The Sun.
London, England, 1866-11-17 00:00:00

MISCELLANEOUS AMERICAN NEWS.

A grand requiem mass for the souls of those who
perished in the Evening Star was celebrated at the
French Catholic Church in New York, on Thursday
morning, Oct. 26, the artists of a French opera com-
pany performing the music and singing Cherubini's
splendid requiem.
The Texas House of Representatives has rejected
the pending constitutional amendment by a vote of
67 to 5, a majority which shows that the measure
has not the slightest chance of passing in Texas,
and probably the vote against it will be equally
strong in all the Southern Legislatures. The spirit
of the Texas Legislature can be judged by the bill
that has just passed the Senate, compelling freed-
men to make their contracts for the year between
the Ist and 10th of January, all other contracts
to be null and void, thus, in connection with a new
vagrant law, virtually re-establishing slavery.—The
Congressional elections took place in Texas on the
15th. Returns thus far received, show a very small
vote, but not enough have been received to show
who were elected in the different districts'.

The ship Agra, Captain Evans, from London for
New York, with a general cargo, arrived and an-
chored at Spithead early last Sunday morning, and
reported having been in collision with the Nova
Scotian bark Elizabeth Jenkins, Captain Richaus
from London for Boston, United States, at 8 p.m.
on Saturday, when the Elizabeth Jenkins sunk in
about three minutes after the two vessels came in
contact, and carried down with her ten of her num-
ber—viz., Captain Richaus and his wife, the chief
mate, the cook and his wife, and five of the crew.
At the late election in North Carolina Governor
Worth was elected by an overwhelming majority,
though the number of votes that were cast for
Dockery, unconditional Union candidate, after he
had declined to run, shows that there are voters
enough to form the nucleus of a Republican party
in the State.—The city election at Memphis, Ten-
nessee, passed off in an orderly manner. The mayor
and most of the other officers elected are Johnson
men, and there is to be an attempt made to prevent
their succeeding the present officers, on the ground
that they did not take the oath required of candi-
dates before the election. In the special election in
Tennessee, last week, to fill vacancies in the Legis-
lature, five Conservatives and three Radicals were
chosen.—Affairs at New Orleans, what with the
stories that Governor Wells is going to remove
the sheriffs for not doing his bidding, the rumours
that the rebels of the city contemplate rising and
massacring the Union citizens November 1, and
other equally startling reports, appear to be in a
very undesirable state. As the New York Tribune
is the sole authority for most of these stories, how-
ever, the alarm is not so great or general as it might
otherwise be.

The American papers announce an interesting,
yacht race as about to take place. Mr. J. C. Ben-
nett, jun., of the Henrietta, 203 tons, Mr. Osgood,
of the Fleetwing, 204 tons ; and Mr. Lorillard, of
the Vesta, 201 tons, have agreed to take £6,000
each for a race from Sandy Hook to Cowes, the
first vessel in to take the pool of £lB,OOO. The
yachts are to start early in
_December, and the
stakes are already deposited.in the hands of Mr. W.
L. Jerome.

It is stated that the cultivation of the tea plant
has been successfully introduced in the State of
Georgia. It was tried in 1847 at Greenville, South
Carolina, by Dr. Jarvis Smith, who procured five
hundred plants, of from five to seven years' growth,
from China. The general characteristics of the
plant remained unchanged by the new climate and
soil, and the leaves put out at the same season asin
China. Dr. Smith estimated that he could produce
tea in this country at fivepence per pound, while the
average cost was tenpence in China at the ship's
side. It is conjectured that it could be cultivated
with success in California, where there are so many
Chinese on the spot, whose labour and experience
could beemployed in it when the gold-hunting mania
shall subside.

The annual meeting of the board of overseers of
Harvard college was held at Cambridge on Tues-
day, October 23, and John H. Clifford was
vre-
electedae been $168,956,
for the ensuing year. The trea-
ssulrBe2r,42's4. report shows the expenditure on the year to
h
$168,956, and the income from all sources
As was anticipated, the income of the
past year has been sufficient to meet the 25 per cent.
increase in the salaries of professors and tutors. S.
D. Bradferd made a bequest of $5,000, the interest
of which has been appropriated to defray the ex-
penses of the board of overseers, and a subscription
of $2,500 has been received for the repair of the
organ in Appleton chapel. Nothing has been done
to the chapel itself, which is in need of repairs,
and $15,000 will be required to thoroughly re-
model and renovate the building. In his report
President Will says that the experiment of allow-
ing a large number of undergraduates to furnish
themselves with board has been highly success-
ful, and the saving to the students thus effected
has amounted to as much as the total income of
the scholarship and beneficiary funds. The sopho-
more and freshmen classes are very large, and the
college is in want of more tutors. The Rev. Ed-
ward E. Hate, of Boston, offered a resolution, which
was that a committee of five- be appointed
to confer passed, that
the corporation and trustees of the
proposed new Methodist Theological Institute, as
to the propriety of establishing that institution at
Cambridge, and said it was a misfortune that with
a single exception the theological schools of the
various denominations had been established else-
where than at Cambridge. The Rev. E. E. Hale,
R. H. Dana, Rev. Dr. J. F. Clarke, William A.
Richardson, and Rev. A. A. Miner were appointed
as the Conference Committee.

• A correspondent of the Levant Herald, Oct. 31,
writes from Jaffa;—" The Axagican barque Chapin