not one country; it is divided into several
self-governing colonies. These are, in order of importance, Victoria,
New South Wales, South Australia, Queensland, and West Australia. But
a movement is now being made to unite all these colonies, and Tasmania
as well, into one "Australian Confederation," just as the several
provinces of Canada, which were once independent colonies, have been
united into one "Dominion of Canada." This confederation scheme,
however, has not yet been accomplished.[3] New Zealand, because of
its distance (1200 miles) from Australia, has so far shown no desire
to enter into this confederation.

FOOTNOTE:

[3] Since the above was written the scheme has been developed a very
considerable way toward completion. The name of the confederation is
to be "The Commonwealth of Australia."

THE AREA AND CLIMATE OF AUSTRALIA

Australia is a continent not only in name but in fact. Its area,
including Tasmania, is almost 3,000,000 square miles, which is about
the area of the United States exclusive of Alaska, and only about one
fourth less than the area of the continent of Europe. Fully two fifths
of this area lie within the torrid zone, and of the rest, even in
Victoria, the part farthest from the equator, the climate is so warm
that it corresponds with that of Spain, southern France, and Italy.
But over so vast a territory great differences of climate must occur,
and consequently of products also. A general description of the
climate and products of Australia is therefore impossible. Yet there
are several characteristics which appertain to the whole continent.
The chief of these are (1) the great DRYNESS of the ATMOSPHERE--not
merely its lack of rain, but its absolute freedom from moisture; (2)
the remarkable INEQUALITY, or want of regularity, in the RAINFALL.
Occasionally the rainfall is excessive, but a more frequent and
serious cause of trouble is excessive drought. The continent on every
side has a low coast region, where the rainfall is heavier and the
temperature generally hotter than in the corresponding table-land
interior to it. But the vast table-land of the interior has
comparatively little rain, and indeed in some parts of it, especially
in the centre and west, the rainfall is so slight that the country is
practically a desert.

But even when all the desert areas of Australia are excluded from
calculation there still remains in the interior plateau, toward the
east and south, an immense ar