The Sun.
London, England, 1832-12-11 00:00:00

ARMIES.

The French army at this time in Belgium is composed
of one brigade of advanced guard, five divisions of in
fantry, of which one is of reserve, two brigades of light
cavalry, and two divisions of cavalry of reserve.
The &flowing is the manner in which these different
corps are distributed _ _

Advanced Guard—The buke d'Orleans, three battalions
of light infantry, four squadrons of lancers, four squadrons
of hussars.

First Division--General Sebastiani, three battalions o
light infantry, nine battalions of the line.

Second Division—General Achard, three battalions o
light infantry, nine battalions of the line.
Third Division—General Jatnin, three battalions c,
light infantry, nine battalions of the line.

Fourth Division—General Favre, 12 battalions of the

Fifth Division (11eserve)—General Schramm, three
battalions of light infantry, seven battalions of the line.
Two brigades of light cavalry—Generals Lawestine and
Simoneau, 12 squadrons of chasseurs, four squadrons cf
hussars.

Division of General Dejean—Four squadrons of hus.
sars, four squadrons of chasseurs, eight squadrons of dra.
goons.

Division of General Gentil- Saint-Alphonse—Sixteen
squadrons of cuirassiers.

Thus the Army of the North is composed of 61 batta-
lions and 56 squadrons.
The following is a description of the Belgian Army of
Observation:—

First Division—General Hurel, three battalions of light
infantry, 12 battalions of the line-15 battalions.
Second Division—General Duvivier, three battalions of
light Infantry, 12 battalions of the line-15 battalions.
Third Division—General Goethols, three battalions of
light infantry, eight battalions of the line, and four batta-
lions of the Civic Guard-15 battalions.

Fourth Division—General Daine, 12 battalions of the
line, six battalions of the Civic Guard-18 battalions.

Cavalry-12 squadrons of cliasseurs, 12 squadrons of
lancers, four squadrons of erlaireurs, four squadrons of
guides, three of gensdarmes, nine squadrons of cuirassiers.
Thus the Belgian Army of Observation is composed of
63 battalions and of 44 squadrons.
The following is the distribution of the Dutch army
now in active employment.
First Division—General Van Geen, seven battalions of
the line, five battalions of aehuttery—twelve battalion•.
Second Division—General Saxe-Weimar, eight batta-
lions of the line, three battalions of schuttery—eleven
battalions.

Third Division--General Meyer, five battalions of the
line, six battalions of schuttery—eleven battalions.
Fourth Division—General Carl Heyligers, two bat-
talions of the line, twelve battalions of schuttery—fourteen
battalions.

Cavalry—General Trip, eight squadrons of cuirassiers,
nine squadrons of light dragoon, four ,quadrons of hussars,
five squadrons of lancers.

Thus the Dutch army in active employment is composed
of forty-eight battalions, and twenty-five squadrons.
The functions of Chief of the Staff in the Dutch arm•;
arc performed by the General Constant de Rebeeque.
The Communal Guard of the Dutch is composed of 21-
Adifedingen, each two or three battalions strong, of which
the efficient force varies from 500 to 700 men. The in-
fantry of the line is composed of 38 battalions. The most
distinguished corps of the Communal Guard are those of
Guelders and Friesland ; the battalions of this latter pro-
vince experienced a great loss in the month of August,
1831, at the battle of Sonhoven.

The Dutch cavalry is composed, in the first, of three
regiments of cuirassiers ; commanded, the first regiment
by Lieut.-Col. Nypels ; the third by Col. Bouwens ; and
the 9th by Lieutenant-Colonel Schneitter.—Soc,ondiy,
of two regiments of Light Dragoons, commanded, the
fourth by Lieutenant-Colonel Van Campen (M. de Roisin
is Honorary Colonel) ; and the Bth by Lieutenant-Colonel
Durnoncesti.—Thirdly, of a regiment of Hussars, the 6th,
Colonel Van Balveren.—Fourthly, of a regiment a
Lancers, the 10th, Colonel Posson ; Majors Gantois,
Bellefroid, and de Lenne.—Fifthly, of a squadron of Gen
darinerie, Major Van Brummel.
The artillery is composed, first, of four battalions of bar-
tering artillery; secondly, of four battalions of field artil-
lery ; thirdly, of a battalion of artillery of the Communal
Guard ; f ourthly, of a battalion of volunteer artillerymen ,
fifthly, of a squadron of light artillerymen, commanded by
Colonel List, and Lieut.-Col. Falter, the reserve of which
is under the orders of Major Ramaer.
In Holl Ind there are nine corps of volunteer Chasseurs.
These are, first, the Chasseurs Vandam, commanded by
M. Van Dam, Member of the Second Chamber, and form-
ing a battalion of 600 men ; secondly, the Chasseurs of
Leyden, Captain Van Boecop (250 men) ; thirdly, the
Chasseurs of Utrecht, Captain Buckner (266 men);
fourthly, the Chasseurs of Groningen, commanded by
First-Lieutenant Van Kesteren (130 men); fifthly, the
Chasseurs of North Holland, Captain Bookmaker (250
men); sixthly, the Royal Chasseurs, Captain Willielmi
(200 men); seventhly, the Chasseurs of North Brabant
(120 men); eighthly, the Flanqueurs of Groningen, Cap-
tain Vanderbruggen (150 men); ninthly, the Chasseurs
(cavalry) of Zealand, First-Lieutenant Risseeuw.

These cLasseurs, with the exception of the Flanqueurs
of Groningen, who carry muskets, and form part of the
corps of Grenadiers of the Guard, are armed with rifles.
Each of these corps of volunteers is attached to a brigade of
the army on service, where it is employed as Tirallieurs.
In the battalions of the schuttery and in many regiments
of cavalry, especially in the Lancers, there is a considerable
number of volunteers equipped at their own expense. The
Professors of Mathematics and of Literature in the Univer-
sity of Utrecht, J. Fremery and C. Verenet serve, the one
as subaltern in the artillery of the schuttery of Utrecht,
the other as a simple cannoneer in a battery of horse artil-
lery. M. A. Van Maanen, son of the Minister, who hes
left such disagreeable recollections in Belgium, is a simple
Communal Guard, in a battalion of the mobilised schuttery
of the Hague. Besides, all the corps of volunteers are
commanded by officers taken from regiments of the line ;
the rank of sergeant-major, and of corporal, is the only
rank attained by the volunteer chasseurs. The military
command of Dutch Brabant belongs to Major-General
George, who also commands the fortress of Bois-le-Due.
The civil governor of this province is a Belgian by birth ;
he is M. Vandenbogaerde, of St. Nicholas.
The following is a description of the garrisons of the
principal strong places of Dutch Brabant
BEiGEN-OP•Zoori.—Commandant, Lieutenant-Gene-
ral Vandercappellen. Two battalions of the schuttery of
Brabant ; two battalions of the schuttery of Utrecht ; Co-
lonel d'Ablaing Van Gissenburg, Lieut.-Colonel Leidscher;
a schuttery battalion of South Holland, Major Van Kirs-
ehot ; a battalion of depot, of the 10th regiment, Major
Th ion.

Bois- LE-Dtic.—Conanandant, Major- General Georgee,
three battalions of the schuttery of North Holland ; one
battalion de Marche, Major Wageningen ; one battalion of
Brabant.

BREDA.-Commandant, Major-General Wildeman, one
battalion of the schuttery of South Holland, Major Tonan ;
two battalions of the schuttery of Guelders, Colonels Veeren
and Vanderbruggen Van Crooy ; one battalion of the
.schuttery of Ovcryssel, Lieut.-Colonel Golte ; one batta-
lion of the schuttery of Brabant, Major Muller ; one bat-
talion of the depot of the second regiment. Thus these
three places are occupied by 16 battalions.
MAESTRICHT.-The Commandant of which is Lieut.-
General Dihbets, and the second in command, Major. Ge-
neral Van Boecop. It is occupied by six battalions of re-
giments of the line, Nos. S to 13, and by three squadrons
of the lst regiment of cuirassiers, commanded by Lieut.-
Colonel Nypels. The Commander-in-Chief of the Artil-
lery is Major-General Virkouteren. The division of the
Scheldt, commanded by General Chasse, consists of five full
battalions of the 10th, 7th, and 13th regiments ; of de-
tachments, more or less strong, of the Bth, 12th, 2d, and
9th regiments, and also of two battalions of artillery, Nos.
3 and 6.
The Dutch forces on the left bank of the Scheldt are
placed under the orders of Lieutenant General de Kock,
and are composed of 12 battalions of infantry.
The personnel of the Dutch navy is composed of three
Vice-Admirals, three Rear-Admirals, 23 Captains, 38
Captain-Lieutenants, 75 Lieutenants of the first class, 80
Lieutenants of the second clasiptiS Lieutenants of the third
class, and of about 6,000 or 7,000 sailors.
The force of the navy is composed of eight ships of the
line, of which six are armed with 74 guns, and two with
84 ; 20 frigates, of which the number of guns varies from
44 to 32 ; 14 corvettes, carrying each from 20 to s..'S
guns ; 16 brigs, armed with frotn 8 to IS guns ; SO gun-
boats—each of these vessels has on board only one piece of
24 at the prow, two pieces of six at the stern, and two
carronades at the sides.

It is to be noticed that the Dutch navy does not reckon
one three-decker. Most of the frigates have been built

during the Union. Many frigates of 69 guns, to be built
on the plan of the great frigates of the thaited States, are
at this moment on the stocks of the State. It is far from
the fact that all the vessels of war which we have enu-
merated above are at the present time armed. Only two
•hips of the line have been equipped since the revolution--
namely, the Zeeuw, of 84 guns, which is stationed in the
Scheldt, and the Waterloo, 74., stationed at the Helder :
each of these two ships carry nearly 800 men.
The number of gun-boats armed at the present moment
is pretty considerable : the efficient force of their crews
varies generally from 25 to 30 men. In general the per-
sonnel of the Dutch navy is well organized ; most of the
superior officers have served in the navy of the French em-
pire, under the orders of the Dutch Admiral Verhuel, new
a Peer of France. The young officers owe, in a great
measure, their progress to the attention and disinterested
encouragement of Admiral Van Kingebergen, whose loss
Holl Ind has, some years since, had to deplore, and who
had, in 1781, tozether with Zoutman, beat the English
fleet at the Doggerbank.

FRENCH ARMY.

BERCHEM, HEAD-QUARTERS, DEC. 6.

ORDER OF THE DAY.

Since the opening of the trenches on the night of the
29th and 30th of November to the 4th of December, when
the fire of the batteries commenced, the troops of engi-
neers, of artillery, and of infantry, which take part in the
siege, have dug and have completed the first parallel of
1,800 metres of a direct course, and 3,000 metres of
communication behind. They have executed 2,780
metres of road-work, and of a second parallel part in a
flying sap ; they have raised 10 batteries of cannon, and
four batteries of mortars ; they have armed and provisioned
them. Their labours have been more rapid than they
usually are in the best season, favoured by the weather,
an i out of the reach of any enemy ; already many hive
found the opportunity of distinguishing themselves on the
2d of December. The Captain of the artillery, Livois,
and Sergeant Choulet, of the 65th of the line, have re-
pulsed a sortie, at the head of a detachment of this regi-
ment. Captain Livois has been made a prisoner, Sergeant
Choulet has been wounded. On the night of the 2d and
3d Captain d'lstrie, with a dozen men, caused the Dutch
to evacuate a house which they were about to burn.
In the first days the wounded were inconsiderable.
The 30th November two artillerymen were killed by a
ball. Dec. 3. Three chasseurs of the 19th light regi-
ment were wounded. Dec. 4. Two men of the light
regiment were killed and six wounded. At eleven o'clock
the same morning two cannon shots gave the signal, when
85 cannons commenced battering the citadel vigorously.
Several of its embrasures have been destroyed, and several
of its ph ces dismounted ; its works were struck by our
projectiles, and its garrison kept to its casements to bide
itse►f from our attacks.

On the night of the 4th, we were lodged in the Place
d'Armes, jutting out from the covered way of the Lu-
nette St. Laurent. Captain Chocbard, of the engineers,
was the first to enter the covered way, followed by five
voltigeura.
On the night of the sth, marching by sap was carried
on, and the party pushed from the 2d parallel to the left
of the bastion of Toledo. Morlet, the chief of the engi-
neering battalion, was grievously wounded by a ball in the
covered way of the Lunette S. Laurent. MM. Prevost
and Minier, Lieutenants, and 11 sappers and soldiers were
wounded. Two soldiers were killed. Captain Gauthier,
of the 25th of the line, with his company, drove back,
at the point of the baonet, a sortie of the enemy. Lieu-
tenant Denys, of the 25th of the line, distinguished him-
self by his courage and fortitude.
By order of the Marshal,
(Signed) St. CYR NUGUES.