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Rh was discovered by the Dutch navigator, Tasman; the French and Spaniards both lay claim to a previous discovery, but the evidence they offer is very doubtful. Tasman was sent in 1612 by Van Dieman, Governor-general of the Dutch East Indies, to explore the coast of New Holland. He made the exploration and called the country Van Dieman's Land, in honor of the Governor-general, but the name has recently been changed to Tasmania. On this voyage he discovered this country, which he called New Zealand, in honor of the province of his birth; he also discovered the archipelagos of the Feejee and Friendly isles, and returned to Batavia, having been absent only ten months.



"Look at the map," continued the Doctor, "and you will see that New Zealand is divided nearly in the centre by a channel of the sea known as Cook Strait. The two islands thus formed are known as North Island and South Island, the former containing forty-eight thousand square miles, and the latter fifty-seven thousand. Beyond South Island is Stewart Island, which is triangular, and measures about thirty-six miles on a side; taken together the three islands remind you of Italy, and are shaped not unlike a boot with its toe towards the north.