The Sun.
London, England, 1821-01-04 00:00:00

DARING 'OUTRAGE AND ATTACK,

BY A BAND OF ASSAS:IINS.

. .
The following are the particulars' of the MIS..
terions attack on a Person in the ,suite of the
French 'Ambassador, the first notice of which ap-
peared in this Paper of Wednesday last. Ve e
then asked " Are these common Robbers or
Political Assassins ?" but it seems now evident
that they are of the latter desdription, and we
earnestly hope, that the atrocious miscreants will
be discovered and brought to justice, which, we
thisti will be the case., as Government has
promptly offered a reward for their appre-
hension :

" A most daring and violent attack has been
made upon a confidential and official servant in the employ
of the French Ambassador of the name of Grenier. His Ex -
cellency the Frimch Ambassador is residing at his country
house near HarroW. It was the dtity of M. Grenier to go to
and from the house of bis Excellency near Harrow, to his Ex-
cellency's house in Portland-place, to send off official Ilis-
patches to France, to receive official dispatches from Frances
and to.convey them front the house in Portland-place to his
Excellency, at his house near Harrow ; he in general travel-
led on horseback. • On Sunday evening 111.Geenter left Port.
land-place for his Excellen4's house, near Harrow, on horse-
back. Ahout seven o'clock, when be had travelled about six
or seven mi4es on the road his horse startled, and in coase-
(pence he pulled it up. The night seas very dark, and it was
with difficulty he could perceive the cause.; but aelength, by
close observation, he discovered two men on foot in't tie road
at the head of his horse, who appeared as if they had•stopped
it, and were standing, to prevent the horse front proceeding ;
they spoke to him ill a low tone of vitice,.hat he could not tell
what they said. Just at the instant that M. Grenier was en-_

deavouring to clear his horse's head from the two men who
stood before him, and to proceed on his journey, three inert
Ott horseback suddenly made their appearance close to hint
and surrohnded hint. They commenced au attack upon M.
Grenier, they all appeared to be armed, and supposed to be
whit satires or entlasso; the foremost of the three attact•ed
hi" roust furiously with his deadly weapon, the use of which
be appeared extremely expert at, much wore su than the
other tWer Finding himself thus closely attached by so many
armed men, any resistance. on his part he Was convinced
would be ineffectual, he, therefore, being eAtreinely well
mounted, put spurs to his horse, and went off at full speed,
the villains also being well mounted followed him
and kept up with hint pretty well, and- contitmed constantly
cutting at him with their cutlasses
_orsabri-s, by which they
inflicted several severe wounds in different parts•of his body.
At one time they were so closely tipiin linu, and their cuts
at hint so numerous, that lie expected every one he received
would prove fatal; they- were then going at full gallop.—
Grenier, to relieve himself, suddenly pulling up his horse,
they not being prepared for such . a sudden stoppage, their
horses went on rue some time at ftill speed, they, however,
Girding what had taken place„ pulled up their horses, and
shortly were enabled to renew their dating attack. M. Gre-
nier then, to ;mild their outragetius and dangerous attache
upon hint, turned his horse suddenly into a cross road, with-
out knowing where it led, being a stranger to that part ()isle
country, except the road between London' and Ha: row, the
villains pursued him, and cutting at hit», Whenever an oppor-
tunity offered, with their cutlasses or sahies, and in this pe-
rilous situation he continued till be came within sight of an
inhabited house, when on his calling out for help, the villains
left hint, lode off and made their escape. ' M. Grenier rode
up to the house, the inhabitants of which very hunianery
rendered hint every assistance in their power, and he made
them acquainted, in the best way he could, labouring,'as he
does, under the disadvantage of not being sufficiently acquaint-
ed with the English language to make himself understood ;
but the state of his person, from the wounds lie bad receiVed,
spoke volumes as to the cruel and outrageous matinee in
which he had been treated. His bat haei• -heel, cut through
three times, the hack part (if his head was .Cat, tend several
wounds on his head. The principal aim' of the villains'ap-;
peered to be at his head, and his tortuoate • and providential
escape with
.his life is supposed to be owing to his riding a
higher horse Allan that of any of the villains, together with
the swift pace at. which the horses went, and the darkness
of the night, through which they had •neither power nor
Means of taking au aim. His 'shonblerS.- mut other parts of
his body were wounded, and his clothes wt re very much.
cut. The iithabitants of the house not only . rendered hint
every assistance as to taking care of . his wounds, &c. but
also.procured men to, put hint in the right road again,
and to guard hint to the .lioliassaditr's' house:- Its hat'been
removed' from there to his Excellency's house in Ptptlan
to receive the best possible surgical advice, Ire keeps
his bed, but it is hoped that mow. of his Wojlildi will piove
mortal. Not the least suspicion has yet arisen against, any'
person or persons as to their being the perpetrators of this
barrid and brutal attack upon M. Grereiet, or as to the cause
fur it thtir eondtict tint being like thattif robbers, suer) a
circumstance of mounted highwaymen in this country, atoned
with cutlasses or satires, never being heard of ; and all the
villains who attacked M. Grenier appvared to understand the
use of those instruments CX trewelf well; one of the cuts in
the hack of M. Grenier's head or neck appears ti, have' Beers
given by a hack-banded rut from the salire the object was
to wound or murder him, so as to enable therm to take'pos-
session of the- dispatches frdm France, the object it was to.
answer cannot he conjectured.—On the 'circumstances of this
'dating and outrageous attack being conmiunicated by his Ex-
cellency the Ambassador to Lord Sidarouth, the Noble Vis-
count, with the greatest promptitude, set • tlie•Whole of the
Bow-street Office strength to work, to uSh•every possible ex-
ertion to- trace out the daring offenders,-,Yesterday Mr.
B 1 KNI a, the Magistrate, had a Consultation with his Lordship
upon the subject. The Magistrate proceeded fo the Ambas-
sador's house in •Portlaudlitace, where he saw M. Grenier in
bed, and took his olepiisition' very fully upon the subject, at
least as notch as the nature of the case wiuld admit of —Un-
der the circumstances of M. Grenier knowing but little of
the English language, and being a stranger in a great degree
to the country where the outrageous attack Was made upon
him, and owing to the.darkness of the night, lie could give
but a.tery faint description of the radians persons. . The two
men on foot, whit originally stopped M. Grenier's liorse,'are
represented to hare the appearance of labouritig men. The
three assassins on horseback wore cloaks.,—On the conduct of
this daring gang of assassins being made known to his Ma-
jesty, he was graciously pleased to command Lord Sidmoutit
toissue a Proclamation, offering a reward of 2001. for flue de-
tection tend apprehension of the villains." •

WESTMINSTER SESSIONS.—This morning the
business of these Sessions commenced :before F.
CONST, and a full Bench of Magistrates,----,
The Grand Jury returned a true bill for petty
larceny against' Fredq•ick ACcutir,
Warur. IVivitimi.HTuesday, night, at eight
o'clock, an Inquest was held, at the'. Buffalo's
Head, New-road, before Tii6mAi, STIRLING, Esq.
Coroner, oh the. body of John Whiten, aged 23,
who had been stated -4o have beennnirdered by a
man uamed Richard Fay, who was his fellow-
lablwer.- The J ury, witllont hesitation, returned
a verdict of " Wilful Murder" againSt Richard
Fav, and the Coroner issued ,his warrant for his
apprehension.
The river is at present so much impeded by the
severe frost, by the large qUantities of ice,' as
scarcely to he navigable abOve Richmond Bridge.
The watermen have dragggd all their boats on
shore, to prevent their being damaged by the
ice.

The three. Syrens of Covent-Garden, Theatre
are on thi. sick list ; bat we are glad to End t►ey
are now convalescent. Miss STEPHENS is petty
well-; Miss GREEN rather better ; and Miss
TREE not .worse.

The Bridge at. Rochester, which 'has so Ion;
been a public nuisance, is about to have some
imFovement, by the throwing of two of its aiches
into one.