MELBOURNE, mil'bilrn. The capital of Viptoria. Australia, situated chiefly on lire north Lank of the Yarn). about nine miles by and I 1% I, uciles by land abnyo• its 0101.4 in ihobson Bay I \ lap: Victoria. E 41. The bay is the northern bend of the spaeious inlet near the southeastern extremity of the coatinent. known Port Phillip. the entrance to whieli is In miles smith of the city. Melbourne occupies the first rank among British colonial ports. and is the most important trading town of the Souther! Hemisphere. It is the centre of a dozen ing lines of railway, several, however, being only suburban lines. It is the see of a Roman Catholic archbishop and of a Protestant bishop, and the seat of various consuls, including a United States consul-general. The city is laid out with straight, and regular streets, well paved or macadam ized, and supplied with gas, electric street railways. and fresh water. Melbourne University has an annual State endowment, and possesses valuable scholarships and exhibitions. Its building is large, in the shape of a par:111(44) gram. surrounded by extensive grounds. The post-ollice, a magnificent structure, in the Italian style. elaborately ornamented, was built in 1859. The 'Parliament houses, erected in 1855-91, cost $5,000.000. The town hall is a fine building with a large assembly room equipped with a splendid organ. The chief instituticats besides these are the hospital, the benevolent asylum, the immi grants' home, the servants' home, the orphan asylums, the lying-in hospital. treasury, county and city eourts, public library. including the National Picture Gallery and 'Museum of Sculp ture, custom-house, barracks, Scotch College, and many other educational establishments, literary and scientific institutions and societies. There are several theatres, pultlie parks, and fine botanical and zoological gardens.
The Van-Year water-works, by means of which water is conveyed from a distance of 18 were opened in 1857. Water-works and street
railways are municipal property. The chief in dustrial establishments are flour mills, tallow boiling works. tanneries, woolen and cloth fac tories, breweries, brass and iron foundries. The suburbs included in the metropolitan area extend for over 10 miles along the shores of the spat-ions and beautiful bay of Port Phillip, which is :35 miles long by about 25 miles broad. The entrance to Port Phillip. which is only two miles wide, is formed by two projecting and strongly forti fied promontories, vatted the Ileads Vessels drawme 16 feet reach Melbourne at ordinary tides. one mile of wharfage extends along the north side of the Yarra. In the outer har bor there are about 254100 feet of berthing. rang ing in depth from 6 to 27 feet at low tide, The chief exports are priti, siker, wool. hide., cattle, and sheep. Six-sevenths of the entire eommeree of the State is carried on by Melbourne. For further information regarding trade. etc.. see Vic-roma.
Melbourne was first eolonized in 1835. and re cc iVed its Haim in 1837 from Lord Melbourne, then the British Prime Minister. It leonine the see 1)f a bishop in 1847, and in 1851 the capital of the newly formed Victoria. The cry of gold in Victoria in 1851 gave an extraor dinary impetus to the material prosperity of Mel bourne. The eolonial centenary was eommemo rated at Melbourne in 1888 les an international exhibition. The first Federal Parliament of the Australian Commonwealth was opened in the Ex hibition on Wednesday. 'May 8, 1901, by the Duke of York. Melbourne being chosen as the temporary eapital pending the choice of a seat on federal territory in New Smith Wales. Population. within munieipal limits. in 1901, 08.379: suburbs. whiell comprise sixteen munieipalities. in 1890. 490,900: in 1901, 49 4. 100. Consult Finn. rhronieles of Early Mel bourne (Melbourne. 1889).