APPENDIX. 



THE RELIGIOUS STATISTICS OF THE CHIEF COLONIES. 



Numbers are but poor tests of the religious condition and progress of a country, but they have 

 their value, and many of the readers of this volume may find the following facts interesting. It 

 has not been found possible to get the information respecting Queensland and Western Australia. 

 It is quite evident ot a glance that there is a large number of trained men who are engaged in 

 the great work of the Gospel, and that their efforts are supported by a very considerable section 

 of the Australian people. 



Victoria. — There being no State religion in Victoria, and no money voted for any 

 religious object, the clergy are supported by the efforts of the denomination to which they are 

 attached. The ministers in all sections of the Church number 828, of whom 185 belong to the 

 Church of England, 121 to the Roman Catholic Church, 177 to the Presbyterian Church, 

 161 to the Methodist Churches, 54 to the Independent Church, 38 to the Baptist Church, 

 29 to the Bible Christian Church, 56 to other Christian Churches, and 7 to the Jewish Church. 

 Besides these there are other officials connected with these bodies, who, without being regularly 

 ordained, perform the functions of clergymen, and are styled lay readers, lay assistants, local 

 preachers, mission agents, &c. The number of these is not known, but it no doubt materially 

 swells the ranks of religious instructors in the colony. The buildings used for public worship 

 throughout Victoria number at the present time (1886) about 3700, of which 2000 are regular 

 churches and chapels, 400 school-houses, and 1400 public or private buildings. Accommodation 

 is provided for 500,000 persons, but the number attending the principal weekly services is said 

 not to exceed 315,000. More than 304,000 services are performed during the year. Of 

 the whole number of buildings used for religious worship, 764 belong to the Church of England, 

 618 to, the Roman Catholics, 906 to the Presbyterians, 962 to the Methodists, 76 to Independents, 

 99 to the Baptists, 154 to the Bible Christians, 146 to other Christians, and 6 to the Jews. 

 The Salvation Army have erected their "barracks" in various localities, and sometimes rent 

 edifices for Divine Service, but no statistics of their operations have yet been obtained. 



New South Wales. — With regard to religion, all the Churches stand on the same level of 

 equality, there being no Established or State Church. These Churches are supported entirely by 

 voluntary subscriptions, as all State aid ceased in 1862, except some small outstanding liabilities 

 to the then existing incumbents. Roughly speaking, out of a population of 950,000 there are 

 some 600,000 Protestants, the great majority belonging to the Church of England, and about 

 280,000 Roman Catholics, the remainder being made up of various denominations. At the 

 taking of the census of 1881 the numbers were as follows : Church of England, 342,359 ; 

 Lutherans, 4836; Presbyterians, 72,545; Wesleyan Methodists, 57,049; other Methodists, 7303; 

 Congregationalists, 14,328; Baptists, 7307; Unitarians, 828; other Protestants, 9957; total 

 Protestants, 516,512; Roman Catholics, 207,020: Catholics undescribed, 586; total Catholics, 

 207,606; Hebrews, 3266; other persuasions, 1042; unspecified persuasions, 13,697; Pagans, 

 9345. In 1883 there were 770 ministers of religion and 1521 churches, with an average 

 attendance at public worship of 243,369 persons. The Sunday Schools have 105,162 scholars 

 on their registers. 



South Australia.— Of this Colony the only facts obtainable are the following round 

 numbers. The number of churches or chapels existing in 1884 was 928 ; the number of sittings 

 provided was 200,123; the number of Sunday schools was 727; teachers, 6729; scholars, 



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