1801. ] 
premature civilization, aiming at inde- 
pendence of character, thou a hardly 
emerged from the ignorance of a ftate of 
barbarifm. But the chara&ter of thefe 
people is of courfe much influenced by 
paft times : from the fiate of fervitude in, 
which they have been kept, they appear 
to look up to the higher clafles with that 
kind of awe which is generally obferved 
by thofe who travel through countries 
where the feudal fyftem has been car- 
ried to fuch an extent as in Denmark. 
. The peafants are in general cleanly in 
their drefs, and they wear wooden fhoes. 
Few, if any, can read or write,~-they 
have no {pirit of inquiry or of enterprize, 
—no wifh for improvement—and, with 
refpeé&t to intellect, they appear, like 
the inhabitants of Hindiftan, to have 
remained ftationary for ages.. This di- 
greffion will, I truft, not appear imperti- 
nent, as it ferves to throw fome light on 
the character of a people but little known, 
Sorée, which was in former times, like 
Ringfted,, a place of confiderable nofe, is 
now only the fize of a {mall village, con- 
taining about 80 houfes. Its famous 
academy, which had indeed the title of 
an univerfity, and which was founded by 
Frederic If. for educating young noble- 
men, and hence called Academia Equeftris* , 
is now no more than a lodging-houte 
for two or three young men, fons of mer- 
chants at Copenhagen, who are kept here 
by their friends that they may be away 
from the vices of the capital. The 
grounds about the academy are extenfive, 
and kept in better order than could have 
. been expeéted. The church, which is all 
that remains of the monaftery of Soroe, 
where the famous Saxo. Grammaticus 
was educated, is a fine piece of Gothic 
architecture deferving of notice. 
During our flay at the Krébs’-hufet we 
amufed ourfelves in the day-time with 
fhooting, as the country abounds with 
forefts, in which there is plenty cf game 
of every kind+; and the evenings were 
* Charles Guftavus, king of Sweden, was 
educated at this academy, on which account 
he fpared both it and the town when he ins 
vadedthe iflandin1658. 
Tt The game in Zeeland: is plentiful. 
The yenifon is en»baut gogt, but very lean, 
fo much fo that it is always larded when 
brought to the table. Indeed, the meat in 
general is not fat, though well-flavoured; 
but it is fpoiled in the drefling. The poultry 
is good, but they have an abfurd cuftom of 
killing chickens for the table when only 
three or four weeks old, which of courfe 
prevents the increafe of this kind of poultry. 
Sketch of a Fourney from Copenhagen to Hamburg. 
23 
agreeably fpent at Sorde, where we were 
very hofpitably entertained, as well in the 
Academy as in the town. 
On the 24th of April, we proceeded on 
our journey, through a pleafant and well- 
cultivated country, in which the profpect 
is. charmingly divertified with country 
feats, farms, woods, and pieces of water, 
but no rivers, We. arrived at the {mall 
town of Slagel/é, at 4.0’clock, where we 
dined and changed horfes. In this town 
there is nothing remarkable: the houfes 
are ill-built, and the whole place has an 
appearance of poverty and decay. We 
ftrolled through the church-yard, and di- 
verted ourlelves with reading the epitaphs, 
which we found to be as puerile, though 
not fo illiterate, as thofe in the country- 
church-yards in England, but enough {ota 
flew that men will not fcruple to make 
themfelves'appear ridiculous to pofterity, 
rather than remain 
" -=-—'* to damb forgetfulnefs a prey.” 
From Slagelfé to Korféer, which was 
‘our next ftage, is ten miles and a half. 
Three or four miles of the latter part: of 
this fage is through wafe-land. 
Korfoer is a fortified town lying at the 
mouth of a {mall bay, forming a well-pro- 
tected harbour, onthe Great Belt. It has 
a few good houfes which belong to mer- 
chants, as fome trade is-carried on from 
hence up the Baltic and in the vicinity. 
The fortifications are in ruins, and the 
town is chiefly inhabited by fifhermen and 
fea-faring people. 
Though it was night when we arrived 
here, we only flayed long enough to get 
our paffes counter-figned*, and to procure 
a boat to proceed acrofs to Nyeburg. We 
now found that we had faved ourfelves 
much trouble and fome expence by not 
purchafing a carriage at Copenhagen, as 
we firft intended to do. 
The fith is excellent, particularly at Rofctld~ 
and Soroe, where it is drefled immediately ° 
after it is caught. A fauce which the Danes 
eat with boiled fith is very palatedble; it is 
made with horfe-raddifh grated fmall,; mixed 
with cream and fugar. 
* Doring our ftay at Soroe we fent to Co- 
~penhagen for pafles, which foreigners are 
obliged to take out, and are not allowed to 
remain in the ifland more than eight and for- 
ty hours from the date. It is the cuftom for 
{trangers when they purpofe leaving Copen. 
hagea, to put an advertifement in the public 
papers; menticning their names, places of 
abode, é&c. and that they intend leaving that 
city on.a certainday, This cuftem, for obs 
vious reafons, would not be much relithed by 
fome of the numerous clafs of flrangers who 
vifit London. The 
