eee. eS ee 
* Plat Dytch. 
1801.) Sketch of a Fourney from Copenhagen to Hamburg. 
tinent: I allude fo the public-tables, 
which fo much enliven travelling in France, 
Flanders, Germany, &c. From this fource 
much information is fometimes obtained, 
as men of education and {cience are fre- 
quently to be met with at the tadles-a’ hore 
in thefe countries. Still we had not 
many inconveniences to encounter on our 
journey. In England, we are often ftop- 
ped by toll-gates ; in France and Flan- 
ders by the barriers ; and in Holland and 
Germany, there is no end to the ftoppages, 
either by the furly and fupercilious centi- 
nel, the impofing cuftom-houfe-officer, or 
the colleétor of the paffagée-gelt (paflage- 
money): nothing of this kind occurs in 
the journey from Copenhagen to Hamburg, 
if we except three or four turnpikes in 
Zealand and Finen,. and the interrogato- 
ries adminiftered to us at the Caftle of 
Gottorp. At each fiage, we generally 
procured a bottle or two of wine, fome 
cold meat and white bread ; as there was 
nothing but black bread and French bran- 
dy to be had at the fmall inns, or barns, 
into which we drove between the flages, 
to refref our horfes and drivers. After 
we arrived on the Continent, particularly 
after we had pafled Haderflében and 
Apenrade, the change was very perceptible 
in the drefs, manners, aod language of the 
inhabitants. The drefs of the higher 
claffs was more ftiff; and that of the 
lower-claffes (as we approached Germany) 
was lefs cleanly than we had been accuf- 
tomed to fee in the Danifh ifles. The 
‘manners and behaviour of boththe higher 
and lower claffes in Jutland and Holitein 
were repulfive, which made them appear to 
confiderable diladvantage tous, particu. 
larly when contrafted with thcfe of the 
Danes, who are in general hofpitable, and 
attentive to ftrangers. The languages 
fpoken in Slefwick and Holftein are Danish, 
Plat Dytch (Ang. low German), and 
Dytch, i.e. German. In the northern 
parts of Slefwick, from our landing’ at 
- Aarefiind; till we reached Apenrade, the 
Danith language is generally fpoken; but, 
from thence to Sle{wick (the town of 
Flenfburg excepted) we heard nothing but 
At Slefwick, as before men- 
tioned, the German language is fpoken 
fluently, as it is all over Holftcin®, The 
* T omitted to mention in my Sketch of 
Copenhagen, that the German and French 
languages are ufually fpoken in the polite 
circles of that city: the Danith language not 
being liked, on account of the difagreeable 
tone ufed in its pronunciation. The Danes, 
particularly the inhabitants of the capital, 
POT 
cultivation of the Danifh Tands was. fag 
fuperior to that of the countries which we 
had laft paffed through ; but natural caules 
Operate greatly in favour of the former: 
yet, it is faid, that Slefwick and Holfcin 
contain more inhabitants on a-fquare-mile 
than is to be found in either Zealand or 
Funen. 
The expence of a poft-waggon and four 
horfes from Aarestnd to Gluckiftadt, was 
at the rate of a {pecie-dollar per Danifh- 
mile, the whole amounting to twenty-eight 
{fpecie-dollars (1. ¢. 61. 6s. fterling). Had 
we gone direct from Copenhagen, to Hanr- 
-burg, the whole expence of only poft- 
waggons and boats would have been 
12]. 13s. fterling ; to which, our expences 
on the read being added, the amount 
would have been about 241. fterling. Ifa 
perfon have no bufinefs to call him -to 
Hamburg, it would be advifeable for him 
to take our route (by which he will fave 
forty miles in diflance) and from Gliick- 
fladt proceed in a boat to Cuxhaven; the 
beat will coft about ten fpecie-dollars, in- 
cluding which, he will fave-at leaft from 
81. to rol. fterling ; as the expences at 
Hamburg, and from thence to Caxhaven, 
are immoderately high. I have been thus 
particular in giving the regular raie of 
pofting, as fixed by the government, be- 
caufe travellers who do not underftand the 
languages are liable to beimpofed on. To _ 
this it may be neceflary te add, that the -. 
rate of travelling in Slef{wick and Holttein, 
with tzvo horfes (for whether you travel ia 
your own carriage, or ina poft-waggon, 
the charge is the fame) is two marks and 
four fkillings, Holfteia-currency (i. e. 
2s. tod. fterlirng) per Danifh mile in Slef- 
wick, and per German mile in Hoiftein. 
From Glickfladt to Hamburg, through 
the villages of Elmfhorne and Pinneberg, 
and the town of Altona, ts about forty- 
three miles; the journey is generally per- 
formed in the fame kind of vehicle as we 
travelled in from Copenhagen. Through 
the whole of this extent of country there 1s 
nothing interefting, or worthy the atten- 
wifh to be thought a polifhed nation, they 
therefore adopt the languages of that clafs of 
nations. Englifh is not fo much fpoken as it 
was formerly. When the King returned 
home from his Englifh tour, it was the 
fafhion in_ the beau-monde to {peak that lan- 
guage; but, like moft fafhiors which are 
founded more in novelty than ia reafon, it 
has now loft much of the public eftimation : 
there is at prefent (in 1796) but one Englith 
teacher in Copenhagen, and he has but little 
practice. 
i tion 
