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 346 VICTORIA annum. The qualifications for electors of this house are so small that universal suffrage may be said to prevail. In 1871 there were 142,305 voters in this class. All voting is by ballot. The net revenue of the government for the year ending June 30, 1875, was 4,132,118; the total expenditure, 4,325,277. The esti- mated revenue for 1875-'6 was 4,287,313; estimated expenditure, 4,488,658. The pub- lic debt on June 30, 1874, was 12,485,432, of which 10,657,000 had been expended on rail- wa^ construction. The first railway in Vic- toria, from Melbourne to Sandridge, was opened in 1856. At the end of 1875 605 m. were in operation. The principal lines are : from Mel- bourne to Echuca, 156 m., with a branch from Castlemaine to Maryborough of 34 m. ; Mel- bourne to Geelong, 45 m. ; Geelong to Balla- rat, 55J m. ; Ballarat to Ararat, 57 m. ; Balla- rat to Dunolly, 56 m. ; and Melbourne to Wo- donga, 187 m. Lines are projected from Mel- bourne to Sale, 120m.; Ararat to Hamilton, 64 m. ; Sandhurst to Inglewood, 30 m. ; Mary- borough to Avoca, 15 m. ; Leigh Road to Colac, 42 in. ; and Portland to Hamilton, 55 m. In 1875 there were 3.928 m. of telegraph lines in operation, with 131 stations. There were 800 post offices and 210 money-order offices in the colony in 1873; income, 193.384; expen- diture, 290,162. In 1875 the volunteer mili- tary force of the colony numbered 8,953 men, with 230 commissioned officers. The naval force comprised the cupola ship Cerberus of 2,100 tons and 4 guns, and the Nelson of 2,736 tons and 72 guns. For the early history of Victoria, see AUSTRALIA. The first settlement was made in 1835 on the W. shore of Port Phillip harbor, then included within the bounds of New South Wales. In 1839 was appointed the first superintendent of the district of Port Phillip, which had a population at that time of 8,511. An attempt was made in 1840-'41 to secure a separation from New South Wales, but independence was not achieved till 1851. VICTORIA, a S. county of Texas, bounded E. in part by Garcitas creek, and S. W. by Coleto creek and Guadalupe river, the latter also in- tersecting it ; area, 925 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 4,860, of whom 1,768 were colored. The sur- face is low and level, and the soil fertile. The chief productions in 1870 were 71,078 bushels of Indian corn, 8,129 of sweet potatoes, 10,822 Ibs. of butter, 14,871 of wool, and 205 bales of cotton. There were 5,047 horses, 2,044 milch cows, 62,303 other cattle, 5,445 sheep, and 4,069 swine. Capital, Victoria. VICTORIA. I. A central county of Ontario, Canada, lying E. of Lake Simcoe; area, 1,3051 sq. m. ; pop. in 1871, 30,200, of whom 14,157 were of Irish, 8,049 of English, 6,479 of Scotch, and 660 of French origin or descent. It is drained by Sturgeon lake and several streams, and is traversed by the Toronto and Nipissing and the Midland railways. Capital, Lindsay. II. A N. W. county of New Brunswick, Can- ada, bordering on Maine, and intersected by the St. John and Tobiqne rivers ; area, about 1,900 sq. m. ; pop. in 1871, 11,641, of whom 7,184 were of French, 1,696 of Irish, 1,509 of English, and 955 of Scotch origin or descent. Since the census Madawaska co. has been formed from the N. portion. The surface is rolling and varied, and remarkably fertile. Capital, Grand Falls. III. A county of Nova Scotia, Canada, comprising the E. portion of the N. projection of Cape Breton island ; area, 1,198 sq. m. ; pop. in 1871, 11,346, of whom 9,751 were of Scotch, 744 of English, and 665 of Irish origin or descent. The N. portion is mountainous and but scantily settled ; the S. is better adapted to agriculture. Coal, iron, and salt abound, and gold and silver have been found. Capital, Baddeck. VICTORIA, a city, port of entry, and the cap- ital of British Columbia, on the strait of Fuca, at the S. E. extremity of Vancouver island, 65 m. S. S. W. of New Westminster, and 95 m. N. N. W. of Olympia, Washington territory ; lat. 48 27' N., Ion. 123 25' W. ; pop. in 1870, 3,270. It has picturesque surroundings and a fine climate, except in winter, which is wet and stormy. On the N. border is a public park with a race course, surrounding an. emi- nence called Beacon hill. Nearly all the stores and several of the churches are of brick and stone. The government buildings, of brick, occupy extensive grounds in the E. part of the city. Gary castle, the governor's residence, a large stone edifice costing $50,000, is in the suburbs. The city is lighted with gas and has water works. The inlet which forms the har- bor runs N. for some miles with an average breadth of a few hundred yards. The en- trance is narrow and tortuous, and does not admit vessels drawing more than 18 ft. Es- quimalt, 8 m. distant, is used as a port by the largest vessels, and here are a British naval station and a naval hospital. There are fort- nightly lines of steamers to New Westminster, Olympia, and San Francisco. The city contains four breweries, two distilleries, an iron foun- dery, a soap factory, two sash factories, two tanneries, a ship yard, two lumber yards, &c. There are two banks, a hospital, a theatre, two daily and two weekly newspapers, and Epis- copal, Jewish, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, and Wesleyan Methodist churches. The Hud- son Bay company established a fort and depot here about 1843, and in 1859, upon the organ- ization of the colony of Vancouver Island, the place became its capital. In 1866 this colony was annexed to British Columbia, and Victo- ria became the capital of the united colony. VICTORIA. See HONG KONG. VICTORIA (VICTORIA ALEXANDRINA), queen of Great Britain and Ireland and empress of India, born at Kensington palace, May 24, 1819. She is the sixth sovereign of the house of Hanover, and is the only child of Edward, duke of Kent, fourth son of George III., and the princess Victoria Mary Louisa of Saxe- Coburg-Saalfeld, relict of the hereditary prince