CHAF. I.] PUYSWJL QEOQRAPHY, 



7 



sion of land. The range of islands aouth of Rumatm, a 

 part of tilt; smith coast of Java and of tlie islands east o( 

 it. the west and east end of Timor, portions of all the 

 Moluccas, the K<S and Aru Islands, Waigiou, and tlie 

 whole south and east of Gilolo, consist in a great measure 

 of upraised coral-rock, exactly corresponding to that now 

 forming in the adjacent seas. In many places I have 

 ohserved the unaltered surfaces of the elevated reefs, with 

 great masses of coral standing up in their natural position, 

 and hundreds of shells so fresh -looking tliat it was hard 

 to beUevc that they had been more than a few years out 

 of the water ; and, in fact, it is very probable that such 

 changes have occuri'ed within a few centuries. 



The unit-ed lengths of these volcanic belts is about 

 ninety degrees, or one-fourth of the entire circumference of 

 the globe. Their width is about fifty miles ; but, for a 

 space of two hundred on each side of them, evidences of 

 pubterraneun action are to be found in recently elevated 

 coral-rock, or in barrier coral-reefs, indicating recent sul> 

 mei^ence- In the veiy centre or focus of the great curve 

 of volcanoes is placed the large island of Borneo, in which 

 no sign of recent volcanic action has yet been observed, 

 and where earthquakes, so characteristic of the surround- 

 ing regions, are entirely unknown. The equally Itirgt? 

 island of New Guinea occupies another rpiiesnent area, on 

 ^^•hich no sign of volcanic aetion has yet been discovered. 

 AVith the exception of the eastern end of its northern 

 peninsula, the lai:ge and curiously-shaped island of Celebes 

 is also entirely free from volcanoes ; and there is some 

 reason to belifjTe that the volcanic portion has once formed 

 a separate island. The Malay Peninsula is also non- 

 volcanic, 



The first and most obvious division of the Archipelago 

 would therefore be into i[uiescent and volcanic regions, 

 and it nught, perhaps, be expected that such a division 

 would correspond to some differences in the character of 

 the vegetation and the forms of life. This is the case, 

 however, to a very limited extent; and we shall presently 

 see that, althougli tliis development of sul)terraiiean fires 

 is on so vast a scale, — has piled up chains of mountains 

 ten or twelve thousand fe^t high — has broken up conti- 



