blended under one denomination, as was long fince obferyed-by. the
learned prefidentDe Broffea, who, nearjy half a centuIyflagOj prop%d
that the countries to the fouth of Afi&i namelyv New- Holland, Ne.w
Guinea-, and .New Zealand, &c., fhould be ftyled Aujlralafia, and the
numerous files in the Pacific Pplynefm,. from a Greek term implying
many illands.' The denominations propofed by this learned author
have, appeared unexceptionable to moll men of -fcience ; but the abfurd
.names impofed by ignorant Teamen and map-makers of all countries
have, as. ufual, prevailed, whence -we have new countries which bear
not the moft diftant refemblance of the old, and New South Wales has
| become apart of N ew Holland ! It is deeply to be regretted that fcien-
. tific works mull continue to be difgraced by names impofed by whim
and caprice, and that a Board of Nomenclature was not added to the
Board’o f Longitude, to fix with due deliberation the ‘appellation^ proper
to be conferred. I f there Be a native name it ought, ip. .eiftryljnftarxpe,
to defecye the preference, as length may be ahrevIat^,fanid-TougB®fs
fmpctthed; but where a general appellation Is,unknowrrtp tireTmalT
favage tribes, the names o f moparchs, and other greij eneouragers df
dilcpyeryi and thole o f eminent navigatcgs.'may.jSe*. impofed. with a
, Latin termination^ fo 'as to pafs into all European languages, with as
little change as poffible. It is to he.wilhed that even now a board-of
this kind were inftituted, to be held in London, but attended by learned
deputies, from Portugal, Spain, Holland, and France, that the claims of
prior difcovery may be fairly. inveftigated,'and the name of the fir ft
princely protestors or navigators impofed, to the lafting prefervation of
their memory. Amidft the choice of denominations, that of New fhould
be difmified, as of all others the moft abfurd and improper, and calculated
to infer refemblances where none exift.
As the name of Aullraiafia has been adopted by many men of fcience,
in various extents and applications, it may be proper firft to liften,
to the'original inventor.*
“ But in this immenfe extent of regions, which are to form the object
of the refearches about to be detailed, how. numerous are the diffe-
1 Hiftoire de8 Navigations, aux Terres Auftralea. PariG, 1756,. 2 vols. /[.to.
* De Brotfes, ib. u 79.
4 rent
. ent countries, leliftatesj màmers, :.ànf races. cffoanlfmd f The.-fight
would be dazzled and confounded i f care were not exerted to relieve it,
and fix lts attention, b f divifions- marked from diftance to diftance.
Theft ought to 'b é diMngülfhed with regard to the.progreft'of our
knowledge, and at the fame time with regard to the natural difpofition
of the objeds. Our. globe is compofcd of three large extents .of land,
Afia, Africa, kfigfe exfe-rits of-water, the’
‘Ethiopian, or Indian' ocean, the Atlantic, and' the -Pacific. In like
manner the “auftral world ma^ Be ;di-Fided into'»three portions, each to
‘th'e'Tbuth of'the three aWe-ipentiohed, - 'The ftft-.m-»fte'-'fàdian ocean
H t M f e Alia, 'which cbnfeqnefi^^fel^ darned Amiral aft a:
f ' Ml>"call MagÆamcà, -from the
name o f the difcoverer, ‘begins at the fouthern ppmt-Wthe American
•«Muent, and cooipfehendsn a}l that may -thence extend under tfil
fouthern point of Africa, where a. long undiïcoverêd eoaft is fuppofed
ftyjexift. I fhal-1 comprife in the third all that is contained’ ia the Waft
Pacffid-otrean, andThall give to tMs divifron »the name of Polyne/ia, on
accminf o f the :great mtKitude é f l^lndSi^ ; g
Stifflx were the ideas» b f that eminent writer, alike diftMgikibed for
the extent of Ms érudition, the elegance and precifiofi o f his tafte, and
the5 eo^ptehenfion and cleamds df h-is judgment. I But it muft be re-
fiesftçd'Üiaï at the time o f his mterefting^c-bmpilation, the difcoveries ©f
our’ immbrtal Cook had not-taken place,’ and the e-xiftence -of a Terra
Auftfalis, tor undiftov^redeontinept in-the fouth, was generally credited.
Tbe-iMagetlanicâ o f -De Brpffes' may therefore pafs into1 obl&yion, a§
Ù^.CQn.tin&nt, nôr perhaps even files,, e-xift so the» fouth o f Americk
where indeed of’all pofifi-ons they »were the leaft to'be expeéfed. But
the two .other appellafions begin more and mpfie to'».be admitted.among
feicndfie metg from whom .they will gradually pafs to the people, »as
ought- to be theijgfegrdfs'. ».
While the term Aujlrdafia may be juftly applied to what is called
New Holland, and the circumjacent lands, the name o f that large
ifland itfelf, To abfurdly joined with New South Wales, might perhaps
Europe fee ms here coniidered by the learned Prefident as -a mere .elongation ©f the con-
toqftgf Afia. \ t t p ’ - 1 6 \ ’ ■
I i i S § k . •" S t be