(Paumotugroup) in a westerly direction, to the North of Society 
Islands, past Samoa and Salomon Islands as far as the Pelew Islands 
(Last of 11 ic Philippme Islands), is pretty nearly the boundary -lino 
between the Low Islands or Atolls to the North, and the Hiyh Islands 
to the South. lie designates the extensive sheet of water between 
said line and the Sandwich Islands, — an area, nearly 2000 sea- 
miles wide and 6000 long, and studded with nearly 200 low Coral 
Islands, — as one vast area of depression. Nearly all the groups of 
islands in this area have a north-westerly course, and an ima- 
ginary line drawn from Pitcairn’s Island in a north-westerly direction 
to N. 52° W. as far as the Japanese Islands, would be the mean- 
line of that field of depression , or the axis of the greatest depression. 
Hut on actually drawing this line upon a map on Mercator’s projection, 
we shall find that a line drawn from Pitcairn’s Island to N. 45° 
W. , — its north-westerly prolongation touching precisely the North- 
coast of the Japanese Island Yezo, — would constitute perhaps with 
still more correctness the mean-line of that area of depression. If 
moreover according to the mean direction of the Southern Alps, 
the highest mountain-range upon the Isles of the South-sea, we 
imagine a line running in the direction of N. 45° E. as the mean 
longitudinal direction of New Zealand, the two lines, viz. the 
above mentioned line of depression and this line of elevation 
intersect each other at right angles. Noteworthy is the circumstance 
that the general geological importance of those two directions 
in the Pacific Ocean displays itself also in the direction of the 
eastern coast-line of the Australian continent. The East-coast of 
Australia and the Westcoast of New Zealand form lines very nearly 
parallel; their distance about 1000 sea-nnles. To the north-easterly 
direction of the line of elevation there correspond upon New Zea- 
land also the principal eruptions , plutonic as well as volcanic; to 
the north-western line of depression , on the other hand, the trans- 
verse ruptures, by which Foveaux and Cook Straits were formed, 
and a third dislocation, to which the N. E. coast-line of North 
Island owes its origin. 
The 
most striking and important feature of New Zealand is 
