Rirers.—The rivers on the west coast of Australia generally rise at no great distance from the sea. Near their sources they are mountain torrent', but in the lowlands they become slow streams. They ore liable to rise suddenly, owing, it is supposed, to tho rain which falls near their sources. At other times their channel, in some places many feet deep, is quite dry. They offer little or no facility for internal navigation. The Swan River rises on the western aide of the Darling Range. At its mouth is a bar, after passing which the river is navi gable, though with difficulty, for some distance. The other rivers are the Avon, the Murray, the Canning, the Harvey, the Preston, the Collie, the Vasse, the Blackwood, tho Donnelly, and the Esigan. The Canning rises in the Darling Range : it is smaller than the Swan, and only navigable for a few miles. Shoals impede the navigation, and in dry weather boats must be pushed over them for fully half a mile. The Murray takes its rise also in the Darling Range, and empties itself into Peel's Inlet. The Preston and the Collie unite about 50 miles south of the Murray, and the united stream runs into an xstuary called Leschenhault, and forms a bar, over which the river is very shallow.
For the botany and zoology of Western Australia, see AUSTRAL/A.
Climate.—The climate of Western Australia has the same general character as that of Eastern Australia. [AUSTRALIA.] It has not generally been found prejudicial to Europeans, while in the case of some persons it has proved highly favourable. Though variable, the western part of this colony is not so uncertain as Now South \Vales in the supply of rain and moisture. The average winter temperature is about 58°, that of the summer about 76°.
The wet season begins generally in March and ends in November, the rain being most abundant in August and September. The height of the dry season is during the harvest, in January, when the nights are distinguished by heavy dews. The seed-time lasts from early in May to the end of August. By December the grain is ripe; hay is cut in November. Tomatas, pumpkins, gourds, vegetable-marrow, chillies, egg-plants, besides every English vegetable, ripen in the open air; and also the following among other fruits—melons, bananas, almonds, figs, grapes, peaches, and strawberries. The olive, pome granate, apricot, plum, mango, lemon, and orange; the mulberry, apple, nectarine, pear, and several others are grown. Fig-cuttings produce fruit the first year, and vines the second or third.
Population.—The aborigines do not amount to more than 1700. The European population here increases very slowly. In 1852 it amounted to 8711, including 705 enumerated among the military, 1432 bond, and 6574 free. Schools are provided at the government expense for children of all religious denominations, as well as for natives, those who are able paying a small sum ; and there are other schools in connection with the Wesleyan Methodists. There are about 70 churches and chapels iu the colony, of which 20 belong to the Church of England, 4 to Presbyterians, and 3 to Roman Catholics.
Government. —There is a lieutenant-governor, with his staff of officials. The colony is divided for goverutueut purposes into 32 counties. On the first establishment of the colony in 1S29, it was decided that no convicts should be sent thither, and a system of colo nisation was projected, to be carried forward by means of land-sales, but it did not work well. The labourers sent out became landowners, and hired labour became excessively dear. Convict labour has since been requested by the colonists, and has succeeded well. In Novem ber 1854, four years after the formation of a convict department, 2930 convicts had been sent. Of these 553 were then in prison, either as probation prisoners, or as recouvieted ticket-of-leave men ; but of the last there were only about a hundred. There were 1523 ticket-of leave men, 622 employed on public works, 891 in private service, and 10 in hospital. There had been 113 deaths, 723 conditionally par doned, and 13 either free by servitude, escaped, or missing. The public works had been executed under the superintendence of the Royal Sappers and Miners, and consisted of the permanent prison at Fremantle ; commissariat stores and offices at Fremantle, Guildford, York, Toodyay, and Bunbury; jails at York, Toodyay, and Bunbury; 272 miles of road, 50 of which are 30 feet wide, and the remainder 18 feet, 27 miles graded and levelled, 5 miles macadamised, and 50 miles repaired ; 23 bridges built, one of which, over the Swan at Guildford, is 4S0 feet long and 30 feet high, and several others of con siderable size ; a jetty 216 feet long, built at Fremantle as a landing from the river, and another 455 feet long, as a lauding from the har bour, in progress; the lakes at the back of Perth drained, and the swamps in Fremantle filled up; with some minor works. The conduct of the convicts had on the whole been good, and considerable improve ment had been developed in their characters.
Commerce.—Though most of the English grains aro grown, and the soil is tolerably productive, the exertions of the settlers are chiefly directed to the raising of stock. Wool is one of the chief articles of export ; horses, which are sold to supply the cavalry at Madras, are another largo article of export; as is saudal-wood, and a species of mahogany, of which there are large forests in the interior. Guano has been found on the islets that lie around Shark's Bay. Attempts have been made to prosecute the whale fishery ; and something is done in fishing off the coasts to furnish provisions for the inhabitants. There are many salt-lakes and spring's in the colony, and a considerable quantity of salt is manufactured. The amount of tonnage inwards in 1852 was 25,326. The imports in 1352 amounted to 97,304/. The colonial revenue for 1852 was 37,022/.; the expenditure was 34,777/.