AUSTRALASIA.
A vague and indistinct idea long prevailed among the more enlightened European nations, that an im mense continent existed at the south pole of the world, which they denominated Terra Australis In This, from the capes and islands casually seen by navigators, was supposed to extend over many degrees of the polar. regions ; and sanguine hopes were indulged, that in future periods its shores might be visited and surveyed in safety. Later researches, however, have proved the fallacy of these expectations : they have ascertained, that if there is any continent, it can be only of a limited size, and that it is guarded on all sides by an impenetrable b..r rier of ice. Modern geographers have nevertheless testified an inclination to subdivide the vast expanse of southern hemisphere explored in voyages undertaken to discover the Terra Australis, and to call one portion of it by the new appellation of Australasia. We acknowledge that we entertain considerable doubts of the expediency of this improvement on geographi cal nomenclature, and we also hesitate in admitting the proposed division as the best that can be made ; for we cannot help suspecting, that the readiness evinced to receive it, arises less from a conviction of its utility, than from that propensity to innovation in nomenclature, which is now so prevalent, and which has plunged entire sciences into absolute confusion. Although we may justly question, whe ther the establishment of •boundaries, by lines drawn through a trackless ocean, can prove of 'material ad vantage, we agree, that the concentration of our views, by any striking limits, cannot fail to be bene ficial ; especially when the judgment is liable to be distracted by a great variety of objects presented without order or arrangement. Australasia, accord ing to the proposed division, extends from 3° of north latitude to .500 south, and from 95° of east lon gitude to 185° • thus comprehending a surface of 5000 miles in length, by about 3180 in breadth. Geographers, however, have not yet condescended on the exact limits under which it is to be included, particularly towards the northeastern parts ; and therefore though we have assumed the same boun daries that some of the latest authors have done, yet we do not consider them as by any means completely fixed.
The name Australasia is said to have been origi nally proposed by M. de Brosses, a skilful geogra pher; who meant to comprehend under it the coun tries south of Asia, including New Holland, New Zealand, and New Guinea. This suggestion pro
ceeded, in a great measure, from the belief of a south ern continent towards the pole being still undiscovered ; but, independent of this circumstance, his reasons-bear much weight when considered in another point of view : " In the immense extent of regions about to be ex posed," he observes, " how ',various are the coun tries, the climates, the manners, and races of men. Were not some fixed points assumed from place to place, our judgment would be bewildered. Divi sions, relative to the progress of our knowledge, and also preserving due regard to physical circumstances, should be laid down. Four great portions of land, Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, constitute the world : and there are three wide extents of ocean, the Indian, or Ethiopic ; the North, or Atlantic ; and the South, or Pacific. The unexplored southern regions may be divided into three portions, corresponding to 'them ; each division being to the southward of one of the three portions of land. That to the south of Asia, in the Indian Ocean, I shall, on this account, call Australasia." A fifth part of the world would thus be constituted, bearing a reasonable proportion in size to the others in point of the land it contained. De Brosses had also proposed another subdivision of the southern hemisphere, which would have further contributed to preserve equality.
Australasia, according to the limits which we now ascribe to it, is larger than the whole of Europe. The principal countries it includes are,-1. The im mense island, if it may be called such, of New Hol land, nearly 2000 miles in breadth, and almost 1700 in length ; 2. Van Diemen's Land ; • 3. Papua, or New Guinea ; I. New Britain, :-.nd New Ireland ; 5. The Arsacides, or Solomon's Islands ; 6. New Caledonia ; 7. New Zealand. Besides these, which presen't the most prominent terrene objects in Aus tralasian geography, there are hundreds, pi•Jbably thousands, of smaller and detached islands, many of which have never been accurately surveyed, and it is highly probable that some arc still unknown. Compar, ed with all the other land in Australasia, New Holland may safely be calculated of tenfold greater size ; and it is likely that three-fourths of the whole regions con, sist of water. Nevertheless, we may deem the views of the older geographers as in some part fulfilled, by s including such extensive tracts of land in Australasia.