E L S I N O O 3L
the latter diftinguiihed b y the palace o f Cronborg, a lefs ro- c h a p ,
nut o tick, but no lefs beautiful, object. The ihores o f Swe- * ■
den to the North o f Helfingborg are fteep and rooky ; but
clecreafe in height towards the fouth, and become low and
flat. Thofe o f Zealand canfift o f ridges o f fand.
Elfinoor i.s a well-built town, and makes a. better appear-
ance than thole to which we had lately been accuftomed : the
houfes are o f brick, fimilar to thofe in the United Provinces.
Elfinoor was a fmall village, containing a few fifhermens’
huts, until 1445, when it was made a ftaple town by Eric o f
Pomerania; who conferred upon the new fettlers confider-
■ able immunities, and built a caftle for their defence *. Frcna
that periqd it gradually iocreafed in fize and wealth ; and is
now the moft cqmmercial plaee in Denmark next to Copenhagen.
It contains:about 5000 inhabitants, amongftwhom
are a confiderable number o f foreign merchants, and the
confuls o f the principal nations trading to the Baltick. The
paliage o f the Sound is guarded by the fortrefs o f Cronborg,
which is fituated upon the edge o f a peninfular promontory,
the neareft point o f land from the oppofite coaft o f Sweden.
It is ftrongly fortified towards the ihore by ditches, baftions,
and regular entrenchments ; and towards the fea by feveral
batteries, mounted with 60 cannon, the largeft whereof are
48 pounders. Every veffel, as it pafles, lowers her top-fails,
and pays a toll at Elfinoor. It is generally aflerted, that this
fortrefs guards the Sound; and that all the ftups mull, on
account o f the ihoal- waters and currents, fleer fo near the
batteries, as to be expofed to their fire, in cafe o f refufal.
This, however, is a miftaken notion. On account, indeed,
o f the numerous and oppofite currents in the Sound, the
"llifelt paflage lies near the fortrefs; but the water in any part
* I 'k ffen ii Scan d ia.IU u ftm ta . L ib . I I I . p . 50.
U u u % is