AUSTRALIA : 5D 
passed through the Strait that now bears his name, between 
New Guinea and Australia. Between 1628 and 1666 a 
large portion of the coast line had been surveyed by Dutch 
navigators, In 1664 the continent was named New Holland 
by the Dutch Government. In 1688 Dampier coasted 
along part of Australia and about 1700 explored a part of 
the west and north-west coasts. In 1770 Cook carefully 
surveyed the east coast, named a number of localities, and 
took possession of the country for Great Britain. He was 
followed by Bligh in 1789, who carried on a series of 
observations on the north-west coast, adding largely to the 
knowledge already obtained of this new continent. Colo- 
nists had now arrived upon the soil, and a penal settlement 
was formed in 1788 at Port Jackson. In this way was laid 
the foundation of the future colony of New South Wales. 
The Moncton Bay District (Queensland), was settled in 
1325, in 1835 the Fort Philip District. In 1851 the latter 
district was created into a separate colony, under the name 
of Victoria. Previous to this time the colonies of Western 
and of South Australia had been founded, the former in 
1829, the latter in 1836. The latest of the colonies is 
Queensland, which took an independent existence in 1859. 
The discovery of gold in abundance took place in 1851, aud 
caused an immense excitement and great influx of immi- 
grants. The population was then only about 350,000, and 
was slowly increasing, but the discovery of the precious 
metal started the country on that career of prosperity which 
has since been almost uninterrupted. Convicts were for a 
long time sent to Australia from the mother country, but 
transportation to New South Wales ceased in 1840, and the 
last convict vessel to West Australia arrived in 1868. 
Altogether about 70,000 convicts were landed in Australia, 
and about as many more were landed in the adjacent island 
of Tasmania. With the ideas of self-government now preva- 
lent in the British Colonies, they will not for a single 
moment tolerate being made the dumping ground of the 
criminal classes from Great Britain or Europe generally. 
