AUSTKALIA AND POLYNESIA. 



51 



The South Australian Parliament, in the lat- 

 ter part of 1877, offered a prize of 10,000 for 

 the discovery of coal in the colony. At the 

 same time, it was resolved to attempt to open 

 the large tracts of land lying west of Port 

 Augusta to the border of West Australia, for 

 the raising of sheep and cattle. Salt water 



AUSTRALIAN BUSTARD. 



only is found throughout the region, and it is 

 proposed to bore for fresh water, at the ex- 

 pense of the Government. The results of simi- 

 lar experiments made in Africa, and even in 

 different parts of the colony, make the pros- 

 pects of success very certain. 



The Parliament of Queensland was opened 

 on May 15th. The Governor's speech on the 

 occasion referred to the action of the Imperial 

 authorities in refusing to sanction the bill re- 

 stricting Chinese immigration, and stated that 

 a circular had been addressed to the other 

 colonies requesting their assistance in this ques- 

 tion. Various measures were promised, in- 

 cluding an education bill and the financial sep- 

 aration of the railways. 



The question of Chinese immigration was 

 much discussed during the year in the Austra- 

 lian colonies, and particularly in Queensland. 

 Years ago, when the gold-fields of New South 

 Wales and Victoria were more attractive than 

 at present, there was a large influx from China. 

 The Governments, urged by a popular demand, 

 imposed a poll-tax of 10 on every Chinaman 

 landed. This law at once put an end to Chi- 

 nese immigration. In both colonies it was 

 repealed when no longer needed ; and as there 

 is not even now the attraction of rich alluvial 

 gold-fields, very few Chinamen now come so 

 far south. But the Palmer gold-field in Queens- 

 land is attracting them in large numbers, and 

 in consequence there is a threatened deprecia- 

 tion of labor. In some places they outnumber 

 the Europeans ten to one, while in others they 

 maintain a numerical equality. Altogether 



they were estimated, in 1877, at 17,000 ; which, 

 in a colony with barely 200,000 inhabitants, is 

 certainly a large proportion. Under these cir- 

 cumstances, no popular government could exist 

 which did not try to deal with the question. 

 The existing Government passed a measure 

 which, in opposition to the advice of his min- 

 istry, Governor Cairns reserved for the Eoyal 

 approval ; and Lord Carnarvon advised that this 

 approval should be withheld. This caused great 

 indignation in Queensland, and the Govern- 

 ment presented to Parliament two bills of sim- 

 ilar purport. If this were all, the contest would 

 simply be one between Queensland and the 

 Colonial Office ; but in order to obtain moral 

 support the Queensland Premier sent a circular 

 letter to the premiers of the other colonies, so- 

 liciting their sympathy and assistance, on the 

 ground that it was an infringement of the co- 

 lonial rights of self-government for the Colo- 

 nial Office to cause the disallowance of a bill 

 which, in the judgment of the colonists, was 

 essential to the safe interior government of the 

 colonies. It was thought that a united pro- 

 test from all the colonies would secure for the 

 new bills a more favorable consideration than 

 the last measure received. The Government 

 of South Australia, which has a northern ter- 

 ritory of its own, and which has even been 

 soliciting Japanese immigration, has replied 

 very cautiously, asking for further informa- 

 tion The Government of Victoria, which by 

 the last general election was placed under the 

 command of a premier of very pronounced 

 Eadical proclivities, and flushed by unexpected 

 victory, replied by encouraging Queensland to 



resist the Colonial Office. Sir Henry Parkes, 

 the Premier of New South Wales, sent a cau- 

 tious answer, expressing sympathy under the 

 difficulties of the Chinese invasion, and prom- 

 ising a careful attention to any well-considered 

 and temperate legislation. But Parliament 

 being in session, the opinion not merely of the 



