ÎÉflJ th’ê întrbduaiôn to the defcription of th<f Âlhttic Iflands,
ïbns for this nëw dmfiônÔÊfhiê earth have heen already Illuftratéd.
It has alfo been oblefvëd that this" appellationlçânnot be juftly extended
to the numerous ifles in the Pacific 'Ocean, 'winch may either be admitted
asa fixth divifion of the glob#, oVcohfidered as a diftinâ: appendage
to Auftrâlafia. But fuch is'the’prodigious extent of the Pacific, that it
rfeeins more proper to regard thefe innumerable iflands âs a^leparate
grand divifion,' the more elpetcially as to connect them with Aiiftralafia
-would infer that they all lay at lead to the fouth _of tj^e .equator, wjiile
-nearly one half is fitüated to the north of that line. Yet a refpeft|for
ancient ufage may occafion Tome delay in the général a^rriiffi'on | | ‘thefe
•new dtSifiims of the earth, and even-in this; work they are notiÊ^^plÿ
admitted, nor intitôled, as fueh ; fettt%arb hïtânged' dîiHficrti's'bf the
Afiatlc quarter, with which théÿ have a grékfei* cöhtie'jfibh'ihan with
any other o f the admitted portions, not only from their relative p&ut|oii,
but beçaufe the language and manners'indicate, even ih thewSfiaote
ifles of Eolynefia, a connexion with the Malays ia fgutherh Afiâ ; p f
paffage from the Afiatic ifles being, as^it were, ftep by^ ftejT; while towards
America there is a wide expanfe, feemingly deftitute ofiflands,
-or of confequent communication.*
* Some recent German geographers have confidered Auftralafia and. Polynefia Jynonyptous
term, in contradiftion, as already explained, to the firit inventor of thefe appellations. It is true
that this fifth part" of the world, as the Germans call it, would not even then exceed the : wide
extent of Afia or America ; but it feems preferable, upon feveral accounts, to. confider Auftralafia
and Polynefia as two great and diftinft m a r i t i m e divifions of the globe. The firft denomination
cannot juftly be applied to iflands which extend thirty degrees to thz'north of the equator,
^ÊBSrn
- It will-occur to the learned,reader that the divifion even 'of the other
quarters of the world is-, in many inftanees, modern and arbitrary.
General Strahlenberg firft fuggefted that the Uralian mountains formed
a natu|*ft{ltharrier between ’ Afia’ and- (Europe, ant(idea whtch'lfa$-been unt-
verfttlly followed. ‘Many of the-aariepts cpnfifler Egypt as a'pjajt of
Afia.;* but the .moderns have.fixed? h, more'*pr ecife and- accurate boundary;
It is perhaps to he wifhed that North and Sbuth,America had
reebLybd diftindt continental appellations, a defeSI: which c'aanot no-wbe
retp-ediedjt But- where no general name has yet been imposed, and the
novelty would contribute greatly to- cl earned and pr^cifio-n^there, fepap
np rational objejStipn to its; a?,cenfatiga. The boundaries between Eu-
rp^e^nd Afia, and between Afia and Africa, may tbq’ qajled arbitrary
iin^si^and even -that .between Afia and America4s only a „ftrait pf thirteen
leagues. $ Sktch beisag the-cafe 'there can be no obj.edti.bn from ufage
to the divijftsns aflumed between Auftralafia and the iflands in the ©rim?
C4liarchipelag;0 ^-or^ ik like manner, fo r the Wefterh bouadaatie&OfP®--
lyne&t..*
Thefe eobfidWarions beings premifed,f?ibWffli be proper briefly .to review
the bohnd&fies o f Auftralafia; for in a work: e f ftjiehce, and. ftill
more i-n one o f generaHnftru<i:ioH^4t-i^more proper to iin'ehr
of repetition than that o f ohfeurity, efpeci&ffy where1 the fufe|&£fe-is new
andhasfoever been properly illuftratedi The weifoita boundary,hs already
mentioned, may be taken in "the meridian from Ab-fontfe of-fhh
heing;6n.the contrary ftrifitly connected.with a pofitian.at teaft to. the fi®tft:ofrthe line. /Polynefia
wop}q,.b6,theref6re far more proper as a general term, but cannot wiib'eyual ^uftice» be applied to
^ w HqllandJ fuppofbilb be a continent, and to .the circumjacent iflandsythe"ch&aAeHftic feature"
°f which 54 not their numier, but'th eir -fixe J- while in Polynefid; as hereacice^teB,'. the 'chaAfteraftic
featurp. confifts in innumerable fmall iflands. The name of Auftralafia becomes alfo the more 'pro-
per,' becaufe it not only implies a continent but the reminifcence that this region fupplies the place
■of^e ideal Terra Auflralis, after which geographers and navigatoh fo'Ioug liitAtjted Sk v$in. The
admilfion of both thefe divifions feems alfo the more defireable, as fame geographers havCfcegretted.
that North and South America had not received diftindt appellations; £0/ too grcat,ex.tei>t in £ny
divifion only leads to laxity and confijfion of ideas, and either a vague Brevity, of a needlefs Hif-
fufio.a of expreffion. Mr. Dalrymple, an excellent judge, approves-of'thefe two divifions .afllgned
by I)c Brofies.' (Pref. to Golka. of Voyages.) ,
If rcje&ed as divifions. of the globe, they'muft qf..e,ouffe be arranged .among therAfiatic
Iflands; in which :caie the appellations jnay be ftill retained. ■ ■
voiL. iri . 3 p H matra,