The Sun.
London, England, 1869-02-17 00:00:00

The Price of Gold.

Tile quota,Lm 01 gold at Paris is about at par, and
the short exchange on London is 2M. 15c. per £1 sterlin,z.
tin cJiaparing these rates with the English Mint price of
lid. Witt per (Wilde tor stania,rd g•ild, it appe..:-a th,t
gold at the above price is ainut 1-10th por cent, dearer lii
1' ris thbn io Loadua.

The coarse of eichang,e at Xe A, York on London for bills
tt tO days' ri Alt was on the List date about 1. percent
At this rate here is na profit on the importation of gold
from the Uniicti :Lutes.

CONGRESS.

SENATE.

On the 22d January the credentials of the Messrs.
Bayard, Senators elect from Delaware, were pre-
sented. The Pacific Railroad Committee reported
a resolution declaring against the issue of Govern-
ment Bonds to any railroads not at present entitled
to them. Mr. Wilson offered a resolution to drop
from the army roll, officers absent without leave,
and Mr. Stewart offered a bill relative to the refin-
ing of the bullion at the Mint. Both were referred.
The bill for a railroad to 'Washington was con-
sidered, and a Conference report, authorising
notaries public, as well as bankrupt registers, to
take testimony is election cases, was concurred in.
—Jan. 23.—0 n Saturday, Mr. Stewart's amend-
ment to the Constitution,
relating to suffrage, was
taken up, and, on motion of its author, made the
s
special order for Thursday afternoon. The joint
resolution for the removal of officials under dis-
ability in Virginia, Texas, and Mississippi, w
concurred in as passed by the House. Mr. Trum-
bull, from the Judiciary Committee, reported an
amendment to the Civil Rights Act. The Air Line
and Central Pacific Railroad Bills were discussed.
Mr. Hendricks then submitted a Constitutional
amendment requiring the ratification of future
amendments to be made by Legislatures, por-
tions of whose members shall have been
repealing the
chosen at a general election after such amendments
have been proposed in Congress.—On the 25th
the credentials of Senator Ramsey,bi
were presented. Mr. Edmunds, from the Retrench-,
billlorf
ment Committee, reported. the
Tenure-of-Office Act, with amendments. Mr.
Stewart, from the
,Judicial Committee, presented
the credentials of Senator. elect Hill, of Georgia,
with a resolution. that he is not entitled to his seat.'
The Central Pacific Railroad. Bill came up in order,
and Mr. Sherman. moved its postponement, so that
his Funding Bill could be considered. Mr. Sher-
man's motion was lost by a majority of nine votes,
and the pending Railroad Bill was discussed until
adjournment.—On the 26th the credentials of
Senator Sumner, of Massachusetts, were presented.
Mr. Sherman offered a resolution, which was
adopted, providing for a joint Special Committee
at the next session to consider the civil service. Mr.
Grimes, of lowa, introduced a bill to reorganize the
Navy. The Central Pacific Railroad Bill was con-
sidered. On the 27th Mr. Chandler introduced a
bill to prevent collection of illegal imposts, Mr,
h a bill to enable the Choctawas and
Chickasaws to become citizens, and Mr. Morgan
one to designate the place of t
of
offenders against the United States. The Naval
Appropriation bill was reported. Mr. Sherma
financial bill was taken up, and Mr. Davis offered
s_
a substitute. Mr. Sherman spoke in ad
his bill. The subject was then postponed,n
v oneadcy the
t
Central Pacific Railroad Bill considered. This bill
being put upon its passage was rejected by a vote
of 28 against 26. On the 28th the credentials of
John Scott, Senator elect from Pennsylvania,
were presented. The bill relating to the appoint-
ment of midshipmen from the Southern States was
passed. The proposed Constitutional amendment
allowing negroes to vote and hold office was
taken up, and the substitute of the Judiciary
Committee for the first section was adopted. Mr.
Buckalew moved an additional section, requiring
Presidential electors to be chosen by the people,
and authorizing Congress to prescribe the mode of
their selection. Mr. Davis, of Kentucky, offered an
amendment requiring all Constitutional amend-
ments to be submitted to a direct vote of the people..
Mr. Buckalew subsequently offered his amendment
as a separate measure, and it was referred. Mr.
Davis withdrew his proposition. The House Bill
restoring the Indian Bureau to the War Depart-
ment was reported, with a substitute creating a
Department of _lndian Affairs.

THE CONVERSION OF CAST IRON GUNS. —The
first batch of 61 rifled guns, converted on the Palliser
principle from smooth bore cast iron guns, has been re
ceived at Woolwich. The guns have all boon proved by
the loyal Gun Factories, and 60 have been passed into
the service, ono gun bt:ing rejected for defective manu-
facture. A second batch of 30 guns is on the road from
the Elswick Ordnance Works, Newcastle-on-Tyne. It is
stated that Government have decided to convert a consi-
derable number of cast iron gulls next year in the gun fac-
tories at Woolwich.