The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1810-02-28 00:00:00

AXPEIPMON TO THE SC4

NOUSE OF COMMONS.

, 11•11.-411111. IL •
if I NI/TES of EVIDENCE taken before the COM
if the WHOLE HOUSE, appuiuted to eunai
paltry awl conduct of the !Ate ExpEurrit
rAmEi.m.
(Ceutiarted from our l'uper of blmitiay )

Major-Genend Sir WHALIaIt Eruct e, Bart. called in.
Ezaftined Ile the l'nnotttittee.
Were you employed as a 71111(nry-Geue. si in the Expedition
to the Scheldt was.
Had you asy persousl knowledge of Antwerp '—l had.
At what period were you at Antwerp'—in
Had you any opportunity of becoming acquainted with the
stnte of the fortification, at Antwerp !—I was often is the
town of Antwerp at that period, sad I several times went
muted, fir the pni pope of seeing the *mks.
Will von be good enough to slate the result of your ob-
servations, soil the opinion you formed upon those aortal—
The town of Antwerp, at eliat period, bad nut bee is kept up as
a place of war fur nearly twenty years i I belies e the &laid of
the place were all dry the ravelins and couotersearps of all
the weskit are faced with sterns; by the count, escarp I tuetu
the side of the ditch Next the cosstry there ale same eons-
tersesrpa, three or four if 1101 more ratelins, but all the cur-
Mine of the plasm nee net covered by myelitis; water can be
admitted into the ditch, whenever it is thought see y,
by opening the sluices, sue one tide is perfectly seffiescut to
fill the ditch. At the period I was there, the ditches of the
eitafle I were full of water, Ant the ditches of the town were
all d.y. The emeticl la a regular pentegoil, with myelitis lec•
fore all the curtains, the ditibei were extremAy deep and
broad, it M a very high wink, it stands Nom rather elevated
ground, and it entirely commands the town.
What is your <viol tttt unto oh. tiler the citadel of Antwerp
was capsule of sustaining • -.lege •-11 is ins opinion that the,
citadel of Antwerp was, st that tone, dime''e of testa ttt i t 0
siege, as theedadel of Antwri p waif, at that time, kept ep as
• place of war, though the town was not.
Supposing the town to be garrienseel, was it your opinion
OM the town *ISO, with the protection the citadel would
411, ei to it, geoid wake a conaiderithle dilemma against a
hostile twig ?-lUsitioublvdly the lowa of Antwerp, to my
spistoes, might have bees pot in a peifect stale in Maud •
siege, with a sistficirul numbs:. of baud. efroploycai, is the
coarse ofooe week. 1 saw nu d. tides y wleateser au any of
the works; there were no brewitis whatever in any 0f tie •
▪ 1.. c only thing Witleatal, to be tiosie was the removing
of the stew bridges over the ditch, and the making et. ori tee
baskets on the toterme•ide of Mi. No fret, whirls I ',foresee
might all here been dime %taloa the tone smelled, with a
Se thelent Minaret. of men.
Conkt the cant of pallseolcs Lase been easily supplied, cr
WIDOW it materially have eiota•nerti.d the safety of the place
—Undoubtedly not ; berailee the ditch was set, therchir•
the want of palivadie would not hare been suy thing very
material.
Supposing fiont sights:eh hawing fake is, iw from rind hay •
ing act ttttt elated, the ettich might, is snow parts, have been
fordobli-' wool) that have materially eudangered the merely
of the place, could those obstacles have bees shortly re-
moved la-Vudoehtesll), if the ditch was fordaide is any place
it would have matte tally injured the safety of the place;
with respect to the sinning Mum obstaclev, that deto led
upon the quantity ref obstacks, and the number of men em
played in rrnitivlng them
Ruppimitg dose Merle not to have lees very wide, and the
depth of water not lees than five fret, cont. not the place,
▪ estbstaudiag that cirdanistaiice, have been put is a V.,
sidereal, state of @Wend. —lf the WASS' WAS live feet user
those obstacles, I call Haat • wet ditch, wholly isopesetwatele
Supposing these we.e we or two plates *avert tits stoat
pert of the call had been 'woken down mealy to the edge of
the wafer, of no ve,y considerable ankh, wool,' that circus'
✓atic. have rendered the plser indefensibly ,—Ceriatedy not,
b cause of the wet (Itch in front of it, whir.b might be Gilled
he(ore we • meld arise at Old dtfieteney.
Supposing near any .of litotes fordalfle places a11uti.41,,,