John Quincy Adams Digital Diary

5. About 8 O’Clock this morning, the wind being fair though very light, we got under weigh, without being molested by the British Two decker which had anchored so near us— We sailed close under the Danish shore the whole day; 22which being very mild and pleasant, and the prospects on the shore very variegated and beautiful, I pass’d almost the whole day upon deck— The island of Hveen lies nearly midway between the Swedish and Danish shores, and between Elseneur and Copenhagen— It is about nine English Miles round— The principal objects which presented themselves as we pass’d between it on the left hand and the island of Zeeland on the right; are a solitary church, on the highest eminence of the land. The owner’s house, bosom’d high in tufted trees towards the Southern extremity of the island; several scattered farm houses, and on the very beach a few houses of fishermen— The owner is a Swedish nobleman, a Count Tausen.— Our Baltic Pilot tells me there are about five hundred inhabitants on the island. Just after passing by its Southern extremity we say beyond it on the Swedish shore Carlscrona, which is a considerable town— On the Danish side we successively pass’d Sletten village— Sophienberg, formerly a royal palace, but now the property of an individual— Wähback a place of Paper Mills, and where the principal part of the English troops landed at the bombardment of Copenhagen— Scotsport a village, the abode of Tanners and Tărbäck—with Charlottenlund, a royal summer-house sometimes called the hermitage— All these places afford a beautiful variety of romantic situations— And it was equally pleasing to see that the palaces had no magnificence, nor the villages no wretchedness in their appearance— We had also a view of the palace of Fredericsburg, about four miles out of Copenhagen. This City opened some of its steeples upon us before we had entirely pass’d the island of Hveen; but being situated on very low land, it makes not much figure as you pass it— We went without annoyance by the three crown battery, but opposite the centre of the City, there is another battery upon three sunken seventy-four gun ships; it is in the narrowest part of the channel; at what is called the middle ground— As we came up there, a gun was fired to bring us to—which was quite unexpected to the Captain and both the pilots— They thought it was a demand for the usual salute of striking the top-gallant-sail; which was done— But immediately after a second gun was fired, loaded with a ball, which struck a little a-head of our ship— The channel was too-narrow to admit of the ship’s coming-to; so that we were obliged to come to anchor in the midst of the passage— An Officer came on board; examined the Captain’s Papers, and informed him he might proceed— This business delayed us upwards of an hour, and before we got over the grounds we had in succession three more visits from gun-boats and floating batteries— Two of the boats however on information who we were forebore coming on board— One of them took off our Pilot for the grounds, just at dusk of the Evening, and before we had entirely got over them. The grounds are shallows, between the islands of Amager and Saltholm just opposite Copenhagen; and the passage is so narrow, that they cannot be cross’d in the Night.— Amager island is joined by a bridge to the City of Copenhagen; and is inhabited principally by Dutch settlers, who supply the city with vegetables. At the Southern extremity of this island is a small town called Dragöe, and here terminates the passage over the grounds— About an hour afterwards we opened the light-house of Falsterbo on the Swedish shore, and ran insight of it untill Midnight— We spent the Evening at Cards.