Population.—Hutton "calculated" that about the year 750 there would be 3,000 inhabitants residing in and close to Birmingham. Unless a very rapid thinning process was going on after that date he must have been a long way out of his reckoning, for the Domesday Book gives but 63 residents in 1085 for Birmingham, Aston, and Edgbaston. In 1555 we find that 37 baptisms, 15 weddings, and 27 deaths were registered at St. Martin's, the houses not being more than 700, nor the occupiers over 3,500 in number. In 1650, it is said, there were 15 streets, about 900 houses, and 5,472 inhabitants. If the writer who made that calculation was correct, the next 80 years must have been "days of progress" indeed, for in 1700 the town is said to have included 28 streets, about 100 courts and alleys, 2,504 houses, one church, one chapel, and two meeting-houses, with 15,032 inhabitants. In 1731 there were 55 streets, about 150 courts and alleys, 3,719 houses, two churches, one chapel, four Dissenting meeting-houses, and 23,286 inhabitants. The remaining figures, being taken from census returns and other reliable authorities, are more satisfactory.

Year. Inhabitants. Houses. 1741 24,660 4,114 1773 30,804 7,369 1778 48,252 8,042 1781 50,295 8,382 1791 73,653 12,681 1801 78,760 16,659 1811 85,755 19,096 1821 106,721 21,345 1831 142,251 29,397 1841 182,922 36,238 1851 232,841 48,894 1861 296,076 62,708 1871 343,787 77,409 1881 400,774 84,263



The inhabitants are thus divided as to sexes:

Year. Males. Females. Totals. 1861 143,996 152,080 296,076 1871 167,636 176,151 343,787 1881 194,540 206,234 400,774



The increase during the ten years in the several parts of the borough shows:

Part of Birmingham Edgbaston Aston in parish. parish. borough. Totals.

1881 246,352 22,778 131,644 400,774 1871 231,015 17,442 95,330 343,787 ———- ——— ———- ———- Increase 15,337 5,336 36,314 56,987



These figures, however, are not satisfactorily correct, as they simply give the totals for the borough, leaving out many persons who, though residing outside the boundaries are to all intents and purposes Birmingham people; and voluminous as census papers usually are, it is difficult from those of 1871 to arrive at the proper number, the districts not being subdivided sufficiently. Thus, in the following table Handsworth includes Soho and Perry Barr, Harborne parish includes Smethwick, Balsall Heath is simply the Local included district, while King's Norton Board is Moseley, Selly Oak, &c.

Places. Inhabitants. Aston Parish 139,998 Aston Manor 33,948 Balsall Heath 13,615 Handsworth 16,042 Harborne Parish 22,263 Harborne Township 5,105 King's Norton Parish 21,845 Yardley Parish 5,360



For the census of 1881, the papers were somewhat differently arranged, and we are enabled to get a nearer approximation, as well as a better notion of the increase that has taken place in the number of inhabitants in our neighbourhood.

Place 1871 1881 Acock's Green 1,492 2,796 Aston Manor 33,948 53,844 Aston Parish 139,998 201,287 Aston Union 146,808 209,869 Balsall Heath 13,615 22,734 Birchfield 2,544 3,792 Castle Bromwich 689 723 Erdington 4,883 7,153 Handsworth 16,042 22,903 Harborne 5,105 6,433 King's Heath 1,982 2,984 King's Norton 21,845 34,178 King's Norton Union ——— 96,143 Knowle 1,371 1,514 Moseley 2,374 4,224 Northfield 4,609 7,190 Olton ——- 906 Perry Barr 1,683 2,314 Quinton 2,010 2,145 Saltley ——- 6,419 Selly Oak 2,854 5,089 Smethwick 17,158 25,076 Solihull 3,739 5,301 Ward End ——- 866 Water Orton ——- 396 Witton 182 265 Yardley 5,360 9,741



The most remarkable increase of population in any of these districts is in the case of Aston Manor, where in fifty years the inhabitants have increased from less than one thousand to considerably more than fifty thousand. In 1831, there were 946: in 1841, the number was 2,847; in 1851 it was 6,429; in 1861 it reached 16,337; in 1871 it had doubled to 33,948; in 1881 there were 53,844. Included among the inhabitants of the borough in 1881 there were

Males. Females. Totals. Foreigners 1,288 859 2,147 Irish 3,488 3,584 7,072 Scotch 912 755 1,667 Welsh 1,575 1,742 3,317 Colonial 428 477 905 Born at sea 29 21 50

Of the English-born subjects of Her Majesty here 271,845 were Warwickshire lads and lasses, 26,625 came out of Staffordshire, 21,504 from Worcestershire, 10,158 from Gloucestershire, 7,941 from London, 5,622 from Shropshire, and 4,256 from Lancashire, all the other counties being more or less represented. The following analysis of the occupations of the inhabitants of the borough is copied from the Daily Post, and is arranged under the groups adopted by the Registrar-General:—

Occupations of Persons.

Males. Females. Total. Persons engaged in general or local government 1,145 79 1,224 Army and navy 307 — 307 Clerical profession and their subordinates 287 98 335 Legal ditto 445 — 445 Medical ditto 336 496 832 Teachers 512 1,395 1,907 Literary and scientific 70 4 74 Engineers and surveyors 111 —- 111 Artists, art-workers musicians, &c. 729 398 1,127 Engaged in exhibitions, shows, games, &c. 102 17 119 Domestic service 1,444 13,875 15,319 Other service 176 4,058 4,234 Commercial occupations 6,172 422 6,594 Engaged in conveyance of men, goods, and messages 2,442 1,839 11,281 Engaged in agriculture 881 25 906 Engaged about animals 771 5 776 Workers and Dealers in Books, prints and maps 1,888 428 2,316 Machines and implements 11,189 3,385 14,574 Houses, furniture, and decorations 12,781 1,209 13,990 Carriages and harness 2,748 466 3,214 Ships and boats 67 —- 67 Chemicals and their compounds 507 250 757 Tobacco and pipes 200 851 551 Food and lodging 8,126 2,124 10,247 Textile fabrics 1,229 920 2,149 Dress 6,894 12,946 19,840 Various animal substances 1,481 744 2,175 Ditto vegetable substances 2,277 2,237 4,514 Ditto mineral substances 36,933 9,582 46,515 General or unspecified commodities 10,542 2,631 18,173 Refuse matters 246 18 264 Without specific occupations 45,691 116,892 162,583 Children under five years 28,911 29,133 58,044 ——— ———- ———- Total 194,540 206,234 400,774

The comparative population of this and other large towns in England is thus given:—

Pop. Pop. Inc. Prcent 1881. 1871. of inc. London 3,707,130 3,254,260 452,870 13.89 Liverpool 549,834 493,305 56,429 11.35 Birmingham 400,774 343,787 56,893 16.52 Manchester 364,445 351,189 13,256 3.70 Salford 194,077 124,801 69,276 55.64 Leeds 326,158 259,212 66,946 25.81 Sheffield 312,943 239,946 72,997 30.38 Bristol 217,185 182,552 24,633 13.47 Bradford 203,544 145,830 57,614 39.50 Nottingham 177,934 86,621 91,343 105.81 Hull 152,980 121,892 31,088 25.62 Newcastle 151,822 128,443 23,379 17.96 Portsmouth 136,671 113,569 23,102 20.35 Leicester 134,350 95,220 39,130 41.05 Oldham 119,658 82,629 37,029 45.11 Sunderland 118,927 98,242 20,685 90.40 Brighton 109,062 90,011 19,051 21.11 Norwich 86,437 80,386 6,051 7.50 W'lvrhmptn 76,850 68,291 8,569 12.46 Plymouth 75,700 68,758 4,942 7.10



Portugal House.—See "The Royal."

Post Offices.—Charles I. must be credited with founding the present Post Office system, as in 1635 he commanded that a running post or two should be settled "to run night and day between London and Edinburgh, to go thither and come back again in six days, and to take with them all such letters as shall be directed to any post town in or near that road." Other "running posts" were arranged to Exeter and Plymouth, and to Chester and Holyhead, &c., and gradually all the principal places in the country were linked on to the main routes by direct and cross posts. It has often been quoted as a token of the insignificance of Birmingham that letters used to be addressed "Birmingham, near Walsall;" but possibly the necessity of some writer having to send here by a cross-country route, via Walsall, will explain the matter. That our town was not one of the last to be provided with mails is proved by Robert Girdler, a resident of Edgbaston Street in 1652, being appointed the Government postmaster. Where the earlier post offices were situated is uncertain, but one was opened in New Street Oct. 11, 1783, and it is generally believed to have been the same that existed for so many years at the corner of Bennett's Hill. As late as 1820 there was no Bennett's Hill, for at that time the site opposite the Theatre was occupied (on the side nearest to Temple Street) by a rickyard, with accommodation for the mailcoaches and stabling for horses. Next to this yard was the residence of Mr. Gottwaltz, the postmaster, the entrance doorway being at first the only accommodation allowed to the public, and if more than four persons attended at one time the others had to stand in the street. When Bennett's Hill was laid out, the post office was slightly altered, so as to give a covered approach on that side to the letterbox and window, the mailcoaches being provided and horsed by the hotelkeepers to whom the conveyance of the mails was entrusted, the mail guards, or mail-postmen, remaining Government officials. The next office was opened Oct. 10, 1842, on premises very nearly opposite, and which at one period formed part of the new Royal Hotel. The site is now covered by the Colonnade, the present convenient, but not beautiful, Central Post Office, in Paradise Street, being opened Sep. 28, 1873. There are 65 town receiving offices (52 of which are Money Order Offices and Savings' Banks and 13 Telegraph Stations), and 103 pillar and wall letter-boxes. Of sub-offices in the surrounding districts there are 64, of which more than half are Money Order Offices or Telegraph Offices. For the conduct of the Central Office, Mr. S. Walliker, the postmaster, has a staff numbering nearly 300, of whom about 250 are letter carriers and sorters. The Central Postal Telegraph Office, in Cannon Street, is open day and night, and the Central Post Office, in Paradise Street, from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. On Sunday the latter office is open only from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., but letters are dispatched by the night mails as on other days. The Head Parcels Post Office is in Hill Street, on the basement floor of the Central Post Office, from which there are four collections and deliveries daily.

Postal Notes.—In 1748 letters were conveyed from here by post on six days a week instead of three as previously. To help pay the extra expense it was enacted that any person sending letters by private hands should be liable to a fine of L5 for every letter.—In 1772 a letter sent by "express" post was charged at the rate of 3d. per mile, with a 6d. fee for each stage and 2s. 6d. for the sending off.—Mails for the Continent were made up fortnightly, and once a month for North America. —In 1780, when James Watt was at Truro and Boulton at Birmingham, it took thirteen days for the one to write to and get an answer from the other, and on one occasion a single letter was eleven days on the road. —A local "penny post" was commenced September 4, 1793, but there was only one delivery per day and the distance was confined to one mile from the office.—The postage on letters for London was reduced to 7d., December 1, 1796, but (and for many years after) if more than one piece of paper was used the cost was doubled.—In 1814 the postage of a letter from here to Warwick was 7d.—The system of "franking" letters was abolished in 1839. This was a peculiar privilege which noblemen, Members of Parliament, and high dignitaries possessed of free postage for all their correspondence, and very strange use they made of the privilege sometimes, one instance being the case of two maidservants going as laundresses to an Ambassador who were thus "franked" to their destination. This privilege cost the Post office about L100,000 a year. —The penny postage system of Rowland Hill came into operation January 10th, 1840.—In 1841-2 there were only two deliveries per day in the centre of the town, and but one outside the mile circle, an extra penny being charged on letters posted in town for delivery in the outer districts.—The collection of a million postage stamps for the Queen's Hospital closed Sep. 5, 1859.—Halfpenny stamps for newspapers were first used in 1870.—The telegraphs were taken to by the Post Office in 1876, the first soiree in celebration thereof being held at Bristol Street Board School, Jan. 29, 1877.—The Inland Parcels Post came into operation on August 1, 1883, the number of parcels passing through our local office being about 4,000 the first day, such trifles as beehives, umbrellas, shoes, scythes, baskets of strawberries, &c., &c, being among them. The number of valentines posted in Birmingham on Cupid's Day of 1844 was estimated at 125,000 (the majority for local delivery), being about 20,000 more than in the previous year.

Power.—That the letting of mill-power would be a great advantage to hundreds of the small masters whose infinitude of productions added so enormously to the aggregate of our local trade was soon "twigged" by the early owners of steam engines. The first engine to have extra shafting attached for this purpose was that made by Newcomen for a Mr. Twigg in Water Street (the premises are covered by Muntz's metal works now), who, in 1760, advertised that he had "power to let."

Presentations.—No local antiquarian has yet given us note of the first public presentation made by the inhabitants of this town, though to the men they have delighted to honour they have never been backward with such flattering and pleasing tokens of goodwill. Some presentations have been rather curious, such as gold-plated buttons and ornate shoe buckles to members of the Royal Family in hopes that the patronage of those individuals would lead to changes in the fashion of dress, and so influence local trade. The gift of a sword to Lord Nelson, considering that the said sword had been presented previously to a volunteer officer, was also of this nature. The Dissenters of the town gave L100 to the three troops of Light Horse who first arrived to quell the riots in 1791, and a similar sum was voted at a town's meeting; each officer being presented with a handsome sword. Trade should have been good at the time, for it is further recorded that each magistrate received a piece of plate valued at one hundred guineas.—Since that date there have been hundreds of presentations, of greater or lesser value, made to doctors and divines, soldiers and sailors, theatricals and concert-hall men, lawyers and prizefighters, with not a few to popular politicians and leading literary men &c. Lord Brougham (then plain Mr.) being the recipient at one time (July 7, 1812); James Day, of the Concert Hall, at another (0ct. 1,1878); the "Tipton Slasher" was thus honoured early in 1865, while the Hon. and Very Rev. Grantham Yorke, D.D., was "gifted" at the latter end of 1875. Among the presentations of later date have been those to Dr. Bell Fletcher, Mr. Gamgee, Mr. W.P. Goodall, and other medical gentlemen; to Canon O'Sullivan, the late Rev. J.C. Barratt, and other clergymen; to Mr. Edwin Smith, secretary of Midland Institute; to Mr. Schnadhorst of the Liberal Association; to Mr. Jesse Collings, for having upheld the right of free speech by turning out of the Town Hall those who differed with the speakers; and to John Bright in honour of his having represented the town in Parliament for twenty-five year.—On April 30, 1863, a handsome silver repousse table was presented to the Princess of Wales on the occasion of her marriage, the cost, L1,500, being subscribed by inhabitants of the town.

Price Of Bread.—At various times during the present century the four-pound loaf has been sold here as follows:—At 4-1/2d. in 1852; at 7-1/2d. in 1845; at 9-1/2d. in June, 1857, and June, 1872; at l0d. in December, 1855, June, 1868, and December, 1872; at l0-1/2d. in February, 1854, December, 1855, December, 1867, and March, 1868, at 11d. in December, 1854, June, 1855, and June 1856; at ll-1/2d. in November, 1846, May and November, 1847, and May, 1848; at 1s. and onwards to 1s. 5-1/2d. in August, 1812, and again in July, 1816; and may God preserve the poor from such times again.—See "Hard Times."

Prices of Provisions, &c.—In 1174, wheat and barley sold at Warwick for 2-1/2d. per bushel, hogs at 1s. 6d. each, cows (salted down) at 2s. each, and salt at 1-4/5d. per bushel. In 1205 wheat was worth 12 pence per bushel, which was cheap, as there had been some years of famine previous thereto. In 1390 wheat was sold at 13d. per bushel, so high a price that historians say there was a "dearth of corn" at that period. From accounts preserved of the sums expended at sundry public feasts at Coventry (Anno 1452 to 1464) we find that 2s. 3d. was paid for 18 gallons of ale, 2s. 6d. for 9 geese, 5d. for 2 lambs, 5d. for a calf, l0d. for 9 chickens, 3d. for a shoulder of mutton, 1s. 3d. for 46 pigeons, 8d. for a strike of wheat and grinding it, &c. An Act of Parliament (24, Henry VIII.) was passed in 1513 that beef and pork should be sold at a half-penny per pound. In 1603 it was ordered that one quart of best ale, or two of small, should be sold for one penny. In 1682 the prices of provisions were, a fowl 1s., a chicken 5d., a rabbit 7d.; eggs three for 1d.; best fresh butter, 6d. per lb.; ditto salt butter, 3-1/2d.; mutton 1s. 4d. per stone of 8lb.; beef, 1s. 6d. per stone; lump sugar, 1s per lb.; candles, 3-1/2d. per lb.; coals, 6d. per sack of 4 bushels; ditto charcoal, 1s. 2d. best, 8d. the smallest. Wheat averaged 50s. per quarter, but the greatest part of the population lived almost entirely on rye, barley, oats, and peas. Cottages in the country were let at about 20s. per annum. In 1694 a pair of shoes cost 3s. 6d.; a pair of stockings, 1s. 4d.; two shirts, 5s. 4d.; leather breeches, 2s.; coat, waistcoat, and breeches, 16s.; a coffin, 5s.; a shroud and a grave for a poor man, 3s. l0d. In November, 1799, the quartern loaf was sold in London, at 1s. l0-1/2d. and in this town at 1s. 4d., the farmers coming here to market having to be protected by constables for months together.

Priory.—History gives us very little information respecting the Hospital or Priory of St. Thomas the Apostle [See "Old Square"] and still less as the Church or Chapel of St. Thomas the Martyr. The site of the Priory was most probably where the Old Square was laid out, though during the many alterations that have latterly been made not a single stone has been discovered to prove it so. A few bones were found during the months of Aug. and Sept., 1884, and it is said that many years back a quantity of similar remains were discovered while cellars were being made under some of the houses in Ball Street, and one late writer speaks of cellars or crypts, which were hastily built up again. From these few traces it is not unlikely that the Chapel existed somewhere between the Minories and Steelhouse Lane, monkish chants probably resounding where now the members of the Society of Friends sit in silent prayer. Ancient records tell us that in 1285 three persons (William of Birmingham, Thomas of Maidenhacche, and Ranulph of Rugby) gave 23 acres of land at Aston and Saltley (then spelt Saluteleye) for the "endowment" of the Hospital of St. Thomas the Apostle, but that rather goes to prove the previous existence of a religious edifice instead of dating its foundation. In 1310 the Lord of Birmingham gave an additional 22 acres, and many others added largely at the time, a full list of these donors being given in Toulmin Smith's "Memorials of old Birmingham." In 1350, 70 acres in Birmingham parish and 30 acres in Aston were added to the possessions of the Priory, which by 1547, when all were confiscated, must have become of great value. The principal portions of the Priory lands in Aston and Saltley went to enrich the Holte family, one (if not the chief) recipient being the brother-in-law of Sir Thomas Holte; but the grounds and land surrounding the Priory and Chapel appear to have been gradually sold to others, the Smallbroke family acquiring the chief part. The ruins of the old buildings doubtless formed a public stonequarry for the builders of the 17th century, as even Hutton can speak of but few relics being left in his time, and those he carefully made use of himself! From the mention in an old deed of an ancient well called the "Scitewell" (probably "Saints' Well"), the Priory grounds seem to have extended along Dale End to the Butts (Stafford Street), where the water was sufficiently abundant to require a bridge. It was originally intended to have a highly-respectable street in the neighbourhood named St. Thomas Street, after the name of the old Priory, a like proviso being made when John Street was laid out for building.

Prisons.—Before the incorporation of the borough all offenders in the Manor of Aston were confined in Bordesley Prison, otherwise "Tarte's Hole" (from the name of one of the keepers), situate in High Street, Bordesley. It was classed in 1802 as one of the worst gaols in the kingdom. The prison was in the backyard of the keeper's house, and it comprised two dark, damp dungeons, twelve feet by seven feet, to which access was gained through a trapdoor, level with the yard, and down ten steps. The only light or air that could reach these cells (which sometimes were an inch deep in water) was through a single iron-grated aperture about a foot square. For petty offenders, runaway apprentices, and disobedient servants, there were two other rooms, opening into the yard, each about twelve feet square. Prisoners' allowance was 4d. per day and a rug to cover them at night on their straw. In 1809 the use of the underground rooms was put a stop to, and the churchwardens allowed the prisoners a shilling per day for sustenance. Those sentenced to the stocks or to be whipped received their punishments in the street opposite the prison, and, if committed for trial, were put in leg-irons until called for by "the runners." The place was used as a lock-up for some time after the incorporation, and the old irons were kept on show for years.—The old Debtors' Prison in 1802 was in Philip Street, in a little back courtyard, not fourteen feet square, and it consisted of one damp, dirty dungeon, ten feet by eleven feet, at the bottom of a descent of seven steps, with a sleeping-room, about same size, over it. In these rooms male and female alike were confined, at one time to the number of fifteen; each being allowed 3d. per day by their parishes, and a little straw on the floor at night for bedding, unless they chose to pay the keeper 2s. a week for a bed in his house. In 1809 the debtors were removed to the Old Court House [See "Court of Requests"], where the sleeping arrangements were of a better character. Howard, the "Prison Philanthropist," visited the Philip Street prison in 1782, when he found that the prisoners were not allowed to do any work, enforced idleness (as well as semi-starvation) being part of the punishment. He mentions the case of a shoemaker who was incarcerated for a debt of 15s., which the keeper of the prison had to pay through kindly allowing the man to finish some work he had begun before being locked up. In these enlightened days no man is imprisoned for owing money, but only because he does not pay it when told to do so.—See also "Dungeon" and "Gaols."

Privateering.—Most likely there was some truth in the statement that chains and shackles were made here for the slave-ships of former days, and from the following letter written to Matthew Boulton in October, 1778, there can be little doubt but that he at least had a share in some of the privateering exploits of the time, though living so far from a seaport:—"One of the vessels our little brig took last year was fitted out at New York, and in a cruise of thirteen weeks has taken thirteen prizes, twelve of which are carried safe in, and we have advice of 200 hogsheads of tobacco being shipped as part of the prizes, which if now here would fetch us L10,000," &c.

Progress of the Town.—The Borough Surveyor favours us yearly with statistics giving the number of new buildings erected, or for which plans have been approved, and to show how rapidly the town is progressing in extent, we give a few of the figures. The year 1854 is memorable in the building trade, as there were 2,219 new houses erected, the average for years after not being 1,000. In 1861 the number was but 952; in 1862, 1,350; in 1863, 1,694; in 1864, 1,419; in 1865, 1,056; in 1866, 1,411; in 1867, 1,408; in 1868, 1,548; in 1869, 1,709; in 1870, 1,324; in 1871, 1,076; in 1872, 1,265; in 1873, 993. The building report for the last ten years is thus tabulated:—

1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— Houses 1611 3395 2903 2700 1205 1197 1301 1236 666 938 and Shops Churches 1 1 1 1 — — — — 2 2 Chapels 2 2 5 3 1 — 1 1 — 1 Schools 9 15 6 6 4 — — 2 6 1 Manufactories and 76 80 107 86 64 102 64 91 64 73 Warehouses Miscellaneous 42 48 43 90 96 101 71 84 62 97 Alterations 47 67 52 167 290 225 222 180 163 158 —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— 1788 3608 3117 3053 1660 1625 1659 1594 963 1235 [1]

[1] [Transcriber's note: This is an error; the column adds up to 1270]

Under the heading of "Miscellaneous" are included such erections as libraries, public halls, clubs, arcades, slaughterhouses, cowsheds, and all other necessary and useful buildings appertaining to human hives, but which need not be particularised.

Probate.—The Probate Registry Office is at No. 15, Old Square.

Promenades—When Corporation Street is finished, and its pathways nicely shaded with green-leaved trees, it will doubtless be not only the chief business street of the town, but also the most popular promenade. At present the gay votaries of dress and fashion principally honour New Street, especially on Saturday mornings. Hagley Road, on Sunday evenings, is particularly affected by some as their favourite promenade.

Proof House.—The foundation stone of the Proof House, Banbury Street, was laid October 4th, 1813, the yearly number of gun, rifle, and pistol barrels proved at the establishment averages over half a million.—See "Trades"

Property.—The Birmingham Property Owners' and Ratepayers' Protection Association was formed in May, 1872. Out of 70,000 separate assessments the owners pay the rates in more than 50,000 cases.

Provident Dispensaries.—See "Dispensaries."

Provident Societies.—See "Friendly, benevolent, and Provident Institutions."

Provincialisms.—Like the inhabitants of most other parts of the country Birmingham people are not without their peculiarities of speech, not so strongly characterised perhaps as those of the good folks of Somersetshire, or even some of our neighbours in the Black Country, but still noticeable. For instance, few workmen will take a holiday; they prefer a "day's out" or "play." They will not let go or abandon anything, but they "loose" it. They do not tell you to remove, but "be off." They prefer to "pay at twice" in lieu of in two instalments. The use of the word "her" in place of "she" is very common, as well as the curious term "just now," for an indefinite time to come, as "Her'll do it just now," instead of "She will do it soon." In vulgar parlance this book is not your own or our own, but "yourn" or "ourn," or it may be "hisn" or "hern." In pronunciation as well, though perhaps not so markedly, our people are sometimes peculiar, as when they ask for a "stahmp" or put out their "tong," &c., stress being often laid also on the word "and," as well as upon syllables not requiring it, as dictionary, volunteers, &c.

Public Buildings.—The Guild Hall, in New Street, and the Roundabout House in High Street were at one time the only public buildings in the town, besides the Parish Church, the Lockups, and the Pinfold. The Market Cross, Public Office, Workhouse, &c., came after, and it is only of late years we have been able to boast of Town Hall, Market Hall, Parish Office, Council House and all the other establishments so necessary to the dignity of a town ranking as third largest in the Kingdom. The huge piles that have been erected during the last dozen years or so are of so varied a character that it becomes somewhat difficult to draw a line between those which are strictly of a private nature and the so-called "public" buildings; under which heading perhaps even Railway Stations, Banks, and Theatres might properly come. The following are some of the chief edifices not noted elsewhere:—

County Court.—The new County Court, at the corner of Corporation Street and Newton Street, was erected from the plans of Mr. J. Williams at a cost of about L20,000. It is built of Hollington Stone, in Italian style, though, like that other Government-built edifice, the new Post Office, it is of too heavy an appearance. The two entrances for the general public are in Newton Street, the Registrar's and principal Courts being on the first floor, though neither are near large enough for the business intended to be practised therein. The entrance to the Judge's rooms is in Corporation Street, under a portico with Doric columns.

Drill Hall—In 1880 a company was formed, with a capital of L5,000 in L20 shares, for the purpose of building a Drill Hall and suitable head-quarters for the local Volunteers. A site in Thorpe Street, containing 2,287 square yards, was taken on lease for 99 years at L100 rental, and very suitable premises have been erected, the frontage to the street (183 ft.) allowing the formation of a lofty drill hall, 180 ft. long by 85 ft. wide, at the rear of the usual and useful offices and rooms required. The latter comprise on the ground floor an orderly room and strong room, sergeant-major's office, armoury, clothing store, non-commissioned officers' room, privates' meeting room, sergeant-major's and staff-sergeant's quarters, and stables. On the first floor there are an officers' meeting room, a sergeants' meeting room, long galleries, &c.; the whole building being characteristically laid out for military purposes.

Fire Engine Stations.—The Central Fire Brigade Station, which is in telephonic communication with all the police stations, the theatres, various public buildings, and chief manufactories, is situated in the Upper Priory, between the Old Square and Steelhouse Lane, and is easily distinguishable by the large red lamp outside its gate. There are here kept ready for instant use three manual and one steam engine, the latter being capable of throwing 450 gallons of water per minute to a height of 120 feet, the other also being good specimens of their class. Each manual engine has on board its complement of hose, branches (the brass pipes through which the water leaves the hose), stand-pipes for connecting the hose with the water mains, &c., while at its side hang scaling-ladders, in sections which can readily be fitted together to reach a considerable height. The engine-house also contains a tender to the steam machine, a horse hose-cart, a hand hose-cart, and a number of portable hand-pumps. It is with these hand-pumps that the majority of the fires in Birmingham are extinguished, and one of them forms a portion of the load of every engine. Several canvas buckets, which flatten into an inconceivably small space, are also taken by means of which, either by carrying or by passing from hand to hand, the reservoirs of the pump can be kept filled, and a jet of water be made available where, perhaps, it would be difficult or impossible to bring hose. The hose kept at the station amounts to a total length of 2,487-1/2 yards, of which about 1,700 yards is always kept on the engines, hose-carts, tender, and fire-escapes ready for instant use. The remainder forms a reserve to allow for repairs, drying, &c. Between the engine-house and the street is a commodious house for the assistant-superintendent, with a very pleasant yard on the roof of the engine-house. Adjoining the engine-house on the other side, is the stable, where five splendid horses are kept. In the yard stand three fire-escapes, each fitted with a box containing hose, stand-pipes and branches, so that it may be utilised for extinguishing fires independent of the engines. The total strength of the brigade is twenty-five, including the superintendent (Mr. A.R. Tozer), the assistant superintendent (Mr. J. Tiviotdale), two engineers, and an assistant engineer. Eighteen of the brigade reside at the central station, the others being quartered at the seven divisional police stations and at the fire station in Bristol Street (opposite the Bell Inn), at each of which places are kept an escape, or an hose-cart, and one or two hand-pumps with the needful hose and appliances. The cost of the buildings in the Upper Priory, including the site (1,500 square yards at seven guineas per yard), was about L20,000, there being in addition to the offices and stables, a waiting-room (in which two men are on duty night and day), a drill ground 153 ft. long by 40 ft. wide, an engine-room large enough for six engines, good-sized recreation rooms, baths, &c. The residences are erected upon the "flat" system, and have a special interest in the fact that they constitute the first important introduction of that style of building in Birmingham. The advantages and the drawbacks, if any, of the system may here be seen and judged of by all who are interested in the matter. On the ground floor there are three residences, each having a living room, which may be used as a kitchen and two bed rooms adjoining. A semicircular open staircase gives access to the flats, and on the first floor there are four residences, one being formed over the firemen's waiting room and office. On this floor additional bed rooms are provided for men with families requiring them; and the second floor is a reproduction of the first. On the top of all there is a flat upon which are erected five wash-houses, the remainder of the space being used as a drying ground or play ground for children, the whole enclosed with iron palisades. In the basement there is a lock-up cellar for each of the residences.

Fish Market.—A rather plain-looking erection, of the open-shed style of architecture was put up at the corner of Bell Street in 1870. the foundation stone being laid July 14. It has since been enlarged, and is now much more ornamental as well as being useful. The estimated cost of the alterations is put at L16,000 including fittings. The original area was only 715 square yards, but to that has been added 909 square yards, and Bell Street (to which it will have a frontage of 240 feet), which will be widened to 16 yards, is to be covered with iron and glass roof, Lease Lane is also to be widened for access to the market.

Lincoln's Inn.—This is a huge block of offices erected in Corporation Street, opposite the County Court, in 1883. and which, like its London namesake, is intended for the accommodation of solicitors, accountants, and other professional gentlemen. There are a number of suites of offices surrounding an inner court (66ft. by 60ft.), with from two to eight rooms each, the street frontages in Corporation Street and Dalton Street being fitted as shops, while there is a large room under the court (48ft. by 42ft.) suitable for a sale room or other purpose. The outside appearance of the block is very striking, having a large entrance gateway with a circular bay window over it, surmounted by a lofty lower. The tower has four clock faces, pinnacles at the angles, and a steep slate roof and is 120 feet high. There are also two flanking towers, at the extreme ends of the front. These have canted bay windows below them, and their pediments are surmounted by figures representing Mercury and Athaene. The space on each side between the central and the flanking tower is divided into three bays, having ornamental dormers above them, and being divided by niches, which will serve to hold allegorical figures of the arts. The windows are ornamented by tracery, and the facade is enriched by a free use of carving. The architect is Mr. W.H. Ward, and the cost of the pile about L22,000.

Market Hall.—The foundation stone was laid Feb. 28, 1833, and it was opened for business Feb. 14, 1835. The building, which is constructed of freestone, from the designs of Mr. Edge, cost about L30,000, though considerable sums have since been spent on it. The large vaults constructed under the Hall in 1875 coat about L4,000. It contains an area of 39,411 square feet, being 365 feet long, 108 feet broad, and 60 feet high, and was originally planned to give stall-room for 600 dealers. The liquor shop, house, and vaults beneath, at corner of Bell Street, were let on lease by auction (Nov. 1833) for 100 years, for the sum of L5,400 and a 20s. yearly rental. In 1876 the Corporation gave L15,000 to resume possession, afterwards reletting the premises at L800 a year, with a further L100 for the vaults. The Street Commissioners, when retiring from office, placed in the centre of the Hall a fountain of very appropriate design (uncovered Dec. 24, 1851), and ornamented with bronze figures characteristic of Birmingham manufactures, but which has been removed to Highgate Park. A clock was put above the spot where the fountain stood, in April, 1852, which cost L60.—A Market Hall was erected in Prospect Row in 1837, but was very little used as such. A few years back it was partly turned into a depot for American meat, but is now simply used for warehouses.

Masonic Hall.—The first stone of this building, situated at the corner of New Street and Ethel Street, was laid Sept. 30, 1865, the ceremony of dedication taking place April 26th, 1870.

Municipal Buildings.—The advancement of the town in trade and prosperity, population, and wealth, made it necessary years ago for our local governors to look out for a central spot on which could be gathered the many offices and officers appertaining to the Corporation of a large town like Birmingham. They were fortunate in being able (in 1854) to secure so eligible a site, in such a central position, and with such commanding elevation, as the one at the corner of Ann Street and Congreve Street, though at first glance the acquisition would appear to have been a costly one. The price of the land and reversion thereto was L39,525, but during the years that elapsed before the ground was cleared ready for building (1872) the interest brought that sum up to nearly L70,000. The total area was 11,540 square yards, of which 4,455 square yards were thrown into the streets. Thus, though the original price was but 68s. 6d. per yard, by the time the buildings were erected the actual site cost over L9 per yard. The plans were approved Feb. 11, 1873, the contract for building being L84,120, but during the course of erection many important additions and alterations were made to the original plans, raising the cost to L144,743. Part of the ground was originally intended to be covered with Assize Courts, but have been devoted to the erection of a magnificent Art Gallery, &c., so that more than a quarter million sterling will ultimately have been spent on the spot. The foundation stone was laid by the then Mayor, Mr. Joseph Chamberlain, June 17, 1874, and the erection took about five years, the "hoarding" being removed July 18, 1879. The design of the Municipal Buildings is essentially classical, but not of any particular style, Mr. Yeoville Thomasson, the architect, having given free rein to his own conceptions of what was required in a modern erection of the nature of a local Parliament House. The south, or principal front (to Ann Street), has a length of 296 feet, the frontage to Congreve Street is 122 feet, and that to Eden Place is 153 feet. From the ground to the top of the main cornice the height is 65 feet; the pediment over the central entrance is 90 feet high; the stone cornice of the dome 114 feet; and the top of the finial 162 feet, the dome rising behind the central pediment from the main staircase. Looked at from a distance, the features of the building that at first strike the spectator are the carved groups of life-sized figures in the six pediments. The Ann Street and Congreve Street frontages have a pediment at each end, of semicircular shape, and the Eden Place frontage has one at the end where it joins the principal front. The pediment in the centre of the south front is triangular in shape, and contains a group of sculptured figures representing "Britannia rewarding the Birmingham manufacturers." In the other pediments the groups represent Manufacture, Commerce, Literature, Art, and Science. Under the central pediment, and within a semicircular arch over the central entrance, is a large and beautiful figure-subject in mosaic, executed by Messrs. Salviati and Co., of London. Besides the central entrance, which is reached through a portico supported by square and round columns, and is reserved for the use of the Town Council and state occasions, there are four entrances to the building, one at each end of the principal front, one in Eden Place, and the other within the gateway which runs through the Congreve Street wing into the courtyard at the back. By the last-mentioned staircase access is obtained by the general public to the Council Chamber. The building contains 94 rooms of various sizes, three of the largest devoted to occasions of ceremony, and the rest to the uses of the different departments of the Corporation work. The central of the three reception rooms is 30 feet square, and is divided from the other two by an open screen of marble columns, both rooms being 64ft. by 30ft. The Council Chamber is 39ft. wide and, including the gallery for spectators, is 48ft. long, the fittings and furniture being of the most substantial character as well as ornamental. In various parts of the building accommodation has been found for the Town Clerk, the Borough Treasurer, Surveyor, Analyst, Chief Constable, and every other department of Corporation work. The furnishing of the Council Chamber and the other parts of the Municipal Buildings amounted to L15,603, the laying in of the gas and water services being L2,418 additional.

Odd-Fellows' Hall.—Before the New Street Railway Station was erected there was an Odd-Fellows' Hall in King Street. The first stone of the present building in Upper Temple Street was laid early in 1849, the opening ceremony taking place Dec. 3 same year. The principal room or "hall" will accommodate about 1,000 persons, the remaining portion of the premises being let off in offices.

Parish Offices.—The meeting-place of the Board of Guardians and their necessary staff of officers has from the earliest days of Poor Law government been the most frequented of any of our public buildings. Formerly the headquarters were at the Workhouse in Lichfield Street, but when that institution was removed to Birmingham Heath, the large building at the corner of Suffolk Street and Paradise Street was built for the use of the parish officers, possession being taken thereof Feb. 26, 1853. Thirty years seems but a short period for the occupation of such a pile of offices, but as it has been necessary several times to enlarge the Workhouse, as well as to collect very much larger sums from the ratepayers, it is but in the natural order of things that the Overseers, Guardians, and all others connected with them should be allowed more elbow-room. A parish palace, almost rivalling our Municipal Buildings in magnificence of ornate architecture, has therefore been erected at the junction of Edmund Street and Newhall Street, where poor unfortunate people going to the Workhouse, and whose ultimate destination will possibly be a pauper's grave, may have the gratification of beholding beautiful groups of statuary sculpture, Corinthian columns of polished granite, pilasters of marble, gilded capitals, panelled ceilings, coloured architraves, ornamental cornices, encaustic tiles, and all the other pretty things appertaining to a building designed in a "severe form of the style of the French Renaissance," as an architectural paper critic calls it. Ratepayers will also have pleasure in taking their money to and delivering it over in "one of the most convenient suites of poor-law offices in the kingdom," possibly deriving a little satisfaction from the fact that their descendants in less than a hundred years' time will have to build another such suite of offices, or buy this over again, as the Guardians only hold the site (1,700 square yards) upon a ninety-nine years' lease at a yearly rental of L600 (7s. per yard). The building contract was for L25,490, besides extras, the architect being Mr. W.H. Ward, and the fittings, internal decoration, and furnishing was estimated at about L5,000 more, though possibly as the chairs in the Boardroom are put down at L5 each, if other articles be in proportion, both sums will be materially increased. The work was commenced in June, 1882, the memorial stone being laid February 15th, the following year. The building, which has five storeys, stands on three sides of a square courtyard, and faces into Edmund Street. Newhall Street, and a new thoroughfare made in continuation of Bread Street. In general character the three faces are alike, the masonry being rusticated in Coxbench stone to the line of the second floor, the chiselling finishing with an entablature, and the remaining two storeys included in one order of Corinthian red granite pillars, which support the main entablature. The front in Edmund Street, 105 feet in length, is symmetrically divided by a central tower, on either side of which the Corinthian pillars are discontinued until the two corners are almost reached, where they support pediments. The tower, which for a distance above the root is square, contains four clock-faces and supports an octagonal storey, covered by a panelled stone dome, surmounted in turn by a lantern and its finial. The height of the tower from the level of the street is 105 feet, the slated towers over the lateral pediments being smaller. The Newhall Street facade, 160 feet long, is broken into three portions of nearly equal length, and the middle portion is treated differently from the other two. Above the line of the second floor entablature the windows, instead of being in a double row in correspondence with the storeys, are in this middle section of the facade carried almost to the height of the columns, and the section is surmounted in its centre by an ornamental pedestal, which bears a group of sculpture, and at its extremes by slated flagstaff towers, whose sides are concave. The purpose of these larger windows is the effectual lighting of the Boardroom, which is of the height of two storeys. The length of the Bread Street front is 90 feet. The Boardroom is 60 feet long, 36 feet wide and 24 feet high, the room being lighted by two sunburners suspended from the ceiling panels, and is handsomely decorated throughout. The offices of the Registrar of births, marriages and deaths are entered from Newhall Street, and there is a special waiting room for the use of marriage parties whilst they are preparing to go before the Registrar, a provision which will no doubt be fully appreciated by many blushing maidens and bashful bachelors.

Public Office.—The office for the meetings of the Justices was at one time in Dale End, and it was there that "Jack and Tom" were taken in November, 1780, charged with murdering a butcher on the road to Coleshill. The first stone of the Public Office and Prison in Moor Street was laid September 18, 1805, the cost being estimated at L10,000. It was considerably enlarged in 1830, and again in 1861, and other improving alterations have been made during the last three years, so that the original cost has been more than doubled, but the place is still inadequate to the requirements of the town.

Smithfield Market.—Laid out by the Street Commissioners in 1817, at a cost of L6,000, as an open market, has been enlarged by taking in most of the ground bordered by Jamaica Row, St. Martin's Lane and Moat Lane, and is nearly all covered in for the purposes of a wholesale market, the work being commenced in November, 1880. The main entrance is in the centre of the St. Martin's Lane front, and consists of a central roadway for carts and wagons, 15ft. wide and 24ft. high, together with a wide entrance on either side for foot passengers. The main piers supporting the large archway are of stone, but the arch itself is constructed of terra-cotta, richly moulded and carved. Over the archway are two sculptured figures in red terra-cotta, representing "Flora" and "Pomona." The whole of the carving and sculptured work has been executed by Mr. John Roddis. The archways are fitted with massive wrought-iron gates, manufactured by Messrs. Hart, Son, Peard, and Co. The entrances in Jamaica Row and Moat Lane have arched gateways and gates to match, though much higher to allow of the passage of laden wains. The market superintendent's office is on the left of the man entrance. Greatest part of the St. Martin's Lane front is occupied by the new Woolpack Hotel, and the remainder by shops. The buildings, which are from the designs of Messrs. Osborne and Reading, are designed in the style of the English Renaissance of the Stuart period, and are constructed of red brick, with red terra-cotta dressings. At each end of the St. Martin's Lane front are circular turrets, with conical roof, flanked by ornamental gables, and in the centre is a gable with octagonal turret on each side.

Temperance Hall.—The foundation stone of this building, which is in Upper Temple Street, was laid Jan. 12, 1858, and it was opened Oct. 11 following.

The Cobden.—Though the property of a private company, who have twenty other establishments in the town, the "Cobden," in Corporation Street, may rank as a public building if only from its central position and finished architecture. It was opened by John Bright, Esq., Aug. 29, 1883, and cost about L10,000. In style it may be said to be French-Gothic of early date, with Venetian features in the shape of traceried oriel windows, &c., the frontage being of Corsham Down and Portland stone.

Town Hall.—For many years the pride and the boast of Birmingham has been its noble Town Hall, which still remains the most conspicuous building, as well as the finest specimen of architecture, in the town. It was erected by the Street Commissioners, who obtained a special Act for the purpose in 1828, to enable them to lay a rate to pay for it. The architect was Mr. T. Hansom, of the firm of Messrs. Hansom and Welch, who, by a curious provision, were also bound to be the contractors. Their original estimate was L17,000, with extras, which would have raised it to about L19,000, but so far were their figures out that L30,000 were expended prior to the first meeting being held in the Hall, and that sum had been increased to L69,520 when the building was finally completed in 1850 by the addition of the pillars and pediments at the back. The foundations and solid parts of the structure are built of brick, the casing or outside of the walls, the pillars, and the ornamental portions being of Anglesey marble, given to the contractors by the owner of Penmaen quarries, Sir Richard Bulkeley, Bart. The building was commenced April 27, 1832, and opened Sept. 19, 1834, being used for the Festival of that year; the first public meeting held in the Hall being on Nov. 28th. The outside measurements of the Hall are— Length 175ft., breadth 100ft., height 83ft., viz., basement 23ft., columns 36ft., cornice 9ft., and pediment 15ft,. The forty columns are each 3-1/2ft. diameter. The hall, or great room, is 145ft. long, 65ft. broad, and 65ft. high; including the orchestra it will seat a few over 3,000 persons, while it is said that on more than one occasion 10,000 have found standing room. Considerable sums have been spent in trying to improve the ventilation and lighting of the Hall, as well as in redecorating occasionally, the medallions of eminent composers and other worthies being introduced in 1876. For description of Town Hall organ see "Organs."

Windsor Street Gas Works with its immense gas-holders, retort-houses, its own special canal and railway approaches, covers an area of about twenty-six acres, extending almost from Dartmouth Street to Aston Road. Though there can be no grand architectural features about such an establishment certain parts of the works are worthy of note, the two principal gas-holders and the new retort-house being among the largest of their kind in the world. The holders, or gasometers as they are sometimes called, are each 240ft. in diameter, with a depth of 50ft., the telescope arrangement allowing of a rise of 170ft., giving a containing capacity equal to the space required for 6,250,000 cubic feet of gas. The new retort house is 455ft. long by 210ft. wide, and will produce about nine million cubic feet of gas per day, the furnaces being supplied with coal and cleared of the coke by special machinery of American invention, which is run upon rails backwards and forwards from the line of coal trucks to the furnace mouths. The quantity of coal used per week is nearly 4,000 tons, most of which is brought from North Staffordshire, and the reserve coal heap is kept as near as convenient to a month's supply, or 16,000 tons. The machinery for the purification of the gas, the extracting of the ammoniacal liquor, tar and residuals, which make the manufacture of gas so remunerative, are of the most improved description.

Workhouse.—The first mention of a local institution thus named occurs in the resolution passed at a public meeting held May 16, 1727, to the effect that it was "highly necessary and convenient that a Public Work House should be erected in or near the town to employ or set to work the poor of Birmingham for their better maintenance as the law directs." This resolution seems to have been carried out, as the Workhouse in Lichfield Street (which was then a road leading out of the town) was built in 1733 the first cost being L1,173, but several additions afterwards made brought the building account to about L3,000. Originally it was built to accommodate 600 poor persons, but in progress of time it was found necessary to house a much larger number, and the Overseers and Guardians were often hard put to for room; which perhaps accounts for their occasionally discussing the advisability of letting some of their poor people out on hire to certain would-be taskmasters as desired such a class of employees. In the months of January, February, and March, 1783, much discussion took place as to building a new Workhouse, but nothing definite was done in the matter until 1790, when it was proposed to obtain an Act for the erection of a Poorhouse at Birmingham Heath, a scheme which Hutton said was as airy as the spot chosen for the building. Most likely the expense, which was reckoned at L15,000, frightened the ratepayers, for the project was abandoned, and for fifty years little more was heard on the subject. What they would have said to the L150,000 spent on the present building can be better imagined than described. The foundation-stone of the latter was laid Sept. 7, 1850, and the first inmates were received March 29, 1852, in which year the Lichfield Street establishment was finally closed, though it was not taken down for several years after. The new Workhouse is one of the largest in the country, the area within its walls being nearly twenty acres, and it was built to accommodate 3,000 persons, but several additions in the shape of new wards, enlarged schools, and extended provision for the sick, epileptic and insane, have since been made. The whole establishment is supplied with water from an artesian well, and is such a distance from other buildings as to ensure the most healthy conditions. The chapel, which has several stained windows, is capable of seating 800 persons and in it, on May 9, 1883, the Bishop of Worcester administered the rite of confirmation to 31 of the inmates, a novelty in the history of Birmingham Workhouse, at all events. Full provision is made for Catholics and Nonconformists desiring to attend the services of their respective bodies. In connection with the Workhouse may be noted the Cottage Homes and Schools at Marston Green (commenced in October, 1878) for the rearing and teaching of a portion of the poor children left in the care of the Guardians. These buildings consist of 3 schools, 14 cottage homes, workshops, infirmary, headmaster's residence, &c., each of the homes being for thirty children, in addition to an artisan and his wife, who act as heads of the family. About twenty acres of land are at present thus occupied, the cost being at the rate of L140 per acre, while on the buildings upwards of L20,000 has been spent.

Public houses.—The early Closing Act came into operation here, November 11, 1864; and the eleven o'clock closing hour in 1872; the rule from 1864 having been to close at one and open at four a.m. Prior to that date the tipplers could be indulged from the earliest hour on Monday till the latest on Saturday night. Mr. Joseph Chamberlain and his friends thought so highly of the Gothenburg scheme that they persuaded the Town Council into passing a resolution (Jan. 2, 1877) that the Corporation ought to be allowed to buy up all the trade in Birmingham. There were forty-six who voted for the motion against ten; but, when the Right Hon. J.C.'s monopolising motion was introduced to the House of Commons (March 13, 1877), it was negatived by fifty-two votes.

Pudding Brook.—This was the sweetly pretty name given to one of the little streams that ran in connection with the moat round the old Manorhouse. Possibly it was originally Puddle Brook, but as it became little more than an open sewer or stinking mud ditch before it was ultimately done away with, the last given name may not have been inappropriate.

Quacks.—Though we cannot boast of a millionaire pill-maker like the late Professor Holloway, we have not often been without a local well-to-do "quack." A medical man, named Richard Aston, about 1815-25, was universally called so, and if the making of money is proof of quackery, he deserved the title, as he left a fortune of L60,000. He also left an only daughter, but she and her husband were left to die in the Workhouse, as the quack did not approve of their union.

Quakers.—Peaceable and quiet as the members of the Society of Friends are known to be now, they do not appear to have always borne that character in this neighbourhood, but the punishments inflicted upon them in the time of the Commonwealth seem to have been brutish in the extreme. In a history of the diocese of Worcester it is stated that the Quakers not only refused to pay tithes or take off their hats in courts of justice, but persisted in carrying on their business on Sundays, and scarcely suffering a service to be conducted without interruption, forcing themselves into congregations and proclaiming that the clergymen were lying witnesses and false prophets, varying their proceedings by occasionally running naked through the streets of towns and villages, and otherwise misbehaving themselves, until they were regarded as public pests and treated accordingly. In the year 1661, fifty-four Quakers were in Worcester gaol, and about the same time seven or eight others were in the lockup at Evesham, where they were confined for fourteen weeks in a cell 22 ft. square and 6 ft. high, being fed on bread and water and not once let out during the whole time, so that people could not endure to past the place; female Quakers were thrust with brutal indecency into the stocks and there left in hard frost for a day and night, being afterwards driven from the town. And this went on during the whole of the time this country was blessed with Cromwell and a Republican Government.—See "Friends."

Quaint Customs.—The practice of "heaving" or "lifting" on Easter Monday and Tuesday was still kept up in some of the back streets of the town a few years back, and though it may have died out now with us those who enjoy such amusements will find the old custom observed in villages not far away.—At Handsworth, "clipping the church" was the curious "fad" at Easter-time, the children from the National Schools, with ladies and gentlemen too, joining hands till they had surrounded the old church with a leaping, laughing, linked, living ring of humanity, great fun being caused when some of the link loosed hands and let their companions fall over the graves.—On St. John's Days, when the ancient feast or "wake" of Deritend Chapel was kept, it, was the custom to carry bulrushes to the church, and old inhabitants decorated their fireplaces with them.—In the prosperous days of the Holte family, when Aston Hall was the abode of fine old English gentlemen, instead of being the lumber-room of those Birmingham rogues the baronets abominated, Christmas Eve was celebrated with all the hospitalities usual in baronial halls, but the opening of the evening's performances was of so whimsical a character that it attracted attention even a hundred years ago, when queer and quaint customs were anything but strange. An old chronicler thus describes it:—"On this day, as soon as supper is over, a table is set in the hall; on it is set a brown loaf, with twenty silver threepences stuck on the top of it, a tankard of ale, with pipes and tobacco; and the two oldest servants have chairs behind it, to sit in as judges, if they please. The steward brings the servants, both men and women, by one at a time, covered with a winnow-sheet, and lays their right hand on the loaf, exposing no other part of the body. The oldest of the two judges guesses at the person, by naming a name; then the younger judge, and, lastly, the oldest again. If they hit upon the right name, the steward leads the person back again; but if they do not he takes off the winnow-sheet, and the person receives a threepence, makes low obeisance to the judges, but speaks not a word. When the second servant was brought the younger judge guessed first and third; and this they did alternately till all the money was given away. Whatever servant had not slept in the house the previous night forfeited his right to the money. No account is given of the origin of this strange custom, but it has been practised ever since the family lived there. When the money is gone the servants have full liberty to drink, dance, sing, and go to bed when they please."

Railways: London and North Western.—The first proposal for converting Birmingham with the outer world by means of a railway seems to have originated in 1824, as we read of the share-book for a Birmingham and London line being opened here on December 14 of that year. There was a great rush for shares, 2,500 being taken up in two hours, and a L7 premium offered for more, but as the scheme was soon abandoned it is probable the scrip was quickly at a discount. Early in 1830 two separate companies were formed for a line to the Metropolis, but they amalgamated on September 11, and surveys were taken in the following year. Broad Street being chosen as the site for a station. The Bill was introduced into the House of Commons February 20, 1832, but the Lords rejected it in June. Another Bill, with variations in the plans, was brought in in the session of 1833, and it passed on May 6, the work being commenced at the London end in July, and at Birmingham in June of the following year. The line was to be 112-1/2 miles long and estimated to cost L2,500,000, but the real cost amounted to L4,592,700, of which L72,868 18s. 10d. was spent in obtaining the Act alone. The line was opened in sections as completed, the first train running from Euston to Boxmoor, 24-1/2 miles, on July 20, 1837. The average daily number of persons using the line during the first month was 1,428, the receipts being at the rate of L153 per day. On April 9, 1838, the trains reached Rugby, and on Aug. 14, the line was completed to Daddeston Row, the directors taking a trial trip on the 20th. There were only seventeen stations on the whole line, over which the first passenger train ran on Sept. 17.—The prospectus of the Grand Junction Railway (for Liverpool and Manchester) was issued May 7, 1830, and the line from Vauxhall Station to Newton (where it joined the Manchester and Liverpool line) was opened July 4, 1837. The importance of this line of communication was shown by the number of passengers using it during the first nine weeks, 18,666 persons travelling to or from Liverpool, and 7,374 to or from Manchester, the receipts for that period being L41,943.—The Birmingham branch of the South Staffordshire Railway was opened Nov. 1, 1847; the Birmingham and Shrewsbury line, Nov. 12, 1849; and between Dudley and Walsall May 1, 1850. The Stour Valley line was partially brought into use (from Monument Lane) Aug. 19, 1851, the first train running clear through to Wolverhampton July 1, 1852. The line to Sutton Coldfield was opened June 2, 1862, and the Harborne line (for which the Act was obtained in 1866) was opened Aug. 10, 1874. The Act for the construction of the Birmingham and Lichfield line, being a continuation of the Sutton Coldfield Railway, passed June 23, 1874; it was commenced late in October, 1881, and it will shortly be in use. The Bill for the Dudley and Oldbury Junction line passed July 15, 1881. A new route from Leamington to Birmingham was opened in Sept. 1884, shortening the journey to London.

Midland.—The Derby and Birmingham Junction line was opened through from Lawley Street Aug. 12th, 1839. The first portion of the Birmingham and Gloucester line, between Barnt Green and Cheltenham, was opened July 1, 1840, coaches running from here to Barnt Green to meet the trains until Dec. 15, 1840, when the line was finished to Camp Hill, the Midland route being completed and opened Feb. 10, 1842. The first sod was cut for the West Suburban line Jan. 14, 1873, and it was opened from Granville Street to King's Norton April 3, 1876. This line is now being doubled and extended from Granville Street to New Street, at an estimated cost of L280,400, so that the Midland will have a direct run through the town.

Great Western.—The first portion of the Oxford and Birmingham Railway (between here and Banbury) was opened Sept. 30, 1852, the tunnel from Moor Street to Monmouth Street being finished on June 6th previous. The original estimated cost of this line was but L900,000, which was swelled to nearly L3,000,000 by the bitter fight known as the "Battle of the Gauges." The line from Snow Hill to Wolverhampton was opened Nov. 14, 1854. The first train to Stratford-on-Avon was run on Oct. 9, 1860. The Oxford, Worcester, and Wolverhampton line was opened in May, 1852. The broad gauge was altered in 1874.

Railway Jottings.—The London and Birmingham line cost at the rate of L23,000 per mile, taking nearly five years to make, about 20,000 men being employed, who displaced over 400,000,000 cubic feet of earth. The Grand Junction averaged L16,000 per mile, and at one time there were 11,000 men at work upon it. Slate slabs were originally tried for sleepers on the Birmingham and London line.

The first railway carriages were built very like to coaches, with an outside seat at each end for the guard, though passengers often sat there for the sake of seeing the country.

The fares first charged between Birmingham and London were 30s. by first class, and 20s. second class (open carriages) by day trains; 32s. 6d. first class and 25s. second class, by night. In 1841 the fares were 30s. first, 25s. second, and 20s. 3d. third class; they are now 17s. 4d., 13s. 6d., and 9s. 5d.

"Booking" was a perfectly correct term when the lines were first used, as when passengers went for their tickets they had to give their names and addresses, to be written on the tickets and in the book containing the counterfoils of the tickets.

The day the Grand Junction line was opened was kept as a general holiday between here and Wolverhampton, hundreds of tents and picnic parties being seen along the line.

The directors of the Birmingham and Gloucester line ordered eleven locomotives from Philadelphia at a cost of 85,000 dollars, and it was these engines that brought their trains to Camp Hill at first. In comparison with the engines now in use, these Americans were very small ones. The trains were pulled up the incline at the Lickey by powerful stationary engines.

On the completion of the London line, the engineers who had been employed presented George Stephenson at a dinner held here with a silver tureen and stand worth 130 guineas. This celebrated engineer made his last public appearance at a meeting in this town of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, July 16, 1848, his death taking place on the 12th of the following month.

The L. & N.W.R. Co. have 46,000 men in their employ.

The G.W.R. has the longest mileage of any railway in England, 2,276-1/2 miles; the L. and N.W.R., 1,774-1/2 miles; the Midland, 1,225 miles.

The returns of the L. and N.W., Midland and G.W.R. Companies for 1878 showed local traffic of 936,000 tons of goods, 693,000 tons of coal, coke and other minerals, 20,200 loads of cattle, and 7,624,000 passengers.

The south tunnel in New Street was blocked April 18, 1877, by a locomotive turning over. In October, 1854, an engine fell over into Great Charles Street.

The unused viaduct between Bordesley and Banbury Street belongs to the G.W.R. Co. and was intended to connect their lines with the other Companies. It now stands as a huge monument of the "Railway Mania" days.

The extensive carrying trade of Crowley and Co. was transferred to the L. & N.W.R. Co. May 17, 1873.

Railway Stations.—As noted on a previous page, the first railway stations were those in Duddeston Row, Lawley Street, Vauxhall, the Camp Hill, but the desirability of having a Central Station was too apparent for the Companies to remain long at the outskirts, and the L. & N.W.R. Co. undertook the erection in New Street, of what was then (and will soon be again) the most extensive railway station in the kingdom, making terms with the Midland for part use thereof. The work of clearance was commenced in 1846, the estimated cost being put at L400,000, L39,000 being paid to the Governors of the Grammar School for land belonging to them. Several streets were done away with, and the introduction of the station may be called the date-point of the many town improvements that have since been carried out. The station, and the tunnels leading thereto, took seven years in completion, the opening ceremony taking place June 1, 1853. The iron and glass roof was ihe largest roof in the world, being 1,080 ft. long, with a single span of 212 ft. across at a height of 75 ft. from the rails. This immense span has since been surpassed, as the roof of the St. Pancras Station, London, is 243 ft. from side to side. The roof of Lime Street Station, Liverpool, is also much larger, being 410ft wide, but it is in two spans. The station has been since greatly enlarged, extending as far as Hill Street, on which side are the Midland Booking Offices. The tunnels have been partially widened or thrown into open cuttings, additional platforms constructed, and miles of new rails laid down, one whole street (Great Queen Street) being taken bodily into the station for a carriage drive. The station now covers nearly 12 acres, the length of platforms exceeding 1-1/2 miles. The cost of this enlargement was over half-a-million sterling.

As in the case of New Street Station, the introduction of the Great Western Railway caused the removal of a very large number of old buildings, but the monster wooden shed which did duty as the Snow Hill Station for many years was as great a disgrace to the town as ever the old tumbledown structures could have been that were removed to make way for it. This, however, was remedied in 1871, by the erection of the present building, which is extensive and convenient, the platforms having a run of 720 feet, the span of the roof being 92 feet.

Rateable Values.—In 1815 the annual rateable value of property in the borough was totaled at L311,954; in 1824 the amount stood at L389,273, an increase of L77,319 in the ten years; in 1834 the return was L483,774, the increase being L94,501; in 1814 it was L569,686, or an increase of L85,912; in 1854 the returns showed L655,631, the increase, L85,934, being little more than in the previous decennial period. The next ten years were those of the highest prosperity the building trade of this town has ever known, and the rateable values in 1864 went up to L982,384, an increase of L326,763. In 1870 a new assessment was made, which added over L112,000 to the rateable values, the returns for 1874 amounting to L1,254,911, an increase in the ten years of L272,527. In 1877 the returns gave a total of L1,352,554; in 1878 L1,411,060, an increase in the one year of L58,506; but since 1878 the increase has not been so rapid, the average for the next three years being L36,379; and, as will be seen by the following table, the yearly increase of values during the last three years is still less in each of the several parish divisions of the borough:—

1881 1882 1883

Birmingham parish L985,081 L991,445 L1,001,541 Yearly increase 18,483 6,364 10,096

Edgbaston parish L179,328 L180,327 L181,552 Yearly increase 8,474 999 1,225

Aston, part of parish L355,788 L362,337 L365,875 Yearly increase 9,419 6,549 3,538

Total rateable value of the Borough L1,520,179 L1,534,109 L1,548,968 Yearly increase 36,379 13,912 14,859

Rainfall.—The mean annual rainfall in the eleven years ending with 1871, in this neighbourhood, was 29.51 inches, in the following eleven years 36.01 inches, the two heaviest years being 1872 with 47.69 inches, and 1882 with 43.06 inches. The depth of rain registered in the last three months of 1882 (14.93 inches), was the largest for any three consecutive months ever recorded by our painstaking meteorologist, the late Mr. T.L. Plant, of Moseley.

Ravenhurst.—The old house at Camp Hill, which gave names to Hurst Street and Ravenhurst Street, leading in the direction of the mansion, where in 1810 there were found a number of coins and tokens of the period of Queen Elizabeth and Charles I., as well as sundry Scotch "bawbees."

Rea.—This little river takes its rise among the Lickey Hills, and from certain geological discoveries made in 1883, there is every reason to believe that, in Saxon days, it was a stream of considerable force. The name Rea, or Rhea, is of Gaelic derivation, and, with slight alteration, it is the name of some other watercourses in the kingdom. From time to time, alterations have been made in the course of the Rea, and prior to the introduction of steam its waters were used extensively for mill-power, dams, fleams, and shoots interfering with the free running in all directions. Long little better than an open sewer, there is a prospect that, within a few years, it may be cleansed and become once more a limpid stream, if the sanitary authorities will but find some more convenient site as burial-place for unfortunate canines and felines.

Rebellion of 1745.—The first news of the Rebellion and of the landing of the Young Pretender reached here Aug. 19, 1745. The Scotch did not come so far as Birmingham, but [though thousands of swords were made here for "Bonnie Prince Charlie"] some little preparation was made to receive them. At a meeting held October 5, 1745, it was proposed to form a regiment of volunteers against them, and Sir Lister Holte found 250 horses to pursue the unfortunate "Pretender," whose great-grandfather had been the guest of Sir Lister's ancestor.

Rebus.—Poking fun at our town is no new game, as may be seen by the following local rebus (by "Dardanus") copied from the Gentlemen's Magazine of 1752:—

"Take three-fourths of a creature which many admire, That's often confined in a castle of wire; Three-fourths of a herb that the garden doth yield, And a term used by husbandmen ploughing the field; With that part of a swine which is now much in fashion, And a town you'll discover in this brave English nation."

The answer was Bird, Mint, G, and Ham—Birmingham, the scribe who poetically replied, [**]inding-up by saying that it was

"A town that in trading excels half the nation, Because, Jove be thanked, there is no Corporation!"

Recorders.—The first Recorder appointed for the borough was Mr. Matthew Davenport Hill, whose name is so intimately connected with the history of Reformatory and Industrial Schools. Mr. Arthur Robarts Adams, Q.C., who succeeded Mr. M.D. Hill on his resignation in January, 1866, was a native of the county, and had acted as Deputy-Recorder for some years. He died in an apoplectic fit, while out shooting (Dec. 19, 1877), in Bagley Wood, near Oxford, in his 65th year. The present Recorder is Mr. John Stratford Dugdale, of Blythe Hall, Coleshill.

Recreation Grounds.—Early in 1854 Joseph Sturge set apart a field in Wheeley's Lane as a public playground for children, and this must rank as the first recreation ground. The last is the disused burial ground of St. Mary's Church, which, after an expenditure of about L1,500 was thrown open to the public as "St. Mary's Garden," October 16, 1882.—see "Parks."

Red Book.—Quite a local institution is the yearly publication known as "The Birmingham Red Book," which was first issued in 1865.

Reformatories.—See "Industrial Schools."

Reform Leagues.—The first local affair of this kind that we have note of (though likely enough there had been "reform clubs" before that date) seems to have originated at a meeting of some dozen or so gentlemen at the Royal Hotel, Dec 14, 1829. On the 25th of Jan., 1830, a public meeting to organise a kind of local political body was held at Beardsworth's Repository, and it is chronicled that about 15,000 persons were present. The result was the formation of the celebrated Birmingham Political Union, though the full name was "The General Political Union between the Lower and Middle Classes of the People." The Union's "Petition of Rights" was issued Dec. 13, and the "Declaration of Council" Dec. 20, 1830. This is not the place to enter upon a history of the doings of the Political Union, which was dissolved by mutual consent of the leaders May 10, 1834, but there can be no doubt that it did have considerable influence on the political changes of the period. In 1848 an attempt was made to resuscitate the Old Union, though the promoters of the new organisation called it the "Political Council," and in 1865 another League or Union was started, which has a world-wide fame as "The Caucus." Indeed, it may be safely said the town has never, during the past sixty years or so, been without some such body, the last appointed being the "Reform League," started Sept. 2, 1880, by the Rev. Arthur O'Neill and his friends, to agitate for a change in the Constitution of the House of Lords.

Reform Meetings.—We have had a few big meetings of the kind one time and another, and give the dates of the principal. Newhall Hill used to be the favourite spot, and the first meeting held there was on January 22, 1817.—On July 22, 1819, there were 60,000 there, and a member was chosen to represent the town in Parliament. (See "Newhall Hill.") The meeting of October 3, 1831, had only 150,000 persons at it, but May 7, in following year, saw 200,000 on the Hill.—The "great" Reform meetings at Brookfields were on August 27, 1866, and April 22, 1867.—A procession to, and demonstration at Soho Pool, Aug. 4, 1884, at which 100,000 persons are said to have been present, is the last big thing of the kind.

Regattas.—Usually the A1 amusement of places blessed with sea or river space, but introduced to us (Aug 2, 1879), on the Reservoir, by the Y.M.C.A., whose members had to compete with some crack rowers from Evesham, Shrewsbury, Stratford, Stourport, and Worcester.

Registers.—At what date a parish register was first kept here is not known, but Mr. Hamper, the antiquarian, once found some old parts stowed away under the pulpit staircase, and he had them bound and preserved. There are very few perfect registers in this neighbourhood, though Aston can boast of one dated from 1544, King's Norton 1547, Handsworth 1558, Northfield 1560, Castle Bromwich 1659, and Moseley 1750—The Registration Act was passed Aug. 17, 1836.

Register Offices.—The custom of hiring servants at "statute fairs" and "mops" still exists in theory if not in practice, in several parts of the adjoining counties but thanks to the low scale for advertising, such a system is not needed now. The introduction of register offices was a great improvement, the first opened in Birmingham being at 26, St. John Street (then a respectable neighbourhood), in January 1777, the fee being 6d. for registering and 3d. for an enquiry. There are a number of respectable offices of this kind now, but it cannot be hidden that there have been establishments so called which have been little better than dens of thievery, the proprietors caring only to net all the half-crowns and eighteen-pences they could extract from the poor people who were foolish enough to go to them.

Rejoicing, Days of.—Great were the rejoicings in Birmingham, October 9, 1746, when the news came of the battle of Culloden. The capture of Quebec, in 1759, was celebrated here on December 3, by a gneral illumination; the peace-loving Quakers, however, had to rejoice over broken windows, for the mob smashed them, one unfortunate Friend having to provide 115 squares of glass before his lights were perfect again. We were loyal in those days, and when we heard of our gallant boys thrashing their opponents, up went our caps, caring not on whose heads lay "the blood-guiltiness," and so there was shouting and ringing of bells on May 20, 1792, in honour of Admiral Rodney and his victory. The next great day of rejoicing, however, was for the Peace of Amiens in 1802, and it was notable the more especially from the fact of Soho Works being illuminated with gas, for the first time in the world's history used for such a purpose. In 1809, we put up the first statue in all England to the hero of Trafalgar, and we made the 6th of June the day to rejoice over it, because forsooth, it happened to be the jubilee day of George the Third. What he had done for us to rejoice about would be hard to tell; even more difficult is the query why we were so gleeful and joyous on February 1, 1820, when his successor was proclaimed. George IV.'s Coronation was celebrated here by the public roasting of oxen, and an immense dinner party in front of Beardsworth's Repository.

Religious Queerosities.—Among all its multifarious manufactures it would have been strange, indeed, if Birmingham had not produced something new in religious matters, and accordingly we find that in 1840 some of our advanced townsmen had formed themselves into a "Universal Community Society of Rational Religionists." We have not met with a copy of their rules, though Tidd Pratt registered them as of a Friendly Society (under cap. 4, Will. IV.), but the county magistrates, at the November Quarter Sessions would not pass them nor seal them. Of late years there have been introduced amongst us several other curiosities in the way of religious bodies, like the Theists, the Polytheists, the Positivists, the Secularists, the Latter-day Saints, and others.

Religious Societies.—In addition to those noted elsewhere, there have been many societies formed here which may come under this heading, such as the Lay Association for the Refutation of Infidelity, founded in 1839; the Protestant Association, commenced in 1847; the Christian Evidence Society, began in 1869; the Church Defence and Reform Association, formed in 1871, the Protestant and Church Association, inaugurated May 23, of same year, &c.

Repository.—Before the building of the Town Hall, there was no place in which a town's meeting could be held, except the Public Office in Moor Street, besides Beardsworth's Repository. As its name implies, it was originally built as a sale-room for horses and carriages, but some of the most important meetings known in Birmingham history have been held within its walls, grand banquets were often laid out there, popular lecturers have discoursed, and popular pugilists exhibited their prowess in the same arena, and the building has even been used as a barracks.

Republicanism.—In 1873 a small band of Brummagem bouncers patriotically provided us with a real "Republican Club," and proud of the feat announced the world-stirring fact to the "Hero of Caprera." The simple honest-hearted General, who knew not the guile of their hearts, was deluded into wishing them success. Ten years have passed since "Mio Caro Cattell" secured Garibaldi's autograph, but still Victoria remains Queen of Great Britain, Empress of Hindostan, and the best-beloved sovereign on the earth.

Reservoir.—See "Canals" and "Roach Pool."

Restaurants.—Our grandfathers knew them not. They took their chop or steak at their inn or hotel, or visited the tripe houses. Indeed, Joe Allday's tripe shop in Union Street (opened about 1839-40) may be called the first "restaurant" established here, as it was the favourite resort of many Town Councillors and leading men of the town. A vegetarian restaurant was opened in Paradise Street in July, 1881, and 1883 saw the commencement of another novelty in the line, a fish restaurant in the old Warwick Passage.—See "Luncheon Bars."

Rifle Clubs.—The Midland Rifle Club was started in 1875, the Staffordshire Rifle Association dating from 1861. Both clubs use the range at Sandwell Park, by permission of the Earl of Dartmouth. At the International Match at Creedmore, New York, in 1881, the representatives of this neighbourhood scored high numbers, Corporal Bates (of the M.R.C.) taking the only first prize secured by visitors in the open competitions of the U.S. Associations.

Rights of Man.—An effigy of Tom Paine, author of "The Rights of Man," was paraded through the streets, Feb. 12, 1793, and ignominiously burned in the evening.

Ringers.—The St. Martin's Society of Change Ringers, date from 1755, and have always held high rank among the bellringers of the country. Many old newspapers have chronicled their mighty doings with bobs and treble bobs, caters and cinques, in all their courses and changes. In Southey's "Doctor" (vol. 1, p. 303) mention is made of "eight Birmingham youths who ventured upon a peal of 15,120 bob major, but after ringing for eight hours and a half were so fatigued that the caller brought them round at the 14,224th change, perhaps the longest peal that had ever been rung." On February 28, 1881, the ringers achieved a true peal of Stedman cinques, containing 9,238 change, in 6-3/4 hours, being the longest peal ever rung in that method, and noteworthy as the composition of H. Johnson, senr., and rung in honour of his 72nd birthday. In former days the local ringers were also famed for their skill with handbells, one celebrated performer being Elijah Roberts, an extraordinary adept, who died in 1865. One of this worthy's feats was the ringing (at Liverpool, [**]ch 23, 1837) a peal comprising [**] of Kent treble bob maxi[**] hours—See "Bells."

Riots.—In times past the Brums had a bad name for rioting, and when the list is looked over many may think it not undeserved.—In July, 1715, the Old Meeting House was destroyed in a riot.—In 1737 the nail-makers from Worcestershire marched into this town and forced the ironmongers to sign a paper allowing an advance in prices.—Some bigoted brutes got up an anti-Methodist movement in 1751, which culminated in a general riot on Oct. 19, the pulpit and seats being taken out of the meeting-house and burnt.—The history of "the Birmingham Riots" of 1791 is world-known, and there is no necessity to repeat the disgraceful tale. The damage was estimated at L60,000; the sufferers recovered only L27,000,—On Oct. 24, 1793, caused by the enforced collection of the rates levied to pay damages done in riots of 1791. Two more lives lost. —June 22, 1795. on account of scarcity of food and the high prices thereof. Soldiers called out, and they gave two unfortunates leaden food enough to kill them.—May 28, 1810, two women fell out over the price of some potatoes, others joined in and a scrimmage ensued. Constables came and men mauled them, and the result of the unruly wagging of those two women's tongues was a riot, which lasted four days. Three men were sentenced to grow potatoes at Botany Bay the rest of their lives.—March 22, 1813, the chapels in Bond Street, Belmont Row, and Ladywell Walk, with the Jews' Synagogue in Severn Street, were damaged by a riotous mob. The Jabet Riots in 1816 were primarily caused by the proprietor of Jabet's Herald publishing an address showing that "a man, wife, and six children could live on 6s. a week." Some cheap food was presented to the printer in the shape of potatoes, with which his windows were smashed.—Claims for damages arising out of the Chartist riots of 1839 were made to the amount of L16,283, of which L15,027 were allowed, and rates were made on the Hundred of Hemlingford for L20,000 to cover the same and the expenses attendant thereon. It was a curious coincidence that the rioters of 1839 should have chosen July the 15th for their fiery pranks, the roughs of 1791 having on the same day of the same month, burnt Hutton's and other houses. At the Warwick Assizes, Aug. 8, 1839, Jeremiah Howell, Francis Roberts, and John Jones were sentenced to be hung, Thomas Aston had sentence of death recorded against him, and 13 other hot-heads were ordered various terms of imprisonment, for taking part in the mischief.—At Snow Hill Flour Mills, June 29, 1847, arising out of the seizure of sundry short weights.—The "Murphy Riots" commenced on Sunday, June 16, 1867, when William Murphy, the Anti-Papal lecturer, delivered his first oration. The police had to clear Carrs Lane with their cutlasses, and Park Street was nearly demolished. An Irishman who threatened Morris Roberts in his public-house was shot by him on the 17th, and the act was declared to be justifiable.—There was a disgraceful row (which may well be classed under this heading) at St. Alban's Church, Oct. 13, 1867, in consequence of some ecclesiastical excommunicatory proceedings.—The Navigation Street riot of roughs, in which Police-officers Lines and Fletcher were stabbed, took place March 7, 1875. Lines died on the 24th, and was buried at Aston the 29th. The sum of L840 14s. was gathered to support his wife and daughter. The Assizes, held in the following July, may be called "the Roughs' Reprisals," as one was sentenced to death, four to penal servitude for life, six to fifteen years each (three of them were flogged as well), one to ten years, one to seven years, and four to five years each.—A Conservative "demonstration" held at the Lower Grounds, October 13th, 1884, was broken into and disturbed by Liberals, who held a meeting outside and then breached the walls, spoilt the fireworks, and added another to the long list of Birmingham riots.

Ritualism.—Though there has been many instances of local clergymen adopting practices which usually come under the name of ritualistic, we have had but one "Martyr to the Cause," in the person of the Rev. R.W. Enraght, of the Church of the Holy Trinity, Bordesley. Among the numerous practices of which complaint was made against him were the following:—The use of lighted candles, the wearing of the alb and chasuble, the ceremonial mixing of water and wine, the making of the sign of the cross towards the congregation, the use of wafers instead of bread, standing with his back to the congregation during the prayer for consecration, not continuing to stand the whole time during the prayer, elevation of the cup and paten more than is necessary, causing the Agnus Dei to be sung immediately after the consecration, standing instead of kneeling during the Confession, and kissing the Prayer Book. Remonstrance, monition, and inhibition, not being sufficient to teach him the error of his ways, Mr. Enraght was committed for contempt Nov. 20, 1880, and taken to Warwick gaol on the 27th. He was released soon after Christmas, and another Vicar filleth his place.