HISTORY. The coast of Victoria was sighted by Captain Cook in 1770, and the first explora tions were made in 1798 by George Bass, who discovered Bass Strait. In 1802 Lieutenant Murray took formal possession of Port Phillip Bay, and in 1803 an unsuccessful attempt was made by the English Government to establish a settlement. Exploring parties the country from time to time, hut the first perma nent settlement was not made until 1834, and was then accomplished by the individbal enter prise of one lienty. The settlement of the Henty family is usually regarded as the founding of Victoria. Henty and his seven sons were squat ters on the shore of Portland Bay, where they set up a whale-fishing establishment, and also carried on sheep-farming. That type of settle ment had been a source of much vexation to the home GovernMent, and Ilenty was unable for some time to obtain any legal recognition. Ilis settlement never grew, but was absorbed in the Port Phillip Association, led by John Batman, from Tasmania, in 1835, and reinforced during the year by colonists under a trader named Faukner, who is jointly with Batman entitled to the credit of founding the colony. The set tlers bought land of the natives. Such titles were not favored by Great Britain, but the colony at Port I•hi11ip obtained such of num ber that its recognition could not he avoided. It was incorporated within the territory of New South \Vales in 1835, and formally opened for settlement in 1836. In 1837 the town of Mel bourne was laid out, and in 1842 it received a city charter. The colony grew rapidly. in 1842 agitation began for separation from New South \Vales. This was accomplished in 1850, although the new colony of Victoria was not formally organized until 1851. By this time the popula tion had reached 77,000. Upon the discovery of gold Victoria had an. extraordinary rush of im migration, the population increasing from 77.455
in 1851 to 540,322 in 1861. with the severe mining regulations imposed Iry the Legis lature led to serious miners' riots at Ballarat in 1854 and to the enactment of more liberal laws. The period after 1855 witnessed the rise of a powerful democratic party, which entered into bitter conflict with the squatter or land-owning class on the question of a protective tariff for the purpose of encouraging home industries. The conservative attitude of the squatters, who were in control of the Upper House of the legislature, kept back until after 1860 the full development of the agricultural resources of the colony. Like its sister colonies, Victoria during the last ten years of the nineteenth century enacted many legislative measures of a decidedly democratic and even socialistic character. Among other things these acts provided for old age pensions, and for every trade established mixed tribunals of employers and employees for the determina tion of a minimum wage. The people of Victoria were from the beginning overwhelmingly in favor of Australian federation (q.v.), and in 1S9S rati fied the first draft of the Federal Constitution by a vote of five to one.
Bfril.tocaArnY. McCoy. Victoria and Its Metropolis (Melbourne, ISS9) ; Coghlan, Seven, Colonies of Australia (ib., annually) ; Jenks, The Gorcrnnu•ut of (London, 1891) ; Bannow, The Colony of Victoria (ib., 1897). For ethnology, consult Smyth (comp.), The Aborigines of Victoria (Melbourne, IS7S) Curr, The Australian Race (ib., 1S86-S7) ; Hare, The Last of the Bushrangers (London, 1S94). For geology, Murray, Victoria Geology and Physical Geography (Melbourne, 1S95). For history, Labilliere, Early History of the Colony of Vic toria (London, 187S) : Turner, History of Vic toria (Melbourne, 1S79).