The Cambrian

+ The splendid triumphs and grand pageantries which live for us on the pages of Ancient History are chiefly those of War. The King, himself the strongest of arm or the cunningest of head, led forth his people to battle, and, after devastating fair expanses of country, and conquering in the decisive fight, he brought his wretched captives home in chains, and celebrated his return with trium- phant processions and music and festivity. The lust of conquest and the terrible game of bloody war linger with us still, unfortunately, and make their brazen voices heard and their sharp sword felt only too frequently but the distinctive celebrations of Modern History are not the successes of arms, but the triumphs of TRADE. Commerce is now the golden image that doth bestride the narrow world like a Colossus; and we petty men walk under his huge legs, and peep about to find ourselves"- some honourable gain! It is true that the regal office still has power and reverence, that rank has its due respect, and arms their use and honour art its meed of praise, and erudition its high esti- mation but Trade has outstripped all its compeer occupations, and now stands, like Saul among his brethren, head and shoulders above the Professions -in force more powerful, in material riches more opulent, in civic regard more honoured than they. Of Trade it may be said, as of Goldsmith's Madame Blaise:— "The King himself hath followed her When she hath walked before!" Nobility, the most ancient in line and bluest of blood, has not scrupled to sell its parks for the trader's gold, nor disdained to share in the profits of those grimy mines and factories which have so disfigured the fair face of our country. By their devotion to Trade, the middle classes have increased in knowledge, in possessions, and in political influ- ence, until now they form the backbone of the nation, and, for good or ill, direct its destinies. Through the many ramifying influences of Trade the masses of the people are manumitted from villeinage, and indulged in hitherto unknown exer- cises of liberty; while the strong, the ingenious, and the determined members of their class may metamorphose themselves, by a truer magic than that of the Arabian Nights, from fusee-vendors into merchant princes, from wayside Dick Whittingtons into Lord Mayors of London. In commerce more than in any other walk is it true that- There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune: Omitted, all the voyage of their life la bound in shallows and in miseries. And what is true of individuals is equally true of communities and of nations. The Phoenicians are the typical traders of the ancient times. Their fleets traversed the Central Sea, Passed t^nf^e Pillars of Hercules, and took home even the tin from Britian; while Tyre and Sidon, their capital cities were enriched with the varied produce of the cities, we Phoenicians were masters of the over- say unto Tyrus: f> thou art situate at the entry of the sea, Which art a merchant of the people for many 55 have made all thy ship boards of fir trees of Semr They have taken cedars from Lebanon to make masts for nt theS of Bashan have they made thy oars. The company of the Ashuriteshav made thy benches Brought out of the Jlea/J}™m Egypt, Pine linen with broidere forth to thy sail. Thy wise men, O lyrus, tnat were All the^ships of the sea with their mariners were m thee to occupy thy merchandise." history 'of Greece is chiefly ot a vharacter. The grandeur of Rome, too, warlike iCharacte martiaf conjust) so that Trade, i one of the arts of peace, reached no which is one oi Javs ^ut even then great somewhat superstitious there were Rallanl.thoui„ p<>llui shipmeu, of these Twins of Jove, their saving Dieties. Shelley sings.— earth-born mortals save, These are tne Powers who the wave, And ships, whose flight « sea When wintry tempests o er th K Are raging, and the sailors t,re £ 3 vow, Call on the Twins of Jove with pray Gathered in fear upon the lofty prow, And sacrifice with snow-white lambs. In the earlier portion of the Middle Arabs did much to extend the knowledg practice of commerce, but it did not take firm no of the western mind until the Italian Republics sprang into existence, and monopolised in their turn the passage of the seas. Conquering the natural difficulties of their situation on the lagunes of the Adriatic Sea, the Venetians rose by industry to the first importance as carriers and Genoa, Pisa, Florence, Ancona, and other States followed in their wake. With Republican constitution, and a citizenship which was at first easily accessible to all-comers, these States built up the wonderful fabric of their success and renown. Their merchants were potentates, their homes palaces, their influence was f5t. as far as the winds wafted their galleys. But tin came the enervating influence of luxury, I, „f „rl.A(fnnce resulting m destructive and the folly of arr°gan^ f;)^ous Italian Re_ wars and, then the stars < i Snanisb publics waned before the rising power ot the ispamsh and the Dutch The Elizabethan era m England w^ti^'ofawateningnotaW also for adventure and commeii..e, <. Talour with varying fortune, but always v English seamanship has given a go < position itself, and has now long stood m the pi 1 of dominating all the seas. Our piesen p compared with that of other nations is^ pet haps worth noticing here. A comparative s 0 merchant shipping for the year 1 7. following totals:—Tonnage of sailing vessels belonging to the United Kingdom, 4,100,000 tons; which is swelled by the tonnage of ships belonging to British possession, to 5,100,000 tons. The total tonnage of American ships in the same year was about 3,000,000 tons, and of French sailing vessels 800,000 tons. The total tonnage of English steam- ships in 1879 is returned as 2,800,000tons; American, 1,850,000, and French about 330,000 tons. The statistics of shipowning in our own locality are specially interesting. The figures are as follows Bristol, sailing ships 213; tonnage, 42,501 steamships, 60; tonnage, 19,672.—Cardiff, sailing ships, 79; tonnage, 20,273; steamships, 150; ton- nage, 70,129.—Newport, sailing ships, 83 tonnage, 16,259 steamships, 27 tonnage, 6,044.—Swansea, sailing ships, 226 tonnage, 75,504; steamships, 31; tonnage, 4,052. z7, ANCIENT SWANSEA AND ITS TRADE. Though the written history of our town does not extend so far back, we know perfectly well that her early inhabitants wore the Silures, a bold and brave tribe who, under their leader Caractacus, gave their con- querers no slight difficulty. But naked valour is no match for mailed discipline, and so the patriot savages fell under the yoke. In Roman writings the name of Nidtim (Neath) and Leucarum (Loughor) are preserved, they being stations on the Strata Julia, but though no verbal trace remains of the existence of a Roman settle- ment in the still more beautiful valley of the Tawe, it is certain from the number of coins, bricks, tiles, &c., which have been found in the neighbourhood of Foxhole and Oystermouth that the invincible Legions appreciated the scenic beauty of our district, and did not dislike the delicious oysters which were then so plentifully found in the bay. The name of Swansea is a relic of the Danish invasion, when one Sweyn, a bold sea rover made our Eye or Inlet his headquarters for depredations on the neighbouring coasts, and thus the place became Sweyn's-eye. Its peculiar fitness for maritime adventure was thus early conceded. The oldest Welsh name of the town is Caer Gwyr, or the stronghold of Gowerland, but the werd Abertawe, or the mouth of the River Tawe, came early into use and remains to this day. The earliest date at which the existence of our castle can be affirmed positively, is about the close of the 11th century, when the territory was stolen by Henry Beauchamp de Newburgh from the Welsh house of ab Jestyn. Swansea was even then the key" to the fair Peninsula of Gower, and it is only a natural in- ference that even in those days :— Over the sea our galleys went With cleaving prows in order brave, To a speeding wind and a bounding wave, A gallant arrmment: Each bark built out of a forest tree To bear the playful billows' game." At any rate, it is beyond dispute that in 1305-that is to say, quite respectably far back in the Middle Ages— Swansea was a place of some importance from a mari- time point of view. Provision is distinctly made in the Charter granted to the Burgesses by the Lord-Marcher of that year for a supply from his woods of oak wood for building and repairing their ships and boats." They had further permission to make out of his Lord- ship's woods "four great ships or fewer, together or successively," and as many boats as they will, able to carry 20 casks of wine or less, paying us and our hoirs for every new built ship or boat 12d." Then follows this curious restriction on shipping property:—" But they ought not to give or sell the said ships or boats to any stranger except in case of necessity, when in foreign parts they shall have suffered any misfortune, or shall be reduced to poverty, and have not where- withal to relieve their wants, in which case, if their neighbours shall have refused to buy, they may sell to whomsoever they will." Making a great skip of nearly 250 years, from the time of King John to that of the Commonwealth, we find that Cromwell, in his first Charter, says—" Our Towne of Swansey, in our County of Glamorgan, within our dominions of Wales, is an auntiente Porte Towne and populous, scituate on the sea coast towards Ffrance, convenient for shipping and resisting Fforraigne Invasions, and tyme out of mynde hath been a. Towne Corporate." Further on, consider- able powers are granted to the Burgesses to levy taxes for walls, bulwarks, and sea bancks." From the time of Cromwell to the year 1791, nothing appears to have been done. The excellent Charters of the Protector were set aside by the restored Stuart, Charles II. From the dignity of Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses" our Corporation fell back into the old style of the "Portreeve, Aldermen, and Burgesses and, with loss of dignity came, as is too often the case, loss of energy. We find nothing of interest recorded with regard to the port of Swansea for the next 100 years. The Portreeve, no doubt, attended to the duties of the Corporation and of the Harbour; the Layer-keeper enjoyed a goodly salary through the Court Leet for seeing that the mud in the river-bottom was nice and soft for the ship bottoms that rested upon it; and the Ale-taster of the borough tested all the local brewings. But in 1791, the Swansea Harbour came into existence for the purposes of erecting a lighthouse to replace the old coal fire beacon on the Mumbles Head, and generally to improve the Harbour. Now considering that the very first dock created in the United Kingdom for commercial purposes, namely the now filled-up Old Dock at Liverpool, was not constructed earlier than 1708, the Swansea people were not so very far behind them in getting powers and means of improving our own Harbour. London pos- sessed no commercial docks until the first decade of the present century, the London Docks at Wapping being the first, which was created between the years 1801 and 1805. By way of succinctly setting forth the constitution and past work of the Swansea Harbour Trustees, we quote from The official Guide and Handbook to Swansea and its district," by Mr. S. C. Gamwell, which states that the Trustees are partly ex-officio, partly proprie- tory and partly elected from the Town Council. The Duke of Beaufort and the Earl of Jersey, the one being Lord of the Manor of Swansea and the other owner of the Briton Ferry Estate, are proprietory trustees. The capital invested iJl. the Harbour is for the most part the investment of small capitalists in the immediate dis- trict. It is secured to them by bonds, and interest at 4, per cent. per annum is paid half-yearly. The trustees are possessed of no less than 16 separate Acts of Parliament, among which are the following:- For repairing, enlarging, and preserving the Harbour of Swansea and appointing Truatees therefor, 1791 for amending the former Act, and for Improving the Humbles Light in Swansea Bay, 1796 for amending and enlarging the powers granted by the two former Acts, 180t for placing the Humbles Light under the control of the Trinity Board, 1834 for altering and amending the Swansea Harbour Act (1836), 1844 for con- structing and maintaining floating docks on the south side of the town of Swansea, 1847; for amending the former Acts re- lating to the Ports and Harbour of Swansea, 1847 for repeal- ing all the former Acts, and for the Conservancy and further improvement of Swansea Harbour, 1854 for arranging the capi- tal of the South Pock Company, 1855 for transferring the Swansea Docks to the Harbour Trustees, and authorising the construction of Harbour Railways, 18 7 extension of time for completion of works, 1859 and 1860 for raising a further sum of money for necessary works in the Port of Swansea, 1861; for raising money, leasing the harbour wharves and railroad to the Yale of Neath Railway Company, and authorising narrow jruage railways, 1862 for the construction of additional works, raiding further monevs, and other purposes, 1865 for the com- pletion of additional works, for the raising of fnrther moneys, .1c., 1866. Their j urisdiction extends over the whole of the docks harbour railways, and most of the shipping interests of the place, and they have spent upwards of £100,00 in productive works, which yield no direct interest. Their income his grown within the last 28 years from £ 5,000 to £60000 and is still increasing. The gross income on the total debt is equal to 9.16 per cent or nearly 1 r>er cent more than in the case of Liverpool. com- pared with the sister ports of Cardiff and Newport Swansea shows the greatest amount m proportion to the ome area of floating accommodation. The port has for some time suffered for want of deeper water^ichwill supplied by the creation of the new East Docks. This undertaking is backed up by the Great Western Rail- way and the Midland Railway Companies, and the Swansea Corporation, who have leased wharfage for £ years at a rental of nearly £ 13,000 per annum <■ ft is not so generally known as it might and should be that, of the 15 largest ports m the Kingdom, the norts of the Bristol Channel are by far the cheapest, and of these the ships' telegraph and signal station es- tablished last year at the Mumbles Lightnouse enables the shipowner to make his choice immediately his vessel ? "+L Channel Swansea is the first port m the enters the miles from the natural harbour of Channel only 35 ca„ fi„d ,,ood „d aM. r fwtaraeB under the Mnmlfe Itod at any state tered a1™agMost vessels coming from abroad pass of the tide. | which Swansea is nearer by 25 nauti- Lundy Island- t and by 35 miles than Newport, ca^^ than Car tw0 auci eyen three tides by trading to Swansea. possible convenience •T" Having deep water ana eve je>i ^oitoredj gwansea for large steam-ships, and casualties. Cargoes offers great immunity 1 warehoused, or for- of every description are la^ ^itioll and from the warded by railway with great e^pccliuo docks, quays, and warehouse. Metro. rapid railway communication to ai t +iiron(rhout the polis and the manufacturing distriu „11(? from the Kingdom. Communication also exists to angioma tne Continent by large steam vessels, and fro > Bristol, Glasgow, Liverpool London, and Be most daily. There are extensive bonded and free ware houses adjacent to the Dock quays for the reception and manipulation of every description of merchandise, including tobacco and cigars and there are large vaults for wines and spirits under the warehouses also sheds approved by H.M. Customs for cargoes in transit. For the grain trade there is excellent warehouse accommo- dation with every facility for quick deliveries to carts I or railway and to vessels, either direct from the im- porting ship or from the warehouses. There are al- ready seven large dry docks, and others in contempla- tion, with all other necessarv appurtenances, including powerful shears for lifting "masts, boilers, and heavy machinery." — PORT TENNANT HARBOUR. Attempts wero made at an early date by the Tennant family, who were then, and are now the owners of the land to the eastward of Fabian's Bay. The formation of the line canal which connects Swansea with Neath was commenced in 1789, by Mr. H. T. Tennant, who connected it with the Neath River at Bntonferry. That junction was altered in 1824, when its upper e'l course was diverted to Aberdylais, which necessitated the construction of a hue aqueduct of 13 arches across the River Neath. A tidal dock was cut and wharfed, and a considerable trade was done here with the smaller class of ships. This was clearly the embryo of the present floating dock. On this subject Mr. C. C. Tennant writes :— The dock on the present site was originally planned by Mr. George Tennant, of Cadoxton Lodge, Neath, as far back as 1823, and though unable to carry out his valuable design of a floating dock, Port Tennant long remained a memorial of his enterprise and energy. The east end of this New Dock, known as the Tennant Wharf, now represents all that survives of his original design." THE FLOATING HARBOUR AND NORTH DOCK. Though a considerable import and export trade appears to have existed in Swansea time out of mind, it is only within comparatively recent years tnat any- thing was done to improve the natural conveniences of the place, and to take advantage of ^es^en<l1(J geographical position of the port. There are those still living who remember when every vessel, of whatever burden, that came to Swansea, had to lie on the soft mud in the river bed or in the natural tidal basin of Fabian's Bay, and when the layerage dues of 4d per ship were levied by the layer-keeper, an officer which the Lord of the Manor appointed by the Leet Court. Even so recently as the year 1824, a writer in The Cambrian says, with all the advantages which Swansea possesses there is not a single dock nor arc there the means of floating even a barge, whilst tne tide is out although it »,„8t be Parliament for the improvement of the Harbour of Swansea, was obtained in 1791 It Act for repairing, enlarging, and pres ,■/ hour of Swansea in the County of ^lal?°V °,h professes to be "for th«^n|feir°ships or vessels t £ thi. Act certain whom were nominated on accoun +ll„:r cia] situation, eighteen h, called Piopnetaiy .-11 these Trustees and the_ Corporation powers of the Act were carried thnr inferior officers tne powcinw O.r!,r,+O,q into execution, and further powe harbour dues bv subsequent Acts of Parliament 'Hie harbo Uies raised under the first Act, ^flVuT-pence per ton, and these by subsequen » imr)rove- but to be reduced as the debt ere discharged • this mcnts which have been made shi1U be disc^iged ttas debt then amounted to £ 23,646 on debentuies cariymg ^'The* first' historical record which ,e have of§ any attempt being.made adjuncts for the Swansea Hai Institution interesting volume presented to tne y of South Wales, by Geo. Grant Francis. Esq., ^A. It contains a series of reports to which is Improvement of the Harbour ^VKhburv-Terrace fiZ Captain Huddart^ dated 27th September, 1794, addressea, Harbour shewing his plan for the Improvement of the Harbour of Swansea." An extract from this document istothe following effect; "Captain Jos.eph » report in 1794 to the Trustees for the Improvement of the Harbour of Swansea, under an Act passed in the year 1791, enabling them to levy a toll of two-pence per ton registered measure, to huild piers, to deepen the channel, together with several other powers. Capt. Huddart having, during his stay at Swansea, collected all the information in his power, and having taken such measurements, angles and levels, as to enable him to form a general idea of the harbour, especially the outer one, proceeds thus Upon lowering the bar and in- creasing the depth of water into the harbour of Swansea depends the principal object of improvement; for in its present state, great detention must accrue to ships of burthen. On the 5th August, 1794, I found only 8 feet of water in the harbour; and on the evening of the 31st of July, a vessel of about 13 feet draft of water in sailing out of the harbour grounded upon the bar, where she remained until the 10th of August, when the tides rose to take her off and every ship in the harbour, loaded to that draft of water, and ready to sail at the time, must suffer the same detention. Under such consideration, having attended to the drift of the shores from the effects of the sea, in the bay of Swansea, I give it as my opinion that the water cannot be ma- terially deepened in the western channel without a continual expense attending it, from its being liable to be filled up from the effects of the sea, until the works or piers are extended further out to seaward on both sides of the channel. Under this consideration I have laid down a plan for an outer harbour, in which I have represented the works or piers which will be ne- cessary to secure the outer harbour and render the deepening effectual. I shall distinguish those piers by the names of western and eastern piers, according to their situation of the entrance into the harbour-the first extending from Black Pomt-the latter from Salthouse Point. They are extensive from the nature of the bay, and will require a large sum to complete them; but when done will very es- sentially remove the inconveniences that the trade labours under at present. In laying down those piers, I have kept in view four principal objects, viz the depth of the water to be acquired; the stilling of the outer haven in gales of wind; the convenience for ships in sailing in and out of the harbour in various winds and weather, and the expense attending the erection of the same. Respecting the water to be acquired, my opinion is that, when once the channel or bed of the river is deepened to the depth mentioned, that it will continue so long as the tide is suffered to flow up the river as at present, it being sufficient to clear away the silt from the bed of the channel, and the stilling of the harbour will prevent the sea from bringing in any heavier materials from the ends of the piers. Should the river be embanked for a floating dock, it will be necessary to clear away the silt out of the channel, which the sea will deposit in the outer harbour; for though the harbour of Swansea will not be so liable to silt as many others, from the strength of the tide in the Severn being thrown off by the Mumbles and Nass points, yet in fresh gales, the sea being impregnated with mud, will deposit it in the harbour, and require a current to clean it out of the channels. The fall of the intended piers is 4 feet 6 inches, and this increase of water may be expected, making in the ferry pool 12 feet 9 inches at the lowest tides, or 21 feet 9 inches in the spring tides, equal with what the ground is now be- tween the ends of the intended piers. The contraction of the entrance between the east and west piers will increase the current and depth of water between them, and I have no doubt of securing about 20 or 30 inches of water more, or 14 feet 6 inches at the lowest tides for ships to sail or arrive in safety, and which will ad- mit a collier of 300 tons, if properlv constructed for the trade, and this will allow a fall of about 2 feet from the Ferry Pool to the pier heads, which will be sufficient to keep the passage clear. The report in question then sets out the expenditure for the construction of the western pier as the first in- stalment of the work. It proposed borrowing £ 7,000, the interest of which was £ 350 per annum; the expense of ballast, about £ 350; loss by the Mumbles light, £ 100; supposed salaries £100; the outgoings per an num being £900, which sum of £ 900 is about equal (says the report in question) to the revenue of the har- bour, collected by a rate of two pence per ton upon the whole shipping. Capt Huddart then recommends that a duty of sixpence per ton be levied upon the shipping according to register. g Upon the presentation of the report of Captain Hud- dart, of which the above is an abstract, a series of meetings appears to have been held for the pnrpose of endeavouring to give effect thereto. At a meeting of the Trustees held on Monday, the 8th day of August, 1803 at the Guildhall, it was resolved-" That it appears to this meeting that the present tolls are inadequate with the payment of interest and the completion of the im- provements of the Harbour—that without the further aid of Parliament the above objects cannot be obtained. And on the 17th day of August, 1803, it was resolved —"That application be made to Parliament at the ensuing session for power to increase the tolls and it is further resolved, that, it is the unanimous opinion of this meeting that the further improvement of the harbour cannot be carried into effect better than by following the advice of Captain Joseph Huddart." Captain Huddart made a second report on the same subjcct, (substantially abiding, however, by his first report), on the 11th of May, 1804; but no steps appear to have been adopted to give practical effect to this report for several years. In January, 1824, we find, published in The Cambrian, the following PROSPECTUS FOR PROPOSED DOCKS AT SWANSEA. "The Docks may be of any required dimensions;- those now proposed are as follows :— "Fir8t.-A Dock 300 yards in length on the North side of the New Canal, and to communicate therewith by a stop-gate. This Dock to be at the distance of 60 yards from the Canal, and to run parallel therewith. The Wharfs may range on both sides (as each will be Lnally accessible), for its whole length,—each Wharf eo yari in depth. Centre of the Dock 40 yards wide, slightly reduced towards each end, so as to give each wall the form of an arch. Secoii'I.—Another Dock on the South side of the Canal, and also parallel therewith, of similar shape, but not quite so wide as that to the North—distance from the Canal 40 yards. Wharfs to range on both sides as in the former case, and equally accessible. "Thus there may be a frontage for Wharfs of 1200 yards, with a depth of from 60 to 40 yards and there will be water in each Dock, from 30 feet to any less depth. Ordinary spring tides rise to within two feet, extra- ordinary tides to within a few inches, of the surface of the Canal, and they have now and then risen to the towing-path. The land 011 the north, through ten miles of country, inclines towards the Canal, and many streams and springs necessarily flow into it, so that it can never want water. "The water in each Dock may,_ when required, be can never want water. can never want water. "The water in each Dock may,_ when required, be level with that of the Canal; and, if necessary, a com- munication for vessels might be made between them, by crossing the Canal; but each will have access to the sea by a separate gate. "Ship-building and graving-docks may be easily added; and timber may be had in abundance, with water carriage through 40 miles along the country where it is produced. "The flat ground adjoining the Docks contains ample space for all sorts of buildings, and conveniences appli- cable to trade and the rising ground behind, sheltered from the north and east winds, commands Swansea bay and Mumbles point and light-house, with the finest scenery in South Wales. a, -n If this proposal meets with suitable encouragement, the proprietor of the land will grant long leases of the wharfs at nominal rents, for moderate fines, or at reason- able rack rents—and undertake to employ the money thus to be raised, or so much thereof as shall be neces- sary, in finishing the Docks, without any additional charge on the trader for entering them the first ap- plicants will have the first choice of situation. Other grants of adjoining lands may be obtained for building purposes. GEORGE TENNANT." Cadoxton Lodge, Neath, lOtli January, 1824." ^Vith regard to the breadth of these Docks, and other circumstances for the convenience of trade, these will be left to the judgment of the most scientific and ex- perienced engineers and nautical men-the above Prospectus having been formed from general impressions only. ° These publications having produced in Swansea and its neighbourhood strong sensations, with impressions highly favorable to the writer s views, and the Harbour Trustees, as well as the traders generally, having with great courtesy cheered his labours, his next step ap- proached still nearer the mark, for on the 30th January last he made, through The Cambrian of that day, the following specific Proposals: "THE NEW DOCKS AT SWANSEA. Leases for Nin»iu-ninc Years, may be had of the Wharfs "front.inq the proposed Bocks, on the following Terms Until the Docks shall have been inclosed by gates, and accessible by ships-a pepper-corn rent I From that time, a clear rent of one shilling per annum for every square yard of the surface of the Wharfs—or, a fine equivalent to twenty years pur- chase on such rpnt The Lessee may select as much or as little of the land for Wharfs as he may think fit, provided the lots be separated from each other by parallel lines Substantial WTharf Walls will be built and kept m reP<a^ at the lessor's expense.. The most northern of the two Docks will be finished Wlth all convenient speed, so soon as £ 800 per annum, or upwards, shall be secured to the proprietor m rent, °r<«T^ereRt on premiums. w, the sake of distinction, the allotments for Wharfs may he considered as numbered from east to ^•est beginning at the north side of the northern Dock Parallel linea may be supposed at the distance of ten yards from each other, and thus the space on each side into th Proposed Dock, 300 yards in length, will be cut mto thlrty al t and No. 31 being placed at the wfifr* end of the south side, each portion of the whole will be easily defined by numbers from No. 1 to No. 60; --as for instance No. 1 to 5 inclusive will precisely ae&ne a Wharf of 50 yards front by 60 yards m depth, an<< local situation. i the statement which has now been published oulcl induce a sufficient number of gentlemen,interested in the trade of Swansea, to contribute their aid towards tne success of the Docks, by offers to take Wharfs on 1 terms now proposed (and no reduction is contem- thsi the rent as stated), they will best effect n *r °"ject by making speedy tenders.—If the required therri su°h tenders be made, the parties making mitt Wi^ ^6 requested to form themselves into a Com- at thi laying out public roads (which will be formed tio-n # ess°r' s expence, and excluded from the calcula- resn Jent), and for suggesting such general regulations int the Docks as will best promote the general terests of trade; from which such a form of Lease lessee framed as will secure these objects to the th If^ny individuals, contemplating the future use of tnese Docks and Wharfs should postpone their applica- 'nfuntil these preliminary points shall have been rent f is hoped they will not be disappointed if the of those Wharfs which may remain undisposed of, ConcernaSed with the improving prospects of the Bridge^01"8 may be made t0 Mr' WARING' °f Neath TINNANT." Cadoxton-Lodge, Neath, 30th Jan., 1824." evSeSth8ta»ding the issZ~oi this prospectus and the favourable way in which the question of pro- Ind W,°cks was regarded by the ^principal merchants effect « No practical steps to carry the same into years SPears> to have been taken for some two or three revivorf ards. The subject was agair^ however, revived m th 182? when we find Mr. Thomas C/on*Ve»»tai fto follows report to Arustees of the Port MR- TSLFORD'S RSPORT ON THI IMPROVBMBNT OT SWANSIA HARBOUR. datedSly to the Resolutions of the Harbour Trustees the sevZ 1 of January last, I have carefully considered maturl documents you have transmitted, and, after i am enabled to state Bin«,l« i4 the Harbour of Swansea is m my opinion, conWf y,Wo11 situated for being rendered capricious, tuaUv B N and safe; but that this can only be effec- harbont'^c°mPlished by converting both the river and and vet mto floats, totally independent of each other, 2 TT 80 as to be occasionally connected. how +vPon the large plan, I have, by red lines, shewn limiterffl l>e done; that is to say, by forming a embr 0a,t of the present river channel, which shall ace the whole of the present establishments along the town shore this to have two locks, with three pair s eaoh at the lower entrance, m order each to either Si, o, two vessel. »t time. »l»o on. l<x*. be fee cUl W of course, 3.A.6nto communicate with this^ throuffh Mr. Pocklit n,avi!?able channel shouid b rhor'S0^ land, of the f^ntfbesufficTent to pass off th'e 0.5 °f a breadth that w considerable distancf lati6Ht l £ fd Pi?ance'to the ship float, there shmli^ iW "PPer dimensions to pass the vessol )G a lock of to ffo to the Works on the un^f Whicl1 have °?° Attlched to this lock, there s>L,r 1 river.. an(j the remaining Part 0f thi "v, a set,of occupied by a stone weir or overfalf £ adth H the lock and draw-sluices, the rfjfibb9a; andthU also +1 a<J ^r°ught along the through the town of SwtnSf ,the mail should there shoukl be one draw- Se o f?F this Purp°+\efi new river channel, and a swivel-hrhW1Cted 'Th lock There being thus two entrant nPon ea f ° Gnrious interruption would be pim 1 tho vessels, no s town 0f Hull, which I have l*1 f °i intercourse- quite encompassed 5 it. + stud harbour ■raproveS^fflfb" oS'tabM™™ 6 mana?°ment. ys or works in the iuteri aVe not shewn any new quays or w.orks in the interior of et?0t l^floXSuse Loh will be left in Jteir present^tatelor^naybe altered by individuals, as J^lities may require. n of th0 new river From the lower term means of slag banks, be Pnri?i e ehbing tide ma^! rt^,|er."heads. By artifi- oinl on.1u°ted right between P might be lowered some^o'+ is P™1,ahle ^Jthin «T pier-heads will u* 4- Jhese operations # were sur- pass'fhnt Q°W harl,0^Ve the maU ooach would pass Whether SM0NTRACTOR' experienced in th.BOOM the nature of the foundation for the locks, &c.; also to learn where proper materials can be had and, after having procured satisfactory data, furnish a correct estimate of the expense for "which' he will execute the several -e works here described, and shewn upon the map. For this purpose I recommend Mr. John Cargill, who is no.v employed in building a new bridge upon the river Severn, at the city of Gloucester. He constructed all the locks upon the eastern portion of the Caledonian Canal, much to my satisfaction, and, from thirty years' experience, I am justified in declaring him well qualified to afford the Trustees all necessary information, and to perform what we may undertake. „ THOS. TELFORD. London, 5th Feb., 1827. Notwithstanding this report of Mr. Telford, the vital importance of the question, and the anxious solicitude of the merchants and traders to take some practical steps to encourage and foster the trade, the subject appears to have remained in abeyance for some time, until we find on the 13th January, 1831, the late Mr. J. H. Vivian, M.P., wrote a most important letter to the Trustees of the Swansea Harbour on plans proposed for converting the river into a float, in which he said the plans proposed for forming a floating harbour mav be arranged under three heads 1st. To float the whole river, by placing gates or locks at the Ferry-pool, and making a side cut for the escape of tHe waste water second, to form a navigable cut through Mr. Pockling- ton's ground, and thus to convert the present line of the river opposite the town into a floating basin third, to float the whole line of the river, dividing it into an upper and lower float; the upper float to communicate with a navigable cut through Mr. Pocklington's land the lower float to be separated from the upper by a single lock, and to communicate with the outer harbour through a double lock near the Ferry-pool. Cogently reasoning with respect to each of these projects, Mr. Vivian at length gives a decided preference to the third plan, which, he says, appears to me to combine all the advantages that can be wished for or that are attainable." This letter was most favourably received, and was the means of again directing the attention of the Harbour Trustees and the public to the importance and necessity of improving the harbour. Severa] eminent engineers had also reported on the subject, and on the 9tli of March, 1831, a committee of the Harbour Trustees, which had been appointed for the pur- pose of embodying in one report the several com- munications that had been received by the Trust, on this subject, concluded their report by saying "a t remedy for all the defects under which the port now labours is a Floating Harbour, and a de- cided preference is given by those connected with the trade of Swansea to Mr. Talford's plan, of an Upper and Lower Float, and a navigable Cut through Mr. Pocklington's land. This plan of Mr. Telford seems to have been a slight modification of that of Mr. J. H. Vivian but for some reason or other, it does not then appear to have been adopted, for on the 23rd of April, 1831, the Trustees of the Harbour inserted an advertise- ment in The Cambrian newspaper, offering a premium of 200 guineas for a plan that may be approved of for establishing a floating harbour in the port of Swansea, which may tend to promote the trade and welfare of the town." The plan which subsequently met with the approval of the Trustees appears to have been that of Mr. Jesse Hartley, of Liverpool, for we find that at a meeting of the traders of the town of Swansea, held in the new Town Hall, on the 11th day of January, 1832, agreeably to a request of the Harbour Trustees, it was resolved, That it appears to this meeting, after mature consideration of the plan produced by Mr. Vivian, and recommended by Mr. Hartley, the interest and consequence of the port would be very consider- ably advanced by its completion they therefore beg to state that they are ready to contribute Cl,200 per annum, calculated on their present trade, towards the execution of the whole plan." Another resolution was also adopted to the effect that "it is the opinion of this meeting that an application be made to Parliament for a Bill for the further improvement of the Harbour, and that power should be taken to enable the Trustees to carry the whole plan into examination." The Bill for constructing and maintaining the floating of the river and what is now known as the North Docks, was obtained in the year 1836. This dock is really the old bed of the river locked and floated. In order to do this an entirely new channel had to be ex- cavated for the Tawe, which now runs through what is known as the New Cut. The water area of the North Dock is about 10^ acres, with a half-tide basin of about 21 acres, between which there is a lock 60 feet long and 56 feet wide. On the East side of the North Dock are the Duke of Beaufort's Dock and Warehouses-a sheet of water of one acre—surrounded on three sides by fine warehouses for the stowage of copper and other ores, grain, &c. Both sides of the river have spacious wharves and shipping yards and stages, whilst the Great Western Railway Company runs on high level arches, having some 10 or 12 coal drops or tips for the loading of vessels with the priceless black diamonds" of the Swansea and Neath Valleys, and other adjacent districts. The whole of the lock gates, cranes, hoists, drops, bridges, pumps, &c., are worked by powerful hydraulic machinery arranged round the dock. The whole mechanical arrangements being most complete. The works appear to have been several years in exe- cution, for we find the opening of the Float thus chronicled in The Cambrian of January 2, 1852, there being no public demonstration of any kind ;— We believe we correctly state the opinions of every one identified with the commerce of Swansea, when we say, that few places have suffered more from the absence of floating accommodation than this port. We trust such a stigma and so great a barrier to the future prosperity and progress of our town and trade will no longer be known amongst us. Yesterday wit- nessed the formal opening of the New Float; and, whilst it ushered in the commencement of a new year we hope will, at the same time, prove the commence- ment of a new era in our commercial history, signalized as it was by the opening of as fine a Dock of its size as will be seen in any port of the Kingdom. The event was celebrated in a very unostentatious manner-there was no roaring of cannon-no noisy demonstration, be- yond the waving of a few banners, and giving a few hearty rounds of cheering, in greeting the old Beresford, as she passed through the lock. Nevertheless, large numbers visited the Quay during tide-time, amongst whom were the Mayor, and several of the members of | the Corporation. The gates are massive, and works well. The lock is considered by all who have seen it to be a splendid piece of masonry Its length between the sills is 162 feet-breadth, 56 feet-considerably wider than th^Cardiff, wnust,fon of watet The extent of the whole Float, inclusive of the D^te rf bSSotT. Dock, i. eleven acre. The i„ w™ been two years m operation, under the superintendence of Mr. George Abernethy, and, without Vntion we believe it may be said they have been Carried on in a successful and truly workmanlike man- ner and remarkably free from anything in the shape of accident. We have thus then, at length, had a spa- cious Dock-may it soon be filled with "gallant barques THE SOUTH DOCKS. This was the second great commercial undertaking brought to a successful issue by the Harbour Trustees. It was not until the year, 1841, that any serious effort seemed to have been made to provide Swansea with better dock accommodation than it then possessed, although it had been long and urgently demanded by the merchants and shippers who saw the growing com- mercial importance of the place. We find from The Cambrian of the 23rd January, 1841, that a memorial was presented to Matthew Moggridge, Esq., then Mayor of Swansea, to the following effect:—" Wo the under- signed merchants, tradesmen and ratepayers within the old Municipal boundary of Swansea, respectfully request you to convene a public meeting of the inhabitants of this town for the purpose of considering the propriety of adopting measures to promote the construction of floating docks on the burrows." This requisition was signed by W. H. Smith, G. Byng Morris, Calvert R. Jones, jun.; Thomas Morgan, R.N.; George G. Bird, M.D.; J. R. Tripp and about two dozen of the other leading inhabitants. In compliance with the re- quisition, the Mayor convened the meeting at the Town Hall, for the 25th of January, and the following notice was thereupon issued;—It being proposed to apply to Parliament in the ensuing session for an Act for making and maintaining a railway from the pottery mill in the parish of St. John-juxta-Swansea, in the county of Glamorgan, to or near the Lougher Bridge, in the same county, with branches therefrom, and for making a doek at or near the Pottery Mill aforesaid and another dock on the Burrows in the town of Swansea, all parties feeling an interest in these proposed undertakings, are requested to meet at the Town Hall, Swansea, on Mon- my the 25th day of January, 1841, attwelve o'clock at noon-Matthew Moggidge, mayor." The meeting accordingly took place under the pre- sidency of the Mayor, Matthew Moggridge, Esq. The Council room was found too small for the accommoda- tion of the members who attended, and the meeting was adjourned to the large hall. The most prominent and powerful advocate of the scheme on that occasion was J. H. Vivian, Esq., M.P. for Swansea, (the father of our present highly respected County Member, H. H. Vivian, Esq.), who introduced the subject to the meet- ing at great length and considerable ability, and who was supported with singular unanimity by the leading interests of the town and neighbourhood and the fol- lowing resolution was proposed by W- H. Smith, Esq., and seconded by Dr. Bird-" That it is the unanimous opinion of this meeting that in order to place the port of Swansea in full, immediate, and successful compe- tition with the rival ports in the channel, it is absolutely necessary to construct a float or wet dock, which may be a safe and secure resort for steamers and other vessels of the largest class. And considering the geographical and other great natural advantages of this port, the staple articles which its llcig-hhourhood affords for trade, the manufactories adjacent, the mineral riches of the interior country, and the general enterprise of which it must shortly become the centre, it is apparent to this meeting that a float or wet dock will extend the trade and enrich the town and neigh- bourhood, by opening other sources and giving a new direction and aoility to its commcrce. And considering also that in the execution of such an undertaking, the great object to be kept in view should be public utility, so that it may produce the greatest degree of benefit to the trade of the port, and promote the welfare and prosperity of the town, this meeting higlily approves of, and pledges itself to support through Parliament that portion of the proposed Act for making a railway from Loughor Bridge to the Pottery Mill, which em- braces the construction of a float or wet dock on the Barrows." Carried with one dissentient. A cordial vote of thanks was also awarded by the meeting to J. H. Vivian, Esq., M.P., for the valuable information he has afforded this day, and for the warm interest he has evinced in promoting the prosperity of the town and district." Although it was thus almost unanimously determined to proceed to Parliament for the necessary powers to give due effect to the wishes and desires of merchants and traders as conveyed in their resolution at public meeting assembled, it was several years before the pro- ceedings assumed tangible shape, and it was not until the 5th of May, 1847, that the Bill went before the Parliamentarv Committee of the House of Commons. I In the interim The Swansea and Loughor Railway and Dock Company" was formed with a capital of £ 100,000 in shares of Eloo each. The provisional di- rectors were-John Henry Vivian, Esq., M.P. John Dillwyn Llewelyn, Esq.; Michael Williams, Esq. (High Sheriff); the Mayor of Swansea; Col. Cameron; Lewis Llewelyn Dillwyn, Esq; Christopher James, Esq.; Joseph Martin, Esq. Richard Aubrey, Esq. Michael Williams, Esq. and Edward Budd, Esq. Geo. Grant Francis was subsequently appointed secretary. The prospectus of this company stated :— This Company is formed, pursuant to resolutions adopted at a meeting of the inhabitants of the town of Swansea^ for the purposes of establishing railway communication between Swansea and Loughor and the Docks on the Burrows of Swansea, with the view of rendering available the extensive maiden coal district, lying between these places and adjacent to the pro- posed line of railway, with which object suitable branches from the main line are proposed for affording efficient wharfage accommodation to the trade of the Port of Swansea, together with the means of floating vessels not adapted for taking the ground bv the con- struction of floating docks on the property of the Cor- poration on the Burrows, capable of floating 18 ship- ping wharves each, being 90 feet of frontage with a depth of water sufficient for the accommodation of vessels of the largest size." Between the date of the public meeting, January, 1841, and the time the Swansea Dock Bill went before the Parliamentary committee in May, 1847, a good deal of valuable information was laid before the public, as to the scheme and importance of further dock ex- tension through the medium of the only newspaper then extant, The Cambrian. The middle-aged amongst us can well remember the the difficulties with which the South Dock undertaking had to struggle in its early stages, and the circum- stances which beset it throughout its entire progress. The very locality was a matter of sharp controversy, and the site of the present East Dock was even then pointed out as the natural spot for deep water docks. A loud and powerful voice was, however, raised to the effect that, with docks on the east side of the river the trade of the town would be diverted thither and the utter prostration of the town proper and the ruin of its tradesmen predicted. Such pleas, aided bv an influential party, carried the day, and the Act for the making of the dock, with the necessary adjuncts, machinery, &c., was obtained in the year* 1847. But it was nearly five years afterwards, viz., on the 26th of February, 1852, when (to use the language of the local historian of that date) the Head of the Ducal House of Beaufort, aided by the authorities and the inhabit- ants generally, raised from the lowly soil the first sod towards the construction of those basins of wealth on the South Burrows," the completion of which took seven long years to accomplish. Speaking of the event and the new epoch in commerce which it had ushered in, The Cambrian of that date says—" It is undoubtedly a period pregnant with hope to Swansea—it is the dawn of that brighter epoch which has presented no parallel in our local annals. The erection Iof those extensive Copper Smelting Establishments on the banks of the Tawe, which has given such a high status to this district-the construction of the Swansea and Port Tennant Canals-the opening of the South Wales Railway and the Vale of Neath Railway—and the formation of the Town Float-these were all of them, sui generis, large undertakings, and afford no mean exponent of the public spirit and laudable enterprise which characterised the conduct of their promoters; great and beneficial, however, as they were and still are, we deem the opening of the docks incomparably more important to us, as an industrial and commercial community, than any event that ever transpired in our midst. Adequate floating accommodation has been the crying want of the port for the last half century. As years rolled swiftly by, port after port almost distanced Swansea by being supplied with this great desideratum with its concomitant appliances. Railways were springing into existence around us, and bringing us into closer proximity with the leading towns of the country. With a more rapid and easy mode of transit, new combinations, social and commercial, were thereby evoked; and it soon became evident to some of our more enterprising and far-seeing townsmen that, if this port was to maintain its own, to keep pace with those higher up in the channel, to avail itself of the ad- vantages of a most favourable geographical position, it would be useless to attempt to do so without providing adequate floating accommodation." This was the great object of the Dock Company, but it is a matter of well-known local history that the original Dock Company entirely failed in their very laudable effort. It was indeed a red-letter day in the commercial development of Swansea when the Act of Par- liament was passed in 1857 for the transfer of the works of theJDock Company to the Harbour Trust; and the long suspended works was shortly afterwards vigorously pushed forward by the Trustees of the Swansea Harbour. The works having been completed, the new South Docks, the second great commercial undertaking of the Trustees, was opened with becoming ceremony on Friday, the 23rd day of September, 1859, by the Lord- Lieutenant of the County, C. R. M. Talbot, Esq. As this opened up another epoch in the history of the port, having to a great extent built up our present stability as a commercial and trading community, a brief des- cription of the works of those docks, and a general description of the opening ceremony will doubtless be acceptable to our readers. The works of the South Docks comprise a spacious trumpet-mouth entrance, a half-tide basin, an immense lock, an iron bridge, and an inner dock of sufficient area to allow some hundreds of ships to repose. The cost of the docks, when finally completed, was about £ 200,000. The Engineer-in-Chief was Mr. James Abernethy, C.E.; the Resident,Engineer, Mr. W. Neill. The contractors were Messrs. Tredwell, of London and Gloucester. The trumpet-mouth entrance is of very considerable extent, affording by its width ample room for the ingress and egress of vessels of the largest tonnage. The main entrance to the Swansea South Docks is no less than 70 feet across. The depth of water on the sill varies from 26 to 23 feet at spring tides to 16 feet at the lowest neaps. The half-tide basin of the South Docks is above four acres in extent, and, from its great breadth, conven- iently adapted for the purposes for which it is intended. Around the half-tide basin there are 1,600 feet of quay wall, along which have been inserted mooring rings. In the centre of the basin are two large buoys, attached to which are rings, for the safety of the shipping, and at each corner there are flights of steps for the convenience of landing. On the north side of the basin there is erected a shed measuring 300 feet in length for steamers; and for that purpose it will be divided into compartments. The most important and intricate part connected with the construction of floating docks is the lock. To ensure stability and to resist the pressure of the water, the stones are very very superior and of great solidity, whilst the masonry is of the first order. The stones used for the hollow quoin and sills are massive blocks of sienite, and what i« called greem stone, brought from the Firth of Forth. The lock was one of the then largest in the kingdom; it is 300 feet in length and 60 feet broad. It has three pair of gates, the intermediate ones being fixed for the purpose of facilitating the passage of small vessels and to prevent an unnecessary waste of water in lockage. The lock like the entrance is supplied with strong o -tans for facilitating the progress of vessels passing i > and out. These, together with the bridge, gates, mid unices for filling and emptying the interior of th<- 1 are all worked by hydraulic power. On then. "deof the lock there isanoctogon tower, about 60 i., high: it is called an accumulator, its object being to supply the hydraulic machinery with water pres-i- Near the accumulator is the engine-house, to the inner dock with water from the haF-ri 1p be The pump used is a centrifugal one, an1: h j pump 10,000 gallons per minute, the water i hich passes along the north ^ide of the lock thro p. e-foot culvert. The large dock contains a mag1 sheet of water, and is supplied with the most ap. I modern appli'. ances for loading and discharging sh" >« of all sizes. The additional floating accommohitio:' "Iliei hv thi,, dock alone is thirteen thirt.n acre extent. It is 363 feet wide, and has 4,800 feet of quay ,-all. The depth of water is 24 feet thro-,rho-iJ «n^'v.'h to Be at ships of large size and heavy i F.Hties for the discharge of oars, ball a ailord 1 by hy- draulic cranes discharging >eot i; ilway trucks