SUNDERLAND, (Durham) 200 cm. 263 mm. from London, is a populous well-built port, (and a member of Newcastle) on the S.
side of the Were, where it falls into the German ocean, which at high-water almost surrounds it. 'Tis a Bor. with a fine
Ch. a Mt. on F. and has given title of Earl to the Spensers, (as it does now to the D. of Marlborough) ever since the R.
of Charles I. It has been greatly inriched by the coal-trade and its salt-pans, which, with the numbers of ships employed
in carrying not only coals and salt, but glass and other merchandize, to divers parts of the Km. as well as abroad, makes
it a fine nursery of seamen. But, though there have been several acts of Pt. to remedy it, the port is so barred up, that
ships are obliged to take in their lading in the open road; so that 'tis sometimes very dangerous for the keelmen that
bring down the coals, who are often left in venturing off to the ships, which are generally smaller than those of
Newcastle; but then they have this advantage of the Newcastle men, viz. that in case of a contrary wind, particularly at
N.E. which, though fair when at sea, yet suffers not the ships at Newcastle to get out of the Tine, the ships at
Sunderland riding in the open sea, are ready to sail as soon as they have got their lading; so that it has been known they
have gone away and delivered their coals at London, and got back again, before the ships at Shields, which were laden when
they departed, were able to get over the bar. There is abundance of able seamen here, who are reckoned among the colliers
the best in the country. As to the Sunderland coal, it is observed to burn slowly, to have much pyrites with it, and that
it turns to a heavy reddish cinder, which appears by the loadstone to be iron-ore. The late Ja. Salvin had a seat here.