few of the most important difficulties to be overcome, and show how they were met. The first of these is the question of State rights. The colonies differ widely in population, from New South Wales with her 1,346,240 inhabitants, and Victoria with 1,175,490, to Tasmania with 177,341, and Western Australia with 168,129. Yet Tasmania is as much a political entity as New South Wales, and had no intention of entering into a federation unless its position as a State was strictly conserved. Otherwise it would simply be absorbed, and become a province, and a minor province, of the larger States. On the other hand, how were the two large colonies. New South Wales and Victoria, to be convinced that Tasmania should have equal power in the federation as a State with either of them? Again, it was conceded on all hands that responsible government, the form of government to which British people are accustomed, must be continued. This means that the executive must be responsible to one House alone, and that House must hold the power of the purse. How this can be accomplished and yet the States House—the Senate—can remain a strong institution, capable of conserving the rights of the several communities as States;—this was the really great difficulty in the way of the Convention. There were some who boldly asserted that responsible government was quite inconsistent with federation; that federation would kill responsible government, or responsible government would kill federation. On this question the Convention almost came to a deadlock. The representatives of the smaller States contended that if the Senate was to be a real protector of State rights it must have the power of amending as well as rejecting money Bills; and that its functions were entirely different from those of an ordinary Upper Chamber, which is merely a House of review, the representative of stability and deliberation, whose opposition
