pleasantness of its situation, and the imagined or real salubrity of the air, Utrecht is chosen by many persons who have made a fortune by commerce, and have the good sense, in the evening of their lives, to quit the bustle of trade for the tranquil pleasures of retirement, as the place of their retreat. A more eligible one could scarcely be chosen.
The streets of Utrecht are large and spacious, and the same cleanliness reigns in the town which distinguishes the most favoured cities of Holland. It was formerly a post of considerable military strength and importance; but, happily for its inhabitants, its fortifications are no longer in a condition to provoke or resist the attack of the enemy. In 1672 it surrendered to Lewis the Fourteenth without opposition, and for upwards of a year Utrecht was the theatre of the triumphs of that magnificent monarch. He commanded his soldiers to spare the beautiful mall, which extends near a mile from the town, shaded with three rows of trees, and his clemency was celebrated by the venal poets of times; but for this moderation,
