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 146 QUEENSLAND riantly. The climate of Queensland is prefer- able to that of other parts of Australia, it being said to resemble closely that of Madeira, and the colony has been for many years the resort of invalids from the other settlements. The summer is hot, the thermometer sometimes indicating 100 in the shade ; but the atmos- phere is dry, and the heat is so tempered by the sea breezes that the nights are always cool. It is generally exempt from the hot winds which prevail in other parts of Australia. Kain falls regularly in the hot season, but a dry sea- son is experienced every six or seven years. Most of the productions of both temperate and tropical countries can be cultivated with suc- cess. There are few indigenous fruits or vege- tables, but those of almost all other countries have been naturalized. The soil is well adapted for the cultivation of cotton, sugar cane, and tobacco, as well as of maize, wheat, and other cereals, and all the vegetables and flowers of northern Europe. At the end of 1872 there were 62,491 acres under cultivation, of which 12,002 were devoted to cotton and 11,757 to sugar cane. The orange, lemon, citron, pine- apple, fig, banana, peach, nectarine, grape, guava, mulberry, apple, pear, granadilla, and many other fruits, grow to perfection. In consequence of the high price of labor and the difficulty of finding a market for agricultural products, the greater part of the industry is devoted to stock raising. The downs furnish rich pasturage, and sheep and cattle increase rapidly. Horses are so numerous that only the best bred animals are selected for breaking. Cattle and sheep are frequently boiled down for their tallow and hides, but attempts have been made of late years to preserve the meat for exportation to Europe. The staple product is wool, the quality of which increases in fine- ness as the flocks are driven northward. About 195,000 sq. m. are occupied for sheep raising. At the close of 1872 the live stock in the colony numbered 6,687,907 sheep, 1,200,992 horned cattle, 92,798 horses, and 35,732 swine. Queensland is rich in minerals, principally gold, copper, and coal. Gold was first discov- ered at Canoona, about 35 m. from Rockhamp- ton. In 1867 several other fields were opened, the richest of which was at Gympic creek, 130 m. from Brisbane, which proved to be very rich in gold-bearing quartz. There are now more than a dozen gold fields in the colony, mostly in the N. and N. W. districts. The total gold product for 1872 was 178,308 oz., valued at 592,993. The richest copper mines are at Clermont, and the chief coal mines are on the Brisbane and Bremer rivers. The product of the coal mines for 1872 was 27,727 tons, valued at 16,120. Queensland is divided into 12 dis- tricts : Moreton, Darling Downs, Burnett, Port Curtis, Maranoa, Leichhardt, Kennedy, Mitch- ell, Warrego, Gregory, Burke, end Cook. The principal towns, besides Brisbane, are Ipswich, Rockhampton, Gympic, Maryborough, and To- (Rroomba. The government is vested in a gov- ernor appointed by the crown, an executive council, and a parliament of two houses, the legislative council and the legislative assembly. The governor is commander-in-chief of the troops, and has also the title of vice admiral. The executive council consists of a colonial secretary, treasurer, postmaster general, attor- ney general, minister for lands, and minister for mines and public works. The legislative council consists of 21 members, nominated by the crown for life. The house of assembly comprises 32 deputies, elected by ballot for five years. Electors must be natural born or naturalized citizens, 21 years of age, who pos- sess certain small property qualifications, and have suffered no condemnation for criminal acts. Justice is administered through a chief justice, a puisn6 judge, each of whom has asso- ciates, and several district judges. There ia no state church, an act having been passed in 1860 abolishing state aid to religion. Nearly all the leading denominations are represented in the colony, and all have numerous places of worship. Education is under the control of a board of education, consisting of six mem- bers appointed by the government, with one of the ministry for chairman. It is similar to the national system in vogue in Ireland, and is entirely free. Aid is granted to schools not established by the board, which are called non- vested schools, on their complying with certain regulations. The state also assists schools more advanced than primary schools. In 1870 there were 111 public schools, 226 teachers, and an aggregate attendance of 16,227. Of these, 89 were primary schools, with 170 teachers and 11,087 scholars. Brisbane, Ipswich, and Mary- borough have grammar schools. There were also 101 .private schools in the colony in 1870. The gross revenue in 1873 was 1,120,034, and the expenditure 948,750. The public debt on Dec. 31, 1872, was 4,547,850. The total value of the imports in 1873 was 2,881,726; exports, 3,542,518. Commercial intercourse is chiefly with the other Australian colonies and with Great Britain. In 1873 the imports from Great Britain amounted to 815,638, and the exports to it to 871,235, of which 534,935 was for wool. The principal articles exported were wool, tallow, gold, copper, tin ore, cot- ton, live stock, hides, timber, and provisions. The total export of wool in 1872 was 17,798,- 000 Ibs. The entrances at the various ports in 1870 were 476 vessels of the aggregate capacity of 139,292 tons. In the same year 2,825 immi- grants were landed. At the close of 1873 there were 218 m. of railway in operation. The chief lines are the Southern and Western, from Ipswich to Warwick, 176 m. ; and the North- ern, from Rockhampton in the direction of the Dawson river, which in 1873 was completed to Westwood, 30 m. The railways have a gauge of 3 ft. 6 in. At the close of 1872 there were 3,368 m. of telegraph wire in operation, with 53 stations. (For information relating to the geology, zoology, botany, and aborigines, see