The places described in most detail are Rotterdam, Delft, Leyden, Amsterdam, Utrecht, Antwerp, Lille, Paris, and Versailles. Thomas Penson describes monuments and other sights, sometimes very fully (e.g., the museum of the Academy at Leyden), institutions, ceremonies, the life of the people, and his personal experiences and difficulties as a traveller.

The book, which appears to have been written only for distribution in manuscript, is decorated with illustrations and other ornaments, all probably from the hand of Penson, who is described as a 'Herald painter' (folio 75). At the end are poems eulogizing Penson by Payne Fisher (folio 73), Simon Segar (folio 73 verso), Joshua Bames (folio 75), and others.