I 
An Account of the Kingdom of Denmark, Book II. 
50a 
S. fr^HERE is fcarce any Country in Europe^ or at 
leafl: in the North, with which we ought to be 
better acquainted than with Denmark^ confidering that the 
Inhabitants of it were once Mailers of a great Part of this 
Ifland, that our Princes have frequently intermarried with 
the"" Families of the Banifj Kings, and that we have ilill 
as great Connexion with this Kingdom and Court as with 
any of the Northern Powers. But notwithftanding this it 
fo happens that we are very far from being generally well 
informed as to this Nation and its Concerns. It is true that 
Mr. Molsfmrtb^ who ‘refided at Copenhagen in the Reign 
of the late King William, has v/ritten a valuable and much 
efteemed Treatife upon this Subjed ; in which he very 
fully explains the Caufes of, and the Manner in which, that 
great Revolution happened, whereby the Kings of Den- 
vmrk from being eledive and limited became hereditary 
and abfolute in 1 660, And by thcWay it may not be amifs to 
obferve, that this is the only legal abiolute Monarchy, per- 
haps, in the World *, the King being declared fo by the States 
of the Kingdom, who had that Power by the Conftitution. 
It is indeed true that there was a Force put upon the 
Nobility but it was a Force put upon them by the Peo- 
ple, who knew that they made a very bad Ufe of the 
Authority they enjoyed in virtue of their old Conftitu- 
tion •, and therefore made it their Choice to live under 
an abfolute King, rather than under a tyrannical Arifto- 
cracy. We may learn, from hence, feveral Things wor- 
thy of our Obfervation *, and, among them, thefe : That 
when, in a mixed or limited Governmenti any Part of 
it gains fuch a Superiority over the reft as is deftrudive of 
the End of fuch a Government, which is the Good of 
the Whole, it cannot long fubfift ; but muft infallibly be 
diffolved, either by the Ufurpers of fuch Power being in 
a Condition to preferve it, or by the joining of the op- 
prefted Parts of the Government, as in this Cafe, to raife 
up another Power capable of controlling fuch an Ufurpa- 
tion. That as a Democracy, or popular State, is, of 
all others, fooneft corrupted-, fo an Ariftocracy, or Go- 
vernment by a few, is, v/hen corrupted, the leaft to be 
borne, efpecially in States which have a vifible Head ; 
and that, in fuch Revolutions, the Change is feldom, if 
ever, from a tyrannical to a mixed Government; but 
from one defpotic Power to another. But though the 
Book before-mentioned ftates thofe Points very clearly, 
and, for the Time in which it was written, is certainly 
as good a One as can be wifhed ; yet it is now, in fome 
Meafure, out of Date t And, therefore, in order to have 
a tolerable Idea of the prefent State of this Country, we 
muft have recourfe to other and later Obfervations. 
The Dominions of the Crown of Denmark confift of 
the great Kingdom of Norway, of which fome Account 
has been given in the former Sedion, and therefore we 
fliall fay but little of it here ; of the Peninfula of Jutland, 
which, from the Frontiers of Germany to its utmoft 
northern Bounds, is about two hundred and feventy 
Miles in Length, and of different Breadths ; of the 
Duchy of Holftein^ which the King of Denmark holds 
jointly with the Duke of that Title; Danifh Iflands, 
the Chief of which are Zealatid, Funen, and Iceland ; and 
of feveral Countries in Germany, fuch as Oldenhourg, 
Delmenhorfi, aud other Places, partly the hereditary Do- 
minions of the Royal Family, and partly obtained by 
Conqueft. We may eafily difeern, from hence, that 
this Crown muft always have a confiderable Share in the 
general Syftem of Things in Europe, as well as in the par- 
ticular Diftribution of Power in the North ; and confe- 
quently, though its Dominions lie a little out of the way, 
and we do not very frequently hear of the Effeds either 
of the Power or Policy of the Kings of Denmark, yet 
the Nature of their Dominions, and the Temper of their 
Subjeds, is very well worth the knowing. For fuch is 
the Nature of Things in this World, and fuch the con- 
ftant Fluduation of Intereft and Power, that we can never 
rely, with any Certainty, on the prefent Syftem ; nor 
can we eafily forefee what Turns or Changes may happen, 
fo as to judge, with any Degree of Accuracy, which of 
•the Powers, at prefent great, fhall decline ; or which of 
thofe, that are now low, fiiall rife, and become conftder- 
able, unlefs we look into their refpedive Conditions nar- 
rowly, and thereby gain fome tolerable Notion of the 
Chances they have of changing their prefent Situations, 
either for the better or the worfe. After ftiewing, as we 
have done, the Ufe and Importance of the prefent Sec- 
tion, let us now proceed to the proper Bufinefs of it, 
with as much Clearnefs and Brevity as poffible. 
2. The Air of Denmark is not good, efpecially near 
Copenhagen, which is fuppofed to proceed from its low 
Situation, and the frequent Fogs there. The Air of 
Slefwick and Holftein is better than that in the northern 
Parts, and the Country more defirable upon many Ac- 
counts, as will appear hereafter. The fame Obfervations 
are made as to the Seafons in Denmark as in Sweden, viz. 
That the Year is divided into Winter and .Summer ; 
that they have no Spring, and very feldom any Autumn; 
but they proceed immediately from an extreme Cold to 
an Extremity of Heat ; and, in the latter-end of the 
Year, from violent hot Weather to an Extremity of Cold. 
During the Months of June, July, and Auguft, the Heat 
is more intenfe than in England, and the Nights not near 
fo cool as with us, though they are fo many Degrees to 
the Northward ; nor do they enjoy a clear Sunftiine during 
thofe Heats, but thick Vapours all the time between them 
and the Sun : And indeed it is a general Obfervation, that 
the Heaven is much brighter and more ferene far within 
the Continent, than it is near the Sea-coaft ; nor is the 
Air lefs clear and pleafant at, Sea, a great Diftance from 
Land, than it is m the Middle of the Continent. But 
this Obfervation holds more true within the Tropics, than 
it does either in the Northern or the Southern Latitudes. 
The Air of Norway is exceffive cold ; but efpecially 
within the Polar Circle, which is inhabited by the Lap- 
landers. The more Southerly Part of the Country dif- 
fers but little from Sweden, from which it is feparated 
only by the Doffrine Flills. 
The Seas bordering on the Danifh Dominions are the 
German Ocean, the Baltic., in which is that famous 
Streight orPaflage into t\\tEaft-Sea., called the Ore Sound, 
or generally the Sound, of the Baltic. It hath been ob- 
ferved, that there are no Tides in it, ^nd that its Waters 
are frefher than the Ocean, fuppofed to be occafioned by 
the Rivers that run into it. The Sound is about four Miles 
over, having the Bland of Zealand on the Weft, and 
the Continent of Schonen on the Eaft. In the narroweft 
Part of the Streight, on Zealand, or Denmark Side, 
ftands the Tov*^n of Elfenore, and the ftrong Caftle of 
Cronenhoiirg, before v/hich there is a tolerable Road for 
Shipping. On the Side of Schonen, in .the Pofleftion of 
the Swedes, is the Town of Heljtnghourg, Fad a fmall Bat- 
tery of Guns, which ferve only to falute the Ships which 
pafs by it. Between thofe two Places fail all the Shipping 
bound to the Baltic. The Danes, however, only receive 
the Toll of all Merchantmen who pafs by it ; though 
the Swedes are Mafters of the oppofite Shore, by virtue 
of the Treaty concluded when they yielded up Schonen to 
them. But the Swedes themfelves were exempted from^ 
paying any Duties, till the laft Peace in the Year 1721, 
when the Affairs of the Swedes were in a very defperate 
Condition, and then they condefeended to pay a Toll to 
Denmark, as other Nations did, on their paffing tha 
Sound. 
This Duty is fuppofed to have arifen from the mutual 
Confent of the Merchants trading to the Eaft Country,, 
who at firft contributed a fmall Sum towards maintaining 
of Light-houfes on the Coaft for their own Security ; 
and thereupon this Paffage of the Sound came to be more 
ufed than that of either Belt to the Weftward of the Ble 
of Zealand, which, in other Refpefts, feem as commor 
dious as this. From fome fuch Beginnings the Danes. 
proceeded to demand large Sums, and that as their un- 
doubted Right, being Mafters of both Shores. The 
Emperor Charles'^, in behalf of his Subjeds of the feven- 
teen Provinces of the Low Countries, came to an Agree- 
ment with the Danes, That every Ship of two nundred 
Tons and under, paffing the Sound, fhould pay two 
Rofe Nobles going and coming from the Baltic ; and 
every Ship above that Burden, three Nobles ; which 
Agreement remained in force until the United Provinces 
fet up for independent States ; after which the Danes 
obliged the Dutch to pay extravagant Rates. 
But the Hollanders and Lubeckers oppofing thefe Ex- 
aaions 
