The settled parts of the colony have been distributed into the counties of Frome, Burra, Stanley, Gawler, Light, Eyre, Adelaide, Start, Flindmarsh, Grey, Robe, Russell, all iying to the eastward of the gulfs of Spencer and St. Vincent ; and the county of Flinders on the south-west shore of Spencer Gulf. Besides the city of Adelaide, Port Adelaide, and Albert. Town, which are all noticed under ADE Lunr., a number of villages and small towns have sprung up around the capital and in the remoter parts of the colony. Within a few miles of the city are the villages of Thebaaton, Hindmarah, Bowden, Islington, Walkerville, Klemzig, Brighton, Kensington, and Good. The county towns, as they are called, are Gawler Town, 23 miles north from Adelaide; Angaston, farther north and east; and Kooringa, at the Burra-Burra mmea • as also Mount Barker, Nairne, Balhannah, Macclesfield, Strathalbn, Hhandorf, and Noarlunja, in the district south from Adelaide. A township has been laid out at Port Wake field, at the head of the gulf of St. Vincent, where a considerable quantity of copper from the Burra-Burra mines has been shipped for Swansea. Roads and bridges have been liberally provided for as settlements have been formed.
The government of the colony is vested hi a lieutenant-governor, an executive council, and a legislative council. The executive council consists of the governor, the colonial secretary, the advocate-general, and the surveyor-general. Tho legislative council, which was insti tuted in 1851, in terms of an Act of the Imperial Parliament, passed In August, 1850, consists of 24 members, 8 of whom are nominated by the crown, and 16 are elected by 10/. householders and the pos sessors of freehold property of the value of 1001. sterling, in the 16 districts into which the colony is divided for the purposes of the Act. Tho main source of revenue is the customs, the greater part of which is derived from the duties of la per gallon on wince, and 10r. per gallon on spirits. There are no differential duties between British and foreign geode • but an 'ad valorem' duty of five per cent, or an equivalent rated duty, is charged on all imports except wines and spirits. The general colonial revenue in 1852 was 102,3251., the expenditure was 83,2381. The land fund revenue was 121,1371.; the expenditure was 84,6011. The total exports in 1852, exclusive of bullion and coin, amounted to 736,267/. ; the Imports were 538,973/.
The tonnage of shipping inwards and outwards during 1852 amounted to 202,507 tons. The postal revenue was 72001.
For the promotion of education in the colony, an inspector of schools has been appointed. Schoolmasters obtain an annual grant of 201. for the first 20 scholars, and 1/. for each additional scholar, the aid however in no case rising above 40l. per annum. The number of day schools receiving government aid in January 1853 was 69, with about 3300 scholars. The amount paid to teachers during the year was about 3100/.
In 1850 there were about 150 places of worship in the colony. The ministers of religion were 17 of the Church of Eogland, under the superintendence of the Bishop of Adelaide ; 11 of the Roman Catholic Church, under the Roman Catholic Bishop of Adelaide ; 2 of the Church of Scotland ; 2 of the Free Church of Scotland; 1 of the Scotch Presbyterians ; 6 Wesleyan Methodist ministers, besides many local preachers; 2 Primitive Methodist missionaries, and several local preachers; 15 Independent, 8 Baptist, 6 German Lutheran, 1 German Independent, 3 Christian, and 2 Bible Christian miuisters. The New Church, the Quakers, and Jews, have each a place of worship in Adelaide.
The settlement of Adelaide was founded in 1836, but some months previously a few families had settled on Nepean Bay, In Kangaroo Island, at a place called Kingscote. At first the emigration to this colony was very great : and in 1S40 the number of the white popu lation was estimated at 15,000. In 1338 the colonies of Port Philip and New Zealand were founded, which offered greater advantages to the settler, and the current of emigration was directed to those colonies, to which it has continued mainly to run. In 1344, when South Australia was in a state of great depression, the discovery of its rich mines commenced, and since that period it has enjoyed almost continuous prosperity, and has received a large accession to its popu lation. Settlemouts have been formed in all directions around Adelaide, over the bill country and plains between the Gulf of St. Vincent and the river Murray. The discovery of gold-fields in New South Wales and Victoria in checked emigration to South Australia, and withdrew a considerable number of its population. Some of the emigrants however returned, and the prosperity of the colony was not materially affected. SOUTH BEND. (leDiaee.)