seated on a branch of the Tigris, near Bassora.

Obskaia. a gulf or bay of Siberia, in the Frozen
Ocean, about 360 m. from N. to S. and from 45
to 60 in breadth. The S. W. extremity, where it
is entered by the river Oby, is in long. 69. 15. E.,
lat. 66. 55. N.

Obvinsk, a town of Russia, in the government
of Perm, situated on the Kama, 60 m. N. of Perm.
Long. 56. 0. E., lat. 58. 44. N.

Oby, or Ob, the largest river of Siberia. It is-
sues fruc Lake Altyn, in the desert oflschimska,
runs N. W. and AV. by Kolivan, Narim, and Sur-
gut, till it receives the Irtysh from Tobolsk, when
rt flows N. and N. E., and, after a course of 1,900
m. enters the gulf of Obskaia. It is a large smooth
stream, abounds in fish, and is navigable almost
to its source. In its course, especially after the
influx of the Irtysh, it forms a great number of
islands.

Ocana, an ancient town of Spain, in La Man-
cha, formerly fortified, but now in a state of de-
cay. In 1810 a battle was fought in its vicinity
between the French and Spaniards. 30 m. S. S.
E. of Madrid.

Ocana, a town of Terra Firma, in the pro-
vince of St. Martha, on the Rio de Oro, which
flows to the Magdalena. It is 240 m. S. by E. of
St. Martha. Long. 73. 26. W., fat. 7. 40. N.

Oceanica, a name introduced by Malte Brun, to
designate a fifth grand division of the globe, com-
prising the islands of the Indian Seas and the
Pacific Ocean, with the continent of New Holland,
and all the Antarctic regions. The limits and
general character of this division of the earth are
described by this celebrated geographer in the
following words.

The Chinese Sea separates Asia from the great
ocean, as the Mediterranean separates Africa from
Europe. To the west we continue the boundary
line through the strait of Malacca, and then turn-
ing round the north point of Sumatra, we proceed
to the point where the 92d meridian east from
London crosses the equator. Through the whole
southern hemisphere, that meridian will form a
convenient division between the seas of New
Holland and those of Madagascar and Africa.
The islands of Amsterdam and St. Paul will, on
this principle, remain connected with the Archi-
pelago of the Indian Ocean. When we leave the
Chinese Sea to the north, the channel between
Formosa and the Philippines being the broadest,
marks the natural boundary. From this we draw
a line which, following that part of the waters
which in most of islands, separates the Japanese
seas to a distance of 300 or 450 m., and reaches
the point of intersection of the 40th parallel of
north latitude with the 152d meridian. The 40th
parallel will continue to bound the new division
of the world, till we come to the point where it is
crossed by the 158th western meridian from Lon-
don. Taking our departure from this point, we
separate the North American seas from those of
the Oceanic Archipelago by the shortest line that
can be drawn from this to the point of intersection
of the 108th western meridian and the equator.
This meridian will be our boundary through the
southern hemisphere

The fifth part of the world thus determined is
found to be situated in the Great Ocean, that
which, of all others, is the Ocean, by way of
eminence. This essential character is not com-
mon to it with any other division of the globe:
it is a character which impresses a special physi-
ognomy on its geography, as well as on its
natural and its civil history. It is therefore wor-
thy of being made the foundation of its name.
It will be called Oceanica, and its inhabitants
Oceanians ; names which will supersede the un-
meaning or inaccurate designations of Austral-
asia, Notasia, Austral India, and Australia. New
Holland has not one Asiatic feature. Extend-
ing the principle of the nomenclature which is in
present use, we ought to call Africa “ Occiden-
tal Asia.” This designation would be equally
correct with those others. There is no occasion
for perpetuating the memory of the pretended
Terra Australis, in the name of a part of the world
which is not exclusively situated on the Austral
(or southern) hemisphere. The happier term of
Polynesia will be preserved for that subdivision
of Oceanica to which it has been specially ap-
plied.

The great countries of Oceanica are exposed
to the influence of a vertical sun. It is probable,
that New Holland, unless it contains inland seas,
has a climate as hot and arid as Africa. The
marshy shores of some islands in the north-west
of Oceanica, exposed to an intense heat, generate
a pestiferous air, which may be corrected by hu
man cultivation. Notwithstanding these local in-
conveniences, Oceanica presents to the industri-
ous, the healthy, and the temperate, a greater di
versity of delightful climates than any other part
of the world. Such islands as are small and ele-
vated resemble so many paradises. By selecting
localities with the proper elevations, the English-
man may find his fresh lawns and his moss-cov-
ered trees, the Italian his orange-groves, and the
West Indian planter his fields of sugar cane.
The small extent of these islands procures for
them the temperature of the ocean. The heat
never becomes insupportable, even for northern
Europeans. The sir is continually renewed by
the light sea and land breezes, dividing the em-
pire of day and night. Their perpetual spring is
rarely disturbed by hurricanes or earthquakes.
None of the great races of quadrupeds, either of
Asia or New Holland, has extended to the small
islands of Polynesia. The pig is the only one
found everywhere domesticated, and is the same
species as in India and China. Dogs, cats, and
rats, formed the whole quadruped class in these
islands before Captain Cook supplied them with
goats and cattle. Ornithology offers, through the
whole of Oceanica, a little more variety, along
with many features of mutual resemblance.

The vegetable kingdom of Oceanica presents to
us all the riches of India in new splendour, and
accompanied by new pleasures unknown to Asia.
In the Sunda islands, the Philippines, and the
Moluccas, rice occupies the place of wheat; and
the culture of it is probably extended over New
Guinea. Further to the east, in the islands of
Polynesia, there are four exceedingly useful escu
lent plants, which grow either spontaneously, or
under the influence of culture; the potato, the
yam, and two species of arum, from which, by
culture and boiling, a sweet farinaceous substance
is obtained.

Two orders of trees are spread overall the mid
dling and small islands of Oceanica, which de-
light both the eye and the taste. The numerous
family of the palms is extended over the most re
mote and smallest islands. Between the tropics
there is scarcely a rock or a sand-bank on which
these trees do not display their astonishing vege-
tation. The palms have, in the interior structure
of their trunks, no analogy with other trees In