Up The Baltic; Or, Young America in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark

by Oliver Optic

  CHAPTER XIV.

  THROUGH THE SOUND TO COPENHAGEN.

  Mr. Lowington was almost forced to the conclusion that the experimentof permitting the students to manage their own finances was a failure.If it could be a success anywhere, it must be in the northerncountries, where none of the boys spoke the language, and wherethe lighter intoxicants were not so common as in the more southernportions of Europe. Though he was not aware that any pupils had madean improper use of their money, the non-arrival of the crew of thesecond cutter, and the disappearance of Scott and Laybold inGottenburg, seemed to have some relation to the condition oftheir funds. But he was willing to carry the experiment as far aspracticable, and to restore the obnoxious rule only when it wasabsolutely necessary to do so. Two thirds of the students could besafely trusted to manage their money matters, and it was not pleasantto restrain the whole for the benefit of the minority.

  After the boys had walked all over Gottenburg, they were weary enoughto retire at eight bells in the evening, especially as they were toturn out at two o'clock the next morning, for the trip up the GoetaCanal. At the appointed time, the steamer came alongside the ship,where she took the excursionists on board, the boats of the othervessels conveying their crews to the Young America. As it was stilldark, not a few of the boys finished their nap in the little steamer.About eight o'clock, she reached the long series of locks by which thecanal passes the Falls of Trollhaetten, and the excursionists walkedfor a couple of hours through the beautiful scenery, and embarkingagain in the steamer, arrived at Wenersberg, where they obtained aview of the Wenern Lake, and proceeded by special train to Herrljunga,and thence, by regular train, to Gottenburg, where they arrived beforeeight in the evening. The wind was fair, and the squadron immediatelysailed to the southward.

  The principal was annoyed by the absence of not less than a dozen ofthe students; but he had every confidence in the zeal and discretionof Peaks, who was to take charge of the cutter's crew, and he left thehead steward at Gottenburg to find Scott and Laybold. He feared thatthe success of these wanderers would encourage others to follow theirexample, and increased vigilance seemed to be necessary on the part ofthe instructors. The next day was Sunday, and it was doubly a seasonof rest. The breeze was fair, but very light, so that the squadronmade only about four knots an hour; but on Monday morning she wasfairly in the Sound, which is about three miles in width. On the leftwas the town of Helsingborg, in Sweden, and on the right KronbergCastle, with Elsinore, on a kind of land-locked basin, behind it. Thevessels continued on their course, keeping within a short distance ofthe shore, so that those on board could distinctly see the towns andvillages. The houses were neat, with red roofs, each one having itslittle garden. There were plenty of groves and forests, and the treeswere oaks and beeches, instead of pines and firs which the voyagershad seen in Norway and Sweden. The country was flat, with nothing likea hill to be seen.

  The breeze freshening, the squadron hastened its pace, and in themiddle of the forenoon the spires of Copenhagen were in plain sight.Off in the water were several detached forts, built on small islands.The Young America led the way, and soon dropped her anchor off thecitadel of Frederikshavn, and near the landing-place, where a crowd ofsmall steamers were lying at the wharf.

  "Have you been here before, Dr. Winstock?" asked Captain Lincoln, ashe saw the surgeon examining the aspect of the city.

  "Yes; several years ago. I have been in every country in Europe."

  "Copenhagen don't look just as I expected it would," added thecommander. "I thought it must be a very old, black, and musty-lookingplace."

  "You see that it is not,--at least not from the water; but you willfind plenty of dismal and gloomy-looking buildings in it. The fact is,Denmark is too small a kingdom to support all the show and expense ofroyalty: its palaces are too large and costly to be retained as such,and many of them have been permitted to fall into partial decay. But Iwill not anticipate Mr. Mapps' lecture, for I see the signal isflying."

  "She makes a tremendous display of forts and guns," added Lincoln,glancing from the batteries of Trekroner and Lynetten to thebristling guns of Frederikshavn.

  "Doubtless it is a strong place, but the English have twice capturedthe city. Here are the boats from the other vessels. I suppose weshall go ashore after dinner."

  The steerage was soon crowded with students, and Mr. Mapps took hisusual position at the foremast, on which appeared the map of Denmark.

  "In English this country is called Denmark," said the professor; "butit has this name in no other language. The Danes call it _Danmark_,the adjective of which is _Danske_; and the country is also called the_Danske Stat_, or Danish States. In German it is _Daenemark_; inFrench, _Danemark_; in Italian, _Danimarca_. It is bounded on thenorth by the Skager Rack, or Sleeve; on the east by the Cattegat, theSound, and the Baltic Sea; on the south by the Duchy of Schleswig andthe Baltic; and on the west by the North Sea. When this ship was inEurope before, Schleswig-Holstein and Lauenburg belonged to Denmark;but now they belong to Prussia, and Jutland is all that remains ofcontinental Denmark. This peninsula has an area of nine thousand sixhundred square miles, or about the size of the State of New Hampshire.With the several islands, the entire area of Denmark is fourteenthousand five hundred square miles. Greenland, Iceland, the FaroeIslands, and several small islands in the West Indies, belong to her.The population is nearly one million eight hundred thousand--aboutequal to that of Massachusetts and New Hampshire united.

  "The country is flat, or gently undulating, and the highest hill isonly five hundred and fifty feet high. The soil is sandy on thepeninsula, and not very fertile, but very rich on some of the islands.It is indented to a remarkable degree with bays and inlets, and thewhole interior is dotted with small lakes, usually connected by ariver, like a number of eggs on a string. The Lim Fjord, which you seein the north, formerly only extended to within a short distance of theNorth Sea; but in 1825 a tempest broke through the narrow neck ofland, and opened a passage for small vessels. These inland lakes arefull of fish, and salmon was once so plenty that householders wereforbidden by law to feed their servants with this food more than oncea week.

  "The two largest islands are Fuenen and Seeland, which are separated bythe Great Belt, and the former from the main land by the Little Belt.In winter these are frozen over, as is the Sound in the severerseasons, and have been crossed by armies engaged in militaryoperations. The country is well wooded, and you will find plentyof large oaks and beeches. This morning you passed Elsinore, whereShakespeare locates Hamlet; but you cannot find where 'the morn walkso'er the dew of yon high eastern hill,' for there are no hills there;nor 'the dreadful summit of the cliff, that beetles o'er his base intothe sea.' It is a flat region, with only a low cliff to border thesea; certainly with no such tremendous steeps as the poet describes.Besides, Hamlet lived and died in Jutland. But Shakespeare used thepoet's license.

  "Nearly all of Denmark lies between latitude fifty-five andfifty-eight; but, though the thermometer sometimes falls to twenty-twodegrees below zero in winter, the average temperature is mild. Theclimate does not materially differ from the eastern coast ofMassachusetts. The air is so humid that the grass and trees have alivelier green than the countries farther south, and droughts arealmost unknown. When France and Germany are parched and dry, Denmarkis fresh and green. The people are engaged principally in agricultureand commerce. The chief exports are grain, cattle, and horses.

  "The government is a constitutional monarchy. The king is assisted inthe executive department by a 'Royal Privy Council' of sevenministers. The legislature is called the Rigsdag, and consists of theLandsthing, or upper house, and the Folkething, or lower house. Of theformer, twelve are nominated for life, by the king, from the presentor past members of the lower house, and the remaining fifty-four areelected, in four classes, by the largest tax-payers in countrydistricts, in towns, in cities, and by deputies representing theordinary voters. The members of the lower house are chosen directly bythe people. All male citiz
ens of twenty-five, except paupers, andservants who are not householders, are voters.

  "The established religion of the state is Lutheran, and the king mustbe of this church. He nominates the bishops, who have no politicalpower, as in England. They have the general supervision and managementof all the affairs of the church in the kingdom. Although there areonly about thirteen thousand non-Lutherans in Denmark, entirereligious toleration prevails, and no man can be deprived of hiscivil and political rights on account of his creed.

  "Free education is provided by the government for all children whoseparents cannot afford to pay for tuition, and attendance at school,between the ages of seven and fourteen, is compulsory. All the people,therefore, are instructed in the elementary branches; and, besidesthe University of Copenhagen, there is a system of high and middleschools, available for the children of merchants, mechanics, and themore prosperous of the laboring classes.

  "Every able-bodied man in Denmark, who has attained the age oftwenty-one, is liable to serve as a soldier for eight years inthe regular army, and eight more in the army of the reserve. Inpreparation for this duty, every man is enrolled, and required todrill for a period of from four to six months, according to the armof the service in which he is placed; and those who do not becomeproficient in this time are required to drill for another and longerperiod. The kingdom is divided into military districts, and all thesoldiers are required to drill from thirty to forty-five days everyyear. The navy of Denmark consists of thirty-one steamers of allclasses, six of which are iron-clads, carrying three hundred andtwelve guns, and manned by nine hundred men.

  "Little is known of the history of this country before the eighthcentury, but the Cimbri occupied it before the time of Christ. TheDanes conquered portions of England, and in the eleventh century,Canute, who introduced Christianity into his realm, completed theconquest. Norway was also included in his kingdom, and under him andhis successors, during the next two hundred years, Denmark attainedthe summit of her power and glory. Holstein, Lauenburg, and severalother of the northern provinces of Germany, and even a portion ofPrussia, were subjected to her sway. Waldemar II., a successor ofCanute, with his eldest son, was daringly captured, while resting fromthe fatigues of the chase, one evening, by Count Schwerin, whom theking had provoked to wrath by some flagrant injustice. This bold actof retaliation was carried to a successful issue, and the king and hisson were transported by water to Castle Schwerin, in Mecklenburg,where they were kept as prisoners for three years--a most remarkableinstance of retribution, if we consider that Waldemar was the mostpowerful sovereign of the north. By threats and bribes his release wasprocured; but during his confinement the conquered provinces hadrevolted, and the king was unable to recover his lost possessions.Denmark was thus reduced from her lofty position by the injustice ofher king.

  "Towards the close of the fourteenth century, Margaret--the Semiramisof the North--succeeded to the thrones of Norway and Denmark, andadded Sweden to her dominions by conquest, in the compact of Calmar.The Swedes, under Gustavus Vasa, established their independence afterthe union had existed for one hundred and twenty-five years. At thedeath of the last of Margaret's line, in 1439, the states of Denmarkelected the count of Oldenburg their king, who reigned as Christian I.He was made duke of Schleswig and count of Holstein, and thus thesovereign of Denmark became the ruler of these duchies, about whichthere has been so much trouble within the last ten years, and whichcaused the war of 1866 between Prussia and Austria. He was followed byhis son Hans, or John, whose heir was Christian II., deposed in 1523.This prince was a tyrant, and was kept a prisoner for twenty-sevenyears. His crown was given to Frederick, Duke of Schleswig andHolstein, in whose reign Sweden established her independence. His sonChristian III. succeeded him. In the great wars which followed theReformation, the kings of Denmark took the Protestant side. Inrepeated conflicts with the Swedes, Denmark lost much of herterritory. After Christian III. came Frederick II., and then ChristianIV., who was followed by Frederick III., in whose reign the crown,which had been nominally elective, was made hereditary in theOldenburg line. Under Christian V. the country was at peace; butFrederick IV., who came after him, brought on a war with Sweden byinvading the territory of the Duke of Holstein, an ally of the King ofSweden, which continued till 1718. Under Christian VI. and FrederickV. the country was at peace. Christian VII. married the sister ofGeorge III. of England, and was followed, in 1808, by Frederick VI.,their son.

  "In 1780, Russia, Sweden, and Denmark, under the influence of France,established a new code of maritime laws, which operated against theinterests of England. This action in convention was called 'ArmedNeutrality,' and in 1800, during the reign of Christian VII., itsprinciples were revived, and a new agreement was signed by Russia,Prussia, Denmark, and Sweden. It declared that arms and ammunitionalone were contraband of war, that merchandise of belligerents, exceptcontraband of war, was to be protected by a neutral flag, and that'paper blockades' should be regarded as ineffectual. Englandimmediately laid an embargo on the vessels of the powers signing it.In 1801, a British fleet under Sir Hyde Parker, with Nelson as secondin command, bombarded Copenhagen. Again, in 1807, England, fearingthat Denmark would be compelled by Napoleon to take part against her,bombarded Copenhagen, and compelled the government to give up itsentire fleet, which was sent to England. This ended the armedneutrality. At the final treaty of peace, in 1814, Norway was ceded toSweden, which, in return, gave to Denmark Pomerania, and the Island ofRuegen; but the next year Pomerania was passed over to Prussia, inexchange for the Duchy of Lauenburg.

  "Frederick VI. reigned till 1839, when he was followed by ChristianVIII. The two Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein were still subjects ofdispute. The king claimed them, but the people of Holstein were Germanin sentiment, and objected to the incorporation of their country inthe Kingdom of Denmark, to which the continued efforts of the latterwere directed. The Danish language was required to be used to theexclusion of the German. In 1848, Frederick VII. came to the throne,and was more energetic in pushing his claims to the duchies than someof his predecessors had been. The people of Holstein, which was amember of the German Confederation, were in a state of insurrection,when the King of Denmark virtually annexed both duchies to hiskingdom. War ensued, and continued for three years. The interferenceof some of the great powers restored peace, but left the question indispute unsettled."

  "What was the question in dispute?" asked Captain Lincoln.

  "I will explain it, though there are so many complications to it, thatonly a general view of the subject can be given. For four hundredyears the line of Oldenburg has occupied the throne of Denmark.Schleswig and Holstein were governed by the same rulers, though eachcountry was separately organized. But the law of succession wasdifferent. In Denmark a female could rule, while in the duchies theline was limited to males. Frederick VII. had no children, and it wasseen that the direct line of the house of Oldenburg would be extinctat his death. A treaty made by the several powers interested gave thesuccession to Prince Christian, whose wife was entitled to the throneby right of her descent from Christian III., who died in 1559; but sheyielded her right to her husband, who ascended the throne in 1863, asChristian IX., and is the present king. At the death of FrederickVII., the Duke of Augustenburg claimed the duchies. Germany desired toseparate Schleswig-Holstein from Denmark. The German troops enteredHolstein, which was a member of the Confederation, and entitled to itsprotection. Denmark refused to yield her title to the duchies, and warensued. The Danes were overwhelmed, and repeatedly defeated. Englanddeclined to assist Denmark, as had been expected by the latter, andDenmark was compelled to renounce all her claims to Schleswig-Holsteinand Lauenburg, in favor of Prussia and Austria. The main question inregard to the final disposition of the duchies was left open forfuture adjustment, and Prussia took temporary possession of Schleswig,and Austria of Holstein. The Duke of Augustenburg was permitted toremain in the latter, but forbidden to get up any demonstration in aidof his own claims.

  "Austria favor
ed the claim of the duke, while Prussia denied it, andaccused her then powerful rival of encouraging revolutionary movementsin Holstein dangerous to the thrones of Europe. Then followed thegreat war of 1866, which resulted in the utter humiliation of Austria,and the annexation of all the disputed territories to Prussia.Denmark, thus shorn of her territories and her power, has become aninsignificant kingdom. With less than two million inhabitants, shesupports all the costly trappings of royalty, and keeps an army andnavy. The king has a civil list of nearly three hundred thousanddollars, and the heir apparent has an allowance exceeding the salaryof the President of the United States, while the entire revenue of thenation is only about thirteen million dollars. Prince Frederick, theking's oldest son, who succeeds to the throne, married the daughter ofthe King of Sweden and Norway. The princess Alexandra, the oldestdaughter, is the wife of the Prince of Wales. Prince Wilhelm, thesecond son, was elected King of Greece, under the title of Georgios I.in 1863. The Princess Dagmar is the wife of the Grand Duke Alexander,of Russia, heir of the throne. By their connections two of the sonsare, or will be, kings, one daughter Queen of England, and anotherEmpress of Russia.

  "In 1348, the King of Denmark levied duties on all vessels passingthrough the Sound, at the Fortress of Kronberg, which were applied tothe expenses of the light-houses, and the protection of shipping frompirates. The United States first objected to the payment of this tax,and called the attention of the commercial nations of Europe to theannoyance. All vessels were obliged to anchor, and submit to vexatiousdelays; but none doubted the right to levy the dues, which had beenformally regulated by treaties. Denmark consented to abandon herclaims on the payment of about fifteen millions of dollars by thenations of Europe, and about four hundred thousand on the part of theUnited States."

  The professor completed his lecture, and the students separated. Mostof them climbed into the rigging, or seated themselves on the rail,where they could see the city and the various objects of interest inthe harbor. The view shoreward from the ship was very unsatisfactory,for the city, built on a dead level, presented but little to challengethe attention of the voyager. While they were observing thesurroundings, a shore boat approached the vessel, in which were twopersons wearing the uniform of the squadron. One of them was a stoutman, in whom the students soon recognized Peaks.

  "But who is that with him?" asked Norwood.

  "It's one of the second cutter's crew, I suppose," replied De Forrest."I didn't think, when I went ashore with them, that I shouldn't seeany of them again for so long a time. I wonder where the rest of themare."

  "That's not one of the second cutters," added Judson. "It is theEnglish fellow."

  "So it is."

  Peaks came alongside, and directed Clyde Blacklock to mount theaccommodation ladder, which he did without making any objection. Theyhad arrived the day before. The prisoner seemed to have lost someportion of his stubborn spirit. The boatswain followed him to thedeck, and touching his cap to the captain and other officers on thequarter-deck, went aft, where the principal was talking with thesurgeon.

  "We have come on board, sir," said the boatswain, as he took off hiscap and pointed to Clyde.

  "I see you have," replied Mr. Lowington. "I'm glad to see you again,Clyde."

  The young Briton nodded his head with a jerk, but made no reply.

  "Have you seen Mr. Blaine, Peaks?" asked the principal.

  "Yes, sir; I met him on the wharf night before last at Gottenburg."

  "But where are the crew of the second cutter? I expected you to bringthem."

  "They came back to Christiania on Friday, and took the steamer forGottenburg the same evening; but Mr. Blaine had not seen them. Theirsteamer arrived in the forenoon, and the ship did not sail tillnight."

  "I am afraid there is something wrong about it."

  "I left Mr. Blaine in Gottenburg. I suppose he will find them."

  Peaks reported in detail the result of his mission on shore. So far asClyde was concerned it was entirely satisfactory; but the continuedabsence of the second cutter's crew was very annoying to theprincipal.

  "How do you feel, Clyde?" asked Mr. Lowington, turning to the newstudent.

  "I feel well enough," replied the runaway, roughly.

  "I am glad you do. I hope you feel better than when you left theship."

  "I don't."

  "While you were on board before, I neglected to explain to you theconsequences of leaving the ship without permission."

  "It wouldn't have made any difference. I should have gone just thesame," answered Clyde, doggedly.

  "The less trouble you make, the better it will be for you."

  "Perhaps it will; but I don't intend to stay in this ship a greatwhile."

  "I intend that you shall stay here; and since you avow your purpose torun away again, I must see that you are put in a safe place. Peaks,the brig."

  "The brig? What's that?" demanded Clyde, who was very suspicious ofthe calm, unmoved tones of the principal.

  "Come with me, my lad, and I will show you," replied the boatswain.

  The Briton knew by sad experience how useless it was to contendagainst this tyrant, who, however, always used him well when hebehaved in a reasonable manner. He followed the boatswain into thesteerage, and the door of the brig, which was a small prison formedof plank slats, set upright under the steps, about three inches apart,was opened.

  "That's the brig, my boy," said Peaks. "It's a regular institution onboard a man-of-war; but this one has not been opened for months."

  "Well, what's it for?" asked Clyde, who even yet did not seem tocomprehend its use.

  "Walk in, and I will make it all plain to you in a moment."

  "I don't know what you mean."

  "Sail in!" shouted a student, who, with others, was observing thetreatment.

  "On deck, sir!" said the boatswain, sternly, to the speaker. "Reportyourself."

  It was a principle in the discipline of the ship that no person shouldsay or do anything to irritate a student undergoing punishment, and noone was permitted, on such occasions, to take part on either side,unless called upon by the officer or instructor to do so. In ordinarycases no boy was required, or permitted, to be a "tell-tale," and allwere expected to remain neutral. The student who had spoken left thesteerage, and went on deck, before Clyde had time to "open upon him,"as he intended to do.

  "Step in, my lad," added Peaks.

  "What for?" asked the Briton, as he obeyed the order, but not withouta suspicion that he was to step upon a red-hot gridiron, or beprecipitated through some opening in the deck into the dark depthsbeneath.

  No such calamity happened to him, and he was rather astonished to findthat no harsher punishment was used for the flagrant offence he hadcommitted. He had pushed the boatswain overboard, and then run away.Peaks had never manifested any resentment towards him on account ofhis cowardly trick; but he anticipated some severe discipline on boardof the ship. The boatswain closed and locked the door of the brig, andthen looked in at the prisoner through the slats.

  "Do you understand what the brig is for now?" asked Peaks.

  "You have locked me in--that's all."

  "That's all, my lad."

  "How long am I to stay here?"

  "Till you make up your mind not to run away."

  "This isn't a bad place, and I shall stay here till I grow gray beforeI promise not to be off when I get a chance."

  "All right, my hearty. Think of it a few weeks."

  To one who had expected some horrible punishment for his misdemeanors,the brig seemed like very mild discipline. Clyde seated himself on thestool in his prison, and leisurely surveyed the surroundings. He wasan enterprising youth, and the bars of his cage looked small and weak.At dinner time, the meal was handed in to him, and he ate with anexcellent appetite. Soon after, he heard the call for all hands, andthen the waiter in the steerage told him they had gone on shore to seethe city. Everything was quiet and still, and he devoted himself to amore particular examination of the
bars of the brig. They were twoinches thick, but the case looked hopeful. Pursuing his investigationsstill farther, he found, under the steps, a saw, a hammer, a chisel,and some other tools, which Bitts, the carpenter, had placed there afew days before, and forgotten to remove. Clyde took up the saw; butjust then, Peaks, with a book in his hand, seated himself at a tablenear the brig, and began to read.