THE 
MONTHLY. MAGAZINE. 
JUNE 
eee 
Tio tL. 
(Wo. gf Vou. 11, 
ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 
Zo the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SiR, 
AM a conftant reader of your valua- 
ble and judicious publication, and feel 
much inclined to contribute to the ftock 
of information which it contains. In the 
year 1796, [ refided {ome months in the ca- 
pital of Denmark, during which time I made 
a few remarks, which are much at your 
fervice: fhould, therefore, the following 
Sketch appear fufficiently interefting to you, 
you will oblige me by giving it infertion 
in your next Number. 
On the approach to Copenhagen * from 
the Sound, the fortrefs of Frederickttadt 
is obferved on the right, and on the left, 
the naval arfenals, and the docks contain- 
ing the men of war and merchant-veffels. 
On entering the city by the new landing- 
place, which is a large and commodious 
flight of fteps, the firft object we notice is 
the Cuftom-houfe (Dan. Tolbooth); here, 
I am informed, and have reafon to be- 
lieve, every thing is conduéted with the 
greateft regularity, and an inftance of ex- 
tortion is feldom if ever heard of. This 
will hardly obtain belief in England or in 
Germany, where cuftom houle and impo- 
fition are nearly fynonimous. On pro- 
ceeding to the right we enter the new town, 
the fir& ftreet in which, called Amalia- 
gadé, is remarkable for its elegance and 
fubftantial buildings. It contains the 
public library, the hofpital, and fome no- 
blemen and merchants’ houfes; near this 
ftreet is an o¢tagou, confifting of four 
large buildings of hewn-ftone, feveraily 
occupied at prefent by the King, the 
Crown-Prince (Dan. Cron-prindfen) the 
Council of State, and the Marine Acade- 
my and Hofpital. ‘In the centre ftands the 
fine.equefirian ftatue of Frederick V. in 
bronze, who is, with juftice, ftyled, ‘¢ the 
Friend of Peace, andthe Father of his 
Country.””> To him the Danes are in- 
debted for this elegant addition to their 
city. The new town confilts of feveral 
ftreets of very good breadth, lying S. W. 
and N. E. running parallel to each other, 
* Dan. Kidbenhaun, i. e. Merchants’- 
haven; pronounced Kiu’enhav’n; the o 
marked thus (0) being invariably pronounced 
as an u. Pe 
Monta.y Mae, No. 73, 
and containing many handfome buildings» 
The houfes in this part of the city are in 
general very large; they are detached 
from each other, and have court-yards 
before them, which fhut in with folding 
gates. The ftreets are remarkably well 
paved, and in this refpeét are equal to any 
in the North. From-the o¢tagon the dif 
tance is but fmall to the King’s new: 
market, in which is the theatre, a fmall, 
but convenient building. The perform ~ 
ances here are often good, and ‘ar above 
mediocrity ; but the actors meet with little 
encouragement, as they are paid by the 
court. Oppofite to this, in the fame 
market, is a fmall theatre, called the 
Holftein Comedié, which is fupported by 
the private {ubfcriptions of the performers 
and others: the performance is in Ger- 
man, and ftrangers are-invited to partake 
of the amufement. In the market is an 
equeftrian ftatue of one of the Chriftians 
(probably Chrittian V.) who was a great 
warrior; the horfe is trampling on the 
head of a Swedifh foldier. Perhaps as the 
Danes advance in civilization they will pull 
down this ftatue; at prefent it is adifgrace 
to the national charatter, and ftands as a 
fpecimen of the bad tafte and worfe fpirit 
of the times in which it was ereéted. 
There are feveral clubs in and near this - 
market-place, to which ftrangers who are 
properly introduced are admitted. The 
two moft worthy of mention are the Coali- 
tion, which is the diplomatic club ; and 
the Harmonic; in the latter there is a con- 
cert every Wednelday, and a ball and 
fupper every other Thurfday, during the 
winter-feafon. Moft Englifhmen who 
have refided any length of time in this 
city, will recollect with pleafure the agree~ 
able hours they have paffed in this fociety, 
which is noted for its urbanity of manners, . 
and its attention to {trangers. 
Proceeding onward from the King’s 
new-market, and leaving the theatre on 
the left, we enter the old town. The 
firk objects which ftrike the attention here 
are heaps of ruins, the remains of the 
havoc made by the terrible fire in the 
month of June 1795, when above one- 
third of the old town was laid in afhes. 
Before us ttand the walls of the fuperb 
palace of Chriftianfourg, which was alfo 
defiroyed by fire fixteen months before the 
2D. aboves 
