Sound-dues were first paid in the palmy commercial days of the Hanseatic League.

That powerful combination of merchants had suffered severely from the ravages of Danish pirates, royal and otherwise; but ultimately they became so powerful that the rich merchant could beat the royal buccaneer, and tame his ferocity so effectually as to induce him to build and maintain those beacon-lights on the shores of the Sound, for whose use they and all nations and merchants after them have agreed to pay certain duties .-- ED.
{19} The Feroe Islands consist of a great many islets, some of them mere rocks, lying about halfway between the north coast of Scotland and Iceland.

At one time they belonged to Norway, but came into the possession of Denmark at the same time as Iceland.

They are exceedingly mountainous, some of the mountains attaining an elevation of about 2800 feet.

The largest town or village does not contain more than 1500 or 1600 inhabitants.