203 Account of the Port of Tonningen, by Mr, Nemn'uh. \Oc\. V, 



tlockade cT the Elbe, or np t.i tlie fu «mer 

 of 180^, may be feen in the writers ab..ve 

 mentioned. AUnoft the whole of, what 

 fo'lnws is to he underftood as fubfequent 

 to that peiiod. 



Niemann favs the rivtr is one hundred 

 and fifty feet Broad at Tonningen ; but 

 this mull be an error of the prefs ; the 

 true breidth appcajs ta be about as many 

 fathoms. 



The Eider is well furnsfhed with bijoys 

 »rd beacons, and, except when the ice or 

 litavy ftorma prevent, leveral pilot boats 

 are confta- tly cruifir.g near its m^uth to 

 bring in fuch fhips as have no Helgoland 

 pilots onb->ard. The Banifh government 

 have it in agitation to keep a galiot of pi- 

 Joty (which is alfo to oe fifed as a beacon- 

 flii^)) lying before the mfu h ot the river, 

 Yylr. Lexow, the fliip-builder, hns aheady, 

 at thtir requeft, ftnt in a plan and fe£lion 

 for the pti! pofe. If this proie£l be com- 

 pleted, of which no one enteitainsa dol^bt, 

 it will be of the higlieft utility to con>- 

 rrtrcf. 



In former years, (hips drawing nineteen 

 feet water, have come hfre without impe- 

 diment ; but there are banks in the Eider, 

 which render it imprudent for (hips fo 

 deeply laden to fail up that river. Neither 

 is the bottom permanent ; for, as it con- 

 fifts partly of quickfands, it frequently 

 fhifts in confequence of ftorms or the 

 breaking up of the ice. 



The harbour might have been called 

 fpacious till the year 1803; but fu-f-'- 

 quent to that period, it can no longer be 

 fo chara£lerized. Since the blockade of 

 the Elbe, no fliip that drsws more than 

 ten feet wa.er is fuffered to enter the har- 

 bour, to avoid impeding the pafTage. 

 Lar!;er (hips are obliged to lie at anchor 

 cff rtiore in winter, and in the river in 

 fummer. 



The road is pcrfeftly fecure. Former- 

 ly fmall ve/Iels, during a continuance of 

 ftorras from the weflward, went half a 

 mile up ; but naw large fliip* lie in per- 

 ftft i'ccur'ty in the river, and are not 

 ebiiged to run up lb high. 



All (liips aie, if pofllble, unloaded im- 

 meHi.tely after their arrival; bjt as it 

 fonietimt's hapt^ens that too many arrive 

 together, for the cuftom-houfe olri'ers to 

 clifpatch at once, the unlanuingof fomeof 

 thetn is necefTarily poftponed for a fevr 

 tlays. In ihefe cafcs, (liips loaded with 

 fruit, orlarinsingmanufiiSiured goods for 

 the fairs, have tiie preference. 



]n the harboui orHer is preferved by 210. 

 officer called the harbour-mader, and \n 

 th« river by tk< eonsmaniiantef tkeguard- 



(hip, which has been (!at;oned here fince 

 laft ytar. 



Even were the tuattenrahrt (the paiTis;e 

 of goods coaftwife, to Hamburg over the 

 Siiallows, in fmall vcfTtls) not permitted, 

 there cou'd never come any quantity of 

 irerchan^lize but -.vhat might be pieft-nily 

 forwarded ; for there are inany gocd land- 

 ing places on the Kidei' above Tonningen, 

 to whicb they miglit be conveyed, in fmalt 

 craft in order to be fent on^vard. 



The Hamburg Infurance Company have 

 an agent at Tonningen, who, in cafe of 

 accidtnt, give« every pofTible afilliance, 

 and takes care of the interefts of his em- 

 ployers. Their prefent agent is the abuve- 

 meniioned Mr. Lexow, a moft aftive and 

 intelligent man. By his means laft fpring, 

 when the Eider was frozen up, the buoys 

 were brour,ht overlmd and carried cut to 

 fea in (rnall craft off Vollerwyk ; in confe- 

 quence of which, above twenty (hips came 

 10 that place, befoie the ice broke up in 

 the Eider ; and afterwards, finding the 

 river tardy in opening, he caufed the ice 

 to lie removed from a confidcrable portion- 

 of it. 



At Vollerwyk, fhips can come to land 

 alrnoft throughout the winter; at that 

 time thev are laid along (hore, and, if they 

 do not draw too much water, are pretty 

 fafe during the breaking of the ice : be- 

 low Vrllerwyk, the Eider does not entirely 

 freeze up. 



The placing of the buo^'S is regulatetl 

 by the board of overfeers of the channel 

 at Rendfburg, as alfo the appointment 

 and regulation of the pilots from that 

 place to Tonningen and the neighbetiting 

 parts. 



The torrn of Tonningen ufed formerly 

 to L'vy a contribution, called buoy and 

 beacon money, according to a certain re- 

 gulation ; but, after the channel was open- 

 ed, the king of Denmark purchal'ed this 

 right from the city for 10,000 rix-dollars. 

 Hence this tax is now levied by the of- 

 ficers of the crown in lieu of thofe formerly 

 appointed by the city. 



In the year 1804, its produce amounted 

 to I4.,ooo rix dollars. 



In the fame year the whole produce of 

 i^r.t cuftcms was 202,000 rlx-dollars, 

 whereas, previous to the blockade of iba 

 Elbs, they only amounted annually to 

 ao, or 30,00c 



The number of (liips, which arrived 

 during that year from foreign ports, thofe 

 of Holland excepted, was between fix and 

 f'-yen hundred. 



In 1803, the (hipping belonging fo 



Tonningen amouinc4 to 2975- laft-s or 



39 i toi». 



