The Sun.
London, England, 1866-02-05 00:00:00

FRANCE.

PARIS, FEB. 2.
BounsE, Feb. 3.—Three o'clock—The market
has improved to-day, and closed as follows:-
4 per Cents 9B GO Roman
Do. end mouth — Ottoman Fives —
3 per Cents. 6B 80 Mexican Loan 46 50
Do. end month 6B 95 Do. Bonds 305
Credit Mobilier ... 820 Russian —
Do. end month ... Austrian
Bank Shares 3725 Spanish Threes ... 40
Credit Foncier 1315 Home Debt —
Italian Loan 62 10 Deferred
Do. end m0nth...... 62 27
RAIL

WA YP.

Orleans
Northern
Lyons and Mediterranean
Southern
Western
Eastern
Sardinian .
Austrian
Lombard
North of Spain
Saragossa
Ditto to Barcelona
Roman

Cash. Acct.
- 853 75
... 1115 -
- 358 75
545

- - ... 531 25
- - 410 -
- - 402 50

- - - .. . 175 -
- - .. . 217 50
- -- ... 100 -
- - .. . 137 50

THE READERSHIP OF THE TEMPLE.—Yesterday
the last of the gentlemen selected as candidates for
the Readership of the Temple, vacant by the resignation
of Canon Lonsdale, officiated in the church ; and on Wed-
nesday next the Benchers will proceed to an election.
The names of the candidates from whom the Benchers will
make their choice are as follow :—The Rev. Wm. George
Martin, M.A., of St. John's College, Cambridge, 8.A., 1848
(25th junior optime in the mathematical tripes), chaplain
to the Licensed Victuallers' Asylum, Old Kent-road ; the
Rev. John Oakley, M.A., of Brasenose College, Oxford,
8.A., 1857, curate and clerk in orders of St. James's,West-
minster ; the Rev. William Thomas Du Boulay, M.A., of
Trinity College, Cambridge, 8.A., 1855 (28th senior optime
in the mathematical tripos), curate of St. Paul's Church,
Kensington ; the Rev. Edward Josselyn Beck, M.A., fel-
low of Clare College, Cambridge, 8.A., 1855 (40th senior
optime in the mathematical tripos, and Ist in the second
class of the classical tripes), formerly curate of Christ
Church, St. Pancras ; the Rev. Alfred Ainger, M.A., of
Trinity Hall, Cambridge, 8.A., 1860; the Rev.W. Anthony
Harrison, M.A., of Gonville and Caine College, Cambridge,
8.A., 1856 (Ist class moral classes tripos), curate of St.
Mary the Less, Lambeth.

THE LATE Mn. JAMES SMITH.—The death (says
the Glasgow Citizen) of this venerable gentleman is
an event of deep interest to the Catholics of Scotland.
Fifty years have elapsed since his conversion from Presby-
terianism, and scarcely less since the first appearance of
his contributions to various periodicals in defence of the
ancient faith. Shortly before the passing of the Reform
Bill, when Edinburgh was visited by a politico-religious
deputation of the " Reformation Society," headed by
Captain Gordon, M.P. (Lord Roden's nominee for the
then close borough of Dundalk), Mr. Smith alone accepted
his challenge to the Catholics of Edinburgh for a religious
disputation. After a discussion, at half-hour time for each
disputant in turn, in the church in Charlotte-square, last-
ing three nights, during which the logic of the lawyer
slowly but surely overcame the declamation of the preach-
ing Captain (which had been often rehearsed elsewhere),
Mr. Smith concluded with twelve postulate, to which the
gallant preacher promised an early answer through the
press—which has not yet appeared ! This triumph on
the part of Mr. Smith, so unacceptable to the majority of
his fellow-citizens of the "modern Athens," was not calcu-
lated to improve the prospects of business ; but he never
hesitated to sacrifice interest to duty. Afterwards he
started the Edinburgh Catholic Magazine, a monthly pub-
lication of rare merit, which won for him the admiration
.and friendship of many of the leading Catholics of the
United Kingdom. This work he conducted with great
ability, until called to London to undertake the editorship
of the Dublin Review, a quarterly established by the late
Cardinal Wiseman and Mr. O'Connell. His next appoint-
ment of Secretary to the ," Catholic Institute of Great
Britain" was also a high honour, the advantages of which
must have contributed to the advancement of his family,
and a just tribute to his public usefulness and private
worth.

The.pricG of living in New Orleans is enormous,
and grows daily worse. Everything in the market is ex-
ceedingly dear, and one can hardly get decent board for
less than $75 or $BO per month. Even at that price
boarding-house keepers hardly save themselves. A pair
of boots cost $2O, and a coat--I won't pretend to say, but
a very large sum. The tradesmen and artisans have pro-
tective unions. This does it.—New Orleans Cor. Mobile
Register.

There is a vast bed of coal underlying the city
of La Salle, Illinois. The city fathers propose to sell the
right of mining coal under the city (which lies to the
depth of 300 or 400 feet below the surface) to the highest
bidder, and expect to get a bonus of royalty or twenty
cents per ton for the privilege. It is estimated that there
are

27,000 tons under each acre, and as the city plat em-
braces 640 acres, the bonus may amount to three or four
millions of dollars.

'The total number of claims received by the
Adjutant-General of the United States War Department
for a share in the reward for the arrest of the assassination
conspirators is seven hundred and eighty. Each indivi-
dual claimant sets forth in his application the important
part he played in the arrest of these outlaws. Only about
three hundred applications will be recognised, and the
threchundred thousand dollars reward will be distributed
to each, proportionately to the service rendered. The re-
wards will be distributed in a few days.