and are unconnected with those tribes. of the human JfRce
who peopled the remote islands of; the Great Qceajp The
Aleutian and Kurilian chains are rather looked upomas forming
the northern' boundary/of this fifth region s of the }wot Id,
and with' the cOasts of Asia and A m e ric a as* completing its
littoral termination. The most northerly gröupes within the
circuit of Oceanica and inhabited by its peculiar races are
the Sandwich Mauds ,in the eastern part,, and the Marian
Islands and the great Archipelago of the Carolines to the west.
The habitable, countries of Oceaniea are various in, their
productions and in their geological formation. The ,great
islands of the Indian Archipelago, situated between *the tpQri
pies, and almost, under tbe-equator, #splay the luxuriance,
Uf vegetation which, belongs dtp intertropieal climates.vuThoy
are covered in many parts by lofty forests pontaining the
largest and fiercest «pachufeds, »great variety of reptyfe and
birds of thee, most splendidpjlumage. , Scusae- of, these countries
are of primitive formation, and this formation perhaps extends
eastward's far as New Zealand, where, as- it is well ,known,
the fossil remains of gigantic birds .have been discovered*
Other oceanict lands, are-of vol^niu-origin, and scape of
these are of great elevation. In the most remote groupes of
the Pacific are mountains consisting of volcanic rocks bearing
summits with craters still burniaag ear effete. The* Phi%-
pines are often agitated by subterranean fires, and the . whole
cluster of the Moluccas are shaken by the;eruptions of the,
fiery Gilolo* On the shores of the lofty Papua, which includes
New Guinea,^. New Britain, and NewrIreland, the
number of burning mountains is unknown. 11 .is already
ascertained that there* are in Oceanica more numerous stOl-
huming volcanos than in all the remainder of the world. The
low islands of Oceanica are of a different description. They
consist of immense masses of coral broken down and accumulated.
Each Maud, has for its foundation a reef of coral
rocks disposed in a form more or less circular, and generally
enclosing a lagoon. Some of these islands, though of considerable
extent, are but a few feet in elevation above the
surface of the surrounding ocean.
* Make-Bran.
In thisgreat region, which presents such immense varieties
of Miniate and soil and geographical position, we should expect
lol fiad,' if any where, great diversities in the physical
characters of the human tribes tb which it affords habitation.
Section IL^ Q f ike Human Inhabitants of Oceanica.—
Different Hacesund Groupes óf Nations*
The tribes of people who inhabit the widely-spread tracts of
this great Oceanic region differ among1- themselves and from
the rest of mankind in physical and moral characters, Borne
of them bear certain traits of resemblance to* tphVrei*. ;.. b."'’ori rfd e""rVi n' gO:
nations of the coasts which surround thé Great Oéeân on
different sides ; but none of these traits areso. strongly marked
or of suchr a kind as to identifyitho 'insular tribes with those
of the adjacent main' lands, or to afford satisfactory proof
that the islanders »re d is e ^A d from the continental nations.
We can neither deduôê the tribés Of the Oceanic isles from
the; races “öf people who inhabit the Pemsfiair Cordillera
on the ©astern border of the great tesin of the oeeany ftbr
from th# HinUh abitan« lt s Mii,f ’ f• t,h Çe iS ou.r th* A> f»r ican •'*m ^o untain-rji.d. Ög eas
which enclose it on the Western side. The Only continental
regioh iwhei'e human tribes 5 exist1 plainly allied the native
races of tbe! »islands is the south-eastern. extteMiiy of Asia,*
on the remarkable promontory which may be regarded as a
southward prolongation of that: continent into4 the Indian
Oöean. There,.-Maamely, in the peninsula Of Maâaéca,—-tribesS
of wild people inhabit inland tracts, who are different from
each other in physical characters, and who bear a marked
resemblance to more tbanonè Of the races-of th l Great Ocean.
It is possible that this may have been the point from which
all these races Originally came. It must, however be observed
that the inhabitants Of the Malayan coast, who are known to
be allied to the natives of the adjacent islands, are believed,
on apparently sufficient grounds, to have been originally
colonies from the islands.
E propose to distinguish the whole Collective body of these
native races of the Great Océan by the name of Oceanic or
b 2