11 
in corals and sponges even to Tasmania ; also Terebratula, 
Trigonia, and a variety of mollusca, unknown in Europe ex- 
cepting as fossils. Hence the entombed organic remains of 
that part of the world present no indications whatever of the 
lands having shifted from other climes, as we see in the 
northern hemisphere. We have many unequivocal proofs of 
the comparatively modern origin of the lands of the southern 
hemisphere, and that they gradually emerged from the sea, but 
they are occasionally subject here and there to somewhat rapid 
upheavals, as seen in New Zealand and on the coast of Chili, as 
described in my former paper. 
To determine the probable age of the lands of the south 
temperate zone, we can have no assistance from the organic 
remains ; we can only be guided by astronomical observations 
and the space traversed from the parallel of emersion in the 
south to the parallel now occupied. However, this is quite 
sufficient for my object, and as the fact of the 20" per annum 
movement has been well proved in all parts of the world, and, 
indeed, is recorded in the Nautical Almanac as an essential 
element to be taken into account in all our astronomical 
observations to insure accuracy, the ages of the lands referred 
to can be determined within a few centuries, 
I shall take the southern part of Australia to the latitude of 
30° S. as an example; and as this parallel will embrace also 
the whole of New Zealand, Tasmania, Cape of Good Hope, 
Patagonia, La Plata, and Chili, the computation will serve for 
all. The result of the various explorations which have been 
made in the Antarctic Sea shows that no permanent land on 
which animals and plants can exist emerges and remains above 
the level of the sea until it reaches the parallel of about 
50° lat. S. All the so-called lands, with the exception of 
Terra del Fuego and its neighbourhood (which is a hard mass 
of primary rock), are mere shifting sands and gravels, con- 
stantly subject to be washed away by the streams and icebergs 
flowing from the south polar region towards the north. 
If, then, we take the parallel of 50° as the starting-point 
from which Australia and the other lands mentioned emerged 
from the deep, it follows that, according to the rate of move- 
ment of 20 " per annum in the meridian, the lands bounded 
by the parallel of 30° lat. S. can only be 3,600 years old at 
most. They might have first risen from the deep in the parallel 
of 45°, which, indeed, is highly probable, as they contain but a 
small amount of terrestrial deposits, and predominate in loose 
sands and gravel with marine shells, indicating comparatively 
recent origin; this would reduce the age to about 2,700 years. 
According to the present rate of rising in Australia, four- 
