Page:Victoria, with a description of its principal cities, Melbourne and Geelong.djvu/171

 were obtained in such employments induced a continued increasing immigration of those classes, who were reluctant to leave the towns even after the demand for their labour declined; and thus the attraction of the town, and the difficulties which lay in the way of settling on the lands, co-operated to keep the urban population unusually large, when compared with the Gold Fields and the country in general.

The introduction, also, of machinery and steam-power will have a great influence on the Gold Fields. The production of the precious metal will be increased to an extent which many would esteem incredible. It is stated by those who have become acquainted with the characteristics of auriferous quartz in California, that there are here whole ranges sufficiently rich to make the crushing of the quartz and the extraction of the gold a profitable speculation. Many men of capital and enterprise are only waiting the adoption of such measures as will enable them to enter on these speculations. Legislative measures are also expected, such as will facilitate the formation of co-operative companies of miners, by whom machinery may be employed, and the land wrought at a greatly diminished cost. Should these proposed arrangements be carried out, the position of all classes will be improved. Those who arrived on the Gold Fields will have it in their option either to accept employment at high wages, or engage in digging for themselves; while the