Star.
London, England, 1824-06-11 00:00:00

DARING AND EXTENSIVE ROBBERY.

A very dating burglary and robbery was committed
about one o'clock yesterday morning, by a determined
gang of thieves, at the house of Mr. Haines, steward to
Eail Cowper, at Pansanger, near the town of Hert-
ford. Mr. Haines's house is situate upon Coie Green,
on his noble master's e'tate. On Wednesday he had
been cogecting rents, and had cash, bank notes, and
checks, to the amount of more than 2,000/. in the Kruse.
About twilight on Wednesday evening four men were
seen walking about near the house, and their manner
excited some suspicion at the time that they were there
for some improper purpose; but the circumstance was
soon forgotten, and the inmates retired to rest unruffled
by apprehension of anything wrong. About one
o'clock in the morning, however, Mr. flaines's son, a
lame youth, was awoke by a noise at a window at the
end of a passage near his chamber, and stepping out,
he saw a man entering, followed by another. lie im-
mediately ran to his father's room, and having informed
him of what he had seen, they placed their backs
against the door, determined, if possible, to prevent the
intruders from entering. The strength of those out-
side was, however, too great for them, and the door was
burst in, and four or five men entered. At the moment
that the first ruffian entered, he levelled a blow with a
bludgeon at the head of Mr: Haines, but the latter
luckily evaded it, and the bludgeon coming in conoict
with the bed-curtain rod, snapped it asunder. Mr.
Haines snatched up a poker and endeavoured to
defend himself, and did deal out two .or three hard
blows, but he was soon overpowered by supetior
strength and ntimbets. The villains threw him upon
the ground, and having tied his hands behind him, they
'rolled hint up in a carpet, in such a manner as almost to
suffocate him. ney then asked him where his money
was, and be said 1:e had none in the house. "That's a
h—y lie," said one of them—" come, you old b—,
fork it onr, or you'll rue it." They threatened with
horrid imprecations to murder him if he did not tell,
but he still refused ; at length one said, " Well, if you
won't tell, we must find it, so here goes," and with a
crow-bar he smashed in the bureau where the money
was deposited—they took every fat thing, and were
searching for more money or other valuables, when
they experienced a most unwelcome interruption. Mr.
Haines's son had contrived, in the bustle, to slip unper-
ceived out of the room, and having got to a window be
tang an alarm bell. The thieves hearing this ran to
the place, and having knocked young Haines down,
they proceeded to get from the window to the ground
as speedily as possible. The ringing of the bell, however,
had produced some effect, for they were met upon the
ground by four or five men from neighbouring houses,
and a desperate conflict immediately commenced,
during which one of the ruffians snapped a pistol at his
antagonist, but fortunately it flashed in the pan. The
thieves finally obtained the mastery, and got clear off,
with their booty. They left a pistol and a hat tti.on the
ground. It was found that they had effected an en-
trance to the house by mounting a ladder to the win-
dow, cutting out a piece of glass with a glazier's dia.
mond, sufficiently large to admit a man's arm, and so
unfasteithig the sash._

Earl COWPER called upon the Magistrates in the
course of the day upon the subject, and Sir It.
and Mr. STAFFORD, the chief clerk, have given such
directions to other officers, that the offenders cannot
escape justice, if it be possible to detect them.
There were only two checks, and of those payme►:t
wAs stopped yesterday morning.

The following is an extract of a letter received at Sunderland,
front the master of the brig Fame, bound from London to North
America, describing a storm they surmounted near the ',tanks of
Newfoundland, about the middle of last month : " After expe-
riencing much had weather on car passage so far, the weather be-
came quite awful, with much hail of a most tremendous size, ac-
companied with thunder and lightning, which striking our ship,
carried away both main and foremasts, and also the bowsprit ; the
lightning also struck a man, who is rot expected to recover, as he
has, even till this time, not moved in any part of himself, except
his eyes. A splinter of the lo:cmast entered another man under
the chin, so that a part of it was seen in his mouth, and xo hurt
him, that he was rendered useless for that time, hut is expected to
be recovered. We then encountered another ship in the same
Situation as ourselves, and ran on board each other; and in our
endeavours to clear her, lost a mat:, who was drowned ; and a boy
also having been washed en/inboard, would have shared the same
fate, but he was providentially saved. We then fell in with a ship,
which letting us have souse spars, we turned them, and gotup jury
masts with much exertion, there being only n:yselt, the mate, car-
penter, and two boys, and one seaman, to wink at them. pacing
done this, we ran back to Plymouth, where we safely arrived, and
after having got new masts, bowsprits, Bte. mean to repurstte our
voyage." The mate has also written to a friend at Sunderland, and
says the lightning was so strong that the ship forwards seemed to
be in a blaze, so much so, that the boys were quite afraid to ro
forwards ; at the same time, the hail-biota:s, were nearly of the
size of walnuts, and at one time fell so thick, as to force them to
seek for what shelter they could below ; it wrs the heaviest storm
he ever saw.