The Express.
London, England, 1868-03-06 00:00:00

THE WRECK OF THE NIPHON.

The Niphon was totally wrecked. on tic ni...!t
of the 23rd January, off Home Hill, 27, !Li
south of Amoy.
European boilermaker, gunner, and
Chinese drowned. Cargo all lost.
The following memorandum has been
from the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Na.L:.l
tion Company with reference to the 1
Niphon :

According to the hut advice. received by the corup.,.y
from China, the Siphon was to be placed at Sl:ingh.•i
the lit of February to take the mails to in!.
It is therefore assumed that when she was lost she wai
working her way np to Shanghai, calling at the c.,-.
port. without English limits or through cargo.
The Company's agent at Hong Kong wrote• under
14th January, as follows ;
" In consequence of the near approach of the Chin •,e
new year (25th inst.) the coast trade continue+ s
depressed."
It is not probable, therefore, that she had even a Lr; •
local cargo.

CALCUTTA AND CHINA (HEAVY) MAULS

SOUTHAMPTON. MAR.+

The Peninsula and Oriental Company's steamer
Ripon arrived hem to-day with 71 pa.ssongen.
39,831 dole. in specie, Egyptian bonds to the
value of 9,9001., and a general cargo, includn.
raw silk to the value of 230,000!. In the Bay .4
Biscay the Ripon encountered a north-westerly
gale and a heavy sea. She spoke the steam,•r
Banvalore ou the 3rd instant.
GIBRALTAR, MARCH I.

The Norwegian bark Frigate Bird, and the Brit Hit
schooner Kitty Pinkham, of Cardiff, came into
lision off Cabergos on the 23rd ult. The schemer
immediately foundered, but her crew were 341..4
The English brig Amethyst has been %%reeked ..•1'
Cape Negro, and has gone to pieces. The Free:!!
ship Arnelie, wrecked at the same place. has ken
oondemned, but it is expected her carg.. L•
saved.

The cholera at Tangier was disappearinv. Fr
Tetuan the accounts are not so favourable. f
crops in Barbary promise well.
Exchange upon London, 49A : Paris.
Madrid, A to 2 dia.

OUR PARIS LETTER.

(ENOM OUR OWN COREIVPONI,IiNT.)
PARIS. Ti uroo)A1 Ev Ni,l

Some time ago an amendment of M. Tillano.,:r.
was carried, reducing the minimum standard in t'..c
army from 1 metre 66 centimetres to I ware
centimetres. Marshal Niel, who has a j..101,0,,i
tall fellows, never liked the change, and sough: ;..
evade it to a great extent in practice by [width;
that the new clause did not apply either to sul,,ti-
tutes or to old soldiers who ,re-enlist on rewirin.;
a premium. M. de Tillancourt yesterday 'ii
that the rule should be uniform, and c,t,d
a great many military opinions to show that ,i...rt
men, if healthy and well-formed, were on the
average more serviceable than longer (elms.
Marshal Niel spoke of little men whom he had sou
breaking down under the weight of their army and
accoutrements, which were one-third as heavy :a
themselves, and drew a facetious picture of a moll
cavalry soldier who can neither saddle his horse 'l4
reach the stirrup to get upon him. Against this
M. do Tillancourt mentioned the case of t'''ller2i
Trezel, a man of the people, who was rejected
a recruit for being too short, but had such a
strong military vocation that he got into the
Commissariat department as • subordinate, ex-
changed into the line the moment he obtained 1
sub-lieutenant's epaulette, and subsequently becalm
one of the most illustrious general officers in the
service. The end of the discussion was that a ma-
jority of 122 against 101 decided that l'ilarshal
Niers objections to little men were unfounded.
General Lebrcton's sporting amendment, P 1
ing that the contingents for the departments a
the Ardennes, Metre, and Vosges should ha
formed into mountain chsasenra, to defend the
" woody curtain " sacred to the memory .4
Turenne, which overlooks the Rhine frontier. cu.
shelved without any other deputy than Mauch
speaking upon it.
The further consideration of the bill was that
adjourned.
A story which strikes me as too good to be
to
is going the rounds of the papers. A weddiN
party went before the Mayor of Fontainebleau.
who refused to pet form the marriage ce
mony because the bridegroom was draw'
In spite of the entreaties of the bride and the rell•
lions on both aides, the civic functionary Ad"'
' rawly insisted on a postponement. Four dap
later the same couple attended as before, presented
themselves again; but the woukl-be husband so
in no more decent condition than on the forme
occasion. Thereupon the mayor waxed exceed'
ing wrath, and addressing the bride said, " And
t you, too, mademoiselle, are you not ashanio
• to come here to ask nse to unite you to I
matt in this disgraceful state I". 4. May it plea°

your worship," laid the blushing young lady, " I
would much ratbar bring my an before he has
had his glass ; but the misfortune is that when he
is sober he won't come." What the mayor said
and did after this is not told.
M. Rouher's pacific speech produced a favour-
able effect on the Bourse. Rente rose 15c. for
cash, and 121 c. for account, closing at 691 r. 50c.
and li9fr. 40c. Italian rose 550.; Mobilier, 3fr. 75c.;
and Credit Foncier, 12fr. 50c.