The Express.
London, England, 1853-10-04 00:00:00

THE BURGLAIT LT ILIVOWSLET-HALL.

We briefly anarallatd is our kilt that a daring
burglary had been committed at an early hoar on Monday
morning at Knowsley-hall, the seat of the Earl of Derby.
The burglars, it appears, carried off some money and a
number of valuable articles from the dressing rooms of the
earl and countess. The burglars in the first instance ef-
fected an entreat* through the window of the cooking
house, In which two equates of glass were broken to ad-
mit of their ingress. Subsequently, oa finding that the
door leading to the hall was well secured, they were in-
duced to retrace their steps, and adopt some other mode
of entrance, by which their object—that of gaining
scene to some of the principal rooms in the hall—
might be accomplished. They then made a second at-
tempt, and succeeded in entering the ball by • window
opening into the corridor leading to Lord and Lady
Derby's bed and dressing rooms. The window had
been left unfastened. The burglars entered the apartment
where the earl and countess were asleep, and passed thence
to the dressing rooms, where they took every article of
value that came within their reach. From his lordship's
dressing-room they stole, out of a dressing case, a large
bunch of seals and the silver tops of various toilet articles;
• pencil case and some other small but valuable articles
were also taken, and a purse, containing six sovereigns,
from a table where his lordship had placed it the previous
evening. A number of articles of a kind similar to those
above enumerated were taken from her ladyship's dressing-
room. The burglars retired with their booty without
making the slightest disturbance, and got clear off. Two
massive silver candlesticks, which they took from the
dressing-rooms, were left in the lower part of the hall,
near where they made their final exit. While the
burglars were in the hall they passed • room where
not Ins that 16,000 ounces of plate is usually depo-
sited, under the charge of the butler. His lord-
ship, on rising the following morning, noticed the
bedroom door being open, and called her ladyship's atten-
tion to it ; she closed the door, and no further notice was
taken of the circumstance until the discovery of the rob-
bery at a later period of the day. There are two watch-
men, whose duty it is to keep guard at the hall in the
night time, and this service has been confined to the mem-
bers of one family for several generations. It appears that,
in consequence of the violence of the gale on Sunday night
and Monday morning, these guardians took refuge in an
outhouse, where they fell asleep, and were absent from two
o'clock to a quarter past fear. It is considered very pro-
bable that during their absence from duty the burglary
was committed. A cheek is kept upon the watchmen by
means of what are called peg clocks. These clocks are
erected at various stations about the premises, and the
watchmen are required to move the pegs at certain intervals
during their rounds. As it was ascertained that no
pegs had been placed between the hours of 2 and a quarter
past 4, an investigation took place, when the watchmen
admitted that they were absent at the time previously
I stated. They pleaded, as an excuse for their neglect of
duty, that the terrific character of the storm had induced
them to seek shelter in a neighbouring building, where
they accidentally fell asleep. Most of the property stolen
coasisted of articles belonging to the late Earl of Derby,
and which, independenuy of their intrinsic value, were
esteemed as family relics. Immediately on the discovery
of the robbery information was forwarded to the police
office at Liverpool, and Murphy sod Sullivan, two detec-
tive officers, were at once despatched to Knowsley. They
made a very minute examination of the premises, and
afterwards returned to town. The county police were also
put in possession of the circumstances; but as yet, we
understand, no clue has been obtained to the perpetrators
of the burglary.—Liverpool Mercury.

Tug POTATO DISEASE.—The &IMO has proved
very extensive in many parts of this county. In some
grounds, usually productive of large quantities for consump-
tion, there is scarcely enough of sound potatoes for teed.—
Northaeopton Houk.