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(. 293 -)
TRAVELS IN DENMARK:
By W. COXE*.
te
— ——
Crap. 1.—Paffage of the Scund.—Entrance into Denmark.— Elfinore.—Toll of the Sound.
—Cronborg Caftle and Palace.—Anetdote of Queen Matilda.— Hamlets Garden.—
Hiftory of Hamlet from Saxo-Graminaticus.—Copenhagen.—I/le of Amak.
MARCH 22. We embarked at Helfingborg, and crofled the Sound, which fepa-
rates Denmark from Sweden. The wind blew frefh and was diretly contrary ; but
by tacking we reached Elfinore in an hour and a half: the direé& diftance between
the neareft points of the two coalts is about three miles. Midway we had a fine view
of the oppofite fhores, with the towns of Helfingborg and Elfinore ; the former crowned
by an ancient tower; the latter diftinguifhed by the palace of Cronborg, a lefs roman-
tic, but no lefs beautiful object. The fhores of Sweden to the north of Helfingborg are
fteep and rocky ; but decreafe in height towards the fouth, and become low and flat.
Thofe of Zealand confift partly of ridges of fand, and partly of floping fhores covered
with wood.
Elfinore is a well-built town, and makes a better appearance than thofe to which we
had lately been accuftomed; the houfes are of brick. It was a {mall village, contain-
ing a few fifhermen’s huts, until 1445, when it was made a ftaple town by Eric of Po-
. merania, who conferred on the new {fettlers confiderable immunities, and built a caftle
for their defence f.. From that period it gradually increafed in fize and wealth, and is
now, next to Copenhagen, the moft commercial place in Denmark. It contains five
thoufand inhabitants, among whom are a confiderable number of foreign merchants,
and the confuls of the principal nations trading to the Baltic.
‘The paflage of the Sound is guarded by the fortrefs of Cronborg, which is fituated
on the edge of a peninfular promontory, the neareft point of land to the oppofite coaft
of Sweden. It is ftrongly fortified towards the fhore by baftions, and regular entrench-
ments; and towards the fea by feveral batteries, mounted with fixty cannon, the largeft
forty-eight pounders. - Every veffel in pailing lowers her top-fails, and pays a toll at
Elfinore. It is generally afferted that this fortrefs guards the Sound; and that all
fhips muft, on account of fhoal waters and currents, fteer fo near the batteries, as
to be expofed to their fire, in cafe of refufal. This however is a miftaken notion. On
account, indeed, of numerous and oppotite currents in the Sound, the fafeft paffage lies
near the fortrefs ; but the water in any part is of fufficient depth for veflels to keep ata
diftance from the batteries, and the largeft {hips can even fail clofe to the coaft of Swe-
denj{. The conftant difcharge, however, of the toll, is not fo much owing to the
* From his Travels in Poland, &c. Fifth Edition, 1802.
+ Meffenii Scandia Illuftrata, Lib. III. p. 50.
{ Theaffertion was fully verified by the memorable paflage of the Britifh fleet, with inconfiderable da-
mage, in March 1821.
ftrengta
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