of a new Emperor. This great Prince died at Vienna, the 17th of May, at 32 years of Age and nine Months. He left the Imperial Throne vacant, but his other Crowns devolv'd by Hereditary Right to his Brother. As soon as that Emperor died, the Empress Mother assum'd the Government of his Hereditary Kingdoms and Dominions, in the Absence of the King her Son, to whom she sent an Express to carry the News, as she did also to each of the Electors. The Saxon and Palatine Electors, as Vicars of the Empire, took Care of the Government of it during the Inter-regnum; and the Elector of Mentz, as Great Chancellor of the Empire, wrote circular Letters (which are call'd Letters of Intimation) to invite the Electors to the Assembly that was to be at Francfort for the ensuing Election.
As this Assembly was not to be till August, I went in the mean while to Holland. The first Town I pass'd thro' after I left Hanover, was Minden, which is a Town upon the Weser, encompass'd with Walls, and defended by some Half-Moons, which nevertheless don't hinder one's seeing every thing that passes in the Square from a Hill that commands the Town, and from whence 'tis an easy matter to beat it to the ground. 'Twas formerly a Hanse Town, being a part of Westphalia, and had always the Title of a Bishopric, till the Treaty of Munster, when it was seculariz'd, and given to the Family of Brandenburg, who settled a Regency here. It always retain'd two Chapters, one of Canons, and the other of Canonesses, into which the Ladies must make proof of their Nobility to be admitted. The famous Count Tilly, General of the Imperial Troops, when he was pursuing Maurice the
Landgrave of Hesse-Cassel, attack'd and took this Place in 1626, when the General, exasperated with the Town, which tho' extremely weak, refused to comply with the very advantagious Terms that he offer'd it, took it by Storm, and put near 3000 Men, Soldiers and Inhabitants, to the Sword.
As I proceeded, I passed thro' Hervorden, which is an ill-built Town, in the County of Ravensberg. 'Tis an Imperial Town, and yet the King maintains a Garison in it. There's a Chapter of Ladies, the Abbess of which is a Native Princess of the Empire; and indeed this is what the Town is most remarkable for, it being otherwise not very considerable any more than the Towns of Lipstadt and Ham. These belong both to the King, of which the first is fortify'd, and Justice is therein administer'd, in the Name of the King and the Count de la Lippe, who has half of the Revenue. Every thing relating to the Fortifications or the Garison, is the King's. The Baron de Heiden, General of the Horse, was Governor of it when I was there.
After having left these two Places, there is no considerable Town till we come to Wesel, which stands upon the Rhine, and is a part of the Duchy of Cleves. 'Tis now one of the strongest Places in Europe; for the King, who was about fortifying it when I was there, ordered that no Cost should be spar'd to carry the Works to the utmost Perfection. The Person he employ'd to direct them was M. Bot a Frenchman, and Governor of the Place, one of the ablest Engineers now living. When I had rested a few days at Wesel I fell down the Rhine to Nimeguen, and by the way saw Emmerick and Schenk. Emmerick is a Hanse Town upon
the Rhine, which was taken by the French in 1652, and restor'd two years after to the Elector of Brandenburg. Schenk, which is the first place in Holland, stands at the Point where the Rhine divides it self into two Branches, one of which is call'd Vahal, and the other retains the Name of the Rhine. This Place was built in 1586, by Martin Schenk a Gueldrian, from whom it took the Name.
Nimeguen[24] is built upon a Hill which rises by degrees to the very Centre of the Place, and is part of the Province of Guelderland. This Town is famous for having been taken and re-taken in the War the Dutch carry'd on with Spain for preserving their Liberty. That Crown was oblig'd at last to yield it to the Dutch, from whom Lewis XIV. took it in 1672; but it was restor'd to them soon after. 'Twas in this Place that the Peace was concluded between France and the Allies in 1678. At the beginning of the War for the Spanish Succession, the Duke of Burgundy endeavor'd to make himself Master of it, but he had not the Fortune to succeed. The Dutch have made it very strong, it being their main Bulwark towards the Duchy of Cleves. To go by Land from Nimeguen to Utrecht, I cross'd the Vahal over a Flying-Bridge. I shall not speak of this City now; for I did not stay there, but went strait to Leyden[25], a City in the Province of Holland, famous for its University, founded in 1575.
This is without dispute one of the finest Cities in all the United Provinces. 'Tis situate in the ancient Channel of the Rhine. The Streets which are broad and very long, are extremely
neat, and are for the most part divided by Canals, that are of a great Conveniency to its Trade, which consists chiefly in Woollen Cloth, whereof the City of Leyden makes more than any other Town in Holland. There's a Library also in this City, which is a very good Collection of the most curious printed Volumes, and a great Number of very scarce old MSS. Here is likewise a Physic-Garden worth seeing, and especially a Hall for Anatomies, in which there is all manner of Curiosities. This City sustain'd a Siege by the Spaniards in 1574, when the Dutch shook off their Tyrants Yoke. During this the City was reduc'd to the last Extremity, the Siege having continu'd from Easter to the 3d of October, when the Spaniards were oblig'd to retire. Tho' Leyden is a very pretty City, yet I take it to be one of the dullest Places in all Holland to live in; for go where one will, we meet with such sickly Countenances as makes one melancholy to see them: not but that the Town's-People are as healthy here as elsewhere; only the Habit they have got of appearing always in their Night-Gowns, and of even walking the Streets in them, makes them look more like Valetudinarians, than People in Health.
After a few days stay at Leyden, I went to the Hague[26], which I think may well be call'd the principal Village of Europe, it having neither Walls nor Ramparts; but bating that, 'tis one of the pleasantest Places in all Holland; it being so delightful that the States-General have chose it, preferably to any other, for holding their Assemblies; and here also reside the Ministers of the Foreign Courts. There is not a Place in all