ide of the river
Yarra. On a hill in the centre of them is built the Government
House. There are seen many varieties of trees and plants all
carefully labelled. The fern tree bower is very ingenious. You see
here the elk or staghorn fern, which grows as a parasite on the palm
or the petosperum of New Zealand. The grass is kept beautifully
fresh and green, and is a favourite resort. I have no further room
to continue this letter, but, in my next, hope to say something of
the government and the aspect of politics in Victoria.

III.

Victoria.

The Government of Victoria is nearly a pure democracy. Both Houses
are elected by the people, the Legislative Council as well as the
Legislative Assembly. To vote for the former a slight property
qualification is necessary, viz., L10 freehold, or L25 leasehold.
The Assembly is practically elected by universal manhood suffrage,
the only restriction being that a voter must have resided twelve
months in the colony prior to the 1st January or 1st July in any
year. Of course, there is a smouldering agitation for female
suffrage, but it has not yet attained the dimensions of the similar
agitation in England.

It is to me unintelligible how it is that so many people can be
enthusiastic about the prospects of Democracy. As Sir James Stephen
says, "We may be drifting down the stream, but that is no reason we
should sing Hallelujah." There is no magic in the word. It is
simply a form of government, just as monarchy or aristocracy are
forms of government. Nor is it a new form of government. It has been
tried over and over again, more than 2000 years ago, nor has it ever
been a particularly successful or a long-continued form. People
often talk as if liberty were more attainable under a Democracy than
under any other government. Now, putting aside the question whether
liberty is good or bad--for it is entirely a question of time,
place, and circumstance--the opinion is unfounded, because the
tyranny of a majority is just as galling, and usually less
intelligent, than other tyrannies. It has rather cynically been said
that governments are of two kinds--bamboo and bamboozle. A Democracy
combines these two kinds. When political power is so minutely
divided as it is among the voters of England, say, it is not worth
having; and power, as a rule, resides in the hands of demagogues,
instead of the hands of statesmen.

In Victoria, there is government by party, but there are no real
li