460 Reviews — R. B. Smytii — Goldjields of Victoria. 



sheep, or cattle, whicli eacli acre would carry, and although reefs of 

 quartz might be seen, in numberless directions, standing twenty 

 feet above the surrounding surface, every foot of which contained 

 gold visible to the naked eye, they seem to have awakened neither 

 curiosity nor inquiry ; whilst the careless shepherd drew water 

 daily from the creek beneath whose bed lay grains and nuggets of 

 gold, far exceeding in value the wildest dreams of " El Dorado." 

 All this is now totally changed. The rapid strides which have 

 been made by this Colony since the opening of the gold-fields in 

 1851, owing to the vast amount of labour expended in public 

 works of all kinds, and the extensive tracts of country opened up 

 and explored, would seem perfectly incredible, did we not find in the 

 work before us such indubitable evidence of the increase in popu- 

 lation, wealth, and material resources of this wonderful region. 



Let us take only a few of the facts which Mr. Brough Smyth has 

 collected for our information. 



In 1851, the population of Victoria was 77,345 persons ; with 

 57,472 acres of land under cultivation; imports, £1,056,437; 

 exports, £1,422,909. 



In 1867, the population was 659,887 persons, with 631,207 acres 

 under cultivation ; imports, £11,684,080; exports, £12,724,427. 



The value of the mineral produce of Victoria, from 1851 to 

 31st December, 1868, exhibits equally astonishing totals. 



Gold exportedi 1851 to Dec. 1868, 36,835,691| ozs. at U. per oz £147,342,767 



Silver-ore raised, 11,348 tons; produce, 18,353 ozs. 8 dwts. at 5s. Gd. 



per oz , 5,047 



Tm-ore exported, 2,871 tons £208,725 



Tin exported, 11 tons 8 cwt 1,239 



209,964 



Copper-ores raised, 855 tons ; smelted, regulus, and rough copper 5,800 



Antimoni/, ore TiL\sed, 3,662 tons 37,160 



Coal, 1,933 tons at 30s. per ton 2,899 



Lignite, 235 tons at 17s. Qd. 205 



Kaolin, 1,757 tons at 4^. per ton 7,028 



Flagging-stones, 57,500 square yards £19,i25 



„ 1,200 tons 2,100 



21,525 



Slates 648 



Magnesite, 6| tons at 21. per ton 12 



Diamonds, 81 carats 81 



Sapphires 150 



£147,633,286 



One more item we will give — namely, the total revenue derived 

 directly from the gold-fields by Government in the shape of fees for 

 gold-licenses, miners' rights, rents, etc., which from 1851 to 1868 in- 

 clusive, amounted to £5,211,465 19s. Id. — a very creditable sum 

 in eighteen years for an infant colony to yield from a single source 

 of revenue. 



The Colony of Victoria has a total area of 86,831 square miles, 

 one-third of which (says Mr. Brough Smyth) may safely be as- 



^ The quantity of gold used and manufactured in the Colony cannot be estimated. 



