The most important, in value, of the imports into the colony are woollen manufactures, live stock, sugar, cottons, apparel and haberdashery, timber, iron and steel, coal and tea.

The staple articles of export from the colony are wool, gold, and grain and flour. The total exports of wool amounted to 98,467,369 lbs., valued at 5,810,1487. in 1881, to 108,028,601 lbs., valued at 5,902,574l. in 1882, and to 109,616,710 lbs., valued at 6,054,613l. in 1883. The export of gold coin and bullion was 3,705,3377. in 1882, and 3,916,5397. in 1883. The export of grain and flour was of the value of 966,4877. in 1882, and 674,1297. in 1883. Among the minor articles of export from the colony are leather and skins, tallow and preserved and salted provisions.

The trade of Victoria is mainly with Great Britain and the British colonies in Australasia. The commercial intercourse of Victoria with the United Kingdom (exclusive of gold) is shown in the subjoined table, for each of the five years from 1879 to 1883:

The staple article of exports from Victoria to the United Kingdom is wool. The exports of wool to Great Britain were as follows in each of the five years from 1879 to 1883 :

Among the minor articles of merchandise exported to the United Kingdom are grain and flour of the value of 266,6231.; tallow, of the value of 145,5627.; leather, of the value of 357,1467.; and preserved meat, of the value of 72,1847., in 1883.

The British imports into Victoria embrace nearly all articles of home manufacture, chief among them iron, wrought and unwrought, of the value of 1,023,6591.; woollen goods, of the value of 688,0367.; apparel and haberdashery, of the value of 606,0221.; and cotton goods, of the value of 859,043l., in the year 1883

At the end of 1883 Victoria had 12 banks, with notes in circulation 1,426,6851., deposits 24,059,1697., the total liabilities being 25,856,7091.; gold and silver, coined and in bars, 2,245,4721. ; landed property, 988,2147.; total debts due to banks, 26,994,1377.; total assets, 31,742,5077.

In 1882 there entered the ports of the colony 2,023 vessels of 1,464,752 tons, of which 1,838 of 1,280,233 were British; and cleared 2,064 vessels of 1,499,579 tons, of which 1,878 of 1,313,630 tons were British.

Since the discovery of gold, in 1851, large quantities have been exported from Victoria. In the ten years from 1852 to 1861 the exports of gold amounted to upwards of two millions of ounces in weight per annum, but subsequently there was a gradual decline, till the year 1867, when the exports fell to under a million and a half ounces. The subjoined statement gives, after official returns, the estimated quantities of gold, with value, obtained in Victoria in each of the five years from 1879 to 1883:—

The total quantity of gold raised from 1851 to 1883 is estimated at 52,214,150 ozs., of an aggregate value of 208,856,6007. The number of miners at work on the gold-fields on Dec. 31, 1883, was 31,621, of whom 6,387 were Chinese.

Of the total area of Victoria, about 22,000,000 acres are either alienated or in process of alienation. Of the remainder only about 8,000,000 acres are at present suitable for agriculture; mountain forests occupy 12,000,000 acres; land covered with smaller scrub, 11,500,000 acres; State forests, 900,000 acres; timber and other reserves, over 900,000 acres; auriferous land, nearly 1,000,000

acres; and roads, over 1,000,000 acres. There were 2,215,923 acres of land in cultivation in the colony in March 1884. Of this extent 1,104,392 acres were under wheat, 188,161 acres under oats, 46,832 acres under barley, 40,195 acres under potatoes, 302,957 acres under hay. In addition to these, green forage and permanent artificial grasses covered 286,866 acres, vines covered 7,326 acres, and gardens and orchards occupied an extent of over 20,000 acres. The produce of wheat was 15,570,245 bushels, or 14 bushels to the acre; that of oats, 4,717,624, or 25 bushels to the acre; that of barley, 1,069,803, or 23 bushels to the acre; that of potatoes, 161,088 tons, or 4 tons to the acre; and that of hay, 433,143 tons, or 1 tons to the acre. The total area under cultivation has more than doubled, and the area of wheat nearly trebled in the last ten years.

In the year ended March 31, 1884, there were in the colony 286,779 horses, 1,297,546 head of cattle, 10,739,021 sheep, and 233,525 pigs.

The total number of manufactories, works, &c., in 1883 was 2,612, of which 1,248 used steam or gas engines, with an aggregate horse-power of 16,612; the number of hands employed was 45,698; and the lands, buildings, machinery and plant was valued at 8,519,4861. The manufactures are almost entirely for home

consumption.

The railways in Victoria all belong to the State. There were 1,562 miles of railway completed at the end of 1883. Besides these, 130 miles were in progress. The completed lines are distributed as follows::

The total cost of the whole of the lines, exclusive of stores and materials on hand at the end of 1883, was close upon 22,000,000Z., being about an average of 14,1007. per mile for the miles open. On this the net revenue paid 3.34 per cent. The borrowed capital amounted to 17,621,400l. at the end of 1882, and on this the net interest amounted to 932,6407. The gross earnings in the year 1883 were 1,898,000l.; the expenditure 1,082,000l., or 61.68 per cent. ;

and the profits on working, 816,000l. The weight of goods carried in 1882 was 1,626,829 tons, and of live stock 57,384 tons. The train mileage in 1883 was about 5,700,000 miles, and the earnings per train mile were 7s., and per average line mile open 1,3701. The proportions of passenger and goods traffic to the total revenue were 47 and 53 per cent. respectively.

There were 3,660 miles of telegraph lines, comprising 7,271 miles of wire, open at the end of 1883. The number of telegraphic despatches in the year 1883 was 1,474,971. The revenue from telegraphs was 81,2647. in the year 1883. At the end of the year 1883 there were 365 telegraph stations.

The post office of the Colony forwarded 30,962,167 letters, 5,401,330 packets, and 13,982,222 newspapers in the year 1883. There were 1,295 post offices on the 31st December, 1883. The total postal revenue, including the receipts from telegraphs, was 330,9097. in the year 1883.

Agent-General of Victoria in Great Britain.—Robert Murray Smith, C.M.G.; appointed February 1, 1882.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

Constitution and Government.

THE administration of Western Australia is vested in a Governor, who exercises the executive functions. There is besides a Legislative Council, composed of 8 nominated and 16 elected members, the latter returned by the votes of all male inhabitants, of full age, assessed in a rental of at least 107. The qualification for elected members is the possession of landed property of 1,000l.

Governor of Western Australia.-Sir Frederick Napier Broome, K.C.M.G.; entered the Colonial Service 1875 as Colonial Secretary of Natal; Colonial Secretary of Mauritius, 1877, and LieutenantGovernor 1881-2. Appointed Governor of Western Australia, December, 1882.

The Governor has a salary of 2,500l. per annum. He is assisted in his functions by an Executive Council, including the Colonial Secretary, the Attorney-General, the Colonial Treasurer, the Surveyor-General, and the Director of Public Works.

There was in 1883 a volunteer force in the colony of 535 officers and men; but no regular military.

Revenue and Expenditure.

The revenue and expenditure of the colony during the five years from 1879 to 1883 were as follows:

The revenue for 1884 was estimated at 270,000l. and the expenditure at 289,2467.

Rather more than one-third of the public income is derived from customs duties, and the rest mainly from licenses and leases of