British ship sinks in a Ceylon harbor during a squall

The Peninsular and Orient steamship Malabar was in the harbor near Point de Galle in Ceylon and was about to sail when it was struck with a sudden squall and driven onto a reef.  There was significant damage to cargo and luggage but no-one was harmed.  Among the items lost were the diplomatic papers of the British and French ambassadors travelling to negotiate with the Chinese over the then current conflict in China.  (By John Osborne)