The Sun.
London, England, 1864-04-19 00:00:00

The Ocean Mail Service,

SOUTHAMPTON, Monday,-The Royal Mail Company's
steamship Atrato, Captain F. Woolley, sailed hence to-day
with the West India and Pacific mails and 103 passengers,
among whom are Chief Justice Sharpe, Capt. Wise, Lieut.
Cooper, and Surgeon M'Dermott for Barbadoes. She takes
out £13,880 in specie (of which Z 10,200 is silver and £BOO
gold in m F English jewelry value £2,215,
Frencchejewfelloryvalruae".£)3,Bs6, and a full cargo of British
and foreign merchandise. Advises from Bremen have been
received by the agents of the North German Lloyd at this
port stating that the Hansa steamer, which arrived at Cowes
last Thursday morning from New York, on her way to
Bremen, arrived off Wangenrooget at the mouth of the river
when she was
brought to by some shots fired from the Danish frigate Niels
Juel, which was cruising in the Channel some time since
Weser, at 7 o'clock on Friday evening,
looking after German vessels. Capt. von :Santen imme-
diately stopped his ship, and sent off a boat to the frigate,
with the chief officer of the llansa and the ship's papers.
The papers having been examined by the captain of the
Niels he], they were returned to the chief officer, and the
steamer was allowed to proceed on to Bremen. It will be
remembered that the Hansa and the other steamers of the
North German Lloyd running between Bremen, Southamp-
ton, and New York were some time since transferred to the
Russian flag. Some interesting data, illustrative of the con-
tinued improvements making in the construction of marine
engines, to accomplish the great desideratum of combining
a high rate of speed with economy in the consumption of
fuel, is afforded by the first voyage to and from Alexandria
of the Peninsular and Oriental Company's last new screw
steamer the Baroda, which arrived here on Saturday night.
The actual steaming time of the Baroda outwards was as
follows .—Southampton to Gibraltar, 941 hours; Gibraltar
to Malta, 811 hours; Malta to Alexandria, 681 hours—
total, 2431 hours. Homeward,—Alexandria to Malta,
761 hours ; Malta to Gibraltar, 861 ; Gibraltar to South-
ampton, 113—total, 2751 hours. The voyage out and home
was therefore accomplished in 5191 hours, during which
time she consumed 831 tens of coals, and that this marks a
great improvement will be seen by a comparison with pas-
sages made by three other fast steamers of the company's
fleet, viz.:--The Delta (paddle) made the voyage out and
home in 650 hours, burning 1,395 tons of coals ; the Malta
(screw) in 505 hours, burning 1,589 tons; and the Ceylon
(screw) in 546 hours, burning 1,t;89 tons. The distance
from Southampton to Gibraltar is 1,151 miles; Gibraltar to
Malta, 981 miles; and Malta to Alexandria, 819 miles;
being a total of 2,951 miles, or 5,902 for tho voyage out and
home. The steamship Delhi, Captain J. R. Kellock, sails
hence on Wednesday, with the Calcutta, China, and Aus-
tralian mails, and the Bavaria, Captain H. Taube, on the
same day, with German and English mails for New York.
The America, Captain Wessels, is due on Thursday, with
mails of the 9,11 inst from New York. The Germania,
Captain Ehle:s, which was to leave Now York on the 2d,
and was expected here last Thursday, has not (six p.m.)
been reported.

ST. PETERSBURGH, April 16.—The Bank has
reduced to 5 per cent. its discount of three mouths'
bills, and 51 per cent. for those of six .uonths, and
on advances on merchandise and securities.