Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XVI.djvu/365

VICTORIA 345 the native trees are the red and blue gums (eucalypti). The species called the peppermint attains a colossal height in the mountain ra- vines ; a fallen tree near Healesville was 480 ft. long. Among the most numerous of the other indigenous trees are the Banlcsia, or honeysuckle, she-oak, native cherry tree, and tea tree. Nearly everything grown in temper- ate climates thrives. Wheat, barley, and oats are the chief agricultural productions, but all the other grains and the legumes, roots, and grasses are largely raised. In 1875 there were 11,281,120 acres of enclosed land, of which 1,011,799 acres were under tillage; the total yield of wheat was 4,850,135 bushels, and of oats 2,121,612; wine produced, 599,093 gal- lons; and there were 180,254 horses, 11,221,- 036 sheep, 958,658 cattle, and 137,941 swine. For the indigenous animals, see AUSTRALIA. Manufacturing industry has received a great impetus of late in consequence of being fos- tered by the government. In 1875 there were 1,545 manufactories, large and small, in the colony, the chief articles made being glass, paper, cloth, oil cloth, dyes, beer, starch, soap, cigars, pianos, safes, agricultural implements, engines, carriages, and brushes. There are 126 breweries, which in 1874 produced 13,- 653,531 gallons. The number of flouring mills was 161, most of which are worked by steam. Locomotives are now built at Ballarat; the first made in the colonies was delivered to the government on Feb. 6, 1873. But the most important industry of Victoria is gold mining, which in 1873 employed 52,544 men, of whom 13,528 were Chinese. The number of steam engines used in alluvial mining in 1874 was 353, of 9,317 horse power, and in quartz mining 788, of 15,549 horse power. The estimated value of all the machinery used in mining was 2,078,936 ; the number of quartz reefs worked or prospected was 3,398; and the number of companies registered was 143, with a nominal capital of 1,592,213. Many of the mining shafts are 500 to 1,000 ft. deep; in the Ararat district there is one nearly 1,500 ft. deep, and one has lately been sunk over 1,700 ft. The total amount of gold obtained from all the mines, from the* discovery in 1851 to Jan. 1, 1875, was 44,414,177 oz., valued at 177,821,- 125. During 1874 the yield was 1,097,664 oz. ; and during the first quarter of 1875, 257,641 oz. In the same year 18 mineral leases were issued for mining other metals than gold. The following shows the amount of other minerals produced in 1874: silver, 11,906 oz. ; tin, 86,- 016 Ibs. ; iron ore, 130 tons; antimony ore, 111 tons;' coal, 2,909 tons; and lignite, 750 tons. The total value of the imports of Vic- toria in 1874 was 16,953,985 ; of the exports, 15,441,109. During the year ending March 31, 1875, there were exported 45,365,693 Ibs. of greasy wool, 6,879,963 Ibs. of scoured wool, and 36,416,355 Ibs. of washed wool, all valued at 6,373,641. The number of vessels which entered the ports in 1873 was 2,187, of 756,103 aggregate tonnage, and 36,307 men. The ab- original population, which numbered about 5,000 when the colony was settled, had been reduced in 1871 to 1,330, of whom 784 were males and 546 females. The white population in 1871, of whom 401,050 were males and 330,- 478 females, were divided according to nation- ality as follows : natives of Australia and New Zealand, 356,936; England and Wales, 170,907; Scotland, 56,210; Ireland, 100,468; Germany, 9,264; United States, 2,423; France, 1,170; China, 17,857; other countries, 8,585; un- known, 3,514. There were 257,835 Anglicans, 170,952 Roman Catholics, 81,144 Presbyte- rians, 94,220 Wesleyans, 18,191 Congregation- alists, and 47,513 of other Protestant sects. The number of churches and chapels in 1871 was 1,399, of which 229 were Anglican, 266 Presbyterian, 356 Wesleyan, 189 Roman Cath- olic, 91 Primitive Methodist, 61 Congregation- al, and 47 Baptist. Education is free, secular, and compulsory. In 1873 there were 1,936 schools and colleges, with 160,743 pupils and 4,257 teachers. Of these, 1,048 were common schools and 881 private schools. There were eight colleges and grammar schools, five of which are at Melbourne, two at Geelong, and one at Ballarat, and one university, at Mel- bourne, which had 134 students in 1872. Most of the large towns have public libraries; in 1875 there were 120 in all. with an aggregate of 162,540 volumes. In 1873 the public library in Melbourne had 75,500 volumes. News- papers are published in all the large towns. Victoria is divided into 38 counties. Besides the capital, Melbourne, the principal towns are Ballarat, Sandhurst, Geelong, Fitzroy (pop. 16,500), Castlemaine (7,500), Williamstown (7,200), Stawell (6,000), Daylesford (5,000), Warnambool (5,000), Hamilton (4,000), and Maryborough (3,500). The government of Victoria consists of a governor appointed by the crown, whose term of office is seven years, an executive council, and a parliament of two houses, the legislative council and legislative assembly. The executive council consists of an attorney general, who is also premier, a treasurer, commissioners of trade and customs, of crown lands, of railways and roads, and of public works, a minister of mines and public instruction, a postmaster general, and a solici- tor general. The legislative council consists of 30 members, representing six provinces into which the colony is divided, viz. : the central, northwestern, northeastern, southern, eastern, and western. The term of office is ten years, one member from each province retiring at the end of every two years. The qualification for members of this house is 2,500 freehold, or property of the value of 250 a year ; for elec- tors, a leasehold of 50 a year, or freehold property of the same value. In 1871 the num- ber- of electors in this class was 23,736. The legislative assembly contains 78 members, rep- resenting 49 electoral districts, who are elected for three years. Members receive 300 per