The Sun.
London, England, 1850-06-22 00:00:00

[PRICE SD.

OPENING OF THE SUNDERLAND

This vast unierlaking, whose opening was cElebratei
on Thursday list, in every respect, in itself, a; work of
the higtn?st scientific and mechanical excellence, effected
by immense corporeal labour, day and night, through
every season and period of a northern year, in its probable
results to this great and increasing port, is of the highest
conceivable importance.
'At art early hour, the feeling c f the whole town was
Manifested by such crowded streets—crowded, in t very
district, by dense assemblages of well-dressed and vell
conducted persons—as we have never before witnessed;
and the ruerning was, providentially, in the happiest
union with the joyous and genial occasion. Light
clouds tempered the heat of the sun, without lessening,
) materially the brilliance and gaiety which every wall-
wisher to SunJerland and he r new docks cordially de-
-sired should give due. splendour and joyousness to the
scone; The bells of the different churches rang out
accordant peals, guns were fired at intervals, and
the- High-street ptesented tho matt imposing as-
pect, the pavements, windows, parapets, and reols
of every building being densely crowded with
:anxious ' and impatient spectators. At a quarter-
past' ten the space in front of the Dock-office,
West Sunniside, Bishopwearmouth, was occupied
by all the official persons, municipal and maritime, whose,
presence was justly required, _together with the baud of
the 33d Regiment. All things were in unison; on every
hand differences of feeling and opinion in other respects
were laid aside altogether; a wise and good impression
seemed.to prevail that there are times, seasons, and oc-
casions, when " party" and its virulent spirit should be
sent" to the right-about," and men of all opinions and
politics 'should forget the turbulent past in the genial
and kindly .p.tesent.
The procession, that is to say the Corporation (headed
by its Mayor), and other public bodies and functionaries,
began to move almost instantly alter being joined by the
Chairman,- Mr. George Hudson, M.P., and proceeded
through the :crowded High-street, which we believe
never presented a sceae at once so joyous and impres-
sive, certainly never one so justly joyous and impressive
as on this memorable occasion. Guns fired, banners
waved, shouts of acclamation arose; the bells of the
different churches rang out merrily, and, with these
pleasant accompaniments, the procession reached the
river side, at the old " Ferry boat Landing," and em-
barked in various vessels,' put in requisition fur the
purpose.

'raze Lord Durham was the first steamer which entered
the dock, with gay colours flying, ai were all that fol-
lowed; it was preceded by the two life-boats of the port,
f .ur steam-vessels, officially engaged, came next, and ii
the following order:-Ist, The William and John,
with the Ma)or (William Ord, Esq.) and Corporation
of the. Borough. 2ad,' the Seahorse, with the Com-
missioners of the River Wear; 3d, the Pilot; 4th, the
Fir( brand, with the Directors of the Dock Company;
and sth, the Earl of Sunderland, from Seaham Har-
bour, with vrrwded decks, on which the band of the
Most Noble the Marquis of Loodunderry stood in Lull
costume, and es the Sunderland boats wont a-head,
play ed the genial air of " Auld lang syne," with a
mingled good • taste, good feeling, and good, musical ex-
ecution.

, •
Tho river itself was studded with every_ variety of
craft that human beings could crowd intuit; and every.
ves,,el of every description, afloat or on the stocks, was
radiant above with gay flags, and below with happy
faces and holiday garbs. . ;The banks, • the quays,
the windowa, roots, parapets, and chimneys- of
every building overlooking the river (even to
the very platform of the chnrch- tow ere), were
so densely crowded, that a feeling of, surprise naturally
arose where the immense residue of spectators in other
parts could possibly have proceeded from. This feeling
deepened.as the vessels advanced slowly to their desti-
nation, guns firing, bells ringing, all the rainbow-hued,
flags of all vessels (Unirm-Jack and " Marriott's Cade "
included) gaily flying from all, mastheads and riggings,
and every conceivable place of footing for human beings,
on both sides of the river, thronged with gaily dressed
spectators. A little before reaching the point opposite
the River Commissioners' Office, Sir H. Williamson,
Bart., M.P., came on board the Corporation steam-ves-
sel. The entry into the great dock, the excitement of
the thousands that densely lined its banks of massive
masonry, and the enthusiasm with which the first vessels
that ever entered its magnificent basin were hailed on
every side, was a scene never to be forgotten—a scene,
indeed, equal to anything of a corresponding nature
which has been witnessed in this empire—as the great
itself is equal to anything which the annals of ma-
ritime enterprise can boast of.
The procession then landed, and sat down along with!
a numerous assemblage of ladies and gentlemen to lunch
in a capacious superstructure on the coal jetty. The
chair was taken by George Hudson' Etq., M. P„ sup-
ported by Mrs. Bramwell and Mrs. Robinson Robinson;
among. those. present we observed Sir Bedworth Wil-
liamson.-tho mayor;thristopher Bramwell, Esq., John
Scott, Esq., David Jonassohn, Janies Hartley,
Nicholas Wood. Esq., John Murray, Esq., Dr. Brown,
John Denton, Esq., Mayor of Hartlepool, Joseph Simp-
son, Esq., Alderman Allison, the Rev. Mr. Peters, the
Rev. Mr. Wellice, Rev. A. ILthune, Seabam, Rev. J. N.
Brown, Dalton, the officers of the 33d Regiment, Capt.
Allen, Blackwell Dull, Messrs. G. W. Wright, J. J.
Wright, George. Spark, T. B. Ord, &c. 'There could
not have been fewer than 700 or 800 present.
Due justice having been done to the tempting delica-
cies—under the weight of which the tablex almost liter-
ally groaned—the Chairman of the Dock Company, Mr.
Hudson, who presided at the luncheon, rose and pro-
posed the health of her Majesty, which was drunk with
all the honours.

The other usual loyal and patriotic toasts having been
also drunk,
The CHAIRMAN rose and said—Ladies and gentlemen,
—I will now crave your attention for a few minutes
while I make a few observations in giving what may be
fairly called the toast of the day.—(Cheers.) I shall
endeavour, it possible, to make myself heard in every
part of the room, and I hope that the toast I am about
to propose will be received and responded to in a
manner worthy of the importance of the great work,
the completion of which, or rather, I should say,
the completion of which to a certain extent we
have this day met to celebrate and rejoice over.—
(Cheers.) Indeed I am sure it will be so received, as you
have already evinced your feelings by the manner in
which you responded to a few well-timed observations
which fell from the Hon. Gentleman who last addressed
you and returned thanks for the toast of The Army"
(Capt. Digby), and therefore my task becomes co a-
ratively an easy one. I cannot but regret that I have
not the abilities to do justice to the toast, the impor-
tance of which, I can assure you, I feel from my heart.
Had I consulted my own ease—had I acted in accord-
ance with my own feelings—l should have wished the
toast to have been entrusted to some other gentleman;
but my colleagues have honoured me by leaving it in
my hands, and I will therefore endeavour to justify
their confidence, and, as far as possible, do justice
to a toast the importance of which, as I have just
stated, I most deeply and heartily feel.—(Cheers).
The Rev. Gentleman who acknwledged the toast of
" Thu Church" (the Rev. Mr. Peters, rector of
Sunderland), whose address, I fear, from the crowded
state of the room, was only heard by com-
paratively few of us, in the course of his admirable ob-
servations, said that nothing could be successful unless
it had the blessing of that divine and beneficent Being
to whose will we must all bow. I am satisfied, as I
have no doubt you will all be, of the truth of these
words. Indeed I feel that the blessing of God has
rested peculiarly on this undertaking, for there was
never so great and magnificent a work carried out with
fewer accidents or less expenditure of human life.—
Cheers.) When the promoters undertook the execution
of this great work, they did so with the utmost diffi-
dence, anxiety, and doubt—doubt even of its success.
Our engineer had proposed a novel plan of confining
Neptune within proper limits, and recovering from the
sea that which he had taken from us; and this day you
and the inhabitants of Sunderland have had an oppor-
tunity of witnessing our success.—(Cheers.) I can as-
sure you, gentlemen, that during the progress of these
works I have felt the greatest anxiety for the result; but
I I have been sustained in all my anxieties by the kindly
feeling always evinced by my brother directors and the
inhabitants of the town towards me.--(Cheers.) What-
ever differences in political feeling may exist amongst us, I
am sure that there can be no difference of opinion relative
to the importance of the great work we have accomplished,
and no one can doubt that it is likely to prove must bee
neficial to the interests of the town and port of Sunder-
land.—(Cheers.) Ladies and Gentlemen, in carrying
out this great work by private enterprise, unaided by the
Government, we have set a noble example to the world.
—(Cheers.) While other nations, if they want to con-
struct a great national work, have to apply to their Go-
vernments for assistance, we have beenenabled
to com-
plete this dock by our own private enterprise, unaided
by any extraneous assistance whatever. (Cshee ers.) No-
thing astonishes foreigners more, and I know it from
having had considerable intercourse with them, than to
see the great, magnificent, and splendid works which in
this country are projected and carried out by private
enterprise; and there is none of those works of which
we have greater reason to be proud titan these docks,
the construction of which reflects the greatest credit on
your engineers, being at once ornamental, solid, and
useful. As I have said before, we have had considerable
difficulties to contend with, but knowing that we bad a
national work in hand, and that it must eventually
remunerate us for our outlay, we proceeded steadily in
one undeviating course, without looking either to the
right or the lett, and the result is, that we have so fir
accomplished our work as to be able to open the dock
this day—(Cheers)—and I am sure the day must be a
proud one, not only for us, but for the inhabitants of
Sunderland.—(Cheers.) It was observed by the gallant
officer who returned thauks for the navy (Captain Read,
R.N.), in an early part of our proceedings, that he was
glad to see that, instead of wasting your money in the
horrors of war, that you were now spending it in useful
works, which would remain as monuments of your
energy and your enterprise to after ages. And I am
sure that any
man has reason to Is el proud of the monu-
merit which we have raised by the construction of our
dock In tie present day we are essentially a travelling
people; but few in at home; and no doubt you have ail
seen the docks remain in other towns, and I ask you can-
didlywhether, in the course of your travels, you over saw