Page:Victoria, with a description of its principal cities, Melbourne and Geelong.djvu/32

 Many, with a more prudent care, have returned with the fruit of their labours to their native country. It thus often happens, that prudence, education, and birth, will find place and position where ignorance and the inherent proneness of the low-bred still to be low, will, in most instances, regardless of the advantages of fortune, return to their former condition. No doubt, to this class there are many bright exceptions, but the examples are numerous of which we speak.

This state of things has proved of the highest advantage to the Gold Fields, and added to the prosperity of the country generally; for hundreds who have gone to the Fields, and been successful, and then impoverished themselves by subsequent extravagance, or were unsuccessful, and wasted in vain attempts their previous earnings, became alike disgusted with the hard labour and harder fate, and gladly returned to the cattle and farm stations, better and wiser men. During the last year, this has caused considerable reaction, and many lands that were deserted during the gold mania have been again stocked or farmed, so that the return far exceeds the prognostications of the most sanguine.

The thirst for gold having abated, the mania has taken a better and more legitimate turn, viz., the desire to settle and purchase land. This matter has caused considerable anxiety to the Legislature, and many Acts have been brought forward to encourage the advancement of tillage and the occupation of