To each and every English person reading this

Dear ladies and gentlemen, your country has an unpaid debt - therefore, it could be argued, you have an unpaid debt.

We are talking specifically about: 17 ships of the line, 17 frigates, 16 assorted smaller warships and 26 gunboats, plus a large number of trade and transport ships, as well as a large assortment of equipment and weaponry to be used on said vessels - all of a design in use in the Year of Our Lord 1807. All of which was borrowed without permission after "The Bombardment of Copenhagen".

In case you were wondering, we would like them back. Please.

An appropriate date of return could suitably be the 7th September 2007, the 200th anniversary of the original theft.

We will await this event with bated breath, smile and nod our thanks when it comes to pass, let bygones be bygones by not asking for interest for the loan, and pointedly refrain from asking you what reason the Royal Danish Naval Museum might have had to refer to the event as "The Rape of the Navy" in its exhibition about it.

Sincerely
A Dane

PS. We shall refrain from demanding the return of Norway as well, since the locals would probably be disinclined to such an arrangement - besides, it's far too cold up there anyway...

Right, well, apart from the risk of catching a slight case of patriotism, I can actually recommend the Royal Danish Naval Museum. They have an absolutely lovely collection: ships models, paintings, maps, cannons, cutlasses, navigational equipment, etc. And the best part is that the modern part of the collection is the smallest, meaning that the old sailing ships take center stage :-)