l a n d s . and called America. Th e third large mafs o f land lies in the South-
Eaft part o f our hemifphere, and its EaRern limits have been, but
lately afcertained by that indefatigable and intelligent navigator,,
Capt. Cook, An the-year 1770, Its. WeRenn-and Northern limits:
were firR difcovered in 1616 and the following years, by the Dutch-
navigators, when a noble Ipirit o f difcovery Rill' animated the governors
o f their Indian lettlements. Since that time it has been v i -
lited, and feverally feen, by Dutch and Englifh navigators, and the
whale was called in 1644 New-Holland, from its firR difcoverers.
Perhaps many will dilfent from me, and refule to' call it a Continent,
though it be little, i f at-all j inferior to Europe, to which no one
has hitherto hefitated to give, that name. I t muR be allowed,, that
New-Holland is at prefent the moR backward o f all the lands called
Continents, in point o f population, and utility to Europe; but
this objection is o f little weight, Gnce it may perhaps, in future
ages, become as populous,-as-any o f the other continents, and
equally ufeful 5 as I believe it to be very likely to fupply the wants
o f European colonies. .
. Wc know this land but imperfectly, and all; our navigators leem
to complain that it is deficient in frefii water and large rivers; but,
had they properly and carefully examined its circuit, elpecially its
South-Wefiern Riores, their enquiries- would perhaps have been rewarded,
with fuccefs; for it i.s, highly probable, that a land o f fo
great
great extent contains high mountains in its interior parts j and
wherever thofe are, there muR be rivers, Thefe would invite European
fettlers j efpecially fuch as would be willing to withdraw
themfelves fr-om the oppreffions o f growing defpotifm in Europe.
T o -fuch fans o f liberty this continent would offer a new and happy
atylum : ,by which means it might become the feat o f fciences and
arts ; happy in its cultivation, the riches o f its productions, and the
number o f its inhabitants.
T h e reR o f the lands, not comprehended under thofe now enumerated,
are only iflands,' In our voyage we touched at the Cape o f
Good Hope in Africa : we faw only the laR fragments o f America
along the coaR o f Tierra del Fuego, and befides thefe, our own
continent from which we came, and to which we again returned.
W e have therefore nothing to fay in particular relative to large lands,
i f we except a Angle -remark, which we collected from the accounts
o f our friends on board -the Adventure, who faw part o f N ew -H o l-
land in 1773. Th e SouthernmoR extremity of-this continent has a
great Rmilarity to all the Southern points and extremities o f continents,
and therefore appears black, rocky, and o f confiderable
* elevation; though farther to the North, the country is even, and
without any remarkably high hills, at lead near the Riores.
C 2 I pre-
* The Cape óf Good Hope prefents a high, bleak, and rocky point. Cape Comorin ÏR
India, and Cape -Froward in America, are both of the fame nature.
L A N D S .