Population, population of Victoria, in common with that of the other members of the group, is in the main English, in the wider sense of the word. The whole foreign element, including Germans and Chinese, does not exceed one-tenth. Of that proportion, the Chinese, whose sudden irruption into the colony, above 20 years ago, was at once one of the many novelties, as well as one of the doubtful benefits re sulting from the world-wide fame of the gold-fields, now number 18,000. The Germans are the only other foreign element of any noticeable strength. They began to arrive in 1849, Australia having become favorably known to them by a considerable preceding emigration to Adelaide. They have proved, on the whole, an advantageous immigra tion, for although slow to adapt traditional usages to their new circumstances, they have set a commendable, and often a much-needed example of frugality, industry, and sobri ety. The various divisions of the United Kingdom contribute somewhat ratably their ' pota to the colonial population. The census of 1871 gave the numbers in connection with the various denominations as follows: Church of England, 257,835; Presbyterians, 112,983; Methodists, 18,191; Independents, 16,311; Roman Catholics, 170,620; Lu therans, 3,540; Baptists, 10,559; Jews, 3,571. There are in the colony 1232 churches and chapels, besides 325 school-houses, and 577 other buildings, also used for public worship.
the census of 1871, the aborigines were found to number 1333, consist in.. of 990 males and 343 females. The number when the settlement began is usually stated to have been 6,000, although probably much larger, seeing that Tasmania, only one-fourth of the extent, and with a climate less genial to savage life, is supposed to have contained 5,000. But that is a point about which we can now only conjecture. The native is fast dying out from the colonized area. The progress of colonization has been utter destruction to his prospects. Philanthropic and Christian efforts on his be half have not been absolutely barren. 'Mission stations in Gipps's Land, conducted by the Church of England and the Presbyterian church, have diffused the influences of civilization and religion to a considerable proportion of the survivors. These missions are under the immediate supervision of Moravians, and aim a little at the culture and preservation of the race, not without some evidences of success.
two staple articles of export from the colony are wool and gold. The exportation of the former in the year 1875 was valued at £6,413,599; of the latter, at £3,690,695—in both cases a decrease as compared with the previous year. After the gold discoveries in 1S51, there came an extraordinary commercial development. For that year, the imports had been £1,056,437, and the exports £1,422,909. In 1854 the • tamounts were respectively £17,659,051 and £11,775,204. But this sudden extension—at least as regarded imports—was not maintained, because it was due, h part, to a tem- • porary extravagance, and partly because the colony has since then been successfully organizing its industry, so as to produce fully as cheaply and as well many articles that were at first imported. For 1876 the imports were £15,705,353; the exports, £14,196,
487. In 1875 the shipping entries amounted to 1,693,885 tons—namely, inward. 840, 386; outward, 833,499. The gold production of Victoria has gradually diminished from £12,000,000, to which it rose in 1856, to a little less than £3,200,000 in the year 1877. This diminution is partly made up to the world by the greatly increased gold-mining of late in New Zealand and New South Wales. The yearly production of all these colonies is now about £10,000,000, distributed thus: Victoria, 5; New South Wales, 2; Queens land, i; New Zealand, 2i. The greater part of this gold is usually sent direct to Bri tain, but the proportion is very irregular, depending on the state of the exchange with i India. Thus while in 1873, £9,444,495 was received in England, in 1876 it was only and the following year £6,653,438. The exportation of articles, the prod uce of this country, to Victoria amounted for 1877 to the value of £6,724,495; and the exports from Victoria to Great Britain were £8,5S4,299. The coal produce in 1877 in the colony was 8,971 tons, valued at £13,505.
The chief colonial vocations are squatting or pastoral pursuits, agriculture, and lat terly, gold-mining. The first-mentioned was the earliest that rose to importance; but the last has rapidly outrivaled every other, Agriculture, at first dwarfed Ville success and influence of squatting, and for a time impeded afresh by the social upturning during the first years of gold-mining, is now, however, rapidly extending, and is improving, socially as well as physically, the aspect of the country. • Squatting. —This colonial term has long since passed from its originally semi-savage and outcast associations, to represent in Australia a rural aristocracy. The squatter, using the country just as he found it, placed upon it his live stock, which lived and throve on the natural herbage. This ready adaptation of the surface, with comparatively little of preliminary outlay, is the chief cause of Australia's rapid progress. At first, the pastoral "stations," or "runs," as they were then very appropriately called, were uninclosed areas, parceled out to a small number with a very bountiful hand, and at a nominal rent or occupation license-fee. Now, however, these areas have been much subdivided, snd much has been done in enclosing the runs with stout fencing. By a late official return, there were in Victoria 1156 different stations, comprising an area of 31,875,468 acres, and contributing to the revenue a yearly rental of £225,113, 17s. 7d. The rate is from id. up to 8d. per acre, according to a valuation of pastoral capability. In 1878, there were in the colony 203,150 horses, 1,174,176 head of cattle, 10,114,267 sheep, and 183,391 pigs.