Wefternmoft part o f the South-Sea, lies a fraall ifle, which has- obtained
the name o f Norfolk-Ifland: aimofli its whole vegetation
correiponds with .that o f New-Zeeland, whofe North end is not
far diftant from i t ; only fome allowances muft be made for the
greater mildnefs o f the climate, which gives every plant a greater
luxuriance o f growth, ^Peculiar to this iile,: and to the Eallern end
©f Caledonia, we found a .Ipecies o f coniferous tree, from the cones
probably feeming to be a cyprefs : it grows here to a great fize, and
is .very heavy but ufeful timber.
I I . S T A T I C ) N S.
As the South-fea is bounded on one fide by America, on the
«ther by Alia, the plants,» which grow in its ifles, partly refemble
thofe o f the two continents; and the nearer they are either to the
one or the other, the more the vegetation partakes |o f it. Thus
the Eafternmofl: ifles.contain a greater number o f American, than
o f Indian plants; and again, as we advance farther to the Weft, the
refemblance with India becomes more ftrongly difcernible. There
afe, however, Angular exceptions to this general rule : thus, for
inftance, we find the gardenia and morus papyrifera, both Eaft-In-
dian plants, only in the Eafterly groupes o f the Friendly and Society
Ifles; the T a c c a o f Rumph, which is likewife an Indian
ipecies, is only found in the Society Ifles. . On the other hand,:
fome
fome American fpecies. da not appear tillwe reach the Weftern Ifles, v e g e -
ealled the Hebrides, which are however the fartheft removed, from k i n g d o m
that continent.. Part o f thfife exceptions are perhaps owing to the
inhabitants, | who*, 'being o f a more civilized nature in the Eafterly
ifles, have.brought feveral. plants with them from India, for cultivation,
which the others have, n e g le d te .d .T h e fome circumftance
alfo, accounts for.the.arriyalof the fpontaneous Indian fpecies in thefe
Eafternmofl: ifles ; they being probably, as I have already obferved,
brought among the feeds o f the cultivated forts. In confirmation
o f which, it may be alledged, that the Indian ipecies are commonly
found on the plains in the. Society Ifles,. and the fpontaneous
American fpecies on the mountains, 7
A few plants are common to all the climates o f the South Sea.;
among thefe is chiefly, the celery,, and a fpeeies o f fcurvy grafs
(Arabis): both which are generally found in the. low iflands between
the tropics, on: the beaches of New Zeeland,, and on. the burnt
iflands o f Tierfa del Fuego. Several' other fpecies feem to have
obviated, the differences in the climate by a higher or lower fituation:
a plant, for inftance,. which occupies the higheft fummits of the
mountains at O-Taheitee,. (or any of the Society Ifles) and grows
only as a ihrub, in New Zeeland is found in. the valley, and forms
a tree of confiderable height; nay the difference isfenfible in different
parts of New Zeeland it fe lf: thus a fine flirubby tree at Duflcy
Bay