The first attempt by Europeans to settle in the area that eventually became the state of Victoria, Australia, was led by Colonel David Collins in 1803. Melbourne was founded in 1835, and after the discovery of gold in 1851 became the financial centre of Australia. This authoritative two-volume history of the state's first century, published in 1904 by the banker Henry Gyles Turner (1831–1920), is based on parliamentary records and information from leading political figures with whom the author was personally acquainted. Volume 2 continues Turner's discussion of the gold rush, and covers the management of the goldfields, the imprisonment of unlicensed miners, and the miners' revolts against taxes. The book sets events in the context of the region's changing political landscape, and documents the struggle to establish an efficient government. It ends with a thorough account of Victoria's integration into the Commonwealth of Australia.
