Answer qf General Chasse to the Summons y Marshal Gerard.

"Citadel of Antwerp, November 30.

" M. In Marshal—Tn reply to your summons, which I have just received, I have to Morin pin, M. he Marshal, that h shall not yield the citadel of Antwerp until I shall have exhausted all the means of defence within my reach.

" I considerthe city of Antwerp as neuter, as long as no use shall be made of the fortifieat inIIS of the city and of the exterior works dem:Luling thereon, the fire of which can be directed against the citadel and the Thetde-Fland re, comprising therein the forts of Burght, Zwyndreeht. and Anstreweel, as well a, t he flotilla stationed in the Scheldt before Antwerp. It is of itself understood that the free communication of the Scheldt with Bollard, as that has taken phloem) to the present. is not to he intenupttol. I learn with surprise that while your Excellency opens negatiatioes, there has been a commencement of hostilities by Nvork.d of attack to rite soul levant, melte the tire of our cannons • as to whieli I have the honour to inferin viii, that if at midday there he not a stop put' to those works, I shall find myself under the necessity of preventing them by force.

"Accept, I beg you. Ill. le Marshal, the assurance of my high consideration. " The General of Infantry, Baron CHArSE."

The demand of M. CHASSE to have the free navigation of the Scheldt in return for not knocking down the cathedral of Antwerp, was considered by Marshal GERARD as rather extraordinary. It is plain that if M. CHASSE could send out his sick, and get in fresh troops undisturbed, as well as provisions and ammunition, the French would have to fight not a limited garrison, but the entire army of Holland, before they got possession of a paltry citadel. The correspondence was accordingly renewed, though not to much purpose. We give the reply and rejoinder—

Reply of Marshal Gerard to the Answer of General Chasse.

"Quarters-General, Berchem, November 30. "Monsieur le General—The first hostilities are in the caunon-shots which you have just fired on my troops, at the very moment when I received your letter of this day's date. The cutting of the dikes near Lief kenshoek, on the 21st and 25th of this mouth. and the cannou-shot fired on the 21st on the Belgian officer, could be considered anti replure of the armistice, even much more than the arrangements commenced on the ground. which I occupy before the citadel. Previous to firing. I am desirous to offer you a means of preserving time city of Antwerp and its population from the miseries of war, and with this wish I have offered to renounce the advantages which are presented to me by an attack from the neighbourhood of houses, by confining myself to the exterior. The Lunette of Montebello is necessarily comprised among the latter. as well as the centregardes, and the works not forming a part of the enceinte, kropeely so called. In actingthus, I rely on the examples of the sieges of 1746 and 1,82, in which the city was by mutual accord considered as neuter, without, however, on that account. the besiegers . having lost the faculty of extending their operations on the exterior ivorks. When I shall use this power, if yen therefore should take occasion of firing on the city, I Shall have the right of attacking year citadel on the side which shall snit me best, and you know the duadvantages Which can thence result for your defence. " If, for the preservation of the city, I may consent net to make use of the exterior batteries to fire on the T3te-de-Flandre it cannot therefore be regarded as on that account admitted that you are to preserve the freanivigation of the Scheldt. That would be on my part the equivalent of besieging you without a blockade. "I must, therefore, M. Is General, press you anew to accept the arrangements which t make of thecity of Antwerp a neutral point between you and me, in the interest of your honour andof humanity, or remind you that all the responsibility ofa refusal will devolve personally on you.—Reeeive, H. le General, .fec.

• "'rho Marshal.Cernmander-in-Chief of the Army of the North, C. GERARD."

Answer of General Chasse to the Second Letter of Marshal Gerard.

"Citadel of Autwerp, Novembt‘r 30, 1832. "Monsieur he Marshal—In reply to the second letter of your Excellency of this day, I have the honour to inform your Excellency that, -while yea make propositions for not attacking thecitadel on the side of the city. your troops were already occupied without it, in forming works of attack against the citadel, which I have fount' myself. cempelled to combat. It is, therefore, on your part,M. le Marshal; that the hostilities have began. Besides, all the fortifications of the city, with the detached works and forts, can never form a part to besiege the citadel. without compromising the city of Antwerp ; and I have to inform you. M. le Marshal, that the first cannon fired from those-places shall cause me to consider the city as having assumed a hostile attitude, which wiil etposet-it to total ruin, the fatal consequences of which will till personally on your Excellency. "It is incontestible, H. le Marshal, that the alltresaid works have been constructed for the defence of' the place, and not to attack the citadel ; and as such they have been always considered and admitted by the military authorities of Antwerp.

"The free communication with Holland by the Schmidt, which has always taken place, is apoint so just, on which I cannot yield, not conceiving that this communication can be injurious to your operation of siege.

"You see by these propositions, M. In Marshal, that I am always disposed to spare the city, in the manner already too well proved by my conduct during two years, lie* withstanding the provocations of the inhabitants and a

military uthorities.

"Receive,-M. he Marshal; the 'assurances of my high consideration.

"The General of Infantry. Baron Cnass.".

The -weather had been, and up to Wednesday continued to be, miserable. The rain poured in torrents, and the naturally soft and boggy soil was converted into little better than a puddle. The labours of the French in their advances were proportionally severe.

The trenches contained not less than two feet of water, and in . . erecting their batteries the men had to work up to their knees. . . Under such circumstances, the works necessarily proceeded heavily ; but ieal andperseverance accomplish miracles. During Thursday • night, seven thousand men were indefatigably occupied on the works in front of the Fort St. Laurent; and on the morning of Friday, a detachment of four hundred men entered Antwerp, for the purpose of taking possession 'of Fort Montebello, which also commands the Lunette. The first • gun of the Dutch was fired on Friday morning, at the men in the trenches that had been dug the previous evening. Dropping shots continued to be fired during the day; by which a few individuals suffered, but which did not in • any degree impede the progress of the besieging force boars 'of Friday were continued through the night was the completion of a battery in the garden.calle4..; , between Fort Montebello and the Lunette. A pR, formed within four hundred and fifty yards from thOcitat ci;faliC a zigzag pushed forward from it to withiri"shert n4tOket-ra4e,,tto-L, the astonishment of the labourers, without even tk.thsbir'O'ikprse.ii7

_ .

tion on the part of the garrison. At midday of Saturday, by the greatest possible exertion, th besiegers had contrived to lay the platforms of nine of their batteries, and to mount them with seven or eight guns apiece, for the purpose of enfilading the Lunette, together with the ravelin and bastions in its rear. Seven more batteries were formed in the course of Sunday and the following night; the remaining three were completed on Monday. Of the ten batteries employed against the fortifications of the Citadel, the Brussels journals give the following description

1st Battery, Fort Montebello-6 pieces of 24, 2 howitzers. 2d ditto-2 pieces of 16, 2 howitzers, firing on the left front of the bastion No, 3 of the citadel.

3d ditto-4 pieces of 24, 2 howitzers, firing on the half-moon between bastions No. 3 snd 4. 4th ditto-3 pieces of 16, 2 howitzers, firing on the left front of the Lunette St Laurent. • 5th ditto-6 pieces of 24, 2 pieces of 16, and 2 howitzers, firing on the right front of 'bastion No. 3.

6th ditto-2 pieces of 16, 2 howitzers, firing on the left front Of bastion No. 4. 7th ditto-6 pieces of 24, 2 pieces of 16. 1 howitzer, firing on the same front of the same bastion.

8th ditto-3 pieces of 16, and 2 howitzers. 9th ditto-6 howitzers.

10th ditto-8 pieces of 24, firing on the half-moon between the 4th and 5th bastions of the citadel.

During the nights of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, the garrison Tired shells at the rate of about thirty an hour. There was a sortie of a few troops on Sunday morning, chiefly for the purpose of taking a peep at the besiegers' works. It was driven back at the point of the bayonet, the muskets of the French being so wet that they would not fire. A Dutch sergeant and ten men, who had been wounded, were made prisoners, and twelve men were killed. 'The French lost three men; and five were wounded, and two made prisoners. A second sortie, which led to nothing, took place on Sunday night. On Tuesday, every preparation being at length .completed, the French commenced firing from thirteen out of their nineteen batteries, nine of them being mounted with guns, and four with mortars. The fire was, it may be supposed, from the -vivacious impatience of the people, and from their skill and discipline, of a much livelier kind than had up to that time been displayed by the enemy, and it was proportionally effective. The entire number of guns and mortars which were in action on Tuesday and Wednesday is estimated at eighty-two, sixty of the former and twenty-two of the latter; another account makes the numbers eighty-seven guns and forty-four mortars. The same gentleman 'who furnishes the latter account—the Herald correspondent—says that the guns will fire only once in twelve minutes and the mortars once in ten minutes! Brass mortars are very apt to get so heated in the chamber as to render frequent firing impracticable; but no such accident is to be anticipated from iron mortars, which may be fired as rapidly as any other piece of ordnance, and these are rather more likely to be fired once in two than once in twelve minutes. The "correspondent" had his information from a French officer, and he mistook, we suppose, deux for douze.

On Tuesday, a second message was sent to the fort, the precise nature of which has not transpired. It was manifestly unavailing; for immediately on the return of the messenger, the firing was resumed with greater vigour than before. It continued throughout Wednesday; and on that day was rather briskly replied to from the Citadel. The Lunette and Fort Kiel, a neighbouring advanced post, did not return the fire : whence it may be concluded that their guns had been rendered useless.

It is not a little strange, after all the vapouring of CHASSE, to find the defence of the Citadel so very weak and slovenly as it has • hitherto been. It is plain that he might have very much embarrassed the French in their approaches, had he so inclined ; and as his object is manifestly delay, it was naturally to be expected that he would adopt so obvious a means of insuring it. There are 'various theories afloat on the subject. One account says the old General is confined to his bed, and has been so confined for several months. The Dutch sergeant that was taken on Sunday morning is reported to have declared that he had not seen the General for tep months! Another account says CHASSE has been defunct for a fortnight and more, and that it is only the ghost of his name that is opposed to GERARD. The two forts Lillo and Liefkenshoek have beet summoned, and the commander of them also has returned a bow-wow answer. They command the navigation of the Scheldt. Their means of defence lies chiefly in the power, which they have freely exercised, of deluging the fields around them.

The Courier of last night observes, that were the citadel in the hands of the French, the question of the navigation of the Scheldt -would still remain unadjusted. We made the same observation three weeks ago. It would be a step towards adjustment, notwithstanding. A gentleman who signs the "Ghost of Raffles," has suggested, through the Times, the propriety of seeking compensation for the expedition against Holland, by the seizure of Java. We have but small compensation to seek. The ships we have stopped are quite sufficient to cover our losses and labour. Where the French are to obtain indemnification, is not so obvious. For the Belgians, they have the Dutch debt.

The inhabitants of Antwerp have been sorely scared at the prospect of a bombardment. The road to Brussels, for several days last wedk, was crowded with persons of all sexes and ages, on horseback and on foot, fleeing from the devoted city. The panic seems, however, to have abated, and on Monday and Tuesday many of them were stealing hack again. Orders had been given that no person who had abandoned the city should be readmitted; but the gates being opened for the entrance of the market-people, the citizens contrived, under cover of a smock-frock, and pushing a wheelbarrow or bearing a basket, to pass without difficulty.