Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 22.djvu/685

 S U N S U N 657 Massachusetts travelling, except from necessity or charity, is punish- able with a fine of ten dollars. Provision is sometimes made, as in the Massachusetts laws, for the benefit of persons observing Saturday as the Sabbath, on condition that they disturb no other person. The number of Sunday trains is often limited by State legislation. In some of the New England States Sunday is fro.ni sunset to sunset. In most States, however, it is reckoned, as in England, from midnight to midnight. By the constitution of the United States, art. I. s. 7, Sundays are to be excluded from the ten days allowed the president to return a Bill. A similar provision is often contained in State constitutions as to the return of a Bill by the governor. The United States legislation on the subject of Sunday is not important. It directs that naval and military studies are not to be pursued, and that the day is not to be reckoned in bankruptcy proceedings. ( J. W+. ) SUNDERLAND, a municipal and parliamentary borough, market town, and large seaport of Durham, England, is situated at the mouth of the river Wear and on the North- Eastern Railway, 12 miles south-east of Newcastle -on- Tyne and 77 north-north-west of York. The municipal borough includes, besides the township of Sunderland proper on the south bank of the river, the adjoining township of Bishopwearmouth, which embraces about three-fifths of the total inhabitants, and the township of Monkwearmouth, on the north bank of the river. Sunderland proper consists chiefly of the High Street and other streets near the docks. It is connected with Monkwearmouth by a cast-iron bridge, designed by Rowland Burdon, and consisting of one arch with a span of 236 feet and a height above low water of 100 feet. It was opened in 1796 and widened in 1858. The only ecclesiastical building of antiquarian interest is Plan of Sunderland. St Peter's church, Monkwearmouth, which still retains the tower with other portions of the ancient Saxon building attached to the monastery founded by Benedict Biscop in 674. The modern public buildings embrace the custom- house (1837), the Sunderland and North Durham Liberal club in the Ionic style (1839), the corporation offices, the workmen's hall, the new general market, the Victoria hall (1871), the assembly hall, and two theatres. The chari- table and benevolent institutions are numerous, including Gibson's almshouses (1725) for twelve poor persons, Bowe almshouses (1725), Trinity Church almshouses (1719, re- built in 1876) for eight aged poor, the marine almshouses (1820), the eye infirmary (1836), the sailors' home (1856), the orphan asylum (1853), the infirmary and dispensary (erected in 1868 and extended in 1882), and the blind institute, for which a new building has recently been erected. For the literary society and subscription library, originally founded in 1793, a new building was erected in 1877. The people's park at Bishopwearmouth, 17 acres in extent, contains a bronze statue of Sir Henry Havelock, who was born at Ford Hall in the neighbourhood. The park was lately increased by an addition of 10 acres, called the Extension Park, in which there is a statue of Alder- man Candlish, and a free library, museum, art gallery, and winter garden. Roker, on the north side of Sunderland, is a favourite bathing -place. The population of the municipal borough (area, 3306 acres) in 1871 was 98 242 and in 1881 it was 116,542 (males 57,131, females 59,411). The population of the parliamentary borough (area, 5130 acres) in the same years was 104,409 and 124,841 respectively. Much of the prosperity of Sunderland is due to the coal and limestone in the neighbourhood of the river Wear, of which it is the port. Its export of coal began in the reign of Henry VII the trade being principally with London and the western coasts of J^ngland, although large quantities were also shipped to Holland France, and other parts of the Continent. The coal trade is still ot great importance, and the Monkwearmouth colliery is one of the deepest coal-pits in the world, 381 fathoms. Sunderland vies with the Clyde for its iron shipbuilding. The number of iron ships built in 1885 was 31 with a tonnage of 30,520 for home and 2 with a tonnage of 1255 for foreigners ; of steel ships, 9 with a tonnage of 8099 for home and 3 with a tonnage of 3635 for foreigners. Along both banks of the Wear numerous extensive works of various kinds are situated, including anchor and chain cable works, glass and bottle works, roperies, forges, iron-works, chemical works, paper-mills, breweries, and lime-kilns. The modern prosperity of the town has been largely promoted by the enterprise of George Hudson, the "railway king." The conservation of the port is vested in the Wear commissioners, to whose care the South Dock was transferred by the Wear Navigation and Sunderland Dock Act of 1859. Under their auspices great extensions and im- provements have been made, and there are now three large deep- water docks, embracing a total area of 43 acres, viz., Hudson dock north (18), Hudson dock south (14), and Hendon dock (11). Monk- wearmouth dock, 6 acres in extent and the property of the railway company, is chiefly used for the export of coal. New piers over half a mile in length are now (1887) being erected. The average annual value of the imports of foreign and colonial merchandise for the five years ending 1886 was a little over 700,000, and of the exports of produce of the United Kingdom a little over 600,000. The coasting trade, in regard to which specific details are wanting, is, however, more important. The total number of British and foreign vessels, sailing and steam, that entered the port of Sunder- land with cargoes or in ballast from foreign countries, British possessions, and coastwise in 1876 was 9708 of 2,329,576 tons and in 1885 9451 of 2,764,174 tons. The numbers that cleared in the same years were respectively 9430 of 2,357,430 tons and 9419 of 2,824,218 tons. The early history of the borough is associated with Monkwear- mouth, which existed long before the town on the other side of the river, and had its origin in a convent which was founded by St Bega in the 7th century and converted into a monastery for Benedictines by Biscop in 674. Bede was born at Wearmouth in 673, and in his seventh year was placed under the charge of Biscop. The monastery was reconstituted as a cell of Durham in 1084. About the close of the 12th century the inhabitants of Sunderland received from Bishop Pudsey a charter of free customs and privi- leges similar to those of Newcastle-on-Tyne. In 1634 the town was incorporated under the title of "mayor, aldermen, and com- monalty, " with the privilege of holding a market and annual fairs. In the preamble of the charter it is stated to have been a borough from time immemorial under the name of New Monkwearmouth, and to have been in the enjoyment of various liberties and free customs conferred by the bishops of Durham. Under a special Act in 1851 the town council was constituted the urban sanitary authority. Extensive drainage works have been carried out, as well as important street improvements. Sunderland has returned two members to the House of Commons since 1832. A large number of Scotch families settled in the town in 1640 and gave a considerable impulse to its trade. During the Civil War the in- habitants embraced the cause of the Parliament, while the neigh- bouring Newcastle held out for the king for two years. The Scottish army under Leslie, earl of Leven, entered Sunderland on 4th March 1644, and the king's forces followed them ; but no en- gagement took place beyond desultory firing. SUNDERLAND, ROBERT SPENCER, SECOND EARL 01 (1640-1702), was the eldest son of Henry, the first earl, and Lady Dorothy Sidney, eldest daughter of Robert, second earl of Leicester. He was born in 1640 and suc- ceeded his father (who was killed at Newbury) in the title on 20th September 1643. During the years 1671-73 he acted as ambassador at Madrid, Paris, and Cologne con- secutively, and in 1678 went to Paris as ambassador XXII. 83