of the Feoph of Victoria. 115 



per cent, of the iuliabitants, presents no sexual disproportion 

 of any consequence"' ; and that even a comparison of the 

 adults of either sex^ though the disparity in that case is as 

 2 to \, does not enable us to realise to the full extent the 

 unsatisfactoriness of our position. It is by examining our 

 situation in a conjugal point of view that we become 

 thoroughly impressed with the deficiency of adult females as 

 compared with the wants of the colony, and learn how very 

 small a proportion of them is suft'cred to remain unm.arried. 



In Victoria the mnnarried Avomen of the age of t^^■enty and 

 upM'ards are to the married women of all ages only in the 

 proportion of 1 to 5 ; in Great Britain the proportion is as 

 1 to 2. This diiFerence between the circumstances of the 

 two countries is undoubtedly, to a great extent, owing to the 

 eagerness with which the hands of young women are sought 

 in marriage in this colony ; and the evidence Avhich our 

 census tables present on this point would apparently warrant 

 the conclusion, that if social circumstances less intervened to 

 retard the intercourse of the unmarried of the two sexes, the 

 number of spinsters Avould bear even a much smaller pro- 

 portion to the number of married women than it does. In 

 support of this position, the returns furnish two-fold evidence, 

 namely, the difficulty which the men experience in obtaining 

 wives, and the comparative ease with which the young women 

 obtain husbands. Of this the following facts are sufficiently 

 illustrative. 



In A'ictoria the proportions of married among the popu- 

 lation of the age of twenty and upwards are, in the males 42 

 in 100, and in the females 78 in 100; while in Great Britain 

 the proportions are 02 in 100 males, and 57 in 100 females. 



At the age-period of twenty to forty, the proportion of 

 married in this colony is 38 in 100 males, and 78 in 100 

 females. The proportional numbers corresponding with these 

 are, in Great Britain 52 in 100 males, and 55 in 100 females. 



At the age-period of forty to sixty, the proportions of married 

 here are 61 in 100 males, and 81 in 100 females ; and in 

 England, Wales, and Scotland the proportion is 79 in 100 

 men, and 70 in 100 women. 



The inferences to be drawn from, these figures, so far 



* Excluding Chinese and Aborigines, the number of males were 237,743 

 and of females 145,925. The numbers imder 16 years of age were, male, 

 G0,.')52, and females 59,014 ; and the numbers of the age of 10 and upwards 

 were, males 177,191, and females 80,311. 



I 2 



