GOTTENBURG, or GOTHEBORG, is a seaport town on the west coast of Sweden, and the second town in the king dom. This town is situated on the banks of the most east erly branch of the Gotha, a large river which issues from the lake Wenner. About ten miles from Gottenburg it divides into three blanches, two of which are soon re united, after passing a rock upon which the old fort of Bo hus is situated. The other two branches discharge them selves, by separate mouths, into the sea, and form a large island called Hisengen. The town is nearly three miles in circumference, exclusive of the suburbs called Hoga, and is regularly fortified with a ditch and wall.
Gottenburg consists of a principal street, called Great harbour Street, consisting of houses three stories high, built of stone or brick, resting upon piles, and covered with white plaster, the roofs being in general concealed. A ca nal on the river Ham, crossed occasionally by wooden bildges, two of which only are for carriages, runs along the middle of this street. This street is crossed at right an gles by North Harbour Street and South Harbour Street, and a few others ; and parallel to it there are other streets of inferior note. These streets are ill paved with round stones, and have no side pavement. At the,west end of the town is a hill about 100 feet high, upon which are several streets. This part is called the upper town, and the other part the lower town. In the upper town, the rows of build ings ruse above otle another like the seats of an amphithea tre. The exchange, and the extensive buildings belonging to the East India company, stand in the principal street. TI.ere are in this town two Swedish churches, and a Ger man church. In 1312, a very magnificent church was building with stones brought from Scotland.
The harbour of Gottenburg is about one-fourth of a mile in breadth, and is formed by two chains of rocks. Its en
trance is defended by the small fort of New Elfsborg, situa ted upon a rocky island, and garrisoned with 250 men.
Gottenburg formerly carried on a very great commerce herrings, but, for several years past, they have entirely left the coast, and the fishing has of course declined. For merly, they obtained about 600,000 barrels of herring an nually-, of which they salted 200,000 : train oil being ob tained from the remainder, at the rate of one barrel from 15 barrels of herring. In the year 1790, there was export ed from 104.797 scrips of iron in bars ; 9,033 schips of other iron ; 1142 schips of steel ; 36,900 planks ; 195,482 tons of salt herrings ; and East India commodities, consisting of tea, silken stuffs, cinnamon, rhubarb, sago, fans of bamboo, porcelain, &c. to the amount of 599,471 rix dol lars. A Royal Society of Sciences and Literature has been established here, and has published some volumes of its memoirs in 8vo.
The population of Gottenburg was in 1791 15,000 1804 17,760 1811 24,858 The country about Gottenburg consists of low precipi tous ridges of naked rocks of gneiss, stretching in various directions. They vary in height from 100 feet to 310, which was the highest, as measured by Dr Thompson. Tolerably cultivated vallies, about a mile wide, separate these ridges. The west side of the island of Hisingen is composed almost entirely of naked rocks ; and it protects the town against the north sea, and the west winds. See Coxe's Travels in Sweden, vol. iv.; Catteau de Calleville's Voyage en ?llemagne et en Suede, vol. ii. p. 300 ; Kuttner's Travels through Denmark, Sweden, i..9"c. sect. vi. ; Thom son's Travels in Sweden, chap. i. : and INLAND NAVIGA TION, for an account of the great canal of Trolhatta.