1 78 Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria. 



Tablk TII. 



Shuwiiiij; Births and Deaths in first half of years 1890-94 in Melbourne 

 and rest of Colony separately, and in Victoria as a whole. 



BIETHS. 



Certainly these figures show tliat there has been a marked 

 difference of conditions prevailing in the metropolitan and extra- 

 metropolitan portions of the colony. We are entitled to infer 

 that there has been, at least, no loss of population in the latter 

 portion, since 1^91. And if there actually has Ijeen a lower than 

 average birth and death rate in the one portion, the same has 

 doul)tless been true of the othei'. In that case, what looks like 

 fixity of population may really indicate some increase. According 

 to Mr. Hayter's estimate, the population of extra-metropolitan 

 Victoria, on 31st December, 1893, was 729,171 ; while it was 

 only 6-19,o09 at the census in April, 1891. It would be a 

 satisfaction to be able to believe that theie was an increase of 

 almost 80,000 pers-ons in the two and three-cpiarter years; but, in 



