240 *. DUCKWORTH. 



Tropical Islands adjacent to Australia.— North-west of 

 Australia am! south-east of Asia lie the islands of New 

 Guinea, Borneo, Celebes, Sumatra, Java and the Malay 

 peninsula, etc., not to speak of Ceylon on the one hand and 

 the Philippines on the other. Here we find a mixture of 

 races indeed. In Java and Sumatra strenuous work is 

 almost unnecessary, since nature is so prodigal of her 

 bounty. In the former island alone a population of some 

 30 millions exists; from the land with a rainfall of some 

 200 inches per annum, sugar is the main article produced. 

 The invasion of the islands under Dutch sovereignty by 

 Chinese, is stated to be a growing one. hi Fiji there are 

 large numbers of Indian coolies engaged in the sugarcane 

 industry. All this means possible complications for Aus- 

 tralia. We have shut the Chinaman out, but in Queensland 

 they are said to be still increasing, and although they can- 

 not own land, yet it is stated that on the Atherton table- 

 land to day— where assuredly the white races should be 

 able to hold their own— Chinamen are leasing lands from 

 the owners and paying a rental of £1 per acre, whilst the 



Northern Tenitory Lands.- Consider now the vast held 

 for future colonization in An-? ralia. which isevidenced by the 

 existence of such areas, for 

 lands of the Northern Tei 

 telegraph line and the Que 

 estimated area of 37,000 sq 

 terra incognita. Mr. W. M 



having a rainfall of from 1 

 different localities, and abui 

 water, whilst the Bummer h 



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