FEEIBUKG.

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given back to Austria at the peace of Ryswyk. After tliat itwas twice recaptured by the French, and twice more madeover to the Austrians by different treaties. In 1806, however,at the peace of Presburg, it was transferred to its originalpossessors, the Grand Dukes of Baden—to whom it at presentbelongs.

The construction of the town itself has little worthy ofremark, with the exception that the streets (which are mostlybroad and trottoired, and in places bordered with a kind ofmosaic pavement, done in black and white pebbles) are gene-rally channeled by " runlets " of the Dreisam river, or ratherbrook. These runlets are boarded over, and are like largemill-shoots sunk in the ground, "affording," says the authorof one of the French Guide-books — with a fine national loveof gutters,—"a refreshing coolness during summer," (to saynothing of winter,) " and contributing greatly to the cleanli-ness" (and let us add, sloppiness) " of the place."

But far better, and infinitely more pleasing to the eye thanthese " runlets," are the street-fountains of Freiburg, which areerected at intervals along the principal thoroughfares—a prettyenough custom, borrowed from the neighbouring Swiss. Someof these fountains are in the very best taste—more especiallythe one at that part of the Kaiser-Strasse which is intersectedby the Münster-gasse. This reminds the English visitorsomewhat of the crosses in many of our old towns, being inthe fretted Gothic style, and consisting of a small telescopicrhomboidal pillar, ornamented with statues at the thicker partof the shaft and statuettes at the thinner, and with the figuresset in gabled niches, while the crown of the column finishes ina fine porch-like four-sided pinnacle, that serves as a canopyfor the smaller and upper images. To these fountains comemen and women, carrying huge wooden grape-tub? (m shape