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Article CEREMONY OF OPENING WEARMOUTH BRIDGE; ← Page 9 of 11 →
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Ceremony Of Opening Wearmouth Bridge;
been retarded , and his occupation the exercise of arms ; when , under such disadvantages , this exquisite machinery has been erected Avit'h facility and dispatch—there can be but one general feeling , one general A'oice , to celebrate and appiaud all Avho have been the promoters of it : —Him , in chief , who first conceived it in possibility , an . I by whose public spirit and benevolent intention it was first set on foot ; thoseAVIIO btheir generous contributions have aided him in
, y his design ; the artist , Avhose extensive genius has contrived ; the mechanic , Avho has executed , so bold a plan ; and , lastly , the labourer , by whose urnvearied toil and persevering diligence the fabric has been so speedily completed . In contemplating the beauties of the work , where ain I to find Avoids to coiwey its adequate eulogium ? or how am I to distinguish ,
in appropriate terms , its different and peculiar excellences ? Am I to describe the awful boldness of its heig ht , the immensity of its span , the lightness of its texture , the simplicity of its' design , the elegance of its symmetry , the nicety of its proportions , or the harmony of all its parts ? Each affords matter for just commendation ; each is in itself a theme ; the wholecombineda matter of such
, , extent , that no ordinary ideas can Avell do justice to it ; and its perfect delineation , a task which ( though indebted to your indulgence and liberality on man }' occasions ) i dare not trust my poor abilities to perform . Examine it ! View it from your shores witk microscopic attention ! You see that firm ,- substantial , and realized , which
you thought had only existed on the fanciful canvas of the painter , or had been faintly conceived in the playful imagination of the poet . If I have found myself , Brethren , under difficulties in exhibiting the beauties of this structure , you will naturally believe I am no less at a loss for language to describe its useful properties . But I am relieved in this branch of the subjectby the recollection , that in
, my last address to you , 1 particularly selected for your attention topics of that nature . I need not speak to you of local advantages : those you must be sensible of . I need not comment on the facility afforded to the traveller in this line of your country ; nor dwell on the ease and safety now insured to all intercourse between the opposite and lofty banks of this dangerous and rapid river . Clouded
hitherto as such communication lias been by the loss of valuable relatives and much respected friends , allow me simply , therefore , to congratulate you on this rising source of wealth and prosperity to your town , and to offer my sincere wish and hope that you may reap from it all the comforts and conveniences for which it has been designed .
Brethren , the actions of great men have been treasured up and recorded in the ages of remotest antiquity . From our brave forefathers they Avere handed to their more immediate generations and from race to race they have been preserved , until they have successively reached to our times . We have before us their matchless courage , their warlike exploits , their heroic deeds . ' For these VOL . VII . II h
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Ceremony Of Opening Wearmouth Bridge;
been retarded , and his occupation the exercise of arms ; when , under such disadvantages , this exquisite machinery has been erected Avit'h facility and dispatch—there can be but one general feeling , one general A'oice , to celebrate and appiaud all Avho have been the promoters of it : —Him , in chief , who first conceived it in possibility , an . I by whose public spirit and benevolent intention it was first set on foot ; thoseAVIIO btheir generous contributions have aided him in
, y his design ; the artist , Avhose extensive genius has contrived ; the mechanic , Avho has executed , so bold a plan ; and , lastly , the labourer , by whose urnvearied toil and persevering diligence the fabric has been so speedily completed . In contemplating the beauties of the work , where ain I to find Avoids to coiwey its adequate eulogium ? or how am I to distinguish ,
in appropriate terms , its different and peculiar excellences ? Am I to describe the awful boldness of its heig ht , the immensity of its span , the lightness of its texture , the simplicity of its' design , the elegance of its symmetry , the nicety of its proportions , or the harmony of all its parts ? Each affords matter for just commendation ; each is in itself a theme ; the wholecombineda matter of such
, , extent , that no ordinary ideas can Avell do justice to it ; and its perfect delineation , a task which ( though indebted to your indulgence and liberality on man }' occasions ) i dare not trust my poor abilities to perform . Examine it ! View it from your shores witk microscopic attention ! You see that firm ,- substantial , and realized , which
you thought had only existed on the fanciful canvas of the painter , or had been faintly conceived in the playful imagination of the poet . If I have found myself , Brethren , under difficulties in exhibiting the beauties of this structure , you will naturally believe I am no less at a loss for language to describe its useful properties . But I am relieved in this branch of the subjectby the recollection , that in
, my last address to you , 1 particularly selected for your attention topics of that nature . I need not speak to you of local advantages : those you must be sensible of . I need not comment on the facility afforded to the traveller in this line of your country ; nor dwell on the ease and safety now insured to all intercourse between the opposite and lofty banks of this dangerous and rapid river . Clouded
hitherto as such communication lias been by the loss of valuable relatives and much respected friends , allow me simply , therefore , to congratulate you on this rising source of wealth and prosperity to your town , and to offer my sincere wish and hope that you may reap from it all the comforts and conveniences for which it has been designed .
Brethren , the actions of great men have been treasured up and recorded in the ages of remotest antiquity . From our brave forefathers they Avere handed to their more immediate generations and from race to race they have been preserved , until they have successively reached to our times . We have before us their matchless courage , their warlike exploits , their heroic deeds . ' For these VOL . VII . II h