Soon after this, another maritime power appeared on the shores of the Baltic. Frederick William, the Great Elector, having acquired a part of Pomerania, and formed Prussia into an independent state, turn ed his attention to commerce. He attacked Sweden, annoyed her commerce, organized the ports of Prus sia, and deepened and provided with pilots those of Memel, Elblag, Koningsbergh, and Pillau.
At the beginning of the eighteenth century, Rus sia, under Peter thg Great, began to participate in the commerce of is sea. Esthonia and Livonia were united to his dominions, and Petersburgh was founded. The .first foreign vessel that entered the Neva was -a large Dutch ship, richly laden ; and her arrival gave Peter so much pleasure, that he granted her an exemption from all duties so long as she should continue to trade to Petersburgh ; and, by frequent repairs, she was kept in existence for more than half a century. So early as 1718, 100 Dutch ships loaded at Petersburgh, and other nations soon followed their example. In the middle of the eigh teenth century, the exports of Russia from the Bal.
tic amounted to twelve or thirteen millions of rubles, and her imports to about eight or ten.
During the wars which arose out of the French revolution, the commercial relations and resources of the Baltic nations have undergone a considerable change by the transference of Swedish Pomerania to Prussia ; of Swedish Finland to Russia ; and of Norway to Sweden. The effects which these trans ferences will produce, cannot yet be ascertained.
The following statements and tables, will exhibit a view of the commerce of the Baltic nations at the close of the last, and the commencement of the pre sent century.
The Danish vessels visit the ports of Mecklenburgh and Pomerania, with horses, bullocks, butter, cheese, fish, fish-oil, colonial produce, &c. ; and receive in return, thread, linen, brandy, wool, hardware, paper, &c. To Petersburgh, Riga, and Memel, the Danes send herrings and dried fish, woollen manufactures, salt of France, Spain and Portugal, India and China goods, oysters, and dog-skin gloves ; for which they receive potash, planks, fire-wood, flax, and hemp, cor dage, iron, copper, inens, and corn. To Holland, Den mark exports rape-seed, salted and dried fish, and tim ber; and receives spices, drugs, corn, pipes, and paper. To England, hides, bar-iron, kelp, furs, tar, timber, &c. The returns are, hardware goods, woollens, cottons, hats, and colonial produce. From the official account of the real value of the imports into Denmark from Great Britain, from the 5th January 1798, to the 5th January 1808, laid before Parliament, in conse quence of the attack on Copenhagen, it appears, that from 1798 to 1803, they are rated about half a and that from 1803 to 1808, they varied from two to six millions. France receives from
Denmark, horses, butter, cheese, fish, &c. ; and re turns salt, wines, brandy, fruits, silks, &c. The ex ports to Spain and Portugal are nearly the same as to France ; the imports also are the same, with the addition of wool and American produce. To the Mediterranean, Denmark sends fish, salted provi sions, butter, iron, &c. ; and receives wines, brandy, oils, fruit, and salt. The Danes derive great profit from hiring their vessels to the ports of Italy, as their flag is generally respected by the Barbary States. The exports to the Farce Islands are wheat, flour, brandy, tea, coffee, sugar, linens, &c. ; the imports are dried and salted fish, fish-oil, feathers, hides, tal low, and worsted stockings. The exports to, and imports from Iceland, are nearly the same ; the im ports from Greenland are whale-oil and bone, seal oil and skins, eider down ; the exports nearly the same as to the Farce and Iceland Islands. Den mark has also a trifling trade to the East and West Indies.
State of the Danish merchant marine at different periods.
In 1807, the Danish fleet consisted of 26 sail 'of ' the line ; 16 frigates ; 9 sloops, and 30 gun-vessels.
The foreign commerce of Sweden is confined to a certain number of ports, which have customhouses ; these are called staple towns ; they are Stockholm, Gottenburgh, Warberg, Halmstad, Nordkceping, Landscrona, Carlscrona, Christiansted, Carlshamn, Calmar, Westervic, Uddervalla, Marstrand, Gefle, and Abo and Wasa in Finland, now given up to Russia. The foreign commerce is supposed to be divided among these cities, as follows : Stockholm of exports, andi of imports. Gothinburgh -ths The other ports Adis Sweden exports to the foreign parts of the Baltic, iron, steel, copper, lime, alum, and herrings, and re ceives corn, hemp, tallow, and hides. To Holland, she exports iron ; and receives spices, tobacco, pre pared colours and papers. To England, she exports iron, timber, pitch, tar, potash, and herrings; her im ports are lead, tin, leather, bear, butter and cheese ; and every kind of manufacture and colonial produce. In France, Spain, and Portugal, the exports are iron, steel, copper and brass, and wines, brandy, fruits ; oil and silks are the returns. To Italy and the Levant she exports all her territorial productions ; and receives salts, spices, fruits and cotton. There are from four to six ships of 600 to 1000 tons bur den in the East India trade. In 1800, she had above 2000 merchant vessels of 20 tons and upwards ; but the rupture with England and cession of Finland re duced them, in 1810, to 1500. In 1809, her navy was reduced, in consequence of her wars with Rus sia, to 13 sail of the line, 9 or 10 frigates, and about 150 vessels of the flotilla.