SKETCHES IN THE TRENCHES. 



the workmen in their task by his voice and gestures. In the midst of 

 all this the young princes appear. Admiration is read in every look ; 

 the soldiers mechanically seize their arms to carry and present them, 

 but the prince makes a sign, and they recollect that according to the 

 " reglement" no salute is given in the trenches. Here and there you 

 also perceive officers of different grades, who are charged with the 

 execution of the countersign. In a ( ' rentrant" a general officer sur- 

 rounded by his staff, is ready to repair to any point where his pre- 

 sence may be requisite. It is the "General de Tranchee." Frequent 

 reports are made to him, which he transmits to the head-quarters. 

 Hark ! a voltigeur is singing let us listen : 

 " La vie est une voyage 



Tachons de I'embellir ! 



Jetons sur son passage 



Les roses duplaisir!" 



The defence, it was supposed by all, would have been " a la Car- 

 not" and that the governor would have stood an assault : under this 

 conviction, large bets were made that the Dutch flag would still wave 

 on the walls of the citadel on the 1st of January. On the capitulation 

 there were in consequence many long faces, especially among the 

 Orange party, who in vain strove to affect a joy they did not feel. 



On the morning of the 24th the flank companies of the 65th, under 

 the command of Colonel Arnault, and of the Mareschal de Camp, 

 Rulhiere, after having traversed a part of the city, arrived upon the 

 glacis, and halted for some time while the sappers repaired the bridge 

 that led to the citadel. This work completed, Marshal Gerard and 

 his staff, with the two young princes, entered the fortress : all the 

 posts were immediately relieved by the French troops, and about 

 three o'clock in the afternoon the Dutch garrison, with colours flying 

 and drums beating, marched out to the glacis, and piling their arms, 

 returned to their casemates. With the exception of the hospital and 

 principal powder magazine, both of which were materially injured, 

 not a building was left standing. The church, the magazines, the 

 well, the blindages all were a heap of ruins, and the ground was 

 ploughed up in every direction by the shells. General Chasse's 

 quarters had till the end of the siege been situated between the Toledo 

 and Paziotto bastions; but forced by the f destructive fire of the 

 French projectiles to quit them, he retreated to a casemate beneath 

 the bastion that bears the name of the Duke of Alba. You reach it 

 by a subterraneous passage traced in zigzag, lighted up at intervals 

 by candles. After crossing the bakehouse and the kitchen, you 

 entered a small ante-room, on the right of which was the General's 

 chamber, simply whitewashed and floored with thick planks. On 

 one side stood a small camp-bed, with plain white curtains ; from the 

 ceiling hung a lamp, and at the foot of the bed there was a stove ; 

 upon the walls there were two large maps, one of Holland, and the 

 other of Belgium, and immediately beneath the former was hung the 

 miniature of one of his children. A handsome mahogany table and 

 six camp chairs constituted all its furniture. In this apartment it 

 was the interview took place between General Chasse and Marshal 

 Gerard and the two French Princes. 



