362 A HISTORY OF THE COLONY OF VICTORIA 



worthy the name came from Eobert Lowe, formerly in the Sydney 

 Council, whose captious fault-finding, as reported in the debates, 

 seems unworthy of the occasion, and especially paltry for a man 

 with such wide colonial experience. The Nonconformist opposition 

 to the State aid to religion, started in Melbourne, had been passed 

 on to the House of Commons, and the proposed grant was resisted 

 by an active but small minority. But the measure was in the 

 hands of a strong Ministry; it emerged triumphantly from the 

 Committee, and passed the third reading without debate. Finally 

 the New Constitution was proclaimed in Victoria on the 23rd of 

 November, 1855, a day which for forty years after took its place 

 amongst the public and bank holidays of the colony. 



It may be well to briefly summarise here the most important 

 points in the New Constitution to facilitate reference when consid- 

 ering the many changes which were afterwards deemed necessary. 

 The Parliament was to consist of an Upper and Lower House 

 called respectively the Legislative Council and the Legislative As- 

 sembly. The former was to comprise thirty members, five being 

 returned for each of the six electoral districts into which the colony 

 was divided in a schedule to the Act. One member for each district 

 was to retire in rotation every two years, thus ensuring each 

 member his seat for ten years, but giving the constituencies the 

 opportunity of expressing then* views every second year. No 

 person was eligible for election who was not at least thirty years of 

 age, and the possessor of freehold property worth 5,000, or of an 

 annual value of 500. The electors required a freehold qualification 

 of 1,000, or a leasehold rating of 100 per annum. 



The Legislative Assembly was to consist of sixty members re- 

 turned by thirty-seven electoral districts, the boundaries of which 

 were defined in the Act. The qualification for members was freehold 

 property worth 2,000, or an annual value of 200 ; and for electors, 

 a freehold worth 50, or 5 annual value ; a leasehold of 10 an- 

 nually, or any one having a salary of 100 a year. A yet wider 

 qualification gave the franchise to " any person who shall in con- 

 sideration of any payment to the public revenue be entitled to occupy 

 for the space of twelve months any portion of the waste lands of 

 the Crown ". Under this clause all squatters, not otherwise eligible, 



