THE LAKE COUNTRY.

Southland Times, Volume III, Issue 26, 6 January 1864, Page 2

THE LAKE COUNTRY.

.- v (raox 4»vd owir*c<muwN>NßsaT.3 ' i ' j Qumma^okxfJiui. 3, 1864. I am happr to tmfiih»X .tlMKMoiidaya are at length over, and* the diatrict/Teturned to it* wonted activity. It it also « matter for cou-f gratiilation that thr utmost order has, prevailed, although our population it of a morf than ordinarily mixed character. nThr pob- - licani had a very fair shareof jitrons^jjr^rot there was a total absence of' tows. Vottr readers,, will not . be surprised- -to . learn that -the feeling~of dissatisfaction ' toward* the Otago Government - iM - fast gaining ground. Many, who, in the first instance, went in for the formation of. a new, Province, influenced by the great things which were | expected to follow the recentrdiscoveries on the West Coast, especially in relation to the ' harbors as ports for the Lake District, hare | considerably modified their views on this point. There is litt'e faith placed in the idea that oar supplies wilTever be drawn from the h West Coast, and it is beginning to be-pretty I widely admitted that *the -General Govern--1 ment have enough on their *hands without I usurping the 'place of the Provincial Legislature. There remains^ then, but one way out of our present difficulty, and that is by | annexation to Southland. Were Otago to >do all that lay in ' her power to; for* ward the interests of the large population of this district, she 'would be utterly unable to effect a tithe of the good which Southland could, were the management of the Southern Goid Fields given into her hands. A portion of the miners have long since recognised the truth of this, and numbers are daily coming round to the same opinion. 1 1 am aware' that the Jcase haf been stated very forcibly by the Southland journals, but ''perhaps, riot! frequently enough. There is but Ito^ teisj but; that was to be expected at this seaeon of -the year. There:;is a rumor of. 'another discovery at the north-west end of the ' Lake, but up to theytime of .writing this; nothing definite, has transpired. ; , I. may, mention, however, that I have myself seen some of the gold said; to; have been brought froua this locality. Its general character is coarse and water- worn, and judging 1 , from tKe almost total, absence of fine gold, I should have been inclined to suppose it had been sifted. Such I am assured, was not the case. -In my next, I trust to be able to give you -some more_defihite information oii ! the;. subject. '' '' ' ' '\ } The Queenstbwri Improvement Committee are continuing their exertions like- good citizens and true, but much of the trouble c th£y>take is rendered.of hoavaH-by the indifference with which they are treated by the Provincial Goverri'ment of Otago. A meeting of the Committee was heM on. the 31st ult., when a letter; f rom thei/Provincial Secrewas read, in answer to a previous communication from the hon. sec. of the Com* mittee:— " • - ■' " :; ' ' ' •' : '7r.'' •- " Provincial Secretary*s t oflsce, Diinedin, December 11th, 1863. V. Sis,—- I have ttie^honor to acknowledge the receipt of jour letter of the~3oth ultimo, urging upon • the Government the: necessity of. at > once proceeding with that portion of the, road between -p 1 Queenstown and Franklon, and submitting a resolution of the Improvement .Committee relative tor the continuance of Bcacb.»streeV acros?'' l \» creek, 'and the' withdrawal from sale of the^allcflments at the top of that street. " r ". " •'• ■ * In reply, Ihave to. acquaint you j for -the" information of the Committee, that the road referred to, forming part of . the main. line of rood between the .Dunstan and^' Quoenstown, r -which' is-- now receiving the attention of the. Government, will be carried out by the engineer, in due. course, but that the Government, cannot .specially.direct that particular parts should be attended" to, to the detriment of others. ' With regard ; to Beachstreet, a reference has been made to the Warden, and upon his replyCbeiug; received, the matter will be considered by the Government.;-, I h^ve the hejnOT tolbo,;Sir,_.J_ TV . Your bbedientserrant, r ■ Provincial Secretary. B- Cass, Esq., " '■•■■■■■■ ■■*■- r - •'-■/- ■ ' Hon. Sec, Q I. C. Some of your readers rnayjnot be.aware that a very serious loss is -.being 1 .entailed on the inhabitants both of Fraiiktoa and . Queenstown by the present state, of tlie'rbiad between the two places, and that more people are being injured :by its riot ibeing attended to than by the neglect of. any" other "portion of the rof>d. Such is not'the yiew'taken. of_.the subject by^Mr Dicky in his^Dunedih office; he sees a good 'opportunity forsnabbing-us, and does not lose the chance. In the other case — Beach Street — the_ answer^ though not entirely satisfactory, is not altogether as bad ;as a direct refusal: ; I have,- however, but little faith in any of the promises madelby Mr £fiek t and should not be surpt ised, if "nothing further' were . heard in the matter until the; committee i have (renewed their "solicitations. ,"-77 T , ','"",' -. . : - Ah inquest, was. held on the 29 th ultimo, by li. : Broad, . Esq4'uß.M., oil the; body ; of George Alfred : Conroy, -a miner, who died from the effects of a dose, of poison. It appeared from the evidence that the deceased went tb7Mr A)exander ; FpXf and by representing himself to be a storekeeper, .obtained seven^^ gains ; of 'st^chhirie\mth which : ; to poison rats;' He then ' wenVtb •* the residence of Mrs -W/ilson/ where -he met his mate. Some time after he again -; went ;bu^_and;his "mate, fancying there was something peculiar about his manner, followed hihiv '; Deceased was then taken' "ill land; went 'lhtd T aStore and laydown. Dr Douglas .was sent for, and on arriving, asked deceased if -he had taken strychnine," He replied-V Yes:" The usual remedies: w.ere applied but \ without avail,- as death ensued ; in' aboutr three hours. The Jury returned a verdict in accordance with v _the_above facts.' . - -