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ocean bounded on the north by a line joining the southern portions of South America, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, and on the south by the Antarctic Continent. 3. I should be glad to learn whether your Ministers concur in the adoption for use in official publications of the name and limits proposed. I have, &c, L. HARCOURT. Governor His Excellency the Right Hon. the Earl of Liverpool, G.C.M.G., M.V.0., &c.

Enclosures. Commonwealth of Australia, Sir, — Governor-General's Office, Melbourne, 15th April, 1914. I have the honour to inform you that the attention of the Commonwealth Government has been drawn to some uncertainty which seems to exist regarding the correct name for the ocean adjacent to the southern shores of Australia. 2. The Prime Minister informs me that the name does not appear on any of the Admiralty charts or in any recognized atlas. Moreover, the Times Atlas and the "Australian Sailing Directory," Vol. i, 9th edition, page 17, show that the Indian Ocean extends as far south as the 44th or 45th parallel of latitude and as far east as the meridian of Tasmania. 3. The ocean in question has been named at various' times the " Indian Ocean," " the '.'Southern Indian Ocean," "The Grand Austral Ocean," "Southern Ocean," "Great Southern Ocean "; while in the new Commonwealth map of Australia it is named the " Southern Ocean." 4. In the opinion of my Ministers it is desirable that there should be some uniformity in this matter, and at the request of the Prime Minister I have the honour to ask that the question may be referred to the Admiralty authorities for consideration. I have, &c, Denman, Governor-General. The Right Hon. the Secretary of State for the Colonies. Sir,— Admiralty, 12th June, 1914. With reference to your letter, No. 18066, of the 21st ultimo, relative to the name of the ocean adjacent to the southern shores of Australia, I am commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to acquaint you, for the information of the Secretary of State for the Colonies, that the authorities available in the Admiralty give the following names to that portion of the ocean defined in the letter of His Excellency the Governor-General, 15th April, 1914. I. Early Discoverers, Explorers, and Map-makers. Abel Tasman (1644) ... ... Does not name it in any of his maps. Joannes van Keylen and other Do not name it, and are all quite unanimous in their definiDutch map-makers of the seven- tion of the Indian Ocean, which they do not show as teenth and eighteenth centuries extending to the eastward of Cape Leeuwin. Captain Cook ... ... Obviously considers Cape Leeuwin as the eastern boundary of the Indian Ocean. On the other hand, his "Antarctic Ocean " is bounded on the north by the Antarctic Circle, thus leaving the ocean under -consideration unnamed. La Perouse (1785) ... ... \,„ , ... T ~ _ , , , Krusenstern (1813) I w Indian Ocean as bounded on the east by Cape Bellingshausen (1819) '.'.'. '.'.'. f Lee "-win and do not name the ocean immediately to the d'Urmont d'Urville (1826) ... j *°uth of Australia. Flinders (1880) ... ... Does not name it in his general map of Australia. d'Entrecastreaux (1791) ... ]~ ~„ „„ ,„ Freycinet (1800-1804) _ j Name it the Grand Ocean Austral." La Place (1832) ... ... the " Grand Ocean Meridional." 11. Geographers. Malte-Brun (1812) ... Probably following the charts of d'Entrecastreaux and Freycinet. Names it the " Grand Ocean Austral." Ehsee Rectus ... ... ... Names it the "Southern Ocean" (Keane's translation only available). Stanford (1907 edition) ... Names it the " Southern Ocean." Stieler's Atlas ... ... ... The name "Indian Ocean" appears to include this portion of the ocean. 2. From the foregoing it would appear that the confusion to which His Excellency the Governor-General draws attention arises from the fact that the portion of the ocean to which he refers is in reality unnamed, and some agreement should now be arrived at with regard to it