THE COUNTRY.

Evening Star, Issue 3667, 23 November 1874, Page 3

THE COUNTRY.

(From out' Exchanges.) Work on the Awamoko tramway is proceeding rapidly. The rails have been laid a distance of something over five miles from Pukeroi Point. ■r .of the Camara Court (before Judge Ward) was held on Friday. James Dunbar, charged with assaulting and wounding one Alex. Johnston by throwing a glass at him and cutting his nose, was found guilty, and sen’enced to three months’ imprisonment with hard labor. There were three or four .bankruptcy cases. The certificate of William Black, bootmaker, was suspended for six months. A funny story is told of a gentleman of geological tendencies, and who is firmly imbued with the belief of his own infallibility. It is said that when he was in the Garrick distnct^hevisited, amongst others,the “Try Again,” and looking at a piece of quartz he had picked up from the heap, said : “This is the wrong sort of stone to get gold in • it is barren quartz.” He was not a little surprised when told that the same kind of stone went ITclwt. per ton ; but judge his astonishment when, turning over the same piece of quartz, he found a piece of gold sticking to it. The various mining companies working on the banks and terraces below Alexandra are precluded from further operations by the rise m the river, the consequence of the late warm weather melting the snow on the mountains. The past season has been most favorable to this class of miiing, and the results have been satisfactory. The Reliance Quartz Mining Co., Bendigo, whose claim is situate on the western boundary of Logan 3,nd Co.’s claim, and which has of late been turning out some unprrcentedly large cakes of gold, have, we understand, struck the reef within a few feet of the surface. As soon as other engagements are fulfilled, Captain Hutton will report upon the coalfields of the Mount Ida district. As mustering proceeds for shearing at Queenstown, it is found that the lambing season has been a frightfully bad one. Complaints reach ua from various quarters any half-brcds Buffeted most severely, . Mining matters at Macrewhcnua are mov mg steadily along, a good deal of gold being got. The Pioneer Company are reported to be getting a pound weight out of the boxes. A fresh claim has been opened, with very good prospects, about a mile further north, hishty-four per cent, of lambs has been marked on Eweburn station this season, and it is expected that the lambing accounts from the other stations in the district will be equally as good. It is not thought that it will be possible for the Provincial Engineer’s staff to proceed with the survey of the line of railway— M aihemo to Clyde—until after the month of March. Several apparently well - authenticated cases of stealing from the tail boxes at Naseby are reported, and John Chinaman comes m for liberal accusations.