The French, under Louis the Fourteenth, retained possession of Utrecht for little more than a year, during which the magnificent monarch was so delighted with the place, that he held his court here in great gaiety and splendor; but the Dutch were heartily rejoiced to be relieved of this honour, and hailed with exultation the hour in which with his troops he retired from the country; this movement however, was preceded by the demolition of their fortifications, raising heavy contributions, and exercising many wanton acts of cruelty and oppression, which excited such disgust, that nearly all the inhabitants of the province resolved upon transporting themselves to Batavia. Although by this conquest the French had left an indelible impression of disgust behind them, and the regular forces of the town amounted to seven thousand men, and the inhabitants breathed nothing but vengeance against the Prince of Orange, this city surrendered to the arms of Prussia, who espoused his cause, in the year 1787. The rhyngrave of Salm, who had the command of the troops, covered himself with great disgrace, by this unresisting, cowardly, and, as it was generally believed, treacherous surrender of the place. In 1795, when the French troops once more approached the town, its gates were again thrown open, and they were received more as brethren than as conquerors; but the inhabitants very soon repented of this second visit, for the impositions they levied were extremely severe, and the French officers selected the best rooms in the best houses for their quarters, to the great inconvenience of families so oppressed. Upon two or three doors of very elegant mansions I saw little boards fastened, with the names and rank of the French officers who had taken up their lodgings within. The cathedral must once have been an enormous and magnificent structure, if I may judge by the doom or tower, the only part which remains perfect. The ruins present a fine specimen of the Gothic, some of the ornaments of which were in high preservation, and very beautiful. In the cloisters there is an arch, the pillars of which are apparently fastened with ropes, which upon examination prove to be done in stone, and admirably executed. The tower is of the astonishing height of 464 feet, and from the top, on a clear day, no less than fifty-one walled cities and towns may be seen; and the pyramid erected in honour of Napoleon at Zeyst presents a noble appearance in this expanded view. About midway in our ascent, we entered a vast vaulted chamber with galleries in it, in which two old women reside, who, if they require it, supply the visitors with schidam and biscuits to refresh themselves in their ascension, which are presented to them in a little room, the windows of which are scarcely visible to the beholder on the outside, commanding a very wide and agreeable prospect. Upon top of the tower there is a very numerous and fine-toned set of chimes. The ramparts are