Page:The Boy Travellers in Australasia.djvu/530

506 "In addition to the public edifices, King William Street contains banks, newspaper offices, and other private buildings that would be a credit to any city of Europe or America. As for churches, I don't know how many we have seen in our drive through the principal streets; they give the impression that Adelaide is a very religious city, and that her wealthy people have been very liberal in providing places of worship. All the prominent religions are represented, the Church of England taking the lead, as in the other colonies.

"At the last census of South Australia the Church of England had 76,000 adherents, Roman Catholics numbered 43,000, Methodists 42,000, Lutherans 20,000, Presbyterians 18,000, Baptists 14,000, and Congregationalists, Bible Christians, and Primitive Methodists about 10,000 each. No State aid is given to any of the churches, all of them being supported by voluntary contributions. There are nearly a thousand churches and chapels in the colony, exclusive of four hundred other buildings which are occasionally used for religious worship.

"We asked the driver of our carriage to show us some of the finest private residences; he did so, and we certainly commend the good taste of the leading: citizens in their architecture. Our drive extended to North Adelaide, which is to 'the city' what South Melbourne is to Melbourne, being principally a place for residence. The river Torrens separates Adelaide from its northern suburb; we crossed it on one of three handsome bridges, and found it less worthy of the name of river than is the Yarra at Melbourne, its bed being little more than a dry waste of sand. Ten months in the year this is said to be its condition; for the other two months it is an impetuous flood.

"The river isn't as bad as it was, as a dam has been thrown across it near the jail, and the water held by it forms a narrow lake about two miles long, which furnishes a floating-place for steam-launches and row-boats in great number. We took a sail on one of the launches, and enjoyed it very much; the lake reminded us in some respects of the Ausser Alster at Hamburg, and seems to be much appreciated by the citizens. The water supply of the city comes from the Torrens; it is drawn into reservoirs a few miles above the city, and brought thence through covered mains into the city limits.

"The population of the city itself is about 50,000, and there are said to be 130,000 people living within a radius of ten miles from the Town-hall. The population of the whole territory of South Australia is not far from 350,000, including about 5000 aboriginals. The area of the colony, including the Northern Territory, is estimated at 903,690 square