As tensions in Europe between Britain and France rose once again, as well as between France and Prussia, Emperor Napoleon III ordered his ambassador in London to relay to British Prime Minister Lord Palmerston his wishes for peace in Europe and his assurances that France threatened no-one.  He mentioned the difficulties in Italy concerning the Papal States and the incursion into Syria as attempts to preserve this peace.  (By John Osborne)  

In New York's Mount Pleasant State Prison, at Sing Sing on the Hudson River, the privately run cabinet shops and the building housing them caught fire in the early hours of the morning.  Efforts to suppress the fire were futile and the shops were completely destroyed.  Damages were estimated at $60,000 for the shops and $4000 for the structure.  No-one was injured.  (By John Osborne) 

New York Democrats met in a mass gathering at Tammany Hall to endorse overwhelmingly Stephen Douglas as the single Democratic presidential candidate.  Speaker after speaker spoke of the importance of rejecting Breckinridge and the south in favor of Union.  The meeting then adjourned to Stephen Douglas's hotel on Fifth Avenue to shout their support and hear him speak briefly from the hotel balcony. (By John Osborne)

The Pennsylvania Democratic Executive Committee met at the Merchants' Hotel in Philadelphia to work out a compromise over the split in the Democratic ticket.  A vote to name Stephen Douglas the sole nominee was heavily defeated and the arrangement was then made that the state's electors would vote in the Electoral College for whichever candidate had a chance of victory. Barring this, electors could vote for their own choice.  (By John Osborne)  

With crowds lining the shore all the way down the harbor, the giant S.S. Great Eastern departed New York City for short excursion to Cape May in New Jersey.  More than two thousand passengers, each paying $10 for the trip were aboard. Over the previous four weeks, 143,809 people paid to tour the ship as it lay in the New York docks. (By John Osborne) 

The giant S.S. Great Eastern, recently arrived at the New York City docks, was opened to the public on July 3, 1860 with a charge of admission of one dollar.  After less crowds than anticipated toured the ship, around 10,000 in the first six days, the price was halved.  Numbers immediately tripled. Over the four weeks of July, 1860, 143,809 people paid to tour the ship. (By John Osborne) 

The giant S.S. Great Eastern, recently arrived at the New York City docks, was opened to the public with a charge of admission of one dollar.  Despite qualms about the cost, more than 1,600 New Yorkers toured the ship during its "open" hours of nine a.m. to six p.m., with thousands more viewing the ship for free from the quayside.  (By John Osborne)