or Carlscrona, a sea-port town in the Baltic, belonging to Sweden. It derives its origin and name from Charles XI., who first laid the foundations of a new town in 1680, and removed the fleet from Stockholm to this place, on account of its advantageous situation in the centre of the Swedish seas, and the superior security of its harbour. The greatest part of Carlscrona stands upon a small rocky island, which rises gently in a bay of the Baltic; the suburbs extend over another small rock, and along the mole close to the haven where the fleet is moored. The way into the town from the main land is carried over a dyke to an island, and from thence along two long wooden bridges joined by a barren rock. The town is spacious, and contains about 18,000 inhabitants. It is adorned with one or two handsome churches, and a few tolerable houses of brick; but the generality of buildings are of wood. The suburbs are fortified towards the land by a stone-wall. The entrance into the harbour, which by nature is extremely difficult from a number of shoals and rocky islands, is still further secured from the attack of an enemy's fleet by two strong forts built on two islands, under the batteries of which all vessels must pass.

Formerly Formerly vessels in this port, when careened and repaired, were laid upon their sides in the open harbour, until a dock, according to a plan given by Polheim, was hollowed in the solid rock: it was begun in 1714, and finished in 1724; but as it was too small for the admittance of men of war, it has lately been enlarged, and is now capable of receiving a ship of the first rate. But new docks have been begun upon a stupendous plan worthy of the ancient Romans. According to the original scheme, it was intended to construct 30 docks, for building and laying up the largest ships, at the extremity of the harbour. A large basin, capable of admitting two men of war, is designed to communicate, by sluices, with two smaller basins, from each of which are to extend, like the radii of a circle, five rows of covered docks: each row is to be separated by walls of stone; and each dock to be provided with sluice-gates, so as to be filled or emptied by means of pumps. Closets to the docks, magazines for naval stores are to be constructed, and the whole to be inclosed with a stone-wall. The project was begun in 1757; but was much neglected until the accession of his present majesty, who warmly patronized the arduous undertaking. At the commencement of the works, £125,000 were annually expended upon them; which sum has been lessened to about £6000 per annum, and the number of docks reduced to 20. The first dock was finished in 1779, and it was computed that the whole number would be executed in 20 years.