AUSTRALIA AND POLYNESIA. 



AUSTRALIA AND POLYNESIA. The 

 area and population of Australia and Polynesia 

 are according to the latest accounts, as follows 

 (see Belira and Wagner, " Bevolkerung der 

 Erde," v., Gotha, 1878): 



The estimated population of each of the 

 British colonies was as follows : 



Total 2,547,899 



During the year 1876 the increase of births 

 ox-er deaths was: in Victoria, 13,288 ; in New 

 South Wales, 12,105; in Queensland, 3,496; 

 in South Australia, 4,674; in Western Austra- 

 lia, 535; in New Zealand, 12,170. In each 

 colony the number of births was more than 

 double that of deaths, and the number of males 

 largely exceeded that of females. 



The following table shows the revenue, pub- 

 lic debt, imports, and exports for 1876, for each 

 of the Australian colonies: 



The telegraph statistics, on January 1, 1877, 

 were as follows: 



The postal statistics for the different colonies 

 were as follows: 



The following table shows the number of 

 live stock in the different colonies : 



* For 1875. 



t For 1S77. 



t In 1874. 



According to "Statistics of New Zealand, 

 1877," the total estimated population of this 

 colony on December 31, 1877, was 41 7,622, ex- 

 clusive of 45,470 Maoris. This shows an in- 

 crease over the population of 1876 of 18,547, 

 of which 12,171 was due to an excess of births 

 over deaths, and 6,376 to immigration. A reg- 

 ular census was taken in March, 1878, but the 

 results are not yet published. The total num- 

 ber of vessels that entered from foreign ports 

 during 1877 was 812, of 388,568 tons ; and the 

 number entered coastwise was 17,260, of 1,754,- 

 158 tons. The number cleared was 17,239, of 

 1,738,224 tons. The total value of the imports 

 was 6,973,418. 



A vote of want of confidence in the Ministry, 

 proposed in the Legislative Assembly of Victo- 

 ria in January, was negatived by that body. 

 This vote was of great importance, as consid- 

 erable excitement had prevailed throughout 

 the colony at the course taken by the Legisla- 

 lative Council in the wholesale dismissal of 

 Judges and other Government officials in No- 

 vember, 1877. On February 7th, the Legisla- 

 tive Assembly passed a resolution in favor of 

 the payment of the public creditors on the au- 

 thority of votes passed by the Assembly alone. 

 In the course of the discussion Mr. Berry, the 

 Premier, said it was intended that the resolu- 

 tion should only be temporarily operative. He 

 disclaimed any purpose to deprive the Legisla- 

 tive Council of the right of assenting to the 

 appropriations. On February 13th the Asseni- 

 bly, by a vote of 53 to 23, adopted a motion 

 presented by Mr. Berry for an address to the 

 Crown, in consequence of the unconstitutional 

 course taken by the Legislative Council in re- 

 jecting the appropriation bill, providing for 

 the payment of the members of the Assembly. 

 The Council on the 21st also voted an address to 

 the Crown, in reply to .that voted by the As- 

 sembly. A compromise was, however, brought 

 about between the Council and the Assembly, 



* January 1, 187T. t For 1876. $ January 1, 1STG. 



