SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN. 353 



pendent. Their descendants still live in the country, but much mixed with those 

 of Frisian, Dutch, and Westphalian colonists. 



The history of Schleswig is that of the struggle between Danes and Germans. 

 At the present time the whole of the south is German, whilst the Danes have 

 maintained themselves in the north. Irrespectively of High German and Danish, 

 three dialects are spoken by the people of the western islands and the littoral 

 region. The inhabitants of the two southern islands, Pellworm and Nordstrand, 

 talk Plattdeutsch, those of Fohr speak a dialect of their own, whilst Frisian is 

 spoken on Amrum and Sylt, and in the villages near the coast. The land of 

 the Angles, who some thirteen centuries ago invaded England, meeting with a 

 better fate than their neighbours, the Cimbri, extends north along the coast of 

 the Baltic to beyond the Schlei. Its undulating hills, carefully tilled fields, 

 hedges, and luxuriant meadows, its scattered homesteads and grazing cattle, 

 remind us of similar scenes in the English counties of Kent and Surrey. The 

 peasants of that country are no doubt wealthy ; but when it is a question of 

 civilisation generally, it is the Frisians on the North Sea who deserve the palm. 

 Thev, too, are wealthy, live in well-constructed houses surrounded by gardens, 

 and give their children a sound education. The ancient spirit of independence 

 still survives amongst these Ditraarschers. As we travel away from their pros- 

 perous homesteads in the direction of Jutland, Denmark, or Sweden, the fields 

 decrease in fertility, the dwellings are less luxurious, and the struggle for existence 

 is more severe. 



Towns. 



The Hokteiners live in the greatest numbers in the vicinity of Hamburg, of 

 which the towns of Altona (84,097 inhabitants), Ottemen (12,406 inhabitants), 

 and Wandsheck (13,628 inhabitants) form mere dependencies. Even Elmshorn 

 (5,183 inhabitants), on a navigable river tributary to the Elbe, and Gluckdadt 

 (5,031 inhabitants), may be looked upon as outposts of Hamburg. At a distance 

 from that place the population decreases rapidly, and in the large basin of the 

 river Stor there are but two towns of any note, viz. Neumunster (10,108 inha- 

 bitants), which has more factories than any other of the inland towns, and Itzehoe 

 (9,776 inhabitants), the old political capital of the country. Scgeherg (5,044 

 inhabitants), on a lake in the basin of the Trave, has lime and gypsum pits, and a 

 bed of salt has been discovered at a depth of 520 feet. 



Several populous market towns lie on the coast to the north of the Elbe, 

 including 3fanic (2,066 inhabitants), the birthplaee of Mullenhoa", the geographer ; 

 Heide (677 inhabitants), the capital of Ditmarschen ; and Wesselburen (1,600 

 inhabitants), in the centre of its most fertile district. Rendshurg (11,416 inhabit- 

 ants), the largest place on the Eider, the passage of which it formerly defended, 

 is now an oj)cn town, important on account of its commerce. Tonning (3,130 

 inhabitants) and Hiisum (5,755 inhabitants), the one on the northern, the other 

 on the southern coast of the peninsula of Eiderstedt, have acquired some impor- 

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