Denmark Proper is but a small state, including the peninsula of Jutland and the islands of the Cattegat, and those of the southern and western parts of the Baltic, to which is attached the dukedoms of Sleswick, Holstein, Oldenburg and Lauenburg, the most of whose inhabitants use the German language. Her foreign dependencies, like those of Great Britain, are far more extensive than her home dominions. These have their peculiar dialects, and use the Danish language only in part, chiefly in public affairs and business transactions, and even her home provinces and islands have great dialectic peculiarities, to a considerable extent unintelligible to each other. But the literature of Copenhagen is the regular and standard language, if in truth it can be said to have a standard. But the language, like the people, is so surrounded and intermixed with others, that changes and improvements are very considerable, and its laws quite unsettled.

In the State of Norway, the Danish language is spoken and written generally and taught in her schools. And although they maintain their rustic dialects, it is doubted if the old Norsk language has been used in printing since the days of the Reformation.

Iceland, probably, possesses quite as many associations of interest to the Danes as any other of their foreign dependencies. In my interviews with Professor Repp, he frequently took occasion to refer, with apparent pride and satisfaction, to his native Iceland, as the nursery of literature and keeper of the Danish records, during the barbarous and demoralizing wars that swept over Scandinavia. They still maintain their own literature, and have a translation of the Scriptures, but as their priests are educated in Copenhagen, and their merchants mostly Danish, the national religion, policy and impress of Denmark is stamped upon them as upon her other provinces. At present, with a territory larger than Denmark Proper, Iceland only numbers about sixty thousand inhabitants.

Denmark Proper is about in the latitude of Scotland, and has a climate somewhat similar. Unlike the cold mountainous regions of Norway and Sweden, it lies low, and by being to such an extent surrounded by water and interspersed with small lakes, preserves an equilibrium of temperature beyond what its latitude might otherwise indicate. Though it is sometimes visited with heavy falls of snow, and the severity of winter has congealed the salt water of the Belts and the sound, so that teams have crossed the ice between Denmark and Sweden. The islands, particularly Zealand and Fuen, the two largest, are rich and in a high state of cultivation. The country generally is poorly supplied with highways, and I sometimes found myself wandering from house to house and from village to village, through bye roads and footpaths, crossing sluiceways on a plank or pole, and at wet seasons, when the country was nearly half covered with water, obliged to wade through mud and water, or take a serpentine route through fields.

The country people, generally, live in small villages, miserable houses, with thatched roofs and clay floors, and are generally filthy and uncouth in their habits. In the large towns a degree of order and neatness is exhibited, and urbanity of manners, such as is common to English towns. Nearly every village, however insignificant, has its Church, and priest to receive their tithings, and attend to their spiritual wants. With regard to improvements, the Danes are sadly deficient in means or enterprise, probably both. They have but one piece of railroad, sixteen miles in length, from Copenhagen to a neighbouring town. The capital itself is still lighted with the old oil lamps, and the fire companies haul their hose and water on sheds with tubs and barrels. A telegraph is unknown in the country. The navy yard and fixtures, fortifications, public buildings, walks and gardens, of Copenhagen, would be a credit to any town or nation. The priests are often to be seen in the streets with their black gowns and white ruffles.

Their texts, sermons, worship, &c., defined by law, are uniform throughout the country, and repeated yearly. Their rites are similar to those of the Church of England. There is a universal observance of the numerous holydays and festivals common in catholic countries, but the sabbath is lightly esteemed. Sunday evening is usually selected for balls, and other amusements, and that is the time the theatres are thronged. The priests are by no means so pious out of church as to prevent their mingling freely in those amusements.

Churchgoing is in late years getting much out of fashion, except on extraordinary occasions. It is no uncommon things in their popular churches, to see only eight or ten persons, but the priest is paid and required by law to perform services if there are two present.

I was very strongly impressed on an occasion of the congregation of a priest in "Frue Kirke," a splendid edifice, the pride of Copenhagen, patronised by the royal family.

At the east end, overlooking the altar, stands a marble statue, representing Jesus in the act of preaching, while on either side of the body of the church, at equal distances, stand the Twelve Apostles, each holding an appropriate insignia; for instance, Peter holding three keys, Matthew his pen and scroll, &c. These are all in marble, and were cut in Rome. Above these in the walls are the carved representations of young angels, with wings, while another larger one stands before the altar, holding a marble basin of water, for the sprinkling of infants. While the chief Bishop, surrounded by his clergy, in sacerdotal robes, was engaged in the services of the occasion, I asked myself these questions; If these were living figures, what would be their language to these men and this assembly? were they to give utterance to the doctrines they taught while living, how long would they be permitted to grace this building? I reflected that by the influence of these clergy, and at the instigation of this Bishop, was P. C. Monster repeatedly imprisoned for preaching to this people that they must follow Jesus down into the water and be baptized. This was the Bishop that thought it the duty of government to protect the people from this "dangerous sect"—the Latter-day Saints. These are the men, who, while they allow the people to have access to the Bible, put a padlock upon it and pocket the key. I exclaimed in my heart at the scene before me, surely the great mother of abominations, with her numerous progeny of the protestant family, after their fathers martyred Jesus and his apostles, transgressed his laws, changed his ordinances, broke his everlasting covenant, and drove the last vestige of his kingdom from the earth, have now placed their statues in her temples to grace her triumph.

I will here remark that there are a few honorable exceptions among the Danish clergy, whose voices have been heard in favour of religious freedom, and reformation among the people. Although there are a few persons that have a zeal for the Scriptures, and their diffusion among the people, yet the most of the Danish clergy discourage the use of them, by the masses, and under a cloak of charity, they long ago shrewdly procured the passage of a law giving a charitable institution, which they control, called "Veisenhuuset," the exclusive right of publishing, importing, or selling the scriptures, in any shape or form, in the Danish language. The result is, that we sometimes may hunt whole neighbourhoods over and not find a copy of the Scriptures, except, perhaps, in church, or with the priest. The novelty of a new religion in the country, the excitability of the people, the control of the priests, over churches and school-houses; the fear of violence and damage, that deters men from leasing us houses; the restrictions of law upon street preaching and promiscuous assemblages; the spleen and jealousy of a well organized national police, are all no small obstacles in the way of getting truth before the people.