58 AUSTRALIA 
third of the electors of New South Wales and one-fifth of 
the electors of each of the other colonies, was required to 
adopt this Constitution. But the election returns in June 
were fatal to the scheme. Whilst the majorities in the four 
lesser colonies were overwhelmingly in favor of the Consti- 
tution, the requisite affirmative vote in New South Wales 
was not obtained. 
On the second day of February, 1899, a unanimous 
agreement was reached by the colonial premiers in confer- 
ence at Melbourne regarding the unsettled questions refer- 
red to them by the colonial legislatures, thus assuring the 
success of the federation project. In 1900, a Bill, making 
federation effective, was introduced in the Imperial Parlia- 
ment at London and passed. Later in that year the Earl 
of Hopetown was appointed the first Governor-General. 
In addition to the Central Federated Government each 
of the colonies has a Governor, Administration and a Legis- 
lature of its own. In all the colonies there are both a 
Legislative Council and a Legislative Assembly, the Lower 
House being elected by manhood suffrage. The aggregate 
annual revenue of the colonies is about $100,000,000. The 
public debt is over $500,000, 000, or more than $200,000,000 
more than the debt of Canada. 
There isno Established Ciurch in any part of Australia. 
Education is well provided for, instruction in the primary 
schools being in some cases free and compulsory, and higher 
education is receiving great attention. There are flourish- 
ing: universities in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide. 
Newspapers are exceedingly numerous, and periodicals 
of all kinds are abundant. There is, as yet, no native 
literature of any distinctive type, but namies of Australian 
writers of ability, both in prose and poetry, are beginning 
to be known beyond their own country. As a very large 
portion of the population live in the larger cities of the 
continent, let me direct your attention now for a few mom- 
ents to life in these large centres of population—one of them 
at least having a larger population than any city in Canada. 
