The agricultural lands may be divided into three classes—alluvial deposits, tertiary clays, and loamy soils, derived from the decomposition of different kinds of basalt. In their virgin state, some are marvelously productive. On new land, 100 bushels of oats, 70 bushels of wheat, and 15 tons of potatoes per acre, are not uncommon crops. The fertility of the soil has encouraged a system of slovenly farming. In many instances, the land has been cropped with wheat and oats for upward of thirty years without any application of manure, or any rest save an occasional summer fallow. The export trade in the staple articles of produce has much fallen off of late years, partly because the neighboring colonies have begun to depend more upon their own resources, but partly also through the deterioration of the soil from improvident management, and the necessarily increased cost of prodtiction. There are skilled and careful farmers in every district, but they are exceptions to the rule. The open pastoral lands are admirably adapted for sheep. The wool from some of the larger establishments is much valued, and brings the highest price in the London market. The cattle and agricultural horses of some of the northern districts are unsurpassed in the colonies. Pastoral and agricultural asso ciations have been formed to promote improvements in the system of farming, and to encourage the breeding and importation of pure stock. The extent of alienated land is over 4,000,000 acres, of which about 340,000 acres are under cultivation. In 1875 the number of horses in the colony was 23,208; of cattle, 110,450; and of sheep, 1,714,168. In 1876 the exports amounted to £1,130,983, the chief staple article being wool; the imports were £1,133,003. In 1876-77 the yield of wheat was 752,070 bush.; barley, 147,536 bush.; oats, 571,485 bush.; potatoes, 27,289 tons; hay, 35,907 tons; hops, 839, 514 lbs.
Administration.—Since the passing of the "constitutional act" in 1854, the governing authority has been vested in a parliament, consisting of the governor as the queen's rep resentative, and two elective houses, the legislative council of 16, and the assembly of 32 members. The qualification of voters is, for the former, a freehold of the annual value of £30, or a leasehold of £200; and for the latter a freehold of the value of £50, or the payment of £7 house rental Graduates of British universities, and all holding a commission in the army or navy, or in holy orders, are entitled, ex officio, to vote at the election of members of both houses. The revenue for the year 1877 was £361,771, of which there was derived from the customs the sum of £201,966. The expenditure for the same period was £352,564; and the public debt, £1,589,705. The upset price of land is £1 per acre, payable by installments extending over eight years; but lots which remain unsold after being offered for sale by public auction, may be purchased, under certain restrictions, at greatly reduced rates. In the unsettled districts, large tracts of land are obtainable at nominal prices. In 1862 an act, known as " Torrens's real prop erty act," was passed to facilitate the transfer and conveyance of laud. Property which had been brought under the operation of this act can be conveyed, without reference to value, upon payment of 10s. registration-fee, £1 for new certificate of title, and 2s. for forms. Mortgages can be effected on equally moderate terms. At the end of 1874, the land rented from government amounted to 1,308,400 acres, producing a rental of £5,898.
Religion and Education.—By the constitutional act, £15,000 is annually reserved for the support of religion, and is at present divided among the various religious denomina tions according to their respective numbers at the census. By a return in 1870, there were Church of England, 53,047; Roman Catholics, 22,091; Presbyterians, 9,064; Wes leyans, 7,187; Independents, 3,931; Baptists, 931; Jews, 232. The state grants are largely supplemented by endowments and by local contributions. For the support of elementary education, £12,000 a year is appropriated by parliament, the disbursement of which is intrusted to a central board, holding its sittings in Hobart Town. The sys
tem is based upon the principles established by the Irish national board. The teachers are appointed by the board, and are under the supervision of the inspector of schools. In 1854, the total number of schools was 50, at which the average attendance of pupils was 2,624. In the beginning of 1877 there were upward of 165 schools supported by the government, 297 teachers, 12,557 children on the rolls, with an average daily attend ance of 5,973. Of the entire population about 60 per cent can both read and write; about 25 to 30 per cent are unable to read.
For the promotion of higher education, provision is also made by the legislature. Two scholarships, each of the value of £200 a year, and tenable for four years at either if the English universities, are annually open to competition under the direction of the ,ouncil of education, and exhibitions to the higher schools, with other local honors, are periodically awarded by the same body.
number of.the aborigines at the first colonization of Tasmania has been variously estimated, but probably at no time exceeded 3,000. There were several tribes occupying distinct parts of the island, and differing from each other in dialect and customs; but of a generally uniform type more nearly allied to the Negritos of New Guinea than to the aborigines of Australia. The average height of the men was from 44 to 54 ft.; of the women, considerably less. Color, a bluish black; the facial angle 75° to 80°; eyes, dark brown, with jet-black pupils; hair, sometimes lank, but generally crisp or woolly; forehead, high and narrow ; limbs, lean and muscular; feet, flat and turned inward. Polygamy appears to have been tolerated : the women performed all menial duties, and were specially charged with that of carrying fire from place to place, when the temporary encampment was broken up. Their usual shelter was a " break wind," constructed of boughs, but traces of rude huts have been observed. In summer, they went entirely naked, at other times wearing coverings made from the skins of the kangaroo and opossum, which formed their chief food. The coast tribes, at certain times of the year, lived almost exclusively on shell-fish, and the remains of their feasts have often been mistaken for recent marine deposits. Among other articles of food were the roots of the esculent fern, the heart of the tree-fern, and grass-tree (xanthorrhaa), the seeds of the boobialla (acacia sophora), and a singular fungus (mylitta Australis), com monly known as "native bread," which grows under ground near the roots of decayed trees. No traces of cannibalism were observed. Their only weapons were the spear and waddy, a wooden club about 2 ft. 4 in in length. The early relations between the settlers and aborigines were friendly; but as the latter were gradually dispossessed of their favorite hunting grounds, they became inveterately hostile. Shot down without mercy by the settlers, they revenged themselves by bloody reprisals, and for many years the unequal struggle continued, until their numbers were reduced to a few hundreds. In 1830, an attempt was made to drive the whole body into Tasman's peninsula, by means of a cordon extending across the whole island, and gradually closing in toward the s.e.; but it failed ridiculously, as might have been foreseen. In the following year, Robinson, a builder of Hobart Town, undertook to conciliate the surviving remnants of the various tribes, with a view to their removal to Flinders island, and this he success fully accomplished, after four or five years of patient, self-denying labor. In spite of all the care bestowed upon these unfortunate people their numbers rapidly decreased, and only 45 remained when the settlement was removed, in 1847, to a more convenient station at Oyster cove, near Hobart Town. There were in 1865 only six remaining. No children had been born among them for many years, and the race is now wholly extinct, the last of the number having died a few years ago.