were of the value of 464,0497. in 1879, of 1,025,0777. in 1880, of 496,7411. in 1881, of 402,3551. in 1882, and of 107,6197. in 1883. The exports of copper amounted to 188,9977. in 1882, and 219,315!. in 1883. The imports of British produce in 1883 comprised iron, wrought and unwrought, of the value of 522,1647.; apparel and haberdashery, of the value of 350,9017.; cotton fabrics, of the value of 216,1227.; woollen fabrics, of the value of 199,8367.; machinery, 114,0297. Of the total area (578,361,600 acres), 10,601,900 acres were alienated at the end of 1883-448,210 acres being in the Northern Territory. The total land enclosed amounts to 51,774,450 acres, of which 2,754,560 acres were under cultivation in 1883-4. Of this 1,846,151 acres were under wheat, 366,934 under hay, 5,172 under orchards, 4,280 vineyards, and 453,637 fallow. The gross produce of wheat in 1879-80 was 14,260,964 bushels, and in 1883-4, 14,649,230 bushels. In 1883, 430,520 gallons of wine were produced, of which 90,242 gallons were exported. The live stock in 1884 numbered 164,360 horses, 319,620 cattle, and 6,677,067 sheep. Of the total area 223,092 square miles are held under pastoral leases. In 1882, the number of leases was 1,742. Mining operations are pursued on a very extensive scale in the colony. The mineral wealth as yet discovered consists chiefly in .copper, besides which there exist iron ores of great richness. The value of the copper ore produced in 1883 was 140,545l.; and of copper 234,7801.; and the total value of all minerals produced 402,4501. The colony had 990 miles of railway open for traffic in December 1883, and 225 miles of lines in course of construction. There are two principal lines of railway-namely, the Port Line, extending from Adelaide to Port Adelaide, and the North Line, connecting Adelaide with the chief copper mines. The colony had 5,2784 miles of telegraph in operation at the end of 1883, with 8,824 miles of wire. Inclusive of the total is an overland line, opened in 1872, constructed at the expense of the South Australian Government, running from Adelaide to Port Darwin, across the centre of the continent of Australia, a distance of 2,000 miles, in connection with the British Australian cable, forming telegraphic communication with all parts of the world. In 1883 there were 541 post-offices in the colony; and during 1883 there passed through them 12,381,600 letters and packets, and 6,029,426 newspapers. Agent-General of South Australia in Great Britain.-Sir Arthur Blyth, K.C.M.G. TASMANIA. Constitution and Government. THE Constitution of Tasmania was established by Act 18 Vict. No. 17, supplemented by Act 34 Vict. No. 42, passed in 1871. By these Acts a Legislative Council and a House of Assembly are constituted, called the Parliament of Tasmania. The Legislative Council is composed of sixteen members, elected by all natural born or naturalised subjects of the Crown who possess either a freehold worth 301. a year, or a leasehold of 2001., or have a commission in the army or navy, or a degree of some university, or are in holy orders. Each member is elected for six years. The House of Assembly consists of thirty-two members, elected by householders of 71. per annum, or freeholders of property 501. in value, barrister or solicitor on roll of Supreme Court, medical practitioners duly qualified, and all subjects holding a commission, or possessing a degree. The Assembly is clected for five years. The legislative authority rests in both Houses; while the executive is vested in a governor appointed by the Crown. Governor of Tasmania.--Major-General Sir G. Cumine Strahan, K.C.M.G., born 1840; entered the Royal Artillery, 1857; chief secretary to the Government of Malta, 1868-69; Acting Governor of the Bahamas, 1871-73; Administrator of Lagos, 1873; Governor of the Gold Coast Colony, 1874-76; Governor of the Windward Islands, 1876–80; temporary Administrator of Cape of Good Hope, 1880-1. Appointed Governor of Tasmania, August, 1880; assumed office Dec. 7, 1881. He The Governor is, by virtue of his office, commander-in-chief of the troops in the colony; he has a salary of 5,000l. per annum. is aided in the exercise of the executive by a cabinet of responsible ministers, consisting of four members, as follows: Premier and Chief Secretary.-Hon. Adye Douglas. Minister of Lands and Works.-Hon. Nicholas J. Brown. Each of the ministers has a salary of 9001. per annum. The position of Premier has a salary of 2001. per annum attached in addition. The ministers must have a seat in either of the two Houses. The volunteer rifle regiments number 322 officers and men ; there are three batteries of artillery, with 248 officers and men. There are four batteries on the river Derwent and one on the Tamar. Church and Education. More than half of the population belong to the Church of England, and about 22 per cent. to the Roman Catholic Church. There are also Presbyterians, Methodists and Wesleyans, and a few Jews. There are five superior schools or colleges in the colony, and 183 public elementary schools with 14,241 scholars on roll, with numerous private schools. Education is compulsory. The higher education is under a Council, who hold examinations and grant degrees; elementary education is under a board. There are several valuable scholarships from the lower to the higher schools and from the higher schools to English universities. At the census of 1881 the number of persons returned as unable to read and write was 31,080, or 27 per cent. of the population. Revenue and Expenditure. The public revenue is chiefly derived from customs, including bonding rents and excise duties. The subjoined statement shows the total general revenue and expenditure during each of the five years from 1879 to 1883: Not included in the above receipts and disbursements are certain sums raised and expended for 'redemption of loans,' under the name of Territorial Revenue.' The revenue for 1884 was estimated at 542,100l. and the expenditure 569,4157.; the actual surplus was expected to amount to 11,355l. The revenue for 1885 is estimated at 573,4671., and expenditure 556,5691. The public debt of Tasmania amounted, July 1884, to 2,385,6007. The entire debt, consisting chiefly of G per cent. debentures, redeemable from 1876 to 1902, was raised for the construction of public works. Area and Population. Tasmania, once known as Van Diemen's Land-in honour of a governor of the Dutch East Indies-was discovered by the navigator Tasman in 1642; and afterwards partially explored by Captain Cook. The first penal settlement formed here was in 1804; and till 1813 it was merely a place of transportation from Great Britain and from New South Wales, of which colony it was a dependency until 1825. Transportation to New South Wales having ceased in the year 1841, Tasmania, to which had been annexed Norfolk Island, became the only colony to which criminals from Great Britain were sent; but this ceased in 1853, when transportation to Tasmania was abolished. The area of the colony is estimated at 26,215 square miles, or about 16,778,000 acres, of which 15,571,500 acres form the area of Tasmania Proper, the rest constituting that of a number of small islands, in two main groups, the north-east and north-west. The colony is divided into eighteen counties. The census of February 7, 1870, showed the population of Tasmania as follows:-52,853 males, 46,475 females; total, 99,328. The population at the census of April 3, 1881, was 115,705— 61,162 males and 54,543 females. These figures show an increase on the previous census of 16,377, or 14:32 per cent. Of the total population 79,991 were natives of Tasmania, 28,243 natives of the United Kingdom, 3,987 natives of other Australasian colonies, 844 Chinese, 782 German. The estimated population on December 31, 1883, was 126,220. The aborigines of Tasmania are entirely extinct. During 1883 there were 4,249 births, 2,122 deaths, and 1,120 marriages. The number of immigrants and of emigrants was as follows in each of the five years from 1879 to 1883:— The movement of population is almost entirely between the Australian colonies and Tasmania. Of the population in 1881, 19,408 were directly engaged in agriculture, 14,484 in industry, including mining, 3,884 in commerce. The population of the capital, Hobart, was 21,118 in 1881, and of Launceston 12,752. Trade and Industry. The total imports and exports of Tasmania, including bullion and specie, were as follows, in each of the five years 1879 to 1883 :- also Presbyterians, Methodists and Wesleyans, and a few Jews. There are five superior schools or colleges in the colony, and 183 public elementary schools with 14,241 scholars on roll, with numerous private schools. Education is compulsory. The higher education is under a Council, who hold examinations and grant degrees; elementary education is under a board. There are several valuable scholarships from the lower to the higher schools and from the higher schools to English universities. At the census of 1881 the number of persons returned as unable to read and write was 31,080, or 27 per cent. of the population. Revenue and Expenditure. The public revenue is chiefly derived from customs, including bonding rents and excise duties. The subjoined statement shows the total general revenue and expenditure during each of the five years from 1879 to 1883: Not included in the above receipts and disbursements are certain sums raised and expended for 'redemption of loans,' under the name of 'Territorial Revenue.' The revenue for 1884 was estimated at 542,1007. and the expenditure 569,4157.; the actual surplus was expected to amount to 11,3551. The revenue for 1885 is estimated at 573,4671., and expenditure 556,5691. The public debt of Tasmania amounted, July 1884, to 2,385,6007. The entire debt, consisting chiefly of 6 per cent. debentures, redeemable from 1876 to 1902, was raised for the construction of public works. Area and Population. Tasmania, once known as Van Diemen's Land-in honour of a governor of the Dutch East Indies-was discovered by the navigator Tasman in 1642; and afterwards partially explored by Captain Cook. The first penal settlement formed here was in 1804; and till 1813 it was merely a place of transportation from Great Britain and from New South Wales, of which colony it was a dependency until 1825. Transportation to New South Wales having ceased in the year 1841, Tasmania, to which had been annexed Norfolk Island, became the only colony to which criminals from Great |