Utrecht

u'trekt, an ancient city of the Netherlands. It is situated on the Old Rhine, about twenty miles southeast of Amsterdam. Like many other Dutch cities, the streets are largely canals. They are crossed by numerous bridges. The old fortifications of the city have been torn down to make way for attractive boulevards. The most interesting building is a Gothic cathedral of the thirteenth century. The University of Utrecht has recently moved into modern buildings. Students have access to a botanical garden and a library of 200,000 volumes. Iron foundries, cigar factories, breweries, sawmills, paint mills, and organ factories are among the prominent industries. In 1907 the population was 114,895. The city of Utrecht is known in American history for the treaty of peace concluded there in 1713. A general European war had extended to the American continent, where it was known locally as Queen Anne's War. By the treaty of Utrecht the French gave up Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and Hudson Bay to England. It marked the beginning of the decline of French power in North America.