Page:Narrative of a survey of the intertropical and western coasts of Australia, Volume 2.djvu/626

 GoLov.] NATURAL Hig!'ORY. nearly to the water on their west sides; but on the east, and more especially the south-east, they present steep clips; and the same conformation, he adds, seemed to prevail in the other islands � If this structure occurred only in one or two instances, it might be considerect as accidental; but as it obtains in so many cases, and is in harmony with the direction of the ranges, it is not improbably ot' still more extensive oecurrnce, and would intimate a general elevation of the strata towards the south-east. Now on examining the general map, it will be seen, that the lines of the e�on the main land, west of the Oulf of Carpenteria, between Limmen's Bight and Cape Arnhem, --from the bottom of Castlereagh Bay to Point Dale,miens distinctly from Point Pearce, lat. 14 �, long. 129 �, to the western extremity of Cobourg Peninsula,--and from Point Coulomb, lat. 17 �, long. 123 �, to Cape Londonderry, have nearly the same direction ;---the �rst line being about one hundred and eighty geographical miles, the second more than three hundred, and the last more than four hundred miles, in length t. And these lines, though broken + It is deoervJng of notice, that the cout of Timor, the nearest land on the north-west, at the distance of about 300 miles, is aim, nearly 8treight al parallel to the Coast of New Holland in this quarter: part of the mountainous range, of which that island con- siste, being probably more than 9000 feet high; and its length,  the north-eastern extremity to the S.W. of the adjoining island of Rottee, about 300 miles.--But, unfortunately for the hypothesis, a chain of islands immediately on the north of Timor, i8 continued nearly in a right line for more than 1900 miles, (from fermatta Idand to the 80uth-eastern ex.t?mity of Java), in � direction from east to west. Th|8 chain, however, contains several volcanoes, including those of Sumbawa, the ertpt|on of which,.
 * Flinders, Vol. II. p.

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