cluding New Zealand and Chathan Island; and which may be extended, on the south, as far as 60°, where the fields of ice begin to appear, or even further. As yet, however, no islands of any consequence have been discovered in a latitude lower than 50° south; and, consequently, on that side, the strict demarcation must be left open to the labors of future navigators. As at present laid down, they comprise the central and chief land of Notasia, or New Holland,-Papua, or New Guinea,New Britain and New Ireland, with the Solomon Isles,—New Caledonia and the New Hebrides,-New Zealand,—Van Dieman's Land,-Kerguelen's Islands, or Islands of Desolation,and the Islands of St. Paul and Amsterdam,-together with numerous reefs and islets of coral, scattered over the Australian

seas.

It is considered probable that the extreme northern parts of Papua, or New Guinea, were not wholly unknown to the Chinese but, it is pretty certain that their discoveries extended no lower,-as none of the countries lying to the south of that position appear to be, in any way, indicated by the celebrated Marco Paolo. However this may be, the western world owes its acquaintance with them to that species of philosophy which guided Columbus to the discovery of America. A belief had long prevailed, in speculative geography, that the balance of land and water pointed out the existence of a great southern continent, or Terra Australis,—supposed to lie in the Southern or Antartic Ocean, towards the pole. This theory, for two centuries, excited the rapacity of the different Euro

pean states; and expedition after expedition was fitted out, for the purpose of discovering, and appropriating the imagined treasures of this terra incognita.

The earliest European navigators in this part of the globe were the Spaniards and Portuguese;—who, (from an ancient map, lodged in the British Museum, and which Pinkerton examined,) appear to have been acquainted with the eastern coast of New Holland, now known by the name of New South Wales:→→ and, in 1606, the Spanish Pedro Fernandez de Quiros performed that celebrated voyage in which he discovered the New Hebrides, and indulged himself with the belief that he had, at length, found the long-sought southern continent. These adventurers were supplanted by the Dutch; who are the chief discoverers in this quarter between the years 1616,-when the western extremity of New Holland was explored by Hartog,and 1644,—about which time the famous Tasman performed almost a circuit of Australia, and fell in with the southern land of Van Dieman, together with New Zealand and some isles of less consequence.

These discoveries were followed up by many others, previous to the voyages of our own immortal Cook, in 1768, 1772, and 1776 :-"but the superior amplitude and accuracy of the details obtained by him," observes Pinkerton, " may be almost said to amount to a new discovery." He explored the whole of these seas,-examined the discoveries, and corrected the charts of former navigators,-ascertained, with precision, the relative positions of the different islands, and the figures of

their coasts, and expelled the ideal continent of the south from geography.

The vast island of New Holland-almost as large as all Europe, has been considered, by some geographers, as entitled to the appellation of a continent,—and as being, in itself, a sufficient compensation for the terra incognita of theorists. As, however, it has only lately been discovered that Van Dieman's Land (which was, formerly, supposed to be a part of New Holland,) is separated from it, by a channel called Basse's Strait,— and, as other islands in these seas, formerly supposed to be one, have been ascertained to be similarly divided,-it seems probable that this extensive land (of the interior of which but little can be said to be yet known, notwithstanding the recent expeditions undertaken for the purpose of exploring it,) will be found, when more fully examined, to consist of two or more islands, intersected by narrow seas. It does not appear that the late journeys of Mr. Oxley and others have done much towards setting this question at rest: and the title of "Australia" has been adopted for this poem,-as, not only, better adapted to poetic purposes than Australasia,—but, also, as being somewhat more expressive of a division of the globe, composed of numerous distinct parts, none of which is known to claim a more dignified title than that of island.

There is not a more sublime theory in geography than the one alluded to, in the conclusion of this poem. There is scarcely a league in the Pacific or Indian Oceans which is not spotted by a coral formation, in one or other of its various

stages of progression,-from a mere rock, just shewing its head above water, to a fertile and inhabited island. For an account of these corals, and their wonderful labors, the reader is referred to Captain Flinders's narrative of his voyage in the Pacific; and, also, to the Supplement to the Encyclopædia Britannica. Their slow and imperceptible toil is, continually raising new structures throughout these seas,-which harden, with time, and become solid and ever-increasing masses, from the base to the summit: till, visited by the birds of ocean, they receive, from them, the seeds of trees and plants, from adjacent islands; and exhibit, by degrees, all the beauties of vegetation,-inviting some wandering tribe to come, and fix its habitation among their primæval fruits and flowers. Whether the whole of the islands throughout these seas are the result of a process like this, it is impossible to determine, with such data as we at present possess :-but it is to this theory, in its extent, that an allusion is, likewise, made, towards the close of the first part of this poem. To the eye of geologists, the isles of Sunda, the Moluccas, and others in the Indian Ocean, are gradually enlarging and the time must come however remote,—when Australasia and Polynesia, with the Asiatic Islands, will unite to form one vast continent with Asia,-excepting where the currents, created by these very causes, shall operate to prevent their universal extension. However overwhelming may be the idea of the disproportion between the agent and the effect,—a -world built by atoms!-this result is physically certain: and the waters of the ocean, in their search for a new bed, must

destroy one of the old continents. The theory is somewhat more arbitrary which assigns that fate to Africa; but, it proceeds upon the supposition that the most useless and exhausted will perish. In this case, the Atlantic, Indian, and Southern oceans will be united; and,-owing to the rapid progress which is now making in the moral and religious cultivation of America, the time will probably come when (upon the foregoing supposition,) Asia will be the only unchristianized portion of the globe. As, however, it would, then, be embraced, on all sides, by Christian nations, the author has ventured to render the preceding theory available for the purposes of poetry; and to couple it with that scriptural prophecy which proclaims the universal extension of Christianity over the whole earth,—a prophecy, in the fulfilment of which, Britain (from her labours, in the east and in the west,) is, in every point of view, entitled to the principal share of merit, as an agent.

It is remarkable that, in this great division of the globe, there is no animal of a ferocious character, but Man. The natives of many of the islands,—and, particularly, those inhabiting that part of New Holland with which we are most intimately acquainted, are in the earliest stage of society which has yet been discovered, in any part of the world. There remain amongst them, as far as we yet know, no positive means of determining their origin. It is certain that a large portion of the Australian population is stamped with the African or Negro character ;and this circumstance has induced some to assign to their aboriginal tribes a descent from the inhabitants of Madagascar, or