The Sun.
London, England, 1867-12-16 00:00:00

ZENIAN arIT.RAGE IN EROS PENOR.
SQUARE.

ShiirtlibefOßWO o'ctock yesterday morning thC police-
constable on duty in Grosvenor-square was startled by
the sudden outburst of a flame which for a moment
dispelled the surrounding darkness, and was succeeded
by a luminous vapour which was visible more than
half-way from the houses skirting the square to the
garden enclosure. The constable instantly rushed
to the place from whence the glare proceeded, awl
yhich proved to be the house No. 4, the property of Mr.
rreke, brother cf Lord Carberry, late in the possession of
'earl Fitzwilliam, and now in course of interior recon-
-..trnetion. Here he found the window to the right of the
:lair door—that of the library—covered with a phosphoric
substance, from which the vapour proceeded, and the room
within alight. He instantly sprung his rattle, and was
quicily joined by three other constables who were on duty
in the neighbourhood. Before their arrival the watch-
man in charge of the premises had made his way to the
hall door, which he opened in a state of the utmost
trepidation and alarm. The constables at once pro-
ceeded to the library, where they found that a bottle
containing the substance known as " Greek fire " or
" Fenian fire "—by which title it will, perhaps, be
'better known hereafter—had been thrown at the window.
.i large portion of the lower pane of the window,
which is of plate glass, the pane in question being about
aft. by oft. was broken in. Most fortunately the neck of
the bottle only and a comparatively small portion of its
contents had entered the apartment. The body of the
bottler lay on the window-sill, a portion of its contents
having fallen into the area, which was all ablaze. On
entering the library, which was a matter of some diffi-
culty, owing to the all but overpowering effluvium that
was emitted from the phosphoric substance in question,
the constables found a considerable portion of the
flooring on flame, and the recess for the shutters at 'one
rdde of the window shining with a dazzling brilliancy.
Na time was lost in the effort to stay the apprehended
mischief. Water was procured in buckets by the porter,
but the use of water was strictly prohibited by the police.
Earth and rubbish were dtrewn over the floor, and other
measures resorted to, with which the constable would
seem to have been made acquainted in view of such an
emergency occurring, and within a short time from the
discovery of the outrage all danger of disastrous conse-
quences arising from it had been removed. The shutter
recess is charred to about one-half its extent, and the floor
ing of the apartment also presented a blackened and buried
appearance yesterday; but after dusk the luminous ap-
pearance became again visible, and no effort on
the part of those now in charge of the house
could remove it. As has, however, been stated,
no danger is now apprehended from that source.
It is a fortunate circumstance that the resistance
of the glass was greater than the miscreant who threw the
Greek fire, which was contained in a pint bottle, antici-
pated. The plate is nearly half an inch thick, and the
blow which smashed it—without, however, effecting the
entrance of the missile—must have been one of great
force. Had the attempt succeeded, and the premises
been set on fire, the result must have been most disas-
trous. As has already been stated, the mansion is in
course of reconstruction. The exterior has been com-
pleted, and the interior is now in the hands of the deco-
rators. Scaffolding and ladders are erected in each room,
and would have proved most fatal conductors of fire.
The house was supposed to be altogether unoccupied, and
the calculation may probably have been that owing
to that circumstance destruction as rapid and com-
plete as befel Her Majesty's Theatre awaited the premises
and those which adjoined it.

The night porter states that he had just completed his
round of the house, had seen that all was right, and had
trimmed his lamp and settled himself down " to read the
paper" beside his fire in the housekeeper's room, when
" his breath was taken away" by a crash at the window
above and a blaze in the area. He caught up his "bull's
eye," made his way upstairs, but was met by a " white
smoke" which almost suffocated him. He was about to
enter the library when he heard the policeman's rattle
outside, and thereupon gladly opened the door. What
followed has been already told.

No arrest has been made, the perpetrator of the outrage
having readily decamped and escaped in the darkness of
the night. Additional police were on duty last night in
thr neizhbourhood.