This Island Is
Appropriated To The Court, But The Rest Of The Park Is Open To The
Public.
Immediately outside the water-gate stands an obelisk, remarkable
neither for its beauty nor for the skill displayed in its erection,
for it consists of various stones, and is not high, but interesting
from the circumstance to which it owes its origin.
It was erected
by his grateful subjects in memory of the late king Christian VII.,
to commemorate the abolition of feudal service. Surely no feeling
person can contemplate without joyful emotion a monument like this.
I have here given a faithful account of what I saw during my short
stay at Copenhagen. It only remains for me to describe a few
peculiar customs of the people, and so I will begin as it were at
the end, with the burial of the dead. In Denmark, as in fact in the
whole of Scandinavia, not excepting Iceland, it is customary not to
bury the dead until eight or ten days have elapsed. In winter-time
this is not of so much consequence, but in summer it is far from
healthy for those under the same roof with the corpse. I was
present at Copenhagen at the funeral of Dr. Brandis, physician to
the king. Two of the king's carriages and a number of private
equipages attended. Nearly all these were empty, and the servants
walked beside them. Among the mourners I did not notice a single
woman; I supposed that this was only the case at the funerals of
gentlemen, but on inquiry I found that the same rule is observed at
the burial of women. This consideration for the weaker sex is
carried so far, that on the day of the funeral no woman may be seen
in the house of mourning. The mourners assemble in the house of the
deceased, and partake of cold refreshments. At the conclusion of
the ceremony they are again regaled. What particularly pleased me
in Copenhagen was, that I never on any occasion saw beggars, or even
such miserably clad people as are found only too frequently in our
great cities. Here there are no doubt poor people, as there are
such every where else in the world, but one does not see them beg.
I cannot help mentioning an arrangement which certainly deserves to
be universally carried out; - I mean, the setting apart of many large
houses, partly belonging to the royal family, partly to rich private
people or to companies, for the reception of poor people, who are
here lodged at a much cheaper rate than is possible in ordinary
dwellings.
The costumes of the peasants did not particularly please me. The
women wear dresses of green or black woollen stuff, reaching to the
ankle, and trimmed at the skirt with broad coloured woollen borders.
The seams of the spenser, and the arm-holes, are also trimmed with
smaller coloured borders. On their heads they wear a handkerchief,
and over this a kind of shade, like a bonnet.
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