Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1897-04-16
AUSTRALASIA
Conflict OF Authority ns 10 the TeSsis
tory IL Includcss t.

("hHack % Authortty IN 10 the IcfftS
tory IL Includess
a learned society is rather unfortu.
nate, to say the least, when it is I'M
able to tell what it's name means. This
IS the dilemma of the Royal Geograph-
tical scc,etv OF Australasia. 1t usked the
International Geographical congress-
In London last year to give an answer
70 t..c question: Whit is the true def
,;tion of the tcrm Australasia? The
tongresss beihg very busy With other
inatterss had no time for this conun-
Gruri, and the question is still unan-
swcrcd
The Australian geographcrs decline
to accept the British definition of the
word as given in the imperial statute.
which declares that 1.-THE term Austrul<
nsia shall signify and include New Yea.
land md Tasmania as well us Aus:
tralia!" Why, ask the hustrallui, ge!
ograpbers; should New Gu:hea, Fiji,
New Caledonia and the other islands Of
che Sotfth seas be excluded? In fact,
no geographical society and few writ
Gfs accept the Dritish definitions; but
confusion arises because everybody
Uses the word according to his own idea
OF what ii embraces. The Australians
themselves have tried in vain to reach
common understanding. A geegraph-
zeal conference AT Melbourne in 1881
argued the question, but failed to at.
saia ATTY conclusion, and none has been
>drrivcd at since, though the great So
cicty, with Its branches in nlf the lead
ing colonies. said in its memorial to tho
fh,f .
matter Of dailyincrcasing impor-
tancc."
Tho fact is, there arc few accepted
boundaries for parts of the world con-
sidcred in geographical instead of
political sense. What is the Gcograph-
zeal, the so-callct natural, division be
tween Europe and Asia in the south
cast? One famous authority says 1t is
the Manytsch depression north of the
Caucasus; another. that it is the line
following the crest of the main Cau-
casus range, and still another, that it
is the southern boundary OF Trans
eaucasia; and the latest edition of .'Bc-
volkerung der Erde," which deals with
the matter, gives three determinations
Of the total area of Europe, according
90 OHS Va OthNi VI AiiSSS
Is accepted.
There is no agreement even os to the
number of continents, for some dis
tinguished writers recognize only
three, Euro-Asin, Africa and America;
and when they talk OF the great d.
visions Of the land surface the numbet
verles from five to eight, according to
diff" writer's. Perhaps in only one
ycspet is this matter of much impor-
thncc. When writer or speaker re-
fcrs to -egion it is highly desirable
10 know how mich Of the carth's sur
face he inc! idcs under the name.
Cptil half century ngo there was
much confus' IN in books and aliases
with regard u. he names and extent
OF the various oceans The Royal Geo
graphical society of To. appointed
o committee In 1s45 to settle these mat
tiers, and the conclusions reached 10y the
committee, with some notifications,
We're generally accepted and have
proved advantageous. There Is much
less confusion with regard to the names
and extent Of land surfaces. but such rs
exists is not likely to be remeded unless
some authoritative tribunal takes the
matter In hand and the rest of the world
accepts it's dccisions.-N. Y. Sun.