TEE AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



299 



The Capital of the Commonwealth is to 

 be in New South Wales, but, as a com- 

 promise, not within a hundred miles of 

 Sydney. The Federal Parliament will 

 sit in Melbourne till the new place is 

 ready, probably five years hence. The 

 Federal Parliament will decide where the 

 new Capital will be. 



The weather here is quite wintry ; 

 large coal fires morning and evening, and 

 top coats are the order, just as in an early 

 English winter. I am told it is very hot 

 and dusty in summer, when hot winds 

 prevail. 



The cabs here are mostly covered 

 waggonettes, with one horse. They hold 

 four people ; the sides have coloured glass, 

 and behind the driver there is a window 

 which is drawn aside when you com- 

 municate with him. There are some 

 hansons, no 'busses. 



Oaks and beeches are planted along 

 most of the street sides, which gives 

 them a nice appearance. Gardens and 

 flowers are also plentiful along the dwell- 

 ing streets. In the suburbs there are very 

 well kept grounds to the houses. 



BALIARAT. 



Yesterday the Prime Minister arranged 

 a trip, which we enjoyed very much, to 

 Ballarat, which consists of Ballarat City, 

 and Ballarat East, both having Mnyors, 

 with a total population of about 4(1,(100. 

 It is about 75 miles west of Melbourne, 

 and about three hours by rail. ] he first 

 portion of the journey is over very flat 

 uninteresting country, without trees, but 

 all occupied and fenced, being laid out iti 

 small farms. On nearing Bacchue Marsh 

 the country becomes wooded, mostly with 

 stunted swamp gums, which look very 

 much like our waterboom, a valueless 

 kind of tree. Here, even the country 

 has a desolate appearance, as many of the 

 trees have been ringed, and are dead. 'J he 

 object seems to be to get rid of them. 

 Then we went through prettier and more 



hilly country ; here, I was told, they grew 

 wonderful crops of potatoes, and land 

 was worth up to £80 an acre. 300 acres 

 is a very big holding. The cows I saw 

 all looked thin, and everywhere the grass 

 is fed down to almost bareness. We saw 

 a few small lots of sheep, mostly long- 

 woolled kinds. Ballarat is about 1,500 

 feet above Melbourne, and they seem to 

 think that quite high. 



The train service is good ; the carriages 

 are like the Cape corridor, but the railway 

 stations are very poor. The farm cottages 

 and outbuildings are mostly wooden. 



On our arrival at Ballarat we were re- 

 ceived by both Mayors, and driven about 

 to places of interest. Among them to 

 the stone monuments, where gold was first 

 discovered in 1851, and to the old alluvial 

 workings. There are several gold mines 

 in the neighbourhood, but we did not 

 visit them. The lake, botanical gardens, 

 and the drive round the lake are all fine, 

 three miles long, with a splendid avenue 

 all the way. The botanical gardens are 

 very pretty and well kept ; they contain 

 some very fine statuary presented by an 

 old resident. We visited a very complete 

 woollen factory, employing about 300 

 hands. 



In the afternoon I attended a meeting 

 of the City Council, and was honoured 

 with a seat next the Mayor. Adjourn- 

 ment was made to the Mayor's parlour, 

 where refreshments were provided, and 

 my health proposed. The question 

 of the amalgamation of the two towns is 

 being discussed. One would never know 

 there were two towns unless told so. The 

 principal street is very widH, with gardens 

 and statues up the centre. It is often 

 called the Garden City, or . City of 

 Statues. 



This evening I am leaving for Sydney, 

 which I will describe in my next. 



(To be continued). 



Inaian Labour m 



FROM the Annual Report of the Pro- 

 tector of Immigrants, the following 

 excerpts are taken : — 



During the whole of my experience in 

 the Indian Immigration Department, now 



close upon 38 years, I have never known 

 the demand for indentured Indian labour 

 to have been so great as it has been during 

 the year under report. Almost every 

 post brought letters from farmers and 



