The Sun.
London, England, 1868-12-24 00:00:00

The Price of Gold.

The quotation of gold at Paris is about at par, and
t.ie -short exchange on London is 2M. 20c. per £1 eterling.
On comparing these rates with the English Mint price of
100. per ounce for standard gold, It appears that
gold is ab.ut 1-ioth per cent. dearer in London than in

The course of exalimge at New York on London for bills
at 60 days' siglit was on the last date about 1,01 per cent.
At this rate Lhere is no profit on the importation of gold_
from the UM; cd states.

COURSE OF EXCHANGE—Last Evenzng.

Amsterdam Short ... 11 191,- ... 11 191
Do
Rotterdam — ... 12 1 ... 12 11
Antwerp — ... 25 371 ... '25 421
Brussels
lia tuburgh — ... 13 101 ... 13 101
Paris
Ditto
Mraseilles
Prankfort-on-the-Main ... 120} ... 120}
Vienna — ... 12 20 ... 12 31.1.
Trieste — ... 12 20 ... 12 321
Petersburg
Copenhagen,. ...... ..
Berlin
... 6 261 ... 6 271
Madrid..
Cadiz
Leghorn

ANCIENT MANUSCRIPTS OF THE BIBLE.—The Rev
Dr. T. S. Conant has recently delivered two lectures on
this most interesting subject before the Long Island His-
torical Society at the Packer Institute. The first lecture
was devoted to the general nature of these ancient manu-
scripts, their authenticity, and the best means of preserv-
ing them for the good of mankind ; and the second gave a
more detailed account of several of the oldest and most
valued documents. The first, not in point of time, but as
that first generally known, is called the Alexandria manu-
script. About the commencement of the 17th century,
Cyril, Primate of Alexandria, afterwards Patriarch of
Constantinople, discovered in the Alexandrian Library a
manuscript written in the Greek characters of the fourth
century, containing the entire Scriptures of the Old and
New Testaments, with several other semi-sacred writings.
About the year 1623, being influenced by the services
which had been rendered to him by the then English
Ambassador, he proposed to send this manuscript, which
he valued very highly, as a present to King James First
of England, but the execution of this design was delayed
by the intestine troubles which disturbed Cyril's autho-
rity, until the year 1628, when it reached England as a
present to then reigning monarch, Charles I. Being at first
placed in the King's private library, it once narrowly
escaped destruction by fire, and in the year 1753 it was de-
posited in the Library of the British Museum, where it now
remains. It is believed, both from notes and traditions
regarding the origin of the manuscript, and from internal
evidence of which itself bears, to have been the work of a
pious Greek woman residing in Alexandria named Theckla
and it is believed to have been executed about the
middle of the Fifth Century. It is written upon vel-
lum of a quality very fine and soft, and the formation
of the characters is remarkably delicate and beautiful.
The manuscript ;has suffered by the action of time and
previous want of care in its preservation. Several of its
leaves are gone, and others aro mutilated. The ink with
which it was written has faded until in many places it is
scarcely legible, and the vellum itself is decomposing,
so that it is difficult to handle it without injury.
The library of the Vatican at Rome contains a manu-
script of the Old and New Testaments, which has been
there from the foundation of the library, and it is not
known from whence it came or by whom it was exe-
cuted. It is written on very fine vellum in the Greek
character, and the original writing, where it is still
visible, is exceedingly fine and graceful, but the writ-
ing has been retouched since it was first placed in the
library, and the original penmanship is only visible in
a few instances. It is now regarded as the oldest
and most authentic version of the original Scriptures in
existence. Formerly scholars and others were allowed
access to it, but latterly it has been guarded with jealous
care, and but few persons can obtain even a sight of
it. The Sinaitic manuscript was discovered by Pro-
ossor Tischendorf, at a monastery on Mount Carmel,
while engaged in searching for ancient manuscripts. He
first chanced to come upon some fragments of it in 1848,
but could not then discover the remainder. In 1832 ho
returned to the search, but still was unsuccessful, and
not until 1839 did he succeed in obtaining the remain-
der. It is similar in character to the two previously de-
scribed, but has suffered considerable mutilation. By
Professor Tichendorf's persuasion the monks in whose
possession it was were induced to present the manuscript
to the Czar Nicholas of Russia, and it is now preserved
with great care in the royal library at St. Petersburg. Dr.
Conant spoke of the incalculable value of these different
manuscripts in enabling us to obtain a correct understand-
ing of the Holy Scriptures, and urged that means should
be taken to secure, if possible, their preservation from
urther decay and destruction.