 

 coast, from 30 to 170 toises above the level of 

 the Ocean. (See above, Vol. iv, p. 310 ; and v, 

 250.) The most considerable chain of South 

 America extends from south to north, accord- 

 ing to the greatest dimension of the continent; 

 it is not central as in Europe, nor far removed 

 from the sea-shore, like Himalaya and Hindoo- 

 Koh ; but thrown towards the western extre- 

 mity of the continent, almost on the coast of 

 the Pacific Ocean. In fixing the eye on the 



* Almost the double of Europe, See above, p. 336. 



