STRENGTH OF DIFFERENT BODIES. 143 strength of From the foregoing tables it will be seen that, while there have Relative been fluctuations in individual colonies, the relative strength of Denominations. the principal denominations in the whole of Australasia has practically remained unaltered during the last twenty years. The Church of England at each Census numbered 39.1 per cent. of the population, while the Roman Catholic Church receded from 23.1 per cent. in 1871 to 22-2 per cent. in 1881, and still further to 21.1 per cent. in 1891. The Presbyterian Church also receded from 13.6 per cent. in 1871 to 13.4 per cent. in 1881, and to 13.0 in 1891, while the various Methodist bodies which have been classed together, increased from 10.5 per cent. in 1871 to 10.9 per cent. in 1881, and 11·4 per cent. in 1891. Congregationalists and Baptists taken together were equal at the three enumerations, but the former show a slight decrease during the twenty years, while the latter show a corresponding increase. The column headed "All others" also shows an increase from 9.3 per cent. to 11.0 per cent. during the period. This column contains all the minor denominations—the only ones amongst which that are at all numerous being Lutherans in Queensland and South Australia— those whose denomination could hardly be classed as a religion, and all those who, from conscientious scruples, took advantage of the clauses of the Census Acts by which the filling in of the column "Religious Denomination" was left optional. " While in 1871 the relative strength of the Church of England Church of England. was greatest in the colonies in the following order:— -Western Australia, Tasmania, New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, and South Australia; the order in 1891 had changed to Tasmania, Western Australia, New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, and South Australia. Church. The Roman Catholic Church in 1871 was relatively strongest Roman Catholic in New South Wales, in 1881 in Western Australia, and in 1891 again in New South Wales, with Queensland and Victoria following closely and South Australia and New Zealand last on the list. 144 STRENGTH OF DIFFERENT BODIES. Presbyterian Methodists, &c. Salvation Army. The Presbyterian Church has always been most numerous in New Zealand and Victoria, and weakest in Western Australia, South Australia, and Tasmania. The various Methodists Denominations were at each enumeration strongest in South Australia, where they numbered close upon onefifth of the total population. They were also considerably above the average strength in Victoria, while the only Colony in which they fell much below the average was Queensland. Congregationalists and Baptists were also relatively most powerful in the Southern Colonies. The percentages shown in the column "All others" are unduly swollen in the case of Queensland and South Australia by the inclusion of Lutherans; were these omitted the numbers for 1891 would be fairly equal for all Colonies. In the table showing the actual numbers of adherents of each of the principal denominations for 1891, the Salvation Army is a new element. Any adherents of this persuasion that may have existed in 1881 were grouped with "All other Religions." POPULATION. ΟΝ of Australasia. N the 26th January, 1788, Captain Phillip arrived in Early settlement Sydney Harbour, bringing with him an establishment of 1,030 people, all told. Settlement soon spread from the parent colony, first to Tasmania in 1803, and afterwards to other parts of the Continent and New Zealand; so that at the end of 1892 the population of Australasia had grown to 3,984,629 persons, thus distributed :: If to these numbers, which are principally those of the people of European descent, there be added an estimated population of 200,000 Australian aborigines in an uncivilized state in Western Australia, South Australia, and Queensland, and the Maoris in New Zealand, who, according to the returns, numbered 41,993, 1892. the total population of Australasia at the end of 1892 was Population in 4,226,562. The growth of the population of Australasia in different Growth of popu periods, commencing from the date of the first settlement, is lation, K |