seen elsewhere, and the total want of animals which are numerous in other countries. But the most striking, perhaps, of Australian peculiarities is the sameness of those natural features on every part, that has yet been visited, of a line of coast some thousand miles in extent. In North America, and still more in Europe, a difference of latitude, or even of longitude, is generally attended with remarkable differences of soil, climate, and natural productions: whereas throughout Australia, south of the tropic, the climate, allowing for differences of mere temperature in different latitudes, appears to be every where the same; and the soil presents every where the same peculiar features, supporting every where the same peculiar vegetation and the same peculiar animals; from Moreton Bay near the tropic on the East, through Port Jackson, Port Philip, the Tamar, Nepean Bay, Port Lincoln, King George's Sound, and the Swan River, to Shark's Bay near the tropic on the West. From the extent to which this peculiarity of sameness is known, we may infer that it will be more fully established.
In other words, from the perfect sameness of all the known parts of this vast region, we may conclude that such sameness extends to the parts which are still unknown. The discovery of a part of the coast differing materially in its natural circumstances from the other parts, would astonish those who are acquainted with all that is known at present. Such persons will take for granted that South Australia enjoys the great natural fertilizing power which arises from rainy and dry seasons, because they know that New South Wales does. Without multiplying such examples it will be seen, that in forming conjectural
