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The Merchants
form a
Company
o f them
selves, which is represented by a Committee of 12
members, whose duty it is to attend to the interests
o f Commerce, and although it possesses no official
p ow er, yet its opinion and advice in commercial
affairs is not unfrequently sought by the government.
A Mercantile Association,
but of a more private
nature, also exists among the Merchants and holds
its m eetings in a room at the Exchange.
The
R e ta il Dealers
form different Corporations ac
cording to their different trades, the members o f
which are limited to dealing in the specified articles
o f their respective lin e; but it is probable that
these lim itations will ere long be abolished.
The Manufactures
o f Copenhagen have also
made considerable advancem ent, and many articles
o f trade which formerly could only be obtained
from abroad are now manufactured at home. This
is supposed to be ow ing in some measure to the
fore-m entioned Polytechnic S c h o o l, the Industrial
A ssociation, and the Scientific Institutions, and also
to the
Reiersenske F u n d ,
w h ich , by its vast
resou rces, supporting industrial and manufacturing
undertakings, allow ing stipends to artisans desirous
o f travelling for improvement, &c., & c ., has in a