146 
Statistics 
[ 1838 — 
acre of country allotments had gradually diminished from 
9,9. 9 %d. to 5s. 10£d., whilst the average price per acre of 
town and suburban allotments had increased during the 
same period from £12 13s. 8 \d. to £23 18s. 10 d. During 
the three years ending with 1841, the average price of 
the former had gradually increased to 11s. 8 \d., and 
that of the latter had decreased to £10 11s. 0 id. The 
total amount derived from the sale of crown lands to the 
end of 1841 was £274,115 14s. 3 \d. 
No less than 24,000 additional acres have been brought 
under tillage in one year (1840-41); and of this addition 
20,000 were sown with wheat. We can, therefore, easily 
imagine w r hat distress the low prices of 1841, owing to 
the large foreign importations, must have caused to the 
agricultural interests; and it will not be matter of sur¬ 
prise to learn, when the returns for 1842 are made up, 
that the total number of acres under tillage have fallen 
off. These returns, however, have not yet been com¬ 
pleted : but we may form some opinion from 1841, 
where we find only 3000 additional acres had been put 
under wheat, although at that time the full extent of the 
coming depreciation could not be calculated. The in¬ 
crease of acres under wheat was, during the three years 
ending with 1838, at the rate of 23 per cent. ; that of the 
period ending with 1841, 52 per cent. The increase of 
the total number of acres in crop was the same for both 
periods, or 23 per cent. 
Our sheep in 1841 amounted to 1,167,737; and this 
would, judging from the tables, have been the probable 
increase since 1837. The number of our horses had 
increased from 9656 to 12,000; that of our horned cattle 
from 75,000 to 90,000. These latter had fallen away in 
numbers during the three years ending with 1838. 
It appears that our largest wheat-growing district is 
Richmond (17,786 acres), next to which, but at a humble 
