The Sun.
London, England, 1851-04-21 00:00:00

DIRECT COMTVIUN IC AT I "1( T:

DENMARK.
(From the Chronicle.)
Although the return journey between Copenhagen
and London, which was briefly described in my letter
of the 10th inst. from Lowestoft, was performed in
eighteen hours less than the time which was taken up
by the outward trip, I have no doubt that the transit
between the two capitals may be accomplished, even
under existing circumstances, more speedily than was
the case with my fellow-travellers and myself in our
second attempt at an express through Denmark. As
has been already hinted, the party was rather too
large for pioneering service, and their appurtenances
were somewhat unwieldy. But a person really de-
sirous of proceeding from London to Copenhagen
with all the expedition which the present means of
conveyance will afford, might easily leave London
at five reel. on Saturday, by the Eastern Counties
Railway, and find himself comfortably installed in his
hotel at Copenhagen about the same hour on Tuesday
afternoon. He will reach Hjerting, from Lowestoft,
early on Monday morning, and twelve hours will give
ample room and verge enough to cross the peninsula
of Jutland, by the route which we ourselves took at
Snozboe. In twenty-two hours more, at the outside
—which would allow for longer delays on the road
than is necessary, or should, indeed, be tolerated—
he will be in Copenhagen. But a person who under-
takes such a journey must gird up his loins a little,
and retrench all superfluity of baggage. He need not
confine himself to a shirt-collar and a tooth brush; but
let him not affect hat-boxes, nor triumph in English
portmanteaus of solid leather, lest his joy be con-
verted into mourning. And if, after having achieved
his conquest over time and space, he would return as
speedily as he came, let him be innocent of the know-
ledge of cherry brandy during his stay in Copen-
hagen. Should he once taste that generous liqueur,
the next step is inevitable. Buy one or two cases of
it he must, and no actuary's assistance will then be
required to calculate that, what with the cording on
of these precious packages at the beginning of every
stage, and the uncording of them at the end of it, the
probabilities are strong that, on the traveller's arrive).
at Hjerting, all that he will see of Wednesday's
steamer will be the smoke from her funnel as she
speeds on her way across the German Ocean, rejoic-
ing in a cargo of black cattle, pickled pork, and boxes
of Jutland salmon. 'es\
A route which may be 'traversed in three days, in
spite of natural impediments and imperfect arrange-
ments for travelling, offers even at present greater in-
ducements than those which Hamburgh or Ostend hold
out, the journey from London to Copenhagen via
Lowestoft and Lljerting being not only shorter but
cheaper than either of the routes now taken. But
great improvements in the means of conveyance are
already matured, while others are under the anxious
consideration of the Danish Government. In the be-
ginning of May a diligence is to be started from
Hjerting, a great advance on the open basket wag-
gons, in which our party shivered through Jutland.
I was informed, also, by Dr. Poulson, a member of the
Second Chamber, who has devoted much time and at-
tention to the details of the whole subject, that in the
summer a steamer is to run from Fredericia, in Jutland,
a town a little above the ferry at Snozhoe' to Copenha-
gen. It is calculated that the voyage will be performer.
in 14 hour., and this will reduce the journey between
London and Copenhagen to two days and a half. In
the mean time a new and direct road is to be constructed
at the cost of the Government between Kolding
and Hjerting, and endeavours will be made to con-
tinue the works on the line of railway which has been
surveyed between Roeskilde and Korsoer. At present
there is some little difficulty about funds ; for the
heroic efforts which the Danes made to preserve their
national independence in the late struggle were ac-
companied by corresponding sacrifices. That portion
of the railway which is already open, namely, between
Roeskilde and Copenhagen cost 500,000 rix-dollars
per Danish mile, which is equal to 4 7-10 English
miles. The expense, therefore, ofconstruction amounted
to 11,0001. a mile English, which appears a large stun
when it is borne in mind that the steepest gradient
throughout the line is as 1 to 250. The Hamburgh and
Kiel Railway cost just half of what has been expended
on the line between Roeskilde and Copenhagen. The
latter pays to its proprietors a dividend of only 2 per
cent. ; and as a natural consequence in Denmark,
where capital commands a good rate of interest, the
shares have fallen to 50 per cent. discount, and some
backwardness is manifested in taking up the shares
for the 101 miles (Danish) which will continue the
line to the Great Belt. I cannot persuade myself,
however, that this reluctance will be long. lived. The
sum required to carry the Zealand line through to
Korsoer is not more than 4,500,000 rix-dollars, or
500,0001. sterling ; and the national importance of
the work, as well as the commercial advantages
which must follow its completion, are so obvious,
that every true Dane will be anxious to promote such
an undertaking as rapidly as possible. The present
dividend of two per cent. depends upon the returns
received from merely local traffic, but there is every
reason to expect that this will be augmented to four
or five per cent. upon the completion of the line to
Ktirsoer. A line of railway through Funen and Jut-
lend, following the route which our party travelled,
has also been projected; but no surveys have yet
been made, and doubts have been expressed in com-
petent quarters whether the Funen line would at
present pay, as the expense of carrying it by Odense
would be too great to reimburse the shareholders for
their outlay, and profit would be out of the question
from the traffic on a line which should avoid, on ac-
count of engineering difficulties, the chief city in
the island. But an iron road through Jutland in-
volves no obstacles which may not be surmounted
by a moderate expenditure of money, and is the
one thing needed to develope the natural resources
of the Peninsula. Your Special Correspondent on
the agriculture of Denmark has stated, in speak-
ing of the comparative fertility of the an,
oust provinces or districts of the king d
proportion
,
that Jutland contains the greatest eP
of unprofitable and nnimproveable land ; aPnrdl° have
reason to believe that he derived his information
from excellent authority. Nevertheless,ed nothing
throughout attang-
throughout our journey so forcibly arrest
tion, or has retained so strong a ;hold upon my.istrict
.mind,
as the vast capacity for improvement of the district
through which we travelled ;
the same features.
and was informed that
a large portion of Jutland exhibits
referred to by your Special
Correspondent are not found in the district in ques-
tion ; but heath and bogs assert an almost absolute
dominion over it. The soil, however, I feel well
assured, would abundantly repay the labours of the
husba,ndnean. A peaty loam, frequently intermixed
with limestone pebbles, extends ittelf, generally at a
depth of about one foot, over a subsoil of gravel, in
I which small granite boulders often turn up. The
perpetual succession of slopes, more or less abrupt,
indicates at a glance the ease with which the greater
portion of the land might be reclaimed ; and occa-
sional instances presented themselves on our route, in
which these natural facilities had not been neglected.
Tie course adopted in reclaiming the tracts in ciwn-
tion front the waste, is, as I was informed by an in-
telligent agriculturist in Copenhagen, as follows :—A
large space of heath is first cleared by setting it on
fire ; after a short time natural grasses spring up,
which are fed down for two or three years by sheep
or cattle ; and the land is then broken up with the
plough, and gravel is mixed with the surface soil. Very
good crops, I understand, reward this process, and the
only reawn but a sufficient one—why it has not hither-
to been more extensively pursued is the want of a
market. It is not from the lack of industry or enter-

prise among its inhabitants that Jutland stands at
present so much in the back-ground. Five out of
every six of the Danish merchants who have esta-
blished themselves in England or Scotland are na-
tives of the peninsula. The Jutland farmers are an
active race, fond of gain, and of thrifty habits ; but
as the internal commerce of that part of Denmark is,
carried on almost wholly through the medium of
barter, there is but little inducement for greater ex-
ertions than are required to insure enough, and a
little to spare. A railroad through Jutland to
Hjerting, and its certain consequences—speedy com-
munication with, and remunerating markets in
England—will change the aspect of the peninsula
like magic. Flourishing towns will spring up around
the railroad stations, and the brownness of heath and
moor will be succeeded by the yellow hues of ripening
harvests. That a line of railway will run through
Jutland in the course of a few years, I have not the
slightest doubt. The Danish people are too intelli-
gent to ignore the immense benefits of railway com-
munication. ' Education is universal. Every man,
woman, and child (above a certain age) in Denmark
is able at least to read, write, and keep- accounts. The
people at large enjoy also an unusual share of poli-
tical power, for every man of full age, and untainted
by crime, has a right to vote in the election of mem-
bers of the Second Chamber. As the project of a
railroad through Jutland is prodigiously popular
there, and will be of great advantage to the other
parts of Denmark, by completing the direct line of
aoom expenseonp company does
does of
not
communication with England, the works will pro-
bably be undertaken as soon as the condition of the
the
publicco m State,
come
f ofii r
wtn a
iannrc
forward
sh
ande
will
obtain
intadmit,ervalaapri at the
concession of the line.
• ',Nye dwelt,at tome length on the present means
Of cenwattwicettntti,,,,Ott wean :England and Dent} ark,7
titetEe Prospect psi opened ol4aining in a short
time still greater facilities for international intercourse,
on account of the great importance to both countries
of a route at once rapid and direct. Denmark is now,
and must for many years yet to come remain, an
agricultural country. Half the population, according
to the figures given by your Special Correspondent,
are tillers of the ground. The only manufacture
which is carried on to any extent is that of iron ; and
both the iron and the coal which are used come ex-
' elusively from England, for the coal found in Den-
mark is unfit for smelting purposes, being of that
kind which is called the newest formation. The
ability of Denmark to purchase a larger amount of
our manufactured fabrics than she has hitherto taken
must, of course, be measured by our capacity to con-
sume the corn and the cattle which she can spare—a
capacity which, owing to the pressure of a rapidly
increasing population, only finds a limit in the means
of supply. The quantity of cattle shipped from Den-
mark of late years has been very considerable ; and I
was informed by Dr. Poulsen, to whose authority I
have already referred, that in 1850. no less than
12,500 cattle were sent to London from Hjerting and
Tonning alone. Now that a regular liue of com-
munication is established between Hjerting and
Lowestoft, a greatincrease in the supplies of provisions
may be expected to follow. The Prince, on her first
return voyage, carried out 60 bulloks and 179 pigs,
besides 750 cwts. of 'pickled pork. On her second
-return voyage she had on board 63 bullocks, 80 pigs,
and 4 horses, and this vessel alone will probably bring
to Lowestoft during the season from 1,800 to 2,000
head of cattle. A Danish merchant, who was one of
our fellow-passengers, told me that he had entered
into a contract to ship from Hjerting at the end of
this month a full cargo of cattle by a steamer belong•
ing to the .General Steam Navigation Company; and
I know that a steam-boat, to be called the Jutland, is
now building on the account of the Danish Govern-
ment, and is intended to convey cattle between the
Agger Channel, high up on the north-western coast
of the peninsula, and London. Lowestoft, however,
would, I should think, be selected as the port of de-
barkation. Altogether, the attempt of the Northern
Steam Packet Company to establish a direct commu-
nication with Denmark cannot fail to lead, directly or
indirectly, to results of the greatest importance to the
two countries.

One great want, however, must be supplied as soon
as possible. There is no pier at Hjerting, and it takes
two days to drag on board a cargo of cattle, which,
if that accommodation were at hand, might be shipped
in as many hours. Surveys have been made by a
practical English engineer, whose report to me was
that an excellent pier might be built for 1,400/. When
this is done, Hjerting will command the greatest
cattle traffic of any of the seaports on the 'Western
coast of Denmark. The passenger traffic it must
soon entirely monopolize, but ladies cannot be ex-
pected to select the new route until some better
means of landing be found than a ricketty fraam and
the back of a Danish fisherman. A good-sized punt,
and a sloping stage on wheels, will be much better
adapted to tranquillize the apprehensions of our fair
countrywomen, whose love of the beautiful and the
picturesque. may lead thc:r. to explore the " fresh
fields and pastures new" of Scandinavia.