VICTOEIA 212 VICTORIA great discomfort. The hottest period is in January and February, when the ther- mometer may rise to 108° in the shade. Some of the common English quadrupeds and birds have been introduced, such as hares, rabbits, deer, pheasants, par- tridges, larks, etc., and have become quite plentiful. Rabbits are now so numerous in some districts as to prove a nuisance. Production and Industry. — The acre- age and production under the principal crops in 1919 was as followes: wheat, 2,214,000 acres, production 25,240,000 bushels; oats, 348,000 acres, production, 5,275,000 bushels; barley, 100,000 acres, production, 2,229,000 bushels; potatoes, 52,000 acres, production 138,000 bushels; hay 984,000 acres, production 1,114,000 tons. The total value of agricultural products in 1917-1918 was £14,401,173. The gold production in 1919 was 135,427 ounces, valued at £575,260. Thex*e were about 3,500 m.iners employed in the gold fields. The mineral production in 1918 was valued at £1,342,322. There were in 1918 5.627 manufacturing establishments, and the value of the product was £67,066,715. The total value of overseas imports in 1918-1919 was £34,822,019, and of ex- ports £27,824,749. There were in 1919 330 lines of double railway track and 3,867 miles of single track, or a total of 4,197 miles. The total revenue in 1919 amounted to £12,786,589, and the expen- ditures to £12,468,068. The public debt on June 30, 1918, amounted to £78,192,- 361. Education is compulsory for children between the ages of 6 and 14. In 1918 there was a total enrollment of 254,461 scholars in the schools. Secondary edu- cation is for the most part under the control of private persons or proprietary bodies. The University of Melbourne has four colleges affiliated with it; Trinity, Ormond, Queens and Newman. Government. — The government is in- vested in a governor appointed by the crown, aided by an executive ministry consisting of 12 members, and a Parlia- ment consisting of a legislative council of 34 members and a legislative as- sembly of 65 members. History. — Victoria was first colonized from Tasmania^ in 1834. It made rapid progress, especially in sheep breeding, and the discovery of gold in 1851 caused a rush of population from all parts. Hitherto it had been known as Port Phillip, and formed part of New South Wales, but in this year (independently of the gold discovei'y) it was erected into a ^ separate colony under the name of Victoria. In 1850 the population num- berpd 76,162; in 1854 it was 312,307. In 1856 responsible government was con- ferred on the colony. The chief towns are Melbourne (the capital), Geelong, Ballarat, and Sandhurst. See Aus- TR.LLA.: Australian Commonwealth. VICTORIA, a city and capital of the province of British Columbia, Canada; at the S. E. extremity of Vancouver Is- land, on the Strait of Fuca, and on the Esquimalt and Nanaimo railroad; 750 miles N. of San Francisco. It is built on slightly undulating ground, and has a mild climate, with much less rain in the winter than at other points on the coast. The summer is dry and free from excessive heat. There is an inner and an outer harbor. The first is shallow and the largest ocean steamers can enter the latter. Here are many wide streets, beautiful residences and grounds, splen- did drives, suburban scenery unsur- passed by any city in the world. Beacon Hill Park and recreation grounds, artis- tically laid out in arboreal, floral and other embellishments, and the building of the Provincial Legislative Assembly, erected at a cost of $750,000, the Govern- ment House, the lieutenant-governor's residence. Supreme Court house, custom house, postoffice, Anglican Cathedral, Roman Catholic Cathedral, and churches representing the principal denominations, the Protestant Orphan's Home, Home for the Aged Infirm, Refuge Home, Sa- maritan Home, Proincial Royal Jubilee Hospital, and St. Joseph's Hospital. There are a high school and numerous ward schools, supported by public funds. Education is compulsory. Victoria is the second largest port in Canada. $6,000,000 has been spent in additions to its harbor and docks. The assessed valuation in 1919 was over $110,000,000. The bank clearings amounted to £123,351,345, and the customs receipts to $1,496,440. Surrounding the city is an extensive district abounding in game of all kinds, deer, pheasant, grouse, quail and larger game. Victoria is an important mercan- tile and manufacturing point, having for years been the principal trading center for the whole British territory W. of the Rocky Mountains. Vessels from all parts of the world visit its harbor. The duties from the imports here amount to about $1,000,000 annually. The city is lighted by gas and electricity, has a per- fect system of sewerage, waterworks, electric street railways, telephone and telegraph systems, and sash and door factories, lumber yards, shipyards, iron foundries, tanneries, book binding plants, biscuit factory, pottery, trunk factoi-y, chemical works, flour mills, cold storage warehouses, etc., and several daily and weekly newspapers. Victoria was found- ed by the Hudson Bay Company as a
