SUNDERLAND, a thriving municipal and parliamentary borough and sea-port, in the county of Durham, 13 m. n.e. of the city of that name, at the mouth of the Wear. The town may be said to be co-extensive with the parliamentary borough, and to include the suburbs of Bishop-Wearmouth on the s. bank, and Monk-Wearmouth and Southwick on the n. bank of the river, connected with Sunderland proper by an iron bridge of one arch, 236 ft. long, and nearly.100 ft. above the river at low water. The bridge over the Wear was erected in 1796, but was repaired and widened in 1858 by Robert Stephenson 1q.v.), at the cost of about 140,000. Ou both sides of the river there are extensive wet docks, much of the area of which has been reclaimed from the sea, The harbor, which is defended by batteries, is formed by two great piers, one 650 yards and the other 590 yards in length; and the port is resorted to by vessels of the largest tonnage, from all commercial countries. In 1875, 3,169 vessels, of 820,137 tons, entered, and 8,908, of 2,177,128 tons cleared the port; in 1877, goods (chiefly coals) worth £706,611 were exported. After Newcastle, Sunderland is the greatest coal-shipping port in the world.
The sanitary condition of the town has been recently greatly improved; a large new infirmary was built in 1867, and in 1868 a spacious workmen's hall. Ship-building is one of the principal branches of industry. Glass, earthenware, ropes and chains, anchors, and other iron-wares, are very extensively manufactured. The public park of Sunder land, about 70 acres in extent, is adorned with a bronze statue of gen. sir Henry Have lock, a native of the town, and commands a fine view of the sea. The village of Roker, a mile from the town, is much resorted to for sea-bathing. Fishing is carried on to a considerable extent. Pop. of parliamentary borough, which returns two members to the house of commons (1871) 104,409; of municipal borough, 98,242.