Volume 14 Australasia - dana ward's homepage

418 AUSTRALASIA.precious metal. Since those daj's Ballarat, like Melbourne, has surrounded itselfwith villas, gardens, plantations, and has even constructed an artificial lake in thevicinity.Other flourishing towns, such as Smyihesdalc, Cresicick, Clunes, Dayles/urd,Kyneton, and Castlemaine, are dotted over the district, beyond which follow theprosperous Sandhurst or Bend'ujo, rival of Ballarat itself, and Eaglehawk, both atthe northern extremity of a chain of hills at the approach of the plains watered bythe Bendigo and Campaspe affluents of the Murray. Three railwaj's radiate fromSandhurst, one of which, crossing the Mairraj^ on a bridge 1,900 feet long at Eclmca,nms northwards through New South Wales to the flourishing town of Deniliquin.Echuca, the chief riverain port on the main stream, is conveniently situated ona peninsula at the confluence of the Campaspe.Although not quite so thinlj^ settled as Gipp's Land, the western part of Victoriahas not yet developed any important centres of population. Warrnambool,Belfad, and Portland are small trading places following each other along the coastwestwards from Port Phillip ; but Portland is likely to attract a considerabletraffic as soon as the roadstead is sheltered by the new breakwater from the fiercesouth-east gales.In the interior of this region the largest settlements are Araratand Stairell, both foxmded in mining districts. The Stawell and Sandhurst goldmines are the most productive in the colony ; the latter had been sunk in 1888 to adepth of 2,400 feet.Victoria is one of the Australian states that depend least on the Central Government,which is here directly represented only bj'^ the Governor.The LegislativeCouncil, or Upper House, is elected by ballot, each of the fourteen provincesnaming three members, one-third of whom retire every two years, so that the wholerepresentation is renewed every six years. The Legislative Assembly, or LowerHouse, elected by universal suffrage, consists of ninety-four members returned forthree years, and receiving an allowance of £300 a year. No allowance is made tothe Legislative Council, the members of which body must possess an estate of theannual value of not less than £100, while the electors must own or occupy propertyrated at £ 1 if freehold, or £25 if leasehold.The land forces comprise nearly five thousand men of all arms, and the fleet,which includes an armoured turret-ship and several gunboats and torpedo boats, ismanned by about five hundred hands.Tasmania.Although the smallest in extent of the Australasian colonies, the island ofTasmania, formerly Van Diem en's Land, has a much larger population than thevast territory of West Australia ; relatively to the superficial area it is even themost densely peopled of all these states with the single exception of Victoria.early as 180-4 it began to serve as a penal station, and the Central Governmentcontinued to send thither convicts from Great Britain till 1853, the year beforeTasmania entered into the comity of the Australasian States : but after itspolitical separation from New South Wales it received most of its free immigrantsfrom that colony. But the discovery of the gold-fields on the mainland broughtSo