The islands are Zealand, Funen, Langland, Laland, Falster, Mona, Feieren, and Alsen.

COPENHAGEN, situated on the eastern shore of the island of Zealand, is the metropolis of this king! dom; it is a large, rich, and well-fortified town, coutaining about 100,000 inhabitants. The houses in the principal streets are built of brick, and those in the lanes are chiefly of timber *.

His Danish Majesty has a country-seat about twenty miles from Copenhagen, called Fredericsburg; it is a most magnificent house, but ill cons trived, and badly situated, being in a moist, unhealthy marsh.

Denmark lies between 54° and 58° North Lati

tude.

As

SECTION XLVII.

OF DENMARK.

S this is a flat country, abounding in bogs and morasses, and surrounded by the sea, it is extremely subject to fugs and foul air, and affords but an indifferent soil. It produces, however, sufficient corn, and good pasturage in many parts; and the coasts supply plenty of fish.

There is scarcely in the whole country, a river navigable to a ship of burthen.

* In Sept. 1807, the British government found it necessary to take possession of Copenhagen, and carry off the fleet; consisting of 17 sail of the line, 15 frigates, &c. with vast quantities of naval stores.

The commodities exported are timber, black cattle, dryed fish, iron, naval stores, and East-India wares ; for which wine, oil, tobacco, salt, silk, woollen stuffs, sugar, and spices, are imported.

The Danes, though tall and strong-bodied men, are mean-spirited, having neither the courage nor vigour of their enterprising ancestors, who were at one time masters of England.

Their Religion is Lutheran, no other being tolerated..

Denmark is an hereditary kingdom, and governed in an absolute manner; but the Danish kings are legal sovereigns; for the senators, nobility, clergy, and commons, divested themselves of their right, as well as power, in the year 1660; and made a formal surrender of their liberties to Frederick III.

Denmark was the ancient kingdom of the Goths. The crown was elective till 1660, when it was declared hereditary in favour of Frederick III.

Christian VII. came to the throne in 1766; he married the youngest sister of George III. King of Great-Britain. The Queen was suddenly seized, in 1772, confined in a castle as a state prisoner, and afterwards banished the kingdom; she died at Zell, in Germany, in 1775. The Counts Struensee and Brandt (the first prime minister, and the other the queen's physician) were seized at the same time, and beheaded.

Frederick VI. is the present sovereign, who succeeded his father in 1808.

The other territories belonging to Denmark are,

Great

Great part of Lapland, a cold, barren country, on the North of Norway.

The island of Iceland, in the Northern Ocean, famous for the burning mountain Hecla.

The Faro isles, which lie between the Shetland Isles and Iceland.

And in Germany, Holstein, and some other parts. In North America, the country of Greenland, not much known, but noted for the whale fishery on its coasts.

In Asia, the islands of Jesso, abounding in furs.

In the East Indies, on the Coromandel coast, Tranquebar, a very fine and much-frequented seaport.

And in Africa, the ports of Christiansburg and Fredericsburgh.

SECTION XLVIII.

OF NORWAY.

NORWAY is situated on the North of Denmark,

from which it is separated by the Scaggerac, or Cattegat Sea; and lies all along the West of Sweden.

The chief towns are, Bergen, and Drontheim, on the North Sea; Christiana; and Fredericshall, at the siege of which town, Charles XII. the famous King of Sweden, was killed by a musket-ball, in the trenches, in the year 1718.

Bergen is the capital, and the residence of the Danish viceroy.

F 4

The

The Daara-field or Dofrefield, is a long chain of high mountains that run between Norway and Sweden.

This country is almost a wilderness, full of mountains and rocks, and excessively cold. In the most northern parts, the winter continues eight or nine mouths, and the ground during that time is covered with snow. The inhabitants have neither cornfields, vineyards, nor gardens to cultivate; but, for their living, are obliged to spend their time in hunting and fishing. Their chief wealth consists in immense forests, which furnish foreigners witlr masts, beams, planks, and boards. They have a great variety of birds and tish; and some very remarkable sea monsters. There are quarries of excellent marble and other stones; and mines of various metals. The magnet and asbetus, both of which have such wonderful properties, are also found here*.

The Norwegians are in general clownish, but industrious, honest, strong, brave, and civil to strangers. Their Religion is Lutheran.

Norway has belonged to the crown of Denmark ever since the year 1387, the heir to Norway having married Margaret, the heiress of Denmark; the union of hese two crowns is called the union of Cal

* The magnet or loadstone attracts iron or steel, and is, when formed into a compass, the chief guide to mariners on the ocean. The asbetus is a fossile stone, so ductile, that cloth may be made of it, which resists fire, and can only be cleansed by the act of burning. The ancients were supposed to make use of it for the wicks of their perpetual lamps, as it cannot be destroyed by burning.

mar,

mar, and ever since that period, Norway has been governed by a Danish Viceroy.

Norway is 900 miles long, and 240 broad.

It is situated between 57° and 71° North latitude.

SECTION XLIX.

OF SWEDEN.

SWEDEN almost

WEDEN almost encompasses the Baltic Sea; it

is bounded, on the

North, by Danish Lapland ;

South, by the Baltic and the Sound;

East, by Russia;

West, by the Daara-field, between it and Norway. It is divided into five large provinces, viz.

1. Sweden Proper,

2. Gothland,

3. Nordland,

4. Finland*,

5. Lapland.

1. SWEDEN PROPER is subdivided into the provinces of Dalecarlia, Westermania, Mercia, Uplaud, and Sudermania.

2. GOTHLAND contains East and West Gothland, Smaland, Halland, Bleking, and Schonen.

3. NORDLAND includes the provinces of Gestricia, Helsingia, Medalpadia, Jempterland, Angermania, East and West Bothnia.

4. FINLAND has the provinces of North and

Finland is now incorporated with the Russian empire,

F 5

South