plating it, avoid shuddering at the thought of her tragic death.

There is another pleasant royal palace on the borders of Lake Esrom, which is well worthy of a visit. It is the château of Fredensborg. It was built by Frederick IV., and received its name, Castle of Peace, from the fact that a treaty of peace was signed there in 1720, between Denmark and Sweden; which led to a long period of uninterrupted tranquillity. There are many things in and about this palace which will interest an intelligent traveler.

If, after having seen the palaces of Frederiksborg and Fredensborg, and the scenery of the beautiful Lake Esrom, the traveler would return at his leisure, and by a zigzag course, to the capital, he may pass through many very pleasant places, which our limits only allow us to name. They are Slangerup, Blausteröd, Sölleröd, Overöd (where Suhm, the historian, had his villa, and where Lüxdorph also resided,) Nye Mölle, Brede, Jægersborg-Park, Sorgenfrie (where is the favorite residence of the present king, who has a sweet little palace there,) distant some six miles from Copenhagen, Frederiksdal, Gientofte, Evald's Hill and Charlottenlund. In taking the two last named places on his route, the traveler will pass along the shore of the Sound, immediately north of Copenhagen, and through some of the finest scenery in the world. But we have neither time nor room for a minute description of it.

At length we reached the capital again, not a little gratified with our excursion into the interior of this fine island, and to the no small gratification of Matthew, who prefers a city-life to all the charms of the country.

CHAPTER XVI.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON DENMARK.

The great change effected in the Government of Denmark by the Revolution of 1650-Denmark an absolute monarchy in theory, but limited in its action by circumstances-Provincial Legislatures instituted in 1834-Their nature and powers-The administration of justice excellent in Denmark--Courts of Arbitration-Evils in the Public Administration-Too many military men appointed to civil offices-Public Functionaries too numerous-Mr. Laing's statements incorrect in several particulars-Population of Denmark-The Navy—The Army-Unjust mode of its formation-Public revenue and expenditureEncouragement of the Arts and Sciences by the Government-Injurious restrictions on trade-Trades' Corporations-Need of reform.

UNDER the above title we mean to take notice of several topics in relation to Denmark, which we cannot discuss in separate chapters, and which have all more or less relation to the structure and action of the government.

1. THE GOVERNMENT.

It is a remarkable fact that Denmark, after having enjoyed a very considerable amount of civil liberty, during several centuries, under written compacts between the sovereigns, on the one part, and the people, as represented by the States-General, that is, by the nobles, the citizens of the towns, (or burgesses,) and the clergy, on the other, should renounce, as she did, in 1660, even the shadow of a Constitution, and invest her sovereigns with full and absolute power to make and execute laws, without the slightest check upon their absolute authority. This astonishing revolution was brought about by the other orders of the kingdom (the burgesses and the clergy,)

conspiring to overthrow the insupportable tyranny of the nobles. So wearied out had the people become by the insolent and domineering spirit of this order of society, that they were willing to bear the yoke of one master, in order to get clear of that of many.* The effect, in theory, of this surrender of all authority into the hands of the sovereign, was to put every thing at his disposal. By one fatal blow all power was cut down, save that of the throne alone. The power of the nobles being humbled in the dust, there was none whatever to take its place. It was this state of things in Denmark which led Lord Molesworth, who was ambassador for several years from the court of St. James to that of Copenhagen, to remark, in his work on that country, written in 1692, "that in the Roman Catholic religion there is a resisting principle to absolute civil power, from the division of authority with the head of the church at Rome; but in the north, the Lutheran church is entirely subservient to the civil power, and the whole of the northern people of Protestant countries have lost their liberties, ever since they changed their religion for a better. The blind obedience which is destructive to national liberty, is more firmly established in the northern kingdoms, by the entire and sole dependence of the clergy upon the prince, without the interference of any spiritual superior, as that of the Pope among the Romanists, than in the countries which remained Catholic."

* The Danes have been not a little ridiculed for this pusillanimous course. Lord Molesworth, who wrote his work on Denmark thirtytwo years after this event, uses the following cutting language in reference to this subject:—“I verily believe the Danes do now really love servitude; and, like the Cappadocians of old, could not make use of liberty if it were offered to them; but would throw it away if they had it, and resume their chains. Possibly they would wish them less weighty; but chains they could not live without. If there be one or two among so many thousands who are of contrary sentiments, they dare not so much as mutter them to their own children; nor would they be heard with patience, if they did."

There is a good deal of truth, intermixed with not a little error, in this view of the subject. The sum of the matter is this: The Protestant countries may have one form of tyranny; that is, the civil power may exceed its just limits, and become oppressive. But those countries in which the Roman Catholic church is strong enough to rival and check the civil authority, have two tyrannies instead of one to endure. This is the real state of the case. These tyrannies may be much opposed to each other, but they are coincident in their practical oppression of the people. There is no safety but in having a wellbalanced distribution of the powers of government between the legislative, judicial, and executive branches, which compose it. It is essential to this form of government, that the people should have at least the election of the legislative branch.

It is remarkable that absolute power in Denmark has been very much modified, and even controlled by circumstances; and has, in general, been paternal, rather than arbitrary and severe. When Frederick III. obtained absolute power, in 1660, he established five departments, or colleges for the public business, the presidents of which were the ministers of state for each department. This system remains essentially the same at this time; and its effect has been to exercise a great and salutary influence upon the will of the monarch. Enlightened men at the heads of these departments are absolutely necessary to the proper conduct of public affairs; and such men must, in the nature of the case, have great influence in the councils of the king. As these men are chosen on account of their capacity, they are not selected from any particular class. The majority are not generally from the order of the nobles. people.

They represent, therefore, in some sense, the All state affairs, every thing relating to the administration of the government, is considered in these

colleges; and the king does nothing without consulting the college, or department, through its president, to which the particular business belongs. Direct action-action irrespective of these colleges-on the part of the king, is what never occurs. It would at once lead to abandonment of office, and great difficulty in carrying on the government. In this way, during the 180 years which have elapsed since the revolution, as it is called, of 1660, there has grown up a power by the side of the throne, which has great influence on the affairs of the nation. It is in this way that Denmark, which is in theory one of the most absolute governments in Europe, has long enjoyed a very mild and paternal administration, and has made great progress in all the arts and institutions of a highly civilized

state.

In 1834, the late king, Frederick VI., established a form of representative government, which has not been without utility, although it comes far short of such a measure of influence in the legislation of the kingdom as its enlightened population are fairly entitled to. This change in the form of government seems to have been wholly a fruit of the enlightened spirit of the times, and the spontaneous act of the sovereign; and owes not its existence to any expressed discontent or violent proceeding on the part of the people. According to this law, the kingdom is divided into four districts:-1. The Islands; 2. Jutland; 3. Sleswic; 4. Holstein; each of which has its provincial assembly, which meets once in two years the assemblies of two districts meeting one year, and those of the other two districts the year following; and so in the same order of alternation. In the district composed of the islands, the legislative body consists of 66 members, of whom Copenhagen elects 12, the other towns 11, the landholders 17, the peasants 20, and the rest are nominated by the king. As to the other districts, Jutland has 55, Sleswic 44, and