The town of Port/and is built near the western extremity of the bay of the same name. It has a small population, but occupies a considerable space, being built its streets crossing each other at right angler. There are some whaling establishments in the place, and the wool and other produce of the neighbouring district are shipped at the harbour, which is inconvenient and exposed. Belfast, en active and thriving town, is situated on Port Fairy, some miles east from Portland Ray. It is famed for its butter and cheese, nod lies amid some of the beet tillage-laud In the western division of province. IForenardrod, near Belfast, Is a small seaport, having frequent intercourse by trading vessels with Melbourne and Portland. It is the port of a considerable agricultural district. A Presbyterian church, built of stone. replacing a wooden structure, was opened here in the early part of 1855. Bal larat, the seat of tbo gold-diggings of that name, is described by Mr. William Hewitt, who visited the place, am containing a large perm lation, who are settling down into regular habits, and are constructing a neat, well-laid out, and commodious town.
The principal towns in Victoria colony, in addition to those already mentioned, are : — Alberton, Avoca, Milan, Bcechworth, Benalla, Bendigo, Brunswick. Buniuyoug, Castlemaine, Chepstow, Colac, Flem ington, Kihnore, Kynaton, Mount Alexander, Port Fairy, Prahran, Richmond, Sandhurst, and Wangeratta.
Ilv an act of the Legislative Council of Victoria. ratified by the act of the Imperial Legislature, 18 and 19 cap. 55, it is pro vided that there shall be a Legislative Council of 30 members, and a Leeidative Assembly of GO members, for the colony. Members of Council must be 30 years of age, natural born subjects of the Queen, and possessors for at least one year previous to election of lands and tenements in the colony of the value of 50001., or of the annual value of 5001. No judge, minister, traitor, or convicted felon, can be a member. Electors must be 21 years of age, natural born subjects, or naturalised for at least three years, and possessed of freehold pro perty of the clear value of 10001., or clear nunnnl value of 1001., or leasehold property of 1001. yearly. Members of Assembly must be 21 years of aze, possessing freehold property to the amount of 20001., or 2001- yearly value. Judges, ministers of religion, and persons who have been attainted for treason, or convicted of felony, are excluded. Electors must be 21 years of age, possessed of freehold property of 501. value, or 51. yearly value, or leasehold property of the clear annual value of 101., or occupy premises of 10/. yearly rent, or have a yearly salary of 1001. After the expiration of two years from the passing of the net no person is to be registered as an elector who cannot read and write. The leading feature of the new charters for Victoria and the other Australian colonies is that, with the exception of a few reserved points in reference to imperial rights, the business of each colony will be by its own legislature. In particular the manage. meut of the waste ands is committed to the colonial legislatures.
The imperial authority is representod by a lieutenant-governor, whose salary is 10.000/. per annum, with no allowance of 50001. per annum for salaries of staff, repairs to government-house, travelling, and other expenses. The laws are administered by a chief justice and three puisne judges, who have criminal jurisdiction and exercise the powers of the Queen's Bench, Common Pleas, and Exchequer courts.
There is also a master in equity. Under the new act, 50,000/. a year is to be reserved for the purposes of religious worship, to be distri butes' in proportion to the respective numbers of the several religious denomination». This sum is to be laid out in assisting to erect places of worship and in payments to ministers. The sum given in aid of ministers' stipends is not to exceed 25,000/. in any one year. The religions bodies in the colony are—the churches of England and Scotland, the Free Church of Scotland, United Presbyterians, Independents, Baptists, Methodists, and Roman Catholics. At the head of the Church of England in the province is the Bishop of Melbourne. At the close of 1852 there were 7841 scholars attend ing schools in the colony. The colonial revenue in 1851 was 379,821/. 12.s. 4d. • in 1852 it was 1,577,1811. 8s. ld. : the expenditure in 1851 was 409:884/. le 511. ; in 1852 it was 734,961/. 18s. 2d. The estimated income for 1855 is 3,015,6831., sod the estimated expendi ture is 4,801,292L, showing a deficit of 1,785,6091., to provide for which a considerable amount of difficulty has been experienced by the governrneot The number of ships entered at the ports of the colony in 1851 was 712, of 129,426 tone; the number in 1852 was 1657, of 408,216 tons. The number of /ships registered as belonging to the colony on December 31st 1854 was 272 of 31,985 tons, and 12 steam-vessels of 29,395 tons. The value of the goods imported into the colony in 1851 amounted to 1.422,9091.; in 1852 the amount was 7,451,5491. From Greet Britain alone there was sent to the colony in 1853 goods to the (declared) value of 7,062,3S71. of British produce and manu factures, besides upwards of 2,200,000/. worth of foreign and colonial produce and manufactures. About 21,000,0001bs. of wool was im parted Into Great Britain from Victoria colony in 1853. The emi gration to the colony from Great Britain during 1854 included 35,384 persons, the whole of the other Australian colonies having only 6788 emigrants from Great Britain in the same period.
Port Phillip was discovered and entered by Lieutenant John Murray In January 1802, and was soon after visited by Captain Flinders, who called it Port Phillip, in honour of the first governor of New South Wales. Although occasionally visited in succeeding years, it remained without any settlement till 1835, when the first sales of land took place in the Australian colonies. A settler from Van Diemen's Laud having purchased an extensive trace of country from the natives, the government refused to recognise the validity of the purchase, and the entire district adjoining Port Phillip was taken possession of on behalf of the crown. Colonists from Van Diemeu's Land, bringing their flocks with them, arrived in great numbers. The New South Wales squatters, with their flocks and herds, came from the north. The district rapidly advanced in population and wealth, and was placed under the control of a superintendent appointed by the governor of New South Wales, till, after repeated representations on the subject, it was, in 1850, separated from that colony, and constituted a distinct province. The bishopric cf Melbourne was founded in 1847; the diocese comprises the colony of Victoria. There is one archdeacon, of Geelong.