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COXE’s TRAVELS IN DENMARK. 345
in exchange for the counties of Oldenburgh and Delmenhorft, which the gave to the
Prince Bifhop of Lubec. . This exchange was favourable to Denmark, as the Kine now
poileffes the whole duchy of Holftein; and the intended junction of the Baltic and the
North Sea will be formed entirely through the Danifh territories.
Kiel poffeffes an univerfity for the German fubjects of Denmark, founded in 1650 by
Chriftian Albert, Duke of Holftein-Gottorp, and confiderably enlarged by the prefent
King; it contains twenty-four profeflors, and about three hundred ftudents. The town
ftands on a fmall peninfula ina bay of the Baltic, and has a very commodious harbour
for large fhips. It is already one of the moft commercial places of Holftein; and the
trade will be ftill further augmented when the inland navigation acrofs the peninfula is
finifhed.
This inland navigation, for the junction of the two feas, is formed acrofs the duchy
of Holftein, by the canal of Kiel and the river Eyder, which paffes by Rend{burgh, and
falls into the German ocean at Tonningen.
The canal begins about three miles north of Kiel, at the mouth of the rivulet Lewen-
fawe, which heretofore feparated Holftein from Slefwic, and will form anew boundary
between thofe twoduchies. The diftance from its beginning to the lait fluice at Rendf-
burgh is twenty-feven Englith miles; but as the Eyder is navigable about fix miles and
three quarters above Rendiburgh, and only requires to be deepened in fome places, the
cut neceflary for the completion of the communication between the two feas is only
twenty miles and a half.
-;dbhe canal was begun in July 1777 ; and in June 1785, when I laft examined it, was
almoft finifhed. ‘The work was performed by contraét ; one thoufand and twenty-four
cubic feet* of earth were taken out for eight fhillings; and the whole expence
‘was to amount to about 800,000l. Between the Flemhuder lake and the rivulet La-
vens is the higheft point, on each fide whereof the waters take different courfes to the
Baltic and German Ocean; in this part the ground mutt be excavated to the depth of
fifty feet. The perpendicular fall towards the Baltic is twenty-five feet fix inches; that
towards the ocean twenty-three ; and the veffels will be raifed or let down by ae Oe of
fix fluices; Holtenau, Knorp, Suckdorf, Shinkel, Niederholten,. and Rendfburgh
The breadth of the cut is one hundred feet at top, and fifty-four at bottom; the ie
are twenty-feven feet in breadth, and one hundred in length ; the loweft depth of water
ten feet. The canal will be furnifhed with water as far as Steinwarp from the Eyder
and the lakes Flemhuder and Welter, from thence to Renfburgh by the Wetter lake,
from which iffues a rivulet that joins the Eyder. Merchantmen of about one hundred
and twenty tons burden will be able to navigate this canal.
The utility of this important undertaking will be evident from a mere infpection of the
map of Denmark. At prefent even the {malleft veflels, trading from any part of the
Danifh dominions in the Baltic to the Northern Sea, muft make a circuit round: the
extremity of Jutland, and are liable to be detained by contrary winds. This navigation
is fo tedious, that goods fhipped at Copenhagen for Hamburgh are not unufually fent by
fea only to Lubec, and from thence by land.
The object of thofe who planned this canal was no lefs than to draw by Kiel into the
Baltic the commerce of Bremen, Hanover, and Weftphalia, which is now carried down
the Vefer, and by Gluckitadt upon the Elbe to Hamburgh and Lubec, and to facilitate
the tranfport of merchandize from Holland and the north fea to the ports.of the Baltic.
But the principal impediment to the fuccefs of this canal feems to arife from the difficult
* The foot ufed in this chapter is to the Englifhas 23 to 22.
VOL. VI. yy Ravigas
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