The Sun.
London, England, 1860-02-03 00:00:00

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

Rio.—Exchange on London, 251 to 25; on
Paris, 385 ; and on Hamburg, 730.
Exportation of coffee since the depart ure of the
last mail.—For the United States, 115,529 ; for
the Channel, 17,235 ; for Havre, 7,128 ; for Mar-
seilles, 5,791; and for the Mediterranean, 18,188
bags. Stock, £130,000 bags.
The price of good first was 6,100 to 6,300 nisi.

FRANCE.

PARIS, THURSDAY,

M. Billault's prefects are, as you see, striking
down newspapers and reviews with a vigorous arm.
Nobody likes an ex-Liberal for such work. Since
the last eight years six journals have been sup-
pressed. viz. :—The Opinion, Publique, A ssenzblee
Nationale, Speetateur, Revue de Paris, Corsair,
and Univevs. As for the avertissenzents they are
too numerous to mention, and yet flippant func-
tionaries have the assurance to declare that they
desire nothing more earnestly than a free and frank
discussion.

The Three per Cents. closed to-day at 67f. 50e.
for the end of the month, and the Foir-and-a-Half-
per Cents. at 96f. 77c. ; Orleans railway shams,
1,345 f. ; Great Northern, 900 f. ; Strasburg, 630 f. ;
Paris to Lyons and the Mediterranean, 880 f. ;
Western of France, 570 f. ; Bordeaux and Cette,
491 f. 25c. ; Bank of Credit Mobilier, 7321. 50c.;
Austrian Railways, 497 f. 50c.

Exchange on London, at sight, paper, 25f. Tic. ; money,
25f. 7c.; three months, paper, 24f.85c. ; money, 24f. 821 c.

NICE.

The following letter has been received from Nice,
dated Monday last :
" The county of Nice, of which the annexation to
the French empire appears at present probable, is
a small country situate between the Var and the
highest of the chain of mountains known as the
Maritime Alps, which begin at the junction of
the Alps with the Appenines, near the Col de
Tende, and are continued to the sea. It is
formed of two principal basins, that of the
Var and that of the Roye. The country is
generally poor, as may be imagined from the
following statistics, founded on official documents.
The superficies of the arable land is 28,405
hectares ; vines, 2,546; meadows, 34,976 ; gardens,
1,692 ; olive grounds, 9,195 ; chestnut plantations,
1,214 ; woods, 28,204 ; pasture lands, 177.572
total, 283,904 hectares. The population of the
county of Nice, according to the census taken in
1858, is 125,000 inhabitants; that of the town of
Nice is 44,000, including the strangers, who only
remain during the few months in winter. The
following historical details are interesting under
existing circumstances. The foundation of Nice
is due to a colony from Marseilles, and dates
as far back as 300 years before the birth of our
Saviour. The colony remained dependent on Mar-
Bellies until the reign of Augustus Crew, who placed
it under the jurisdiction of Cemelennin, a Roman
town, of which the ruins are still to be found
near Nice. In 584 Nice passed under the doini•
nion of Childebert, King of Austrasia, and from
that period until 1838 it remained attached to
Provence, under the houses of Aragon and of
Anjou. In 1838, tired out with the 'dissen-
sions between the families of Anjou and de Duras,
the inhabitants gave themselves up to Count Rouze
Amedee VII., and from that period until 1792
formed part of the domains of the Princes of Savoy.
The circumstances connected with the annexation
of Nice to France deserve notice. The French
troops, under the command of General Anselme,
were received at Nice with enthusiasm, and a
similar reception was given to another body under
General Montesquieu, when they entered Cham-
bery. Immediately after the entrance of the French
troops two deputies were sent to the Convention
by the inhabitants of Nice to demand their annexa-
tion to France. One of these was Blanqui, the
father of the political economist, and he explained
the wishes of his fellow-citizens at the sitting
of the Convention the 21st October, 1792.
The President immediately placed the reso-
lution among the orders of the day, but on
the observation of Barrere that previous to the
annexation of one nation to another the
wishes of the people should be fully and freely