Page:The Present State and Prospects of the Port Phillip District of New South Wales.djvu/152

 The rapid increase in the ordinary revenue may further serve to illustrate this subject. The following is a statement of it : —

During the eight years that this country has been occupied, three towns have been built — Melbourne, Geelong, and Portland. In 1841 Melbourne contained about 9,000 inhabitants. This number is supposed to he now reduced to about 8,000, by persons going into the bush. The number of houses amounts to 2,400. There are in this town a Church of England church, a Scotch Church, a Roman Catholic, a Methodist, and an Independent chapel. All the congregations of these, with the exception of the Independents, receive government support, consisting of salaries for the ministers,