Volume One - Into the Victorian Age - The official opening of the docks . . .

He was not one of those who believed such an emergency likely to take place, and one great cause for coming to that conclusion was, from the fact of such a reserve existing, which would prove the truth of the old saying that "Prevention was better than cure." If however such an engagement should ever arise, he believed in iron-clads, or inside the old wooden walls, the same hearts-of-oak would be found in the breasts of British seamen, which had rendered them so memorable in days of yore. He thanked them much for the way in which they had received the toast of that service to which he had the honour to belong. (cheers.)

For the Volunteers, Lieut. Col. Hill replied, observing it was particularly gratifying at all times for the Volunteers to perceive the kind manner in which they who had embraced the profession of citizen soldier, from a sense of public duty, were received on public occasions. He could only say that, so long as the public considered their service desirable, the Volunteers would be happy to render them. (cheers.)

The Right Hon. Earl Powis said, it now devolved on him to ask the company to drink "Success to the Penarth Company's undertaking" - the toast which embodied the occasion which they were now assembled to celebrate - the completion and the opening of the undertaking of the Penarth Company. Those present who had witnessed from time to time during the last seven years the various stages of what we might call the seven years war which the Penarth Company had been waging - their contention with the elements of earth and water, and in which contest they had now finally triumphed, under the able guidance of Mr. Hawkshaw, must feel the greatest interest in finding to day that order had at last taken the place of what was formerly almost unintelligible chaos, and that the constancy of the undertakers had at last been rewarded by complete success. (cheers.)

The company had not only had to contend with the material difficulties to which he had alluded, but with those financial and other obstacles which very frequently impeded the progress of great engineering works like this. Six or seven hundred thousand pounds had in this instance to be laid out, and the work fully accomplished, before there could be any prospect or possibility of a pecuniary return for the vast outlay. But that, now the work had been brought to completion, there would be an adequate financial return, he had no doubt. The monthly record of the commerce of various ports, showing a constant and enormous increase in trade of the nation; the development of its manufacturing interests and its industrial resources, showed beyond doubt that it was necessary that new docks should be continually constructed in our rising ports, to accommodate the increasing requirements of commerce.