158 On the Resources of Victoria, fyc. 



China to our Asiatic empire is not an improbability. The 

 history of the world for the last 360 years is most instructive 

 on the subject of great territorial changes. 360 years ago all 

 of our globe which was then known was Europe, Asia, and 

 Africa. 360 years ago Columbus discovered America, and 

 since that time this continent of Australia has become known. 

 Europe, Asia, and Africa contain about thirty millions of 

 square miles, and America and Australia about twenty mil- 

 lions of square miles; thus within 360 years the known earth 

 has been nearly doubled in extent. 



But to come nearer to our time, the history of the world 

 for. the last 103 years is more surprising still. In the year 

 1756 British soldiers fought and gained the first great battle 

 of India, by which England gained the province of Bengal, 

 and the base of our present gigantic Indian empire. And in 

 the year 1759, three years later, and only 100 years ago, 

 British soldiers nobly fought and gained the equally great 

 and eventful battle of Quebec, by which England gained pos- 

 session of the greater part of North America; also within 

 100 years we have become possessed of this great continent 

 of Australia. Thus within about 100 years our British em- 

 pire has increased to forty times its former extent; and in 

 the same time Russia has increased over fifty times. 



When we turn our attention to the events which have 

 taken place, we are struck with the definiteness of their lead- 

 ing features, and their suitability as an introduction to the 

 succeeding states of human progress. And I cannot but 

 look on the discoveries of gold within the last twelve years in 

 large quantities, first in California, which is on the west coast 

 of the Pacific, next on this, which may be called by distinc- 

 tion the great Australasian Continent of the Pacific; and 

 still later, in Oregon, Vancouver's Island, and Frazer's Biver, 

 all on the west coast of the Pacific, and all these countries 

 bordering or in the Pacific. With the immense emigration 

 which is induced to these places, all of which are in the pos- 

 session of people of British descent, I say I cannot but look 

 on all these as indicative of a design manifested on the part 

 of the Buler of the universe to found a series of new Pacific 

 empires — Pacific in more than name, where liberal institu- 

 tions, suited to this advanced period of the world's history, 

 shall be planted down all at once in the Pacific, to exer- 

 cise ameliorating influence on the surrounding barbarous 

 and semi-civilized people of Asia and Africa, and the west 

 coast of South America, which contain a large part of the 



