Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 24.djvu/239

Rh species, the most notable being Eucalyptus amygdalina, a tree with tall white stem, smooth as a marble column, and without branches for 60 or 70 feet from the ground. It is singularly beautiful when seen, in groves, for these have all the appearance of lofty pillared cathedrals. These trees are among the tallest in the world, averag ing in some districts about 300 feet. The longest ever measured was found prostrate on the Black Spur ; it measured 470 feet in length ; it was 81 feet in girth near the root. Eucalyj^tus ylobulus or blue gum has broad green leaves, which yield the eucalyptus oil of the pharmacopeia. Eucalyptus rostrata is extensively used in the colony as a timber, being popularly known as red gum or hard wood. It is quite unaffected by weather, and almost indestructible when used as piles for piers or wharves. Smaller species of euca lyptus form the common &quot;bush.&quot; Melaleucas, also of Myrtacea kind, are prominent objects along all the coasts, where they grow densely on the sandhills, forming &quot;ti-tree&quot; scrub. Eucalyptus dumosa is a species which grows only 6 to 12 feet high, but with a straight stem ; the trees grow so close together that it is difficult to penetrate the scrub formed by them. Eleven and a half million acres of the Wimmera district are covered with this &quot; malice scrub,&quot; as it is called. Recent legislation has made this land easy of acquisi tion, and the whole of it has been taken up on pastoral leases. Five hundred thousand acres have recently been taken up as an irriga tion colony on California!! principles and laid out in 40-acre farms and orchards. The Lcguminosx are chiefly represented by acacias, of which the wattle is the commonest. The black wattle is of con siderable value, its gum being marketable and its bark worth from 5 to 10 a ton for tanning purposes. The golden wattle is a beautiful tree, whose rich yellow blossoms fill the river- valleys in early spring with delicious scent. The Casiuirinse or she-oaks are gloomy trees, of little use, but of frequent occurrence. Heaths, grass- trees, and magnificent ferns and fern-trees are also notable features in Victorian forests. But European and subtropical vegetation has been introduced into the colony to such an extent as to have largely altered the characters of the flora in many districts. Fauna. The indigenous animals belong almost wholly to the Jfarsupialia. Kangaroos are tolerably abundant on the grassy plains, but the process of settlement is causing their extermination. A smaller species of almost identical appearance called the wallaby is still numerous in the forest lands. Kangaroo rats, opossums, wombats, native bears, bandicoots, and native cats all belong to the same class. The wombat forms extensive burrows in some districts. The native bear is a frugivorous little animal, and very harmless. Bats are numerous, the largest species being the flying fox, very abundant in some districts. Eagles, hawks, turkeys, pigeons, ducks, quail, snipe, and plover arc common ; but the characteristic denizens of the forest are vast flocks of parrots, parakeets, and cockatoos, with sulphur-coloured or crimson crests. The laughing jackass (giant kingfisher) is heard in all the country parts, and magpies are numerous everywhere. Snakes are numerous ; but less than one-fourth of the species are venomous, and they are all very shy. The deaths from snake-bite do not average 2 per annum. A great change is rapidly taking place in the fauna of the country, owing to cultivation and acclimatization. Dingoes have nearly disappeared, and rabbits, which were introduced only a few years ago, now abound in such numbers as to be a positive nuisance. Deer are also rapidly becoming numerous. Sparrows and swallows are as common as in England. The trout, which has also been acclimatized, is taking full possession of some of the streams. Live In 1878 Victoria possessed nearly eleven millions of sheep. Vic- stock, torian sheep give an exceptionally large yield of wool, and their fleeces obtain a higher price (on the average 6s. 2d. ) than any other grown in Australia. The colony has one and a quarter millions of cattle, three hundred and eight thousand horses, and about a quarter of a million of pigs. Agricul- There were in 1887 about 38,000 farms in the colony, containing ture. over 2,417,157 acres of land actually cultivated ; in almost all farms there is much land that is not actually tilled. Every year, however, a larger and larger proportion is brought under the plough. In the year ending March 1887 the crops were as follows : wheat, 12,100,036 bushels; oats, 4,256,079 bushels; barley, 827,852 bushels; potatoes, 170,661 tons; and hay, 483,049 tons. The aver age produce per acre of wheat crop was 11^ bushels ; the average per acre of oats, 23 bushels ; of barley, 22 bushels ; of potatoes, 3i tons. There are 10,300 acres of vineyards, producing 986,041 gallons of wine, and this industry is fast increasing. The hop plantations in 1887 yielded 5023 cwts. of hops. The following crops are being more or less experimented with : arrowroot, beetroot, flax, mangel wurzcl, mustard, olives, poppies, oranges, and some other fruits. In the same year there were produced 12,008 cwts. of tobacco. Almost every fruit is grown more or less, but the banana and orange cannot be considered commercially successful. Apples, pears, peaches, grapes, loquats, mulberries, plums, gooseberries, strawberries, melons, apricots, raspberries, cherries, currants, quinces, almonds, figs, walnuts, all grow well and are in common use. Bananas, pine-apples, oranges, and passion fruit are cheap, but 217 they come from the northern colonies. Tomatoes are plentiful and cheap, being easily grown in all parts of the colony. The central half of Victoria is well supplied with a close network Com- of railways, whilst several long lines branch out into the less settled inunica- districts east and west. A line parallel to the coast, joining Mel- tion. bourne to Bairnsdale, is sufficient for the Gippsland traffic. From Sale a number of short lines are being constructed for the con venience of the surrounding district. To the west there is a line 270 miles long joining Melbourne to Portland, giving off short branches on both sides. Three lines are being steadily pushed forward to the north-west into the AVimmera district. In 1887 there was a total length of 1880 miles open for traffic. The average cost of the lines now in operation has been 11,748 per mile, but all the more recently constructed lines have not ex ceeded 5000 per mile. The receipts for the year 1886-87 were 2,453,078, and the working expenses 1,427,116. All the lines are on a uniform gauge of 5 feet 3 inches, and they all belong to the state, being managed by a special board of three commissioners. Communication with Sydney, 573 miles distant, is effected by rail in 19 to 25 hours, and with Adelaide in about 20 hours. The well -settled parts of the colony are excellently supplied with macadamized roads, which are constructed and repaired by shire councils, whose chief function it is to raise revenues, each from its own district, to support the roads in that district. The less settled districts have tracks on which riding or driving is ex cellent after fine weather, but not after much rain. Victoria has 420 telegraph stations, connected by 4096 miles of line. Melbourne is connected with every town or borough in Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand. It is also joined with London, the length of line being 13,695 miles. The shortest re corded time for the transmission of a message along this line is 32 minutes ; the average time is about three hours. There are about 1300 telephone wires in use in the colony, chiefly in Melbourne. In 1886 the colony had 1429 post-offices, through which there passed 38,392,414 letters and post-cards, 17,482,490 newspapers, and 6,926,525 packets. Victoria is fully committed to the system of &quot;protection to native Trade, industry.&quot; In 1886 the value of its manufactures was 13,370,000, of which over 2,250,000 worth was exported. The number of establishments was 2770, and the number of hands employed 45,770. The total value of the exports for 1886 was 11,795,321, the chief items of which were wool, 5,028,061 ; gold, 4,309,535 ; livestock, 898,000 ; wheat, 408,000 ; flour, 318,000 ; sugar (brought to Vic toria to be refined), 266,779 ; tea (brought to Melbourne to be re- exported), 395,000 ; machinery, 184,135. The imports in 1886 amounted to 18,530,575 in value, of which 8,741,275 were from the United Kingdom, 6,567,403 from other British colonies, and 3,221,897 from foreign countries, the United States heading the list with over half a million, chiefly manufactured goods. In 1886 2307 vessels entered at Victorian ports (chiefly Mel- Shipping, bourne) and 2324 cleared, the tonnages being 1,848,058 and 1,887,329 respectively. Of the vessels that entered 1684 and of those that cleared 1721 were colonial, their respective tonnages being 958,833 and 983,295. Of British vessels there entered 407 (648,026 tons) and cleared 382 (661,833 tons). There is no shipbuilding of importance carried on in Victoria, only 4 small vessels having been built in 1886, with a total tonnage of 420. But there is a brisk trade in repairs, there being several good yards, and the Govern ment possesses at AVilliamstown a graving dock which admits vessels 500 feet long, the depth of water being 27 feet. Eleven banks of issue in Victoria had in 1886 notes to the extent Banks, of 1,399,208 in circulation ; their deposits bearing interest amounted to 23,999,791, not bearing interest (current accounts), 7,239,681. The total liabilities amounted to 33,085,989, the assets to 41,170,989. The average rate of annual dividends is 124. There are, besides, six banking companies which do not issue notes, and two distinct systems of savings banks. The ordinary savings banks had in 1886 15 branches with 111,031 depositors, who owned 2,322,959 of deposits. There were 264 branches of the post-office savings banks, with 78,328 depositors, owning l;266,957. But perhaps the most popular institution for the investment of money among persons of moderate means is the building societies, of which 60 were returned in 1886, with 19, 907 mem hers, holding2,910,792 as deposits. These societies act as banks, and members have their current accounts with them. The total sums deposited in banks and building societies in 1888 amounted to forty millions. Victoria enjoys almost absolute autonomy. The practical govern- Adminis- ment of the country rests with the parliament, consisting of two tration. houses. The legislative council contains 42 members elected by 14 electoral provinces. Each member holds his seat for six years, a third of them retiring every two years but being eligible for re election. To be eligible for election a candidate must be over thirty years of age and possessed of freehold property to the extent of 100 per annum. The electoral body consists of all citizens over twenty-one years of age, either possessing property of the yearly value of 10 or paying rates on property of not less than 25 annual value. To these are added all graduates of universities and XXIV. 28