^1 If L. ->,r^ r- ^■^■^K^' ^^^'^ai ^^ \(r^. N /^. A A ^ ^^i f^fM'^ '1^^ ''r-s r-^^'^N/^ o^^ rs ^^ ,0 r> rN THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES /^•^ r:s r\ 'r^'f^\^ r^ '(/■--N' /^ '/^ •■/-v\ V- '~\ -^ ,^,' A ^ r ^ 'fSl0^ A ■ft' /~\ ^^' v> R 1^ /^ ^ f^ f^ \r\ ^ W /^ K ^ 1 ■ ,'?\ I H ^ W A' 5i.|l JW^Kl -nIU) A A /-^, ^ ^ A - ■ ■ ^^ ^ ^ ^ A ,/*^, /^ A A '■'^ ,0.. /^^ ,^ A ^' /-^- iiei^^^Z^HH i'i',!!^g^»i5»^'; ^ "or'Cx^ ,H^ r \\'i ■' \" M \ 2^>!^>^ X! Wa^ A'K\ aSSBaSSm r^\ir<\mrX\\^' /^^■^ r\ r\ r^' 'K> SOP ■W<«'A^^^^ r^iYifl^Vi^Wjfii' FiSISi^lR&IeK BTAfdy^^^nirimuMi^^ A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE: OR, A CHRONICLE OF LOCAL EVENTS, FROM I 74 1 TO 1 84 1. COMPILED AND EDITED BY JOHN ALFRED LANGFORD, LL.D. ^^ccont) (Etiition. VOL. 1. BIRMINGHAM: PRINTED AND TUBLISHKD BY \V. U. MOORE & Co., sj, HIGH STREET, 1870, \-sio V. I DEDICATION. To SAMUEL TIMMINS, WHOSE KNOWLEDGE OF OLD BIRMINGHAM . IS EQUALLED BY FEW; AND WHOSE DESIRE FOR THE WELL-BEING OF MODERN BIRMINGHAM IS SURPASSED BV NONE, THIS WORK IS INSCRIBED, BY HIS FRIEND, J. A. LANGFORD. 722434 PREFACE. ' I ^HIS book is simply what it professes to be, a ■^ compilation. It appeared to me — and friends, on whose judgments I could rely, agreed with me — that it would be more interesting and useful to let our forefathers speak for themselves, than to tell their story in other words. In almost all cases, therefore, I have quoted the advertisements, paragraphs, and reports literally. It would have been a much easier task to have given the substance of these extracts in my own words ; but the object and intention of the book would not have been effected by such a proceeding. Every one acquainted with literary work knows that it is less labour to read and make an abstract of a report than tediously to copy it ipsissima verba. I mention this in self-justification. It was not to spare my own pain and toil that the plan of giving as much matter as possible in extracts was adopted, but in order to present to the reader the picture of the town, its people, and their life, even in their habits as they lived. Some may object that the extracts sometimes relate to trifling subjects. It must, however, be remembered, such is happily the variety of people's tastes and pursuits that things which appear trifles to some, are interesting and important to others. The true picture of the life of VI PREFACE. a town will include tragedy and farce ; things grave and gay ; trifles light as air, and subjects of the deepest importance ; for of such endless variety is life composed. A complete picture of Birmingham for a hundred years could not be painted without including each shade of its many-coloured and varied existence. It only remains for me here to discharge the grateful duty of acknowledging my obligations. My first and warmest thanks are due to the Proprietors of An's's Gazette, who have generously given me the free and unrestricted use of the unique and complete file of their paper, without which this compilation would never have been thought of, and could never have been made. The early numbers of the Gazette contain the onl)' record we possess of many important local events, and without them an accurate and perfect history of the town could not be written. To Mr. Samuel Timmins my obligations are so numer- ous that I scarcely know how to discharge them. His unequalled collection of Birmingham books, and his unequalled knowledge of Birmingham past and present, have been placed entirely and unreservedly at my disposal. With a sijirit of generosity and self-denial rarely equalled and never surpassed he has rendered me every assistance in his power, and the reader is indebted to his large knowledge for many curious and illustrative passages. To Mr. Toui.min Smith my warmest thanks are also due. He has helped me in many ways, and furnished me with much valuable information. His love for his native town, and his desire to aid all undertakings which affect her interest, are well known. In the humblest as well as in the most important labours for tlic benefit of Birmingham, his co-operation is never asked in vain. Since the publication of the first edition of PREFACE. Vll this work, Literature has lost a learned and conscientious labourer, and Birmingham a true friend, by the lamented death of Mr. '1'oulmin Smith. I have, also, to thank Mr. Sebastian Evans, M.A., Mr. Brooke Smith, Mr. W. R. Hughes, Mr. Hubert Latham, Mr. John Rabone, jun., and Mr. Frederick Price, for much valuable assistance. To the members of my own household, who have so industriously and unweariedly helped me in the tedious and irksome labour ol transcription, my thanks are also due. Birmingham, November, i86j. CONTENTS OF FIRST VOLUME. Introduction Page xiii-xxxii CHAPTER 1.-1741-1751. Appearance of the Town— Houses and Gardens — Temple Street — New Hall— The Old Square— St. Philip's Church — Leland's description of Birmingham — Old Cross — Welsh Cross — Deritend — Westley's Plan, 1731 — Bradford's Plan, 1751 — Bradford's View — Description of the Old Town — Public Life and Events — .\dmiral Vernon — Methodism — King's Birthday — The Rebellion of 1745 — Appeal for a New Church — Peace Proclaimed- — Day of Thanksgiving — Meeting of Weavers — Com Market — Counterfeit Half-pence— Free School — Post Office— Parish Officers and the Sur- veyors — Alteration of the Style — Milch Asses — Education and Literary Life — Lectures — Figures in Sculpture — Poetical Advertisement — Poems on Birmingham — Amusements — Cock-fighting — Theatres — Musical Clock — Wax A\'orks — Temple of Apollo — Manners and Customs — Runaway Wives — Highway Robberies — The Bir- mingham Book Club 1-62 CHAPTER n.— 1751-1761. Appearance of the Town — Houses with Gardens — Increase of Buildings — Public Life — Free Grammar School — Admiral Byng — The King's Birthday — Bread Riots— Regrating — Increase of Pauperism — Frederick the Great's Birthday — Incendiary Letter — Taking of Quebec — Illuminations — Death of the Founder o( Arts' s Gazelle — Coronation of George III.— -Education — .\ Good Suggestion — Ode on the Death of General Wolfe — Amusements — A Living Colossus — Learned English Dog — Cock- fighting — Birmingham Theatres — Manners and Customs — A-la-Mode, 1754 — Schemes and Schemers — Ingenious Proposal — Matrimonial .\dvertisements — Christmas Boxes — An Industrious Thief — The Protestant Dissenting Charity School 63-101 X CONTENTS. CHAPTER III.— 1761-1771. Appearance of the Town — Duddeston Hall — New Hall — Right of Road — Building Land— Pudding Brook— Fee Land — London 'Prentice Street — The Moat-house — Garden Robberies— Public Life and Events— The Militia — War with Spain — Treaty of Peace — Trade Meeting — Distress of the People — Heavy Storms — Franklin's Dis- covery — Aston Park — A Royal Visit — The Town Machine — Provision Riot — Practical Charity— Post Office— Soft Water — Election News — Release of Wilkes — Post Office Improvements — Short ^Veights — William Shenstone — Circulating Libraries — The North Briton Verdict — Birmingham Beer — A New Magazine — James Woodhouse — Lectures — Richard Jago — Miss Poynton — Rev. Mr. Wilkinson — The Glasses — Circus — Exhibi- tions — Oratorios — Theatre — Scripturul Sculpture — The Shakspere Jubilee— Conjuring — John Foxhall — Threatening Letters — Negro Boy for Sale — Idleness and Glory — A Trade Demonstration— The (jeneral Hospital — Birmingham Canal Navigation — Act for "Enlightening and Cleansing the Streets" 102-194 CHAPTER IV.— 1771-17S1. Growth of the Town — Birmingham in 1778 and 1780 — Change in Names — An Old Building Society — Poem on a Gentleman's Pleasure Ground — A Post Office Grievance — Church Extension — St. Mary's Chajjcl — St. Paul's— Portugal Money — Warwickshire Election Song — The American War — Death of John Baskerville — Letter to Edmund Burke — The Rev. Mr. Brailsford — State of the Road.s — Counter- feit Half-Pence — Watt's Steam Engine — Enlargement of the Gazette — Coach Receipts — Trade Dispute — Volunteer Movement — General Burgoyne — New Machine — The Overseers and the Poor — The Brass and Iron Trades — Debating Societies — Mr. ^Valker's Lectures — Nathan Ben Saddi — Poem on the Birmingham Infinnary — Hutton's Birmingham — Philosophical Lectures — The Trifler — Sum Solus — Old Cam- panologians — Freeth's Prologue — Carnation Show — Public-house Games — Throwing at Cocks — Bull-baiting — New Concert Booth — Musical Glasses — A Husband Stolen — A Card — Threatening Letter — Wife Selling — Intelligence Extraordinary — Jacob Wilson — The Birmingham Assay Office — First Attempt to obtain a License for the Theatre — The Birmingham Library 1 95-296 CHAPTER v.— 1781-1791. Hutton's description of Birmingham — Dr. Ash and Aslited — The Hinkleys — Sale of the Old Cross — Town Survey, 1785-86 — Sale of Baskerville's House — Sale of the New Hall— The Hamlet of Ashted — The Crescent — Accident at the Moat— Apollo Tavern — Heath fields — Canals — Cost of the Poor — Rodney's Victory— Birmingham Independent N'olunteer Corps— Invasion of Colliers — Birmingham Charity — ^Vhy not CONTENTS. XI a Borough — Brassmakers' Petition —Birmingham Heath — Commercial Committee — Lines proposing a New Tax — Commercial Relations with Ireland — Petitions — Mail Coaches — Copper and Brass — Treaty of Commerce with France— Public Accounts — General Elliot — The Regency Question — Rejoicings on the King's Recovery — The Summit Bridge — Employment of the Poor — The Test and Corporation Acts — The Police Question — The High Sheriff — Copper Mining and Smelting — The Commercial Committee — WooUey v. Garbett — The Copper Trade — Taxes — Humane Society — Liberal Society — J. Carles — Weights and Measures — The Hay Market — Fish — Covered Buttons — Birmingham and Worcester Canal — Brush Makers — Tax on Dogs — Swedenborgians — Jews' Synagogue — Fish — Ashted Chapel — The Metal Trades — Dangerous Practices — Markets at Christmas Holidays — Buckles — Tax on the Gazette — Poem : Local Remarks — Dr. Priestley — Uncommon Phenomenon — Magazine Gun — Thanksgiving Day— Spectator — Mortuary Verses — Mrs. Pickering — Joseph Weston — Stained Glass Window — Debating Society — Theatricals and Prologues — Curious Exhibitions — Dissertation on Faces — The Little Devil — Change Ringing — Young Astley — A Female Hamlet — The Evening Lounge — Philosophical Fireworks — The Hamiltons — A Living Fairy — A Living Ventriloquist — Livery Street Amphitheatre — Bull Baiting — An Amateur Hamlet — Mrs. Jordan — Sons of the Whip — Eficcts of Whigs — A Good Husband Wanted — A ^\■onderful Event — Whipping at a Cart's Tail — Poetical Advertisement — A Model Place — Sham Fights — Peter Rabalio — Shameful Hoax — Wife Selling — Sunday Schools — Revo- lution Commemoration — The Balloon Mania^Birmingham and the Slave Trade — The Rating of Small Tenements — The Birmingham Riots 297-499 Appendix 500 INTRODUCTION. ' I ^ H E derivation of the word Birmingham has been the source of -*- considerable controversy ; and has afforded " gentle dulness " one of its favourite occupations. Hutton's etymological knowledge was of the most limited nature, and a common corruption in pronouncing the word led our genial old gossip astray. He tells us that the " original seems to have been Bromwych : Brom, perhaps, from broom, a shrub, for the growth of which the soil is extremely favourable : Wychy a descent ; this exactly corresponds with the declivity from the High Street to Digbeth." Having got his Bromwych, he has to account for the Iiatn. This word being Saxon for home, he says, was added "probably, under the Saxon Heptarchy." Thus the meaning of the word would be the home-on-the-descent-on-which- broom-grows. Unfortunately for this pretty theory, the old name was not Bromwycham, but Bermingeham or Bermingham, and there- fore the prolific nature of the soil in producing broom has nothing to do with the name at all. .\ better, and, doubtless, the true derivation is given by Mr. James Freeman, in a letter published in the Athemeunt, September 8, 1855. He says, "The word Birmingham is so thorougly Saxon in its construction, that nothing short of positive historical evidence would warrant us in assigning any other than a Saxon origin to it. The final syllable, ham, means a home or residence and Bermins^as would be a patronymic or family name, meaning the Berms (from Berm, a man's name, and iiig or iung, the young, progeny, race, or tribe). The word, dissected in this manner, would signify the XIV INTRODUCTION. home or residence of the Birms ; and there can be Httle question that this is its true meaning."^^ We have here a rational etymology and meaning of the name of the town. My friend, Mr. Sebastian Evans, has supplied me with the following remarks on the word Brummagem: — " The vernacular ' Brummagem ' is," he says, "a variation of the word Birmingham, which seems to have most unnecessarily puzzled the etymologists. Bermingeham is the spelling of Domesday, and there can be little doubt that the e following the g signifies that the g was pronounced soft, as was frequently the case in the Midlands in words in which the_^ was elsewhere pronounced hard. The entire word would, therefore, be sounded as Berminjam, which swiftly spoken, slides naturally in the mouth of a Midlander into Bremijam or ' Brummagem.' Precisely the same phenomenon presents itself in the case of the name Bagot. One branch of the family, whether Midland or not I know not, thought fit to pronounce the g soft, and still writes itself Bagehot, sounded Bajot. A vast number of words were in the same way pronounced with the g hard or soft, according to the dialect prevalent in the district. Thus, springs are, in some parts of England, called springes, and hinges hings, and fifty more instances might easily be quoted. It is observable that the name Edgbaston presents another instance in point. Originally Edgbaston was ' Egbald's tun ' or town, the g being pronounced soft according to Midland wont, giving rise to the modern form of the word. " The literal meaning of the word Birmingham is ' the homestead of the sons of Birm ' or Beorm, the Saxon form of the name which appears in the Norse Sagas as Biorn. Like yEsc, and several other names, Beorm seems to have been that of a mythic or semi-mythic personage, from whom a tribe of Saxons traced their descent. The Norse Sagas mention several such half deified Biorns, one of whom may perhaps have been identical with the Saxon Beorm from whom our forefathers traced their pedigree — the very one, perhaps, who makes no inconsider- able figure in Scandinavian tradition as ' Biorn the Merchant.' " * The whole of this interesting letter is printed in the Appendix. INTRODUCTION. kV Although Birmingham may properly be considered a modern town, it has claims to antiquity which must not be ignored. We need not be bewildered by the speculations of Hutton, or misled by the curious pictures which some writers have drawn from their imaginations as to the size of the town, and the lives and occupations of its people in the time of the Britons. There is reason to believe that it was the site of a Roman station ; and it is certain that one of the great Roman roads passed near the place. Remains of this permanent work are still to be traced in Icknield Port Road, and one of the most perfect fragments crosses the Coldfield at Sutton. That there was a hamlet here in very early times, called by the name which our more modern manufactures have made famous throughout the civilized world, is, happily, placed beyond a doubt. In that invaluable work of William the Conqueror, the Domesday Book, we read, that in the year 1086, " Richard holds of William (Fitz Ansculf) 4 hides in Bermingeham."" The arable employs 6 ploughs ; i is in the demesne. There are 5 villeins, and 4 bordars with 2 ploughs. Wood half a mile long, and two furlongs broad. It was and is worth 20/." Nearly eight hundred years have passed since this official return was made, and the sparse and insignificant population has increased to nearl)- 350,000 persons. The place which "was and is worth 20," has now property the annual ratal of which is more than a million ; and the little settlement on the banks of the River Rea has developed into a town of more than five miles in length, of three miles in breadth, and covering an area of upwards of 7,800 acres. It has now more than 200 miles of streets, which contain something like 60,000 houses. Many of the public buildings are noble structures in themselves, and nobler from the uses to which they are put. The most beautiful and important are the Free Grammar School of Edward VI., one of the earliest and most successful works of the late Sir Charles Barry ; the Town Hall, the Midland Institute, and the Central Library. Although some of the churches and chapels are in the worst style of architecture, and have no * Thcic arc al lea,-,! 140 w-iya of spelling lliis word; these are given in ihe .\i)i>cntli.\. XVI INTRODUCTION. claim to beauty whatever, others, and especially some which have been erected of late years, arc worthy of great praise, and are decided ornaments to the town and creditable to the skill of the architects. A marked improvement has also taken place in our street architecture, and numerous shops could be named which would bear comparison with those of any city in England. In page 301 of this work is quoted the result uf an accurate survey made of the town in 1785-6, in which the number of streets and houses is given " exclusive either of Deritend, or that part of the town called the Foreign." On this passage, my friend, Mr. 'loulmin Smith, whose knowledge of the history of Birmingham Is most extensive and accurate, has furnished me with the following very interesting information. He says : — " This is the latest instance that 1 am aware of in which the term 'Foreign' is used to describe a part of Birmingham. It is curious that this correct term should have gone entirely out of use in Birmingham, while in many other ancient towns in England it is still kept in common use. It was, formerly, always carefully used in descriptions of Birmingham. The town was always spoken of as con- sisting of (i) The ' Borough of Birmingham and Deritend,' and (2) The 'Foreign of Birmingham.' Both parts are within the Lordship or Manor of Birmingham. The ' Borough ' was the older part of the town ; and all of it, except Deritend, lies within the Parish of Birmingham. The ' Foreign ' included Bordesley, large parts of Edgbaston, as well as a large part of the Parish of Birmingham itself The defining line between the ' Borough ' and the ' Foreign ' could be now drawn without much difficulty, so numerous are the descriptions extant of the property in the place. It may be interesting to mention a few of these, as illustrations of a state of facts which will be new to most readers. " The first which I will name makes it necessary to point out, by way of preface, one of the strange mistakes made by Hutton, in his History of Birmingham, unhappily, Hutton never gives his authority for any statement ; so it is impossible to know how much was copied and how much WIS guess-work. Whichever it was that inspired his account of INTRODUCTION. XVU Edward Birmingham, the last of his race, almost every statement made by Hutton about that unfortunate gentleman is wrong. Among the rest are the two important items of his birth and his marriage. Hutton says that he was the son of William Birmingham, — while in fact he was the son of Nicholas Birmingham. Hutton adds, that Edward 'married Elizabeth, widow of William Ludford,' — whereas, in point of fact, Edward was twice married : first, to Margaret, daughter of Gerard Danett, Esq. ; secondly, to Elizabeth, daughter of the ' right worshipful Sir William Lytleton, Knight.' And this second wife, Elizabeth, after the death of Edward Birmingham (which took place within two years after the terrible blow of the confiscation of his estate), married Ludforde as her second husband. Having thus set straij^ht these facts, I have to add that, on 15th F"ebruary, a.d. 1522, Edward Birmingham, having then lately married his second wife, made a settlement in favour of Annk, his daughter by his first wife. And the point for which I now refer to these matters is, that the payment of the sums of money thus settled on this daughter, is expressly secured, by this settlement, upon pastures and meadows ' i)i the Foreign of Dirmingliam ; the names and tenants of each of which are duly given in the original Deed. " After the iniquitous affair by which Edward Birmingham was robbed of his inheritance, accounts were annually sent up, describing the tenancies and the rents within the manor. I have examined all of these. Copies of two of them are before me while I now write. In one of them (.\.i). 1536) the description of the tenancies in the ' Foreign' fills more than twelve closely written quarto pages. In another (a.d. 1^44) the description of the same fills nine still more closely written pages. In both, the ' Foreign' is particularly distinguished from ' The Borough of Birmingham and Deritend.' " In 1545 the Manor of Birmingham was granted, by Letters Patent, to Lord Lysle. The grant describes the property of the Manor in detail ; and the same distinction is drawn in these Letters Patent, between the lands in the ' Foreign' of Birmingham, and those in ' The Burgh of Birmingham and Deritend.' XVlii INTRODUCTION. " The exact accounts, still extant, of the possessions and rents of the Gild of the Holy Cross of Birmingham, observe the same distinction ; and this distinction is further found in the Letters Patent (often erroneously called ' Charter') whicli endowed the Free Grammar School with part of the possessions of the Gild of the Holy Cross. Those Letters Patent enumerate, among other things, ' all those lands, fields, meadows, pastures, and hereditaments, whatsoever, with the appurten- ances, called or known by the name or names of Long-Croft, Bynges, Rotton-Fields, Walmores, and Saint Mary Wood, lying and being in the Foreign of Birmingham aforesaid,' These properties are still in the possession {pace Railways) of the Governors of the Free School, and can be readily identified. " The few facts which 1 have thus thrown together are well worth preserving. In the hurry and bustle of modern ' progress,' Birmingham men are too apt to forget that Birmingham is one of the must ancient towns in England ; and is a town that has always flourished, from and during the time when every description marked the ' Foreign of Bir- mingham' from tlie ' Borough of Birmingham and Deritend,' down to our own dajs, when the ' Borough' has swallowed up, in its capacious maw, every trace, except in still living street names of the ancient ' Foreign.'" Birmingham was early famous for the mechanical skill and industry of the people. After Domesday Book, the earliest mention of the town is by Leland, and he alludes at the same time to the prettiness of the place, and to the extent of its manufactures. He visited the town in 1538, and entered in his Itinerary this often quoted account of Birmingham three hundred and thirty years ago : — " I came through a pretty street, or ever I cntred, into Rermiiigham towno. This street, as I remember, is called Dirtey. In it dwell smithes and cutlers, and there is a brooke that divideth this street from Berniigham, and is an Hamlett, or Member, belongingc to the Parish therebye. " There is at the end of Dirtey a propper chappell, and mansion '' house of t) mber, hard on the ripe, as the brooke runneth downe ; and as I went through the ford by the * Derilend Ch.ipel .md t!ie Old Crown House. This chapel has the honour of being the first Reformation Chapel. Sec Mr. Toulmin Smith's interesting book, " The Uld Cro«-n House." INTRODUCTION. XIX bridge, the water ran downe on the right hand, and a few miles lower goeth into Tame, ripa dextra. This brooke, above Dirtey, breaketh in two armes, that, a little beneath the bridge, close again. This brooke riseth, as some say, four or five miles above Bermigham, towards Black Hilles. " The beauty of Bermingham, a good markett towne in the extreame parts of Wanvike- shire, is one street going up alonge, almost from the left ripe of the brooke, up a meane hill by the length of a quarter of a mile. I saw but one Parroch Church in the towne. There be many smiths in the towne that use to make knives and all mannour of cuttinge tooles, and many loriners that make bittes, and a great many naylors. Soe that a great part of the towne is maintained by smithes, who have their iron and sea-coal out of Staffordshire."* Camden, the well-beloved teacher of "rare Ben Jonson," visited the town somewhere between 1576 and 1586, for, in the latter year, his famous work was published. In his "Britannia" we have the following brief, but highly creditable notice of Birmingham as it was nearly three hundred years ago. He says, " To proceed hence [Kenilworth], as I took my own route, I came next to Solyhill [Solihull], which has nothing remarkable but its church ; then to Bremicham, swarming with inhaditants, and echoing with the noise of anvils, (for here are great numbers of smiths). The lower part of the town is very watery. The upper part rises with abundance of handsome buildings ; and it is none of the least honours of the place, that from hence the noble and warlike family of Bremichams in Ireland had their original and name." In 1690, Ale.xander Missen, in his travels, says, he saw, at Milan " Fine works of Rock Crystal, Swords, Heads for Canes, Snuff Boxes and other fine works of steel ; but they cati be had cheaper and better at Birmingham." This early reputation she has not only maintained, but so far increased as to occupy one of the highest places amongst the industrial towns of the world. In 1777, Edmund Burke said he looked "upon Birmingham to be the great Toy Shop of Europe." And not- withstanding the rapid progress made by other places in manufactures since the great orator and statesman uttered these words, Birmingham still maintains its own pre-eminence, and may even now be fitly looked upon as the great Toy Shop of Europe.t • Leiand ; Second Edition, by Thomas Heame, M..\., Oxfonl, 1745, v. 4, p. loS. + We refer those readers who wish to trace the wonderful growth of the trades and industry of the town to the very able and interesting volume "Birmingham and the Midland Hardware Districts," edited by Mr. Samuel Timmins, XX INTRODUCTION. From this skill in mechanical labour has come one of the greatest stains on the manufacturing history of the town. The same ingenuity which produced the inimitable dies for medals, was equally capable of producing the dies for base coin ; and in the seventeenth and eighteenth century Birmingham was especially noted for this kind of manufacture. So wide spread was her fame in this respect that her name became a synonym for an)-thing which pretended to be what it was not. The literature of the Restoration affords us numerous examples of this unenviable reputation. A good deal of this abuse was due to the part which the inhabitants had taken acfainst the kinw in the civil war. The Stuarts and the Cavaliers looked upon Birmingham with no friendly feelings, and nothing was bad enougli to be said of the town which Prince Rupert had burned. So far as our coining practices were concerned there was little cause for respectful consideration. They produced too much trouble to the local authorities, antl were too injurious to the state, either for excuse or defence. We certainly deserved all we got of infamous notoriety as the manufacturers of base and counterfeit coin. Dryden, in his address to the Reader, in the first part of Absalom and Achitophel, says, " The longest chapter in Deuteronomy has not curses enougfh for an anti-Bromincfham." In Sir Walter Scott's note to this passage we read that " Birmingham was already noted for base and counterfeit coin. In a Panegyrick on their Royal Highnesses, congratulating their return from Scotland, 1682, mention is thus made of Shaftesbury's medal :— " The wretch that stamped it got immortal fame ; 'Twas coined by stealth, like groats at Birmingham. Tom Brown also alluded to the same practice ; in his Reasons for Mr. Bayes' (Dryden) changing his Religion, ' I coined heroes as fast as Birmingham groats.' The affected zeal of the country party for the protestant religion led tlieni to be called Birmingham Protestants, while the pretensions of Monmouth to legitimacy led his adversaries to compare him to a spurious impression of the king's coin; and thus INTRODUCTION. XXI Birmingham became a term of reproach for him, his assumed title, and his faction in general. There are numerous allusions to this in the libels of the age. Thus in ' Old Jemmy, an Excellent new Ballad,' " Old Jemmy is the top And chief among the princes ; No mobile gay fop With Birmingham pretences. "In another ballad bearing the same title, the same phrase occurs : — " Let Whig and Bemiingham repine, They shew their teeth in vain ; The glory of the British line, Old Jemmy's come again. " These are in Mr. Luttrell's collection ; where there is another Tory song, entitled ' A proper new Birmingham Ballad, to the tune of Hey, Boys, Up Go We.' " In another Grubstreet performance, entitled 'A Medley on the Plot, by Mathew Taubftian : ' " Confound the hypocrites, Birminghams royal. Who think allegiance a transgression ; Since to oppose the King is counted loyal. And to rail high at the succession. Let them boast of loyal Birminghams, and true. And with these make up their kirk of separation ; We have honest Tory Tom, Dick and Hugh, Will drink on, and do' more "service to the nation. North, however, gives rather a different derivation." In the Gentleman's Magazine, July, 1757, the following illustrative poem appeared : — UPON A BIRMINGHAM HALFPENNY. Hence ! false, designing cheat, from garret vile Or murky cellar sprung ! thy spurious birth And mix'd embrace thy pallid hue proclaims. Thrust thou 'mongst those of pure and generous stamp. To pass unknoNvn, and by dissembling face And mimic form, to gull me, credulous, s XXll INTRODUCTION. I mark'd thee 'midst thy betters, and with eye Distinguishing arrested thy deceit ! Dar'st thou confront the envied worth thou ap'st Confess'd to open day ? Come forth to view ; Nought will avail thy name and face assumed And regal head with Georgis laurel bound : Thy telltale paleness speaks thee counterfeit. Lives there a beggar wretch, with hunger prest, Would take thee offered ? Thou art known so well. The honest tradesman will not sell thee wares. The gawky clown, too late, alas 1 has found He took a sharper when he harbour'd you. I've got thee safe ; no more expect to thrive By cheating innocence ; in durance firm I'll fix thee, to deter thy bastard race. Thus many a harvest, by deceit and fraud, The cunning juggler thrives ; till, by success. He grows less cautious, nor to wheedling maids By promis'd sweethearts, he his art confines ; But in ill-fated hour attempts to trick More knowing townsmen ; they averse to frauds, Or take his greasy galligaskins down, And birchen smart inflict ; or shut in cage. To curse his fortunes and atone his crimes. The ill-directed ingenuity which procured for the town its nickname, and gave to all things which pretended to be what they were not the questionable title of " Brumagem," was displayed in other ways than in making counterfeit coin. Mr. M. D. Hill gives a curiously illustrative anecdote of this corrupt practice in the once important branch of industry, the Buckle trade : — " In the days," he writes, "when buckles were an important branch of trade in Birmingham, large quantities were made of a white alloy, bearing some slight resemblance to silver popularly called 'soft tommy.' The workmanship was on a par with the material. Each was so thoroughly vile that the artizans, though well drilled in such contemptible handicraft, were for once ashamed of the products of their labour. A manufacturer, it is said, entered a workshop unseen by his men, heard one of them, who had just finished a buckle, throw it down with a hearty curse on the wearer who was to INTRODUCTION. XXIU be. 'Why this profanity, and why imprecations on our customers.-" was the master's natural enquiry. ' Because,' answered the man, ' I am sure he'll curse the maker as soon as he puts it on, and so I made up my mind to be beforehand with him.' "'"'' With the exception of that fatal period in our history, when all the nation was mad on the subject of the French Revolution, Birmingham has always been liberal in politics. The people were especially earnest and zealous on the side of Parliament in its struggle against the tyranny of Charles I. In 1642, the King passed through the town just before the first battle of the civil war, at Edge-hill, and Clarendon gives this brief record of how the people received him, and his own opinion of their character in consequence : — " So that at Bromicham, a town so generally wicked, that it had risen upon small parties of the King's, and killed or taken them prisoners, and sent tliem to Coventry, declaring a more peremptory malice to his majesty than any other place."t The noble historian finds another opportunity to remark on the unspeakable wickedness of this ultra-Parliamentary town. Prince Rupert with his forces were ordered to Lichfield, and Clarendon tells us "In his way thither he was to march through Bromwicham, a town in Warwickshire beforementioned, and of as great a fame for hearty, wilful, affected disloyalty to the king, as any place in England."| The zeal of the inhabitants was, however, displayed in a much more useful and effective manner than rising upon small parties of the king's forces. The " smiths," of whom Lcland and Camden found such a number in their respective visits, had increased, and now ofiered their skill for the service of the Parliament ; and it is said by a contemporarj' that they made no fewer than 15,000 swords for the use of the army. As is well known, this zeal for the popular cause drew upon the town the vengeance of the fiery Prince Rupert, liarly in 1643, that Royalist commander, who never came " but to concjuer or to fall," was sent by * .ViUire^s delivered .it the Midland Institute, September 30, 1S67. t Clarendons History of the Rebellion, v. 5, p. 276, 1S26 edition, J Clarendon, v. 4, p. 31. XXIV INTRODUCTION. the king with 2,000 men to open a communication between Oxford and York, in which attempt he was vigorously opposed by our townsmen. The Prince halted on a piece of open country, which obtained in consequence, and, although now crowded witli houses, still bears the name of Camp Hill. From this Camp, on Easter Monday, April 3, 1643, the Prince assaulted, sacked, and burned the town ; and although the veracious historian of the " Rebellion " dismisses the subject in a few sentences, we have fortunately some contemporaneous publications which give a detailed account of this very important event in our history. Within a month of its occurrence three reports were published, two of which give a rather minute description of the scenes which displayed what is called in one of the tracts, " Rupert's Burning Love to England." The first of these is called " A Letter, written from Walsall by a worthy Gentleman to his friend in Oxford con- cerning Birmingham ; " and bears the date " Walshall, April 5, 1643," so that it was written immediately after the attack upon the town. It is evidently from the pen of a Cavalier. The other two are as undoubtedly the productions of zealous Roundheads. Their titles are amonof the curiosities of literature. One is called : — A true relation of Prince Rupert's barbarous cruelty against the Towne of Birming- hame, to which place, on Monday, April 3, 1643, he marcht with 2000 horse and foot, 4 Drakes and 2 Sakers ; who, after two hours fight, being twice beaten off by the Townsmen (in all but 140 Musqueteers,) he entered, put divers to the sword, and burnt about 80 houses to ashes, suffering no man to carry away his goods, or quench the fire, and making no difference between friend or foe ; yet, by God's providence, the greatest loss fell on the malignants of the Town. And of the Cavaliers were slaine divers chief Commanders, and men of great quality, amongst whom was the Earl of Denbigh, the Lord John Stuart, and, as themselves report, the Lord Digby. London : Printed for John Wright, in the Old Baily, April 12, 1643." The other partakes of the character of an ofticial document, as it was "published at the request of the Committee at Coventry." I quote the full title : — " Prince Rupert's burning love to England, discovered in Birmingham's flames ; or, a more exact and true narration of Birmingham's Calamities under the barbarous and inhumane Cruelties of Prince Eupert's forces. Wherein is related how that famous and r^ ^-■ ^fy. 'j^J^ ■r«L ;»«■ 1 ■"^5^1 i ^ v^ 1 ^ ia^9 cdl [=1 s g 2; ^ M a C3-, w 1)==^ INTRODUCTION. XXV well affected Town of Birmingham was unworthily opposed, insolently invaded, notoriously robbed and plundered, and most cruelly fired in cold blood the next day by Prince Rupert's forces. Together with a number of Prince Rupert's forces, his considerable persons slaine or mortally wounded ; their many and abominable carnages in and after the taking of the Towne. The small strength which Birmingham had to maintain their defence, the names of their men slaine, the number of houses burned, and persons thereby destitute of habitation ; with divers other considerable passages. Published at the request of the Committee at Coventry, that the kingdom may timely take notice what is generally to be e.xpected if the cavalier's insolences be not speedily crushed." " A righteous man regardetk the life of his beast, but the tender mercies of t/ie wicked are cfuel." — Pro v. xii, lo. " London : Printed for Thomas Underhill, 1643. "[May I.]" The Walsall gentleman ascribes the act to the disloyalty of the people. " I find," he says, ■' that the inhabitants of that Towne were they who first stirred up those of Coventry to resist the King, and that about 300 from thence went into Coventry to defend it against the King's Forces, that from thence they sent 15,000 Swords for the Earle of Essex his Forces, and the ayd of that Party, and not onely refused to supply the King's Forces with Swords for their money, but imprisoned divers who bought Swords, upon suspicion that they intended to supply the King's P'orces with them." This authority tells us that the Prince intending to take up his quarters in this town, sent word that if he and his forces were received quietly, the inhabitants should " sufter no injury." They, however, opposed him in every way, fired upon his men, "and with opprobrious speeches reviled them, calling them Cursed doggs, develish Cavaliers, Popish Tray tors.'' The second tract consists of two letters, the first dated " Coventry, April 8, 1643," and signed " R. P.," the other without date, and signed " R. G." The R. P. is clearly R. Porter, a sword blade manufacturer of the town, and one who had doubtless supplied the Parliamentary army with weapons. In his letter, after having described the assault upon and the burning of the town, he says, " For pillage but of little I lost, having obscured the things I had of any value ; and for fire, God XXVI INTRODUCTION. did marvellously prevent, both to me and many others, whereat the malignants are so enraged that they have since pulled down my Mill, and pretend that Prince Rupert so commanded, and threaten to i)ull down my house and divers others, whicli 1 think they dare not, lest they build it up againe, the Country having sent them admonition of their insolency." This mill is identified by the following passage from the tract entitled "Prince Rupert's burning Love, &c." " Sithence," that is after the town had been burned, " they have caused one Mr. Porter s Blademill in the town to be pulled down, wherein sword blades were made and imployed, onely for the service of the Parliament, and so they were informed (which cost erecting about loo/.) threatening if it were not pulled downe, the rest of the Towne should be burnt. For now they begin to be great Agents in Pire-Workes." We may picture to ourselves what kind of man Mr. Porter was ; an earnest, God-fearing Puritan, who even for money would not make swords for the Royalists, a fact which some living manufacturers would do well to ponder over. He was one of Cromwell's men who " had a conscience in their work." His nobly pious way of looking at things will be gathered from a short extract from his short letter. " Though," he says, " they intended to burne the Towne utterly, as may be known by their laying lighted match, with powder and other combustible matter at the other end, which fired in divers places, and divers was found out and prevented, so that we ma)- truly say, that the fiames, swords, pilledgers, but especially the prison, made a difference betwixt those that feared God, and tliose that feared him not. But this is remarkable in their vilenesse, that all these houses, saving two, were fired in cold blood, at their departure, wherein they endeavoured to fire all, and in the flames they would not suffer the people to carry out their goods, or to quench it, triumphingly with reproaches rejoiced that the wind stood right to consume the Town, at which present the Lord caused the winds to turn, which was a token of his notice of their insultation." We gladly and gratefully accept R. Porter as one of the almost forgotten worthies of old Birmingham. INTRODUCTION. XXVI 1 The third track is so brief, and gives such a graphic report of this notable event in our history, that I have been induced to repro- duce it entire in the Appendix. An incidental allusion to the notoriety of Birmingham in the time of the Commonwealth appears in a work called Nelson's Collections, published in 1682. The frontispiece of vol. i contains a figure of his Satanic Majesty whispering in the ear of a double-faced zealot, trampling on the Bible with a cloven foot, who is thus referred to in the verse explaining the "mind of the frontispiece" : — " Now turn your eye to the busie Saint behind, That Brummigham Uniter of Mankind, With fiery breath he doth the cause promote ; But o'er the Bible stamps his cloven foot." The old anti-Stuart feeling remained with the town, and was again displayed at the "glorious Revolution" of 1688, the centenary of which was celebrated here in 1788 with great rejoicing. The horrors of the French Revolution, and the popularity of George III., made the people of Birmingham, in common with the great majority of the nation, out-and-out "Church and King" men. The ignorance and bigotry of the masses at that sad period of our history made them the ready and willing tools of those who ought to have known better, and made possible the disgraceful and disastrous riots of 1 79 1. In time, however, the inhabitants returned to their early love of freedom, and became, under Thomas Attwood, Joshua Scholefield, George Edmonds, Thomas Clutton Salt, and otiier well- known leaders, the chief supporters of the movement which ended in obtaining the Reform Bill of 1832. In this town was founded and organised the famous Political Union ; and on New Hall Hill (now covered with buildings) were held those mighty meetings which had such a potent effect on Parliament, and led to the triumph of the "good old cause." True to their early instincts and principles, the inhabitants have supported all the great measures of progress which distinguish the last half century of our history. XXVIU INTRODUCTION. The voice of Birmingham was in favour of the repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts, the repeal of the Corn Laws, the Roman Catholic Emancipation Act, the admission of Jews into Parliament, and the policy of I'ree Trade. For many years now no Church Rate has been levied in the parish of Birmingham, and in the agitation for Reform, which has resulted in the passing of the bill of 1867, the energy and pertinacity of the inhabitants, especially of the working classes, have revived the memory of the scenes which preceded the great victory of 1832. The influence of the town in obtaining this bill, and in making it worthy of the acceptance of the nation, has been at least equal to that of any other town in the kingdom. As the crowning glory of this series of good works, it should be mentioned that the people are almost unanimous in their demand for a system of National Education, which we trust and believe will be one of the earliest labours of the Reformed Parliament. It is generally stated, and as generally believed by those who find it easier to accept an opinion than to make enquiries, that Birmingham has not been sufficiently alive to the advantages of education. This, like so many charges, will, upon examination, be found to be utterly groundless. That we have not yet pro- duced any great author, poet, or painter is, perhaps, true ; but it is also true that we have been earnestly employed in giving instruction to the people ever since the nation began to under- stand its duty on this important question. The Blue Coat School was founded as early as 1724; and for nearly one hundred and fifty years has been engaged in the noble work of giving a good, sound education to orhpans, or the children of parents whose poverty and misfortunes render it almost impossible that they should be able to discharge this, the most important of parental duties. Sunday Schools were opened at Gloucester, at the end of 1781 or the beginning of 1782; and in 1784 they were opened in Birmingham. Mechanics' Institutes were founded in 1823; and one was opened INTRODUCTION. XXIX in Birmingham, on March 21, 1826. When this had done its work — and a noble worI< it was — and passed away, the Polytechnic Institution succeeded it. This was in 1843. For a few years the new institution struggled through a rather weakly existence ; for it never possessed the vigorous strength which, for many years, characterised the Mechanics' Institute. This, too, passed away; and, in November, 1855, the late Prince Albert laid the foundation stone of the present Midland Institute, which, in its industrial department, now numbers upwards of a thousand students. Within its walls any working man, or working woman either, who has the desire, united with the necessary industry and persistence, can obtain a first-class educa- tion, either literary or scientific. Birmingham has also adopted the Free Libraries and Museums Act, and, in 1861, the first of these excellent institutions was opened in Constitution Hill. Since that time three other branch libraries have been added, one in Deritend, one at Gosta Green, and a third at Adderley Park. A Central Reference and Lending Library, has been built in Ratcliff Place, at a cost of nearly, if not over, ^13,000. The Lending Library, together with its admirable Reading Room, were opened by Mr. Menry Wiggin, then mayor, on September 6, 1864, when an inaugural address was delivered by Lord Stanley. The Reference Library, which is by far the finest room of any of the free libraries in the kingdom, and contains about 18,000 volumes of the best works in all literatures, was opened by Mr. E. Yates, Mayor, October 26, 1866, when Mr. George Dawson, M.A., delivered an inaugural address. To the Central Library is also added an Art Gallery, which, we trust, contains the germs of a noble and useful collection of the Fine Arts. The use which the people make of these libraries may be gathered by the following summary taken from the Annual Report of the Free Libraries Committee for 1866. In that year the Reference Library had been open only 54 days, and the total issues to readers reached 11,468, being a daily average of 2,123 volumes. The XXX INTRODUCTION'. Central Lending Library contains over 1 2,000 volumes ; up to the end of 1 866, 7,148 persons had qualified as borrowers ; the total number of issues during the year was 164,120, or a daily average of 588.2. The Constitution Hill Library contains some 8,000 volumes, the total issue was 36,747, or daily average, 142. The Deritend Library contains over 5,000 volumes; in 1S66 it was only open fifty -one days, and the total issue was 8,622, a daily average of 165. In the Adderley Park Branch there are between 2,000 and 3,000 books, the total issue was 9,383, or a daily average of about 26 volumes. This branch is only open after six o'clock in the evening; and the Gosta Green branch is not yet opened. The popu- larity of these institutions, and the interest which the people take in reading may be gathered from the fact that during 1866 the various libraries contained some 46,000 volumes, from which were issued the large number of 230,340, or a daily average of 1,133. The issues of 1S67 will be very greatly in excess of this number. It should also be added that to each library is attached a news and reading room, and that the attendance throughout the day, especially at meal times and in the evening, is very large, the rooms being often inconveniently crowded. It will thus be seen that ample provision is made for the reading tastes of the inhabitants, and that they avail themselves of that provision in a most satisfactory and encouraging manner. To these sources of popular education must be added the noble foundation of Edward VI., and its branch schools. The beneficial influence which these have had upon the town cannot be exaggerated, and they are still the most important of our educational institutions, reaching, as they do, almost all classes of society. The Queen's College, founded in 1843, has, in the past time, been of great service to the cause of education, and it is hoped that, under its new organisation, a brighter future awaits this much perplexed and long suffering institution. INTROOUCTION. XXXI Birmingham has also no insignificant claims upon the gratitude of the civilised world. Her share in the development of the great instruments of prosperity and progress is surpassed by few cities in the Empire. It was here that Baskerville perfected his type casting, and published those " magnificent editions," which " went forth to astonish all the librarians of Europe."* It was here that Dr. Priestley made those discoveries which earned for him " the title of the founder of Pneumatic Chemistry."t Here James Watt perfected the steam engine, which is, says Mr. Smiles, "without exception, the greatest invention of modern times," and which " has been instrumental in effecting the most remarkable revolution in all departments of industry that the world has ever seen." Here that Captain of Industry, Matthew Boulton, pursued his wonderful career, and gave the Birmingham manufactures the world-wide reputation which they have ever since retained. For " great as the genius, and invaluable as the inventions of James Watt were, they would have been wasted, but for the indomitable energy, the untiring hopefulness, and the commercial genius of Matthew Bolton. Where the timid and invalid inventor would have failed and have left his great discoveries to be revived when he had long departed, Matthew Boulton gave exactly the element of commercial success. His refined taste, his unbounded energy, his almost reckless profusion had made Soho famous even for its minor manufactures, but when the steam engine was added, its success was complete. ";{ Here William Murdock invented lighting by gas, and in 1802, in celebration of the peace of Amiens, Soho was brilliantly illuminated by this new power of light. Here, too, Thomas Attwood and his compeers laboured until they obtained the Reform Bill of 1832 — a bill, which, whatever were its short- comings, has had a most important influence in those great measures of legislation which have done so much to ameliorate the condition and to elevate the minds and aspirations of the people. • Lord Macaulay t Professor Miller. J S. Tiiruiuns. XXXU INTRODUCTION. And here, too, David Cox produced those glorious pictures which are the dehght of all who have taste to admire the beautiful in art. Birmingham has indeed reason to be proud of the labours of her sons — her own, and those whom she has adopted. To show how Birmingham has grown from the little " hardware village " to be one of the greatest and most important centres of manufacturing industry in the world, is the object of the present work. Tbe PLAJ^ of BIRMIJSl (tH AM Siiwn'd in the Year 1751. I 'for llio CoimtY of Warwrck' /•/- . ///r/y^l.:, r/ .'/lt.l TowU /^WOT //a)s, " I myself remember Temple-slrcet in much this state. My grandfatlier (Edward Smith) Uvctl in a house there, the description of which precisely corresponds, as to house and jjarden, with your advertisement. 1 well remember the 'Terrace Walk.'" 4 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. and extending 22 yards wide for 26 yards further." There is also a " pleasant terrace walk and summer-house, with sashed windows and sashed doors, adjoining to the open fields, and commanding a prospect of four miles distance." But we must quote this advertisement entire. The date of it is December 5, 1 743. To be Sold and entered upon nt Lady-day next, a Large Messuage or Dwelling House, situate in Temple-Street, Birmingham, in the Possession of Mr. Charles ]\Ligenis, con- taining twelve Yards in the Front, four Rooms on a Floor, sashed and fronted both to the street and Garden, good Cellaring and Vaults, Brew-house and Stable with an entire Garden walled, and the walls covered with Fruit Trees, the Garden 12 Yards wide, and 50 Yards long from the Front of the House, and extending 22 Yards wide for 26 Yards further, together with a pleasant Terrace Walk, and Summer-House with Sash'd Windows and Sash'd Doors, adjoining to the open Fields, and commanding a Prospect of four Miles Distance, and all necessary conveniencies. Likewise another House in the same Street in the tenure of Mr. George Orton, with large Shops, Gardens, and Summer-House, pleasantly situated, commanding a good Prospect; and set at nine Pounds and ten shillings per annum. Enquire of Charles Magenis in Temple-Street aforesaid. On the 1 2th of the same montli appears the following advertisement, from which it will be seen that Aston was then stated to be " niirh Birmingham " ; it is always so described in old deeds : — To be Sold to the best Bidder, on Monday, the 19th of December instant, at the Dwelling House of Francis Cox, the Angel and Hen and Chickens in Birmingham, a Messuage, now known by the Sign of the Red Lion, with about thirteen .Acres of Meadow and Pasture Land, situate in Bordsley, in the Parish of Aston, nigh Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, now in the Holding of Thomas Coojier, but late in the Tenure of Mr. Thomas Warren. Carr's Lane in the year 1745 was a very different place to that with which we are now familiar. The turning from the High Street is termed in the following report of a fatal accident "very steep." This fact shows the great changes which have been made in this part of the town. The accident occurred on Wednesdaj-, the ist of January in 1745 — a sad opening of the new year for those related to the unfortunate, though careless driver. The paragraph recording the event is as follows : — Birmingham, January 6. — On A\"ednesday last, a Man who was turning a loaded Waggon from the High Street in this Town, down Car's Lane, a very steep Turning, ■without Loking the Wheels, by the sudden Motion of the Waggon he was knock'd down by the Shafts, and the AMieels going over him, he received so much Hurt that he died in an Hour afterwards. The words " cherry orchard " have a pleasant sound. They conjure up visions of lovely country spots, redolent with blossom and fruit APPEARANXE OF THE TOWN. 5 delielitfiil to look on and jrrateful to remember. At the time of which we write, or much later, there was a cherry orchard where now we have Little Cherry Street, perpetuating by its name the site of one of the loveliest objects in nature. In fact, all this part of the town was country in its aspect at that period. We have seen what Temple Street was with its gardens and its fields, which must have stretched to Cherry Street, uniting them with the orchard, and forming a pleasant resort for the old and staid inhabitants of the town, a welcome ramble for young lovers and a healthy play-ground for the children. The first notice of the Cherr)- Orchard which we find is in an advertisement which appeared on July 13, 1745 : — To be Lett, and enter'd upon immediately, A House in the Cherry Orcliard, (with or without shops) now in the Possession of Elizabeth Austin, with a Billiard Table and Brewing Vessels to be sold. For further Particulars encjuire of Mr. Thomas Walker, Baker, in Digbeth, Birmingham. New Hall, which gave its name to New Hall Street, and New Hall Hill, was in the memory of living Birmingham men cjuite a country residence. In the Gazette of January 27, 1745, we find it first men- tioned in a paragraph reporting a malicious act which was committed at the Bowling Green, near New Hall. If we wish to indulge in a game at bowls now we have to go further awa\- to enjoy the pleasant sport. The paragraph is as follows : — " Whereas the Bowling Green of Mr. Meredith, near New Hall, by this Town, was by some mali- cious Persons dug up in several Places on Wednesday Night last ; this is to give Notice, that whoever will discover the Persons con- cern'd in so doing, to Mr. INIeredith, at the New Tavern in Bull Street, Birmingham, shall receive two Guineas Reward ; or if either of the Persons will discover his Accomplices, so that they be brought to Justice, he shall receive the same Reward, and a free Pardon." Most of our readers, except the youngest, remember Hockley Pool. It was at one time situated in the midst of a pleasant coimtry district, now covered by the two cemeteries, by houses, railwa)- lines, bridges, manufactories, and other evidences of progress. But years agonc Hockley Pool was a favorite bathing place, where people could indulge in that most admirable exercise and recreation without fear of shocking public decency, so far was it considered from the town and the public b A CENTURY OK UIRMINGIIAM I. IKE. thoroughfares. The following little history of a fatal accident which occurred in 1742, will bring this matter distinctly before the reader. It appears in the Gazette of Monda)-, June 21, of that )ear : — Last Thursday a Person of tliis Tow 11 who wciU into Hockley I'ool lo batlie, being taken with tlie cramp, went out of his Depth, and was drowned. There are several paragraphs from time to time recording other fatalities at the same place, but this one will suffice for our piu'pose. Snow Hill is now such a crowded part of the town that we have some difficulty in recalling its appearance when a farm was to be let in that locality. On September 27, 1742, however, we have the following advertisement : — To be Lett, and entered ui)on at Michaelmas next, .\ Farm, containing three Closes of I^and, with a Barn and Stable thereupon in good repair, near to the Salutation in, Ijirmingham, and now in the Holding of .Mr. Samuel Stuart. Enquire of Mr. Thomas Pemberton, of Birmingham aforesaid. Our ne.xt e.xtract dates July 1 7, 1 746, and takes us to New Street. To be Lett, and entered upon immediately, a convenient new built House, opposite to the Free School in New Street, Birmingham, late in the Tenure of John \\'illiams. Bankrupt, either with or w-ithout shops, and with a Garden and other Conveniences. Note. — The Shops have been used in the Box-painting Business, and there are Orates and Stoves ready fixed, and very good lights. FJKjuire of Kdward Dolphin, .\ttoruey in Birmingham. Lichfield Street is not now considered a pleasant street in which to live; but at the time of which we are writing it was far otherwise. Then the houses for the most part had gardens, and were the dwelling- places of people whose descendants have now to seek at Edgbaston, Handsworth, or Erdingtun lor the "sweet place of flowers," as a poet calls a garden. In i 746 the following advertisement appears : — To be Sold, the Reversion of a Freeliuld Messuage, with Shops, Backside, and (larden, in Lichfield Street, near the Square, Birmingham, the Tenant for Life being near ninety years old. We have others yet to give, which show that the whole district here was a pretty neighbourhood. The scpiare was especially so, for we have an announcement to quote ne.xt of a house being to let there having " /ttw large gardens." The advertisement is also a proof that our ancestors, like their descendants, had an eye for business, for we are informed that besides having the house to let, Mrs. Baddeley sells all sorts of cast-metal weights, thus killing two birds with one stone, or APPEARAN'CF. OF THE TOWN. 7 which is its equivalent, giving two bits of business information in one advertisement. The date is July 21, 1746. To be Lett, in the Square, in Birmingham, The Comer House of Lichfield Street, late in the Possession of Mr. Richard Baddeley. which has the Convenience of a large Work Shop, two large Gardens, and a Stable for three Horses, &:c. l-'or further Particulars enquire of Mrs. Baddeley, at the said House. By whom is to be sold all sorts of Cast-Metal ^'eights. Edgbaston Street has also suffered enormous changes in its appear- ance. Adjacent to it was Lad)- Well, and the Parsonage, with its gardens, and trees, which, even in living men's memor)', gave such a picturesque and rural aspect to this part of the town. It would appear that at that time nearly all the houses had gardens. We are still in the year 1 746. To be Lett, and entered upon at Michaelmas next, a Good House in Edgbaston Street, Birmingham, late in the Possession of Mr. Benjamin Mansell, having four Rooms, on a Floor, with a good Stable, Garden, and other Conveniences. Enquire of Mrs. Sarah Lloyd, at the Slitting Mill, Birmingham. We pass from Edgbaston Street to Bordesley, and our next extract brings us to the once-famous Custard House Farm. We suppose that every Birmingham man of middle age remembers the house to which this farm gave its name. The following announcement appeared in Aj'h's Gazette on October 20, 1746. To be Lett (and entered on at Lady-da)) An Estate at Bordesley, in the Parish of Aston, two Miles from Birmingham, known by the Name of the Custard House Fami, now in the Tenure of Edniond Yardley, of about the Yearly Rent of 80/. per Annum, the House, Bams, Stables, and other Buildings, in very good order. Enquire of Mr. George Riland, of Sutton Coldfield, Mr. William Saddler, of Castle Bromwich, or of Mr. Thomas Fisher, Attomey-at-Law. in New Street, Birmingham. The following Advertisement, which appeared on February 2, 1747, reveals a state of things in the upper part of Deritend, which has long been changed : — To be Sold, In the Upper Part of Deritend, near Bimiingham, .\ Large House, with a Brew-house, Shoji, and a Pcitl-housc for Sliocing Horses under, and a lorgf Garden, now inhabited by the Widow Doli)hin. For further particulars encjuire of John Dolphin, Blacksmith, in Deritend aforesaid. The next quotation refers to a period when New Street abounded in gardens. Until, comparatively speaking, very rcccntl)', this street had a countr)- air about it, which must have been very charming to look on. 8 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. A gentleman is still living (1867) who remembers the time when he gathered blackberries in this part of the town. On May 18, 1747, was advertised : — To be Lett, a Very good House, with proper Out-building, Gardening, Yard, and other Conveniences thereunto belonging, situate in New Street, in Birmingham, and now in the occupation of Mr. John Mander, of whom enquire for Particulars. Lancaster Street was formerly called Walmer Lane, which was corrupted into Wombcr Lane. The following announcement shows that the vernacular title was used in print. It also gives us a very different idea of that street to the one which it now produces. The date is July 27, i 747 :— To be Sold, a Freehold Estate, now in the Tenure of Mr. Dan. Whalley and John Roper, consisting of six Pieces of Laud, a good bam, and other Coinriiiences on the Premises, situate near Womber Lane, in the Parish of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick. For further Particulars, enquire of Mr. Christopher Wright, Attorney at Law, in Coventry, or of Mr. ^Villiam Ward Mercer, in Birmingham aforesaid. In the same year a farm of 85 acres was announced to be let at Aston, within a mile of Birmingham ; there was a good house, large and convenient outbuildings, and all for jC^o a year rent. All these, how- ever, are eclipsed by the following picture of retired rural felicit)', which might be obtained near the bridge. On November 16, i 747, wc arc informed that there was. To be Lett, .Vnd entered upon immediately, A very good new-built House, four Rooms on a Floor, with a Brew-house and Stable, and other conveniences, a very good Garden, waited in, and a Fish Pond in it, situate 'rcrj pleasant by the Water Side, near the Bridge, in Birmingham. For Particulars enquire of Jonathan Taylor, Joyner, in Moor Street, Birmingham, or of Mrs. Snrah Hadley, in Stourbridge. The Old Square, as we now call it, but the Square, as it was once termed, was the site of the Priory, the name being preserved by the streets named respectively the Upper and Lower Priory. Hutton says: "Some small remains of the old foundation are yet (1780) visible in the cellars, chiefl)- in the south-east. The outbuildings or pleasure grounds, perhaps," — Hutton is very fond of a "perhaps," — " occupied the whole north-east side of Bull Street, then uninhabited, and only the highway to Wolverhampton, bounded on the north-west by Steelhou.se Lane, on the north-east by Newtown and John's Street, and on the south-east by Dale End, which also was no other than the highway to Lichfield. The whole about fourteen acres." The historian APPEARANCE OK THE TOWN. 9 calls it " this delightful eminence, which at that time commanded the small but beautiful prospect of Bristland Fields, Rowley Hills, Old- bury, Smethwick, Handsworth, Sutton Coldfield, Erdington, Saltley, the Garrison and Camp Hill, and which then stood at a distance from the town, though now near its centre." The following adver- tisement will give us some notion of the appearance of the .Square in 1 748 : — To be Sold, two handsome Messuages, with a School Room, Warehouse, and other Back-buildings, in good Repair, with good Gardens, and a large Piece of Land lying behind the said Messuages, situated in the Square in Birmingham, in the Holding of Mr. Sawyer, and Mr. Baddeley. — Enquire of Mr. Fisher, Attorney, in Birmingham ; or of Mr. Calcutt, Attorney, in Daventrj-. Here is another extract showing how very dangerous a place Carr's Lane was at that time. Our readers will remember one fatal accident previously given, which occurred here from the same cause. Birmingham, May 2nd, 1748. — On Thursday last, by the sudden Turning of a Cart from the High Street, Carr's Lane, in this town, the Driver was crushed by the Shafts against the Corner House in such a Manner, that he died in half an hour afterwards. At the time of which we write, the New Church, St. Philip's, was situated in a most pleasant part of the town. In fact, it was literally surrounded with gardens. On one side there were no houses nearer than Bull Street, and on the other there was only the New Hall. Ann Street, then bearing the suggestive title of Mount Pleasant, was almost free from buildings ; the plan of Birmingham, taken by Thomas Hanson, and published in Hutton's History in 1781, shows two avenues of trees in this part of the town. Where the houses and street known as New Market Street now are, was an open Market called New Hall Market; and all New Hall Street was country, having a fine view of fields and gardens, where houses and courts and manufactories now cover the ground. Hutton says, "When I first saw St. Philip's, in the year 1741," at a proper distance, uncrowded with houses, for there were none to the north. New Hall excepted, untarnished with smoak, and illuminated by a western sun, I was delighted with its appear- ance, and thought it then, what I do now, and what others will in ' In lliis ye.nr Aris's Gtizcttf was eslablisliftl, D lO A CENTCRY OI" BIRMINGHAM LIFE. future, the pride of the place." The following advertisement shows the kind of houses which existed in this neighbourhood in 1 748 : — To be Lett, and entered upon immediately, A Large convenient House, 'unth a good Breiuhouse, Stable, and Gardens, situate near the New Churdi in Birmingham, late in the Possession of Mrs. Duncomb, Post Mistress. We have frequently had to allude to the delightful state of most of the residences in Deritend. We cannot do better than quote here a passage which we believe is the earliest reference made to this part of our town. It occurs in Leland's Itinerary, and was written in the reign of Henry VIII. The writer says : — I came through a pretty street or ever I entered, into Birmingham town. This street, as I remember, is called Dirtey (Deritend). In it dwells smiths and cutlers, and there is a brook that divides this street from Birmingham, an hamlet, or member, belonging to the parish thereby. There is at the end of Dirtey a proper chappel and mansion-house* of tymber hard on the ripe, as the brook runneth down ; and as I went through the ford, by the bridge, the water came down on the right hand, and a few miles below goeth into Tame. This brook, above Dirtey, breaketh into two arms, that a little beneath the bridge close again. This brook riseth, as some say, four or five miles above Bimiingham, towards Black-hills. The beauty of Birmingham, a good market-town in the extreme parts of Warwickshire, is one street going up alonge, almost from the left ripe of the brook, up a meane hill, by the length of a quarter of a mile. I saw but one parish-church in the town. There be many smithes in the town that used to make knives and all manner of cutting tools, and many lorimers that make bittes, and a great many naylers ; so that a great part of the town is maintained by smithes, who have their iron and sea-coal out of Staffordshire. Our next extract, which refers to this part of the town, is dated September 1 2, 1 748 : — To be Lett and enter'd on when required, a Good House of the late Samuel Watton's, with two Rooms on a Floor to the Front, as also a good Cellar, and other good convenient Rooms, with a good Pump, and a handsome garden all entire walled round, with a very good Shop, fit for any Tradesman, lying to the Front, all in good repair, situate in Deritend, Bimiingham. Enquire of Thomas Watton, near Birmingham Turnpike. Birmingham at this time rejoiced in the possession of two crosses. The Old Cross stood nearly where Nelson's statue now stands, and the Welsh Cross was in Dale End, near to Bull Street. Hutton says, writing about 1780 or 1781, that by some antique writings it appears that "200 years ago this spot bore the name of the Welsh End, perhaps from the number of Welsh in its neighbourhood." The upper room of * Mr. Toulmin Smith, in his "Memorials of Old Birmingham," pp. 5 ami 6, proves beyond a doubt that the " mansion-house " mentioned by Leland was the " Old Crown," Deritend. The finest relic we have left of ancient Birmingham, APPEARANXE OF THE TOWN. I I this cross was used as a military guardhouse, and Hutton tells us that on December i6, 1723, an order was made at a public meeting that "a guardhouse should be erected in a convenient part of the town, because neither of the crosses were eligible." Our quaint chronicler adds, " But this old order, like some of the new, was never carried into execution. As no complaint lies against the cross, in our time, we may suppose it suitable for the purpose ; and / knoiij none but its prisoners that profi02ince against it." The first reference to the Welsh Cross in the Gazette is contained in the following announcement of December 5, 1 748 : — William Gibson, late servant to Mr. Roe, in Tor}' Row, begs leave to inform the public that he has now opened a shop for himself near the Welsh Cross, Birmingham, with a ver)' neat assortment of Linnen Draper}', and Mercery goods, all fresh and new. Those gentlemen and ladies who shall please to favour him with their custom may not only depend of the best usage he is capable of, but of being served at the very lowest prices, By their very humble servant, William Gibson. This Cross was a square building, with open archways on each side, the floor space was used for a Saturday market. The upper room was used, as we have seen, for a military guard-house. The roof rather steep, and at the top was a small clock tower, surmounted by a bell-like cupola, on which was a vane. There is a picture of both crosses in " Hutton," who conjectures that the Welsh Cross was built at the beeinnine of i 700. The Old Cross, the same authoritv tells us, was erected in 1702, "at the expense of ^80 95. \d. This was the first upon that spot ever honoured with a roof : the under part was found a useful shelter for the market people. The room over it was designed for the Court Leet and other public business, which, during the residence of the lords upon the manor, had been transacted in one of their detached apartments, yet in being ; but after the removal of the lords in 1537. the business was done in the Leather Hall, which occupied the whole east end of New Street, a covered gatewaj- of twelve feet excepted, and afterwards in the Old Cross." This was considered to be the centre of Birmingham. Our next extract carries us back to Digbeth. It is curious to find such a place advertised for sale in the heart of the town so early even as November, 1 748 : — 12 A CENTURV OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. To be Sold, Several Freehold Messuages or Dwelling Mouses and Shops, with the Gardens and Apj)urtenances, and a Parcel of Ground, very convenient to build upon ; situate in a Yard in Digbcth in Birmingham the County of Warwick, call'd Bourn's Yard, now belonging to William Colley, with a very great Conveniences of Water, and will admit of great improvements. For furthur particulars enquire of the said William Colley, of Mr. Richard Rann, .\ttorney, or of Mr. Kdward Jones, Glover, in Birmingham aforesaid. The middle of Edgbaston Street had also its gardens, and was a most delightful part of the town in which to reside. At the bottom of Smallbrook Street was St. Martin's Parsonage House, "of a circular figure," with its trees and garden, and surrounded by a " watery circle," which we suppose should be called a moat. It was of a circular figure, and the water was supplied by a neighbouring spring. The house was evidently of great antiquity, and must have been a very pleasant residence. All up Smallbrook Street, stretching away up llolloway Head, with its sunk road and windmill, and so on to Edgbaston, afforded a fine prospect of gardens and farm land, which have long since passed away. Indeed, few parts of the town have suffered greater changes than this. From advertisement of .September i8, 1749, we learn that there were To be Sold, Several Freehold Dwelling Houses, Gan/ois, S/iops, and other Out- biiiliUngs. situate in Birmingham, near the middle of Kdgbaston Street, all well tenanted, at the Rent of Forty-one Pounds a Year, with Room for Improvements and good Springs of Hard and Soft Water belonging thereto. Enquire of George In'ing ; of Mr. Thomas Russel, in Digbeth ; or of Mr. William Hawkes, in Deritend. Moor Street had also a very different appearance to the one which it now presents. The New Theatre was in this street ; and that welcome ornament to a house, a garden, was of ordinary occurrence. This announcement shows the condition of the place in i 749 : — To be I.ctt, and entered upon immediately, at the UjiiJcr End of Moor Street, Birmingham, a good and convenient new-built House, with four Rooms on a Floor, Cellar'd under, with a good Puniji, backside, and Garden icall'd round, and other Conveniences, all entire. For particulars, enciuire of Jonathan Freeth, in Dale End ; John Freeth, in Moor Street, Birmingham ; or of John Bradley, of Stourbridge, who may be met with most Thursdays at John Pry's, at the Hen and Chickens, in Birmingham. The following announcement of a farm to let was inserted in March, 1748:— To be Lett .\nd entered upon immediately, A Farm in the Parish of Edgbaston, near Birmingham, late in the Possession of William Price, deceas'd. For further Particulars enquire of the Widow upon the Premises. APPEARANCE OF THE TOWN. 1^ In the next, dated December 12, 1748, there is a reference to the Parsonage House, then in Smallbrook Street: — To be sold (Together or Separate) A Range of Building, containing six Houses, situated at the Lower End of Dudley-street, opposite the Parsonage House in Bir- mingham; being the Estate of Robert Mansell, lately deccas'd. For further Particulars enquire of Mr. John Holloway, at New Hall, in Birmingham. In 1749 such a house as that mentioned below was to be found in the His^h Street: — To be Lett, over against the Castle, in the High Street, Birmingham, The greatest Part of a House, 'ivith Breio-lwitse, Gardens, Stabla, and all other Conveniences for a Family. Encjuire of Mr. Richards, Gunsmith, in Birmingham. Our next takes us to Lichfield .Street, and presents a nice picture of a roadside inn. The date is March, 1750. To be Lett, and entered upon immediately, The Queen's Head Inn, at the End of Lichfield Street, Birmingham, being where six ways meet, with good stabling, a good pit to water Horses, with all other necessary Conveniences, and a Spot of Ground ttcar adjoining for a Bozcling-G recn, if desired. The march of progress and the increase of population was beginning to spoil some of the finest prospects. Buildings were being erected near the New Church, as the following advertisement of September 23, I 751, fully testifies. The particularity with which the address is given is remarkable: — To be Lett, and entered uijon immediately, in Colmore Row, by the Side of the New Church Yard, liirniins;liam, next door to Mrs. Eullwood's Assembly House, a very convenient New-built Dwelling-house, either with or without Shops and a Stable. The next and last of this series tells us what a ver\- old sijrn the Golden Cup in .Smallbrook Street is, and how more than a hundred years since there was a well-known "I\Iug House" in that street. To be Lett, and entered upon immediately, or at Christmas next, the Old Golden Cup, situated in Smallbrook Street, Birmingham ; being an old-accustomed Mug House. We have now concluded our quotations of passages illustrative of the appearance of the old town between 1741 and 1751. Let us now endeavour to form something like a complete itlca of the place in that period. If we begin with Deritend, we find that that now not very prepossessing locality was a pleasant and attractive spot. Here were beautiful and picturesque houses, some of which (with the finest of them all — the "Old Crown") remain to this day to testify how keen i4 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. a sense of beauty inspired our ancestors in their domestic buildings, as well as in their churches and cathedrals. Almost all these houses had gardens, some of them fishponds, and some private walks down to the river-side, which was then a clear and musical stream. A traveller coming into Birmingham from the Coventry Road could still have called it with Leland, "a pretty street or ever he entered." At the upper end was a deer park; and Mr. Toulmin Smith* traces the etymology of Ueritend to this circumstance. In his interesting book, "Men and Names of Old Birmingham," he says, "As for 'Deritend' — 'Der-yat-end' — it remains the end nigh the Deergate." And in a note to this passage, he adds, "Mr. William Hodgetts informs me that he himself remembers the existence of a deer-park here, and has seen deer feeding in it, and that a large part of the wall of this park stood, at the time he speaks of, on the north side of Bradford Street. He specifically informs me that a 'portion of the wall now forms a portion of the )ard attached to the police station in Alcester Street and Bradford Street; and within my recollection there were considerable extents of boundaries both in Bradford and Warwick Streets; and from the back yards of the houses, whicli no doubt had been built on portions of the park, the deer were frequently fed from the hands of the tenants.'" The present writer remembers a part of this park crossing the top end of Bradford Street, and stretching on to the Ravenhurst, the street now bearincr that name not then bcinrr in existence. There o o are, fortunately, two plans of the town, Westley's, 1731, and Bradford's, 1 75 I, which give us a most vivid picture of the appearance of Birmingham at their respective dates. It is a joleasant employment to compare these two early plans and note the changes made in fifty years. They are few indeed compared with those of our own time; but they show that the town was growing, and stretching itself in every direction. In Westley's plan Bull Street is still called Chappell Street; and we have such names as Corn Cheaping in front of St. Martin's Church. The present High Street and Dale End are represented by High Town, Beast Market, Welch End Cross, Broad Street, and Dale End. Cock or Well Street is at the Park Street end of Digbeth; Moor Street * Memorials of Old Birmingham Mtn and Names. By Toulmin Smith. Page 71. APPEARANCE OF THE TOWN. 15 is also called Mole Street, Coleshill Street is Cole's Hill Street, we have White Hall, or Steelhouse Lane; and where are now Monmouth Street, Colmore Row, and Ann Street, there is only New Hall Lane. Carr's Lane is Care's Lane. The Baptists' Meeting House is in Freeman Street. There are only two Churches : St. Martin's and St. Philip's in Birmingham, and St. John's Deritend. At the foot of this plan we read: — "In the year 1700 Birmingham contained 30 streets, lOO courts and alleys, 2504 houses, 15,032 inhabitants, one Church dedicated to St. Martin and a Chappell to St. John and a School founded by Edward 6th. also two Dissenting Meeting Houses, the increase of this Town from 1700 to y^ year 1731 is as follows, 25 streets, 50 courts and alleys, 1252 houses, 8254 Inhabitants, together with a new church. Charity School, Market Cross, and 2 Meeting Houses." It is like looking at a pretty village in the midst of and surrounded by, country to look over these plans and view. Fields and gardens and trees appear in all directions — in what may be called the heart of the town, as well as in the outskirts. Bradford's view of Birmingham was published in 1752, and is thus characterised by Mr. Toulmin Smith : — "It is a remarkable and very fine engraving, more than five feet in length, and so extremely rare that no copy besides my own is known to exist by those best acquainted with illustrations of Birmingham." It will be interesting to our readers to have before them the description of the "place and people" which is given in this rare picture. It is quoted in Mr. Toulmin Smith's "Traditions of the Old Crown House"* — a book we gladly recommend to ever)- one interested in the annals of the old town. We are indebted to this work for the following most interesting bit of information. Writing on Bradford's famous view of Birmingham, Mr. Smith says: — "Under the fine engraved view of Birmingham above named there is put a description of the place and people so quaint that the engraving being thus scarce a copy of this description will be acceptable to those who care for memorials of Old Birmingham. It is as follows: — Birmingham, A considerable Market Town in the County of Warwick. It is Pleasantly Situated on a gravelly Soil. Descending on the South East to the River Rea, it is now become very Large and Populous, which is greatly owing to the Freedom it yet • pp. 6-7 foot-note. l6 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Enjoys, as well as the Industry of the People, and their Extensive Trade. The Inhabitants are generally of an obliging and Ingenious Disposition, and have the character of being sincere in their Dealings. The Houses are cliicfly built of Brick, and the publick Buildings (though but few) are Neat and Magnificent. St. Phillip's Church, which is esteemed one of the Principal Ornaments of this Town, is built of white free-stone, and has an agreeable situation. The Spire of St. Martin's is justly admired, and, notwithstanding it has been built several hundred years, is thought superior in Beauty to most in this Nation. St. Bartholomew's Chapel is lately built, and has a double row of Windows on each side; ye outside is plain, but ye Inside is allow'd to be very handsome and neatly finisht. St. John's Chapel (Deritend) was rebuilt about 17 years ago. The Tower is not yet finish'd, but the Body of the Chapel makes a good appearance. There are, besides. Meeting Houses for Dissenters of most Denominations. The Free-school and Workhouse are handsome, regular pieces of Building, and may be deservedly esteemed useful as well as ornamental.' Bradford's plan is frequently referred to in the advertising columns of the Gazette. It appears that considerable delay occurred in its pub- lication, for on August 6, 1750, we find the following announcement: — To the Subscribers for the Plans of Birmingham, o^c. The Proprietor having been greatly retarded by the Illness of two of his principal Assistants in Engraving the Plan of Bimiingham and Map of the County, and by that means is rendered incapable of publishing according to his Promise ; he assures them that the Work is now continued, in great Fonvardness and will be ready to deliver to the Subscribers some Time in October; and that Subscriptions are taken in as usual, by Mr. Bradford, Mr. Jefi'erys, in Digbeth ; Mr. Jackson, Printseller in Birmingham; and by the Booksellers of Birmingham, Coventry, and 'iOwns adjacent. This promise was not kept. The plan was not ready in October; in fact it was delayed until the April of the following year, as is shown by this advertisement : — This is to inform tlic Subscribers to the Map of Warwickshire, and Plans of Binningham and Coventry. That tlie Plan of Birmingham (if desired) is to be delivered to the Subscribers next Week, and the Map of the County as soon as it can be finished, which will be in about a Month. Those who have Birmingham only, are to pay y* But to return to Deritend. Mr. .Smith tells us that "There was formerly a private footpath leading from the middle of the garden of the Old Crown House, before Heath Mill Lane had become a thoroughfare, down to the river Rea. This footpath is particularly named in old deeds ; the place of it is plainly marked on Bradford's * Mr. Sniitli tliinks it prolLible that liradfonl's vicio was never publislied, tliat his siiiyle cojiy is a proof, and that the delays in the publication of the plan proved fatal to the virui. This is borne out by the fact that collectors have offered large prices for a copy in vain. '=1 |U.J y-, ^ S [SI e APPEARANCE OF THE TOWN. 1 7 very excellent plan of Birmingham, drawn on a survey made in 1 750 ; and there are still living, in Deritend, elderly people who remember it in use, along its old way, from Heath Mill Lane to the river, though no longer being only a private footpath from the garden of the Old Crown House." Besides this there was another footpath leading down to the river ; and the same writer truly tells us " that the banks of the stream were a pleasant stroll before the water became befouled. But it is certainly remarkable that a private walk of this kind should have remained unchanged so long. It is especially named in a deed of 1524: it is in Bradford's plan (published in i75i);and I have before me while I write three rough sketches of the ground, all made in and between the years 1800 and 1808, in each of which this 'Walk to the Water' is marked down in the same place." Where Smithfield Market now stands was then the Moat which, in still earlier times, surrounded the castle of the family of the Birminghams. Hutton thus speaks of what he rather irreverently calls the "ditch" which surrounded it : " Being filled with water, it has the same appear- ance now as perhaps a thousand years ago, but not altogether the same use. It then served to protect its master, but now to turn a thread mill." Here was also the famous Pudding Brook, which in the writer's youth was supposed to have been immortalised in a now almost forgotten street ballad. There was something remarkable about this stream, or rather streamlet (in its later days it would have been more correct to name it mudlet), which our garrulous historian has not failed to note. He thus describes this brook : " Near the place where this small rivulet discharges itself into the moat another of the same size is carried over it, called Pudding Brook, and proceeds from the town as this advances towards it, producing a curiosity seldom met with. One river runneth south and the other north, for half a mile, yet only a path of three feet asunder, which surprised Brindley, the famous engineer." The Old Church was then surrounded by shops and houses, which were not taken down until as late as 1806. Where Nelson's Monument now stands was the Old Cross, with its Court Leet, and other public offices. New Street contained very few houses, and to these gardens were attached. The New Church (St. Philip's) had scarcely a house to hide it from the eye of the visitor, there not being any nearer than Bull Street on one l8 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. side, and only the New Hall on another; while in Temple Street we have seen that the houses had gardens which led into fields, and so on to Mount Pleasant (now Ann Street), and away to what is now called Broad Street, but which was then a country road, leading to gardens and fields. Broad Street is not named in " Hanson's Plan," published as late as 1781. The Dale End part of the town was also in striking contrast with its present appearance. Here was the Welsh Cross, with its military guard-house. Moor Street, anciendy called Molle Street, and then Mole Street, was also crowded with gardens. Carr's Lane was a "very steep incline," which was often the cause of fatal accidents. But perhaps the following passage from Hutton on the markets of the town gives us as vivid an impression of the curious condition of a place in which such scattered localities could be selected for the sale of the various requirements^ of life as anything that could be quoted : — " For want of a convenient place where the sellers may be collected into one point, they are scattered into various parts of the town. Corn is sold by sample, in the Bull Ring ; the eatable productions of the garden in the same place ; butchers' stalls occupy Spiceal Street ; one would think a narrow street was preferred, that no customer should be suffered to pass by. Flowers, shrubs, &c., at the end of Philip Street and Moor Street ; beds of earthenware lie in the middle of the foot ways ; and a double range of insignificant stalls, in the front of the shambles, choak up the passage : the beast market is kept in Dale End : that for pigs, sheep and horses in New Street : cheese issues from one of our principal inns : fruit, fowls, and butter are sold at the Old Cross : nay, it is difficult to mention a place where they are not. We may observe that if a man hath an article to sell which another wants to buy, they quickly find each other out." One of the most remarkable features of old Birmingham was the situation of the parish church. Until the beginning of the present century St. Martin's was surrounded by houses and shops." These, as is clearly shown both in Westley's and Bradford's plan, extended from the top part of Digbeth, then called Cock or Well Street, up Corn * My mother-in-law lived in one of these houses, and when we arrive at the period of their removal her recollections will enable me to give some interesting particulars of the houses and their inhabitants. PUBLIC LIFE AND EVENTS. 1 9 Cheaping, the name of the spot at the top of Well Street, in which the corn market was held ; in front of the church, and then down Mercer or Spicer, now Spiceal Street. Mr. Toulmin Smith has kindly furnished me with an extract from an old deed, of the end of the sixteenth century, touching premises near the Old Church. The original is, of course, in Latin, but the names of places are in English : — All that messuage or tenement, with the Well [fontem], and a certain parcel of land with certain buildings, called ' Wellyarde' with all and singular their appurtenances, situate, lying, and being in Birmingham aforesaid, in a certain street there called ' Come-Cheping,' alias ' Corne-Markel,' between the tenement of the Governors of the Free Grammar School there, a tenement of Thomas Affeelde of Kingsnorton, a street there called 'Mercer's Streelc,' and a certain passage or way leading from 'Corne-Chepinge' towards the 'Easteyarde!" How vividly such a record of one of the business transactions of our forefathers calls to mind the enormous changes which a century has made in the appearance of the town! Our readers have now before them a complete record of the materials which will enable them to form a clear picture of the appearance of Birmingham in 1751. § 2. PUBLIC LIFE AND EVENTS. Judging from the very brief references made to public affairs in the local news of our old papers, we are compelled to believe that there were scarcely any events of a public nature worth recording. The people seemed to have amused themselves in their own way — and a very questionable way it was for the most part — and to have let everything else go by default. They appear to have been a very con- tented and also a very loyal people. All, or almost all, their public demonstrations are made on the celebration of some Royal birthday, or the arrival of the King from Hanover; of some event connected with the Royal Family, or to commemorate a victory. The allusions to anything like local public life as we understand it now are of the rarest occur- rence. No police reports, no public meetings, no charitable appeals, no literature, no popular educational institutions, no popular lectures, 20 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. no libraries, no news rooms, no penny readings, no Board of Guar- dians, no Town Council, no debates of local senates, no orations of local senators to read, no leading articles, for there were no local events about which to write. All seems to have been a dull, dead level of monotonous existence varied by occasional cock-fights and other brutal sports. In our present high-pressure course of life it is a very difficult thing to realise the sober, jog-trot, unpretending life of our great grand- fathers. We must not, however, forget that it was the steady, persistent, indomitable, and undiverted industry of those great-grandfathers that made the modern Birmingham possible. They sowed, and we are reaping: it is perhaps a question that would admit of close argument as to which were the happier of the two generations. Reporting in the present sense was unknown. Sometimes weeks pass in succession without a line of local news. Then we are often deluded by the side-head Birmingham, and on reading the few lines which follow we learn that at Shrewsbury, or at Leicester, or at Melton Mowbray, or at some other place more or less distant from this town, some trivial event occurred which would not be thought worthy of recording, or one of such a nature that no editor would now think of using. The principal events narrated, and those in the briefest manner possible, are the celebrations of royal birth-days, and the constantly recurring cock-fights which disgraced our local history until a very recent date. In all that effects the life of the people the advertisements are again our fullest and our most faithful sources of information. From these, supplemented by the news columns, we shall be enabled to gather a considerable harvest of curious and interesting extracts, which will surprise the dwellers in modern Birmingham. The first notice we have of any public act is in the first number of the Gazette, November i6, 1741, and is a birthday celebration — although not a royal one; it was in honour of a King among men: — Birmingham, Nov. 14. — The Birth-Day of Admiral Vernon was celebrated here with all the Tokens of Regard due to that worthy Man. The morning was ushered in with the Clamming of the Bells, and the day concluded witli Bonfires and of drinking Success to his Majesty's Arms. This brief paragraph is all the local news published in the first number, PUBLIC LIFE AXD EVEXTS. 21 Among the very earliest items of local news which we meet is one which will be very interesting to our VVesleyan readers — and to all in fact who find pleasure and profit in contrasting the present with the past, and in tracing the growth and development of public feeling on religious questions. The tone of the notice, and the nature of the queries, are curious illustrations of the feeling of the country a century and a half back. The event thus commemorated occurred on Thursday, May 6, 1742; and is thus alluded to in the Gazette of the Monday following : — Birmingham, May 10.— On Thursday last one of the Methodists (as they are term'd) appear'd in this place ; he preached to a numerous audience from a common near the town, ^^'hat success he met with he himself can only say. The following questions are proper to be answer'd : — i. If a Church is only two or three faithful people or more assembled in any place, what Occasion i.s there for material Buildings? — 2. If not, what occasion for a new Church near Cambridge, where fields and highways arc allowed ? — 3. If there is such Occasion, whether the new Church near Cambridge, or Mr. Whitfield's Orphan House, will be first erected? — 4. If the doctrine of absolute Election be true, what Account can be given of the Moral Attributes of God ? — 5. Whether the Preacher has not a little mistaken his real Interest, since if some are to be saved whatever they do, and others are to be damn'd if they seek after Salvation, what avails it either to attend or neglect his Preaching ? — 6. Granting the doctrine of absolute Election to be true in the sense contended for by our Preacher, whether he is one of the Elect by any other Evidence than his own simple Persuasion, or whether his proceeding is not directly opposite to what he promised at his Ordination ? All these are queries that desen'e to be answer'd. The preacher referred to evidently did not take the bait. He was not to be dragged into a controversy, and so avoided the six points of this interrogatory charter. So the author of the queries, which were inserted editorially, comes out in the next number with a letter, and, in the high sounding name of Britannicus, thus addresses the editor — or rather the printer — as was then the practice. May 17, 1742. To the Printer of the Birmini;ham Gazette. The Queries published in your last Paper, by common Report, I find will receive no direct Answer. The Preacher to whom they are particularly addressed, has declined the Task in an ungenerous manner. If he has that disinterested Concern for the welfare of Mankind, which he expresses (but few believe) here is a Field in which he may display his Abilities. To challenge a person in a loose, declamatory way, may sound well to an ignorant Populace, but all diserning Persons will easily see that this is only a Cover for a Retreat, that the Methodist is hard to put to it ; and that something must be said, or the Diana left in Danger. The Author of the Queries, if there will be Room for it, proposes in your next Paper to make some Remarks upon a late Libel of justification. The 2 2 A CENTURY OK BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Doctrine is there stated, and the Method of publishing it sure deserves some notice. Truth and sincerity will, I hope, ever recommend themsehes to the reasonable Part of Mankind. Yours, Britanicus. The subject docs not seem to have been a very attractive one, and so the matter dropped. It must be borne in mind that the period of which we write was one of war and commotion. The Hanoverian dynasty was far from being securely seated on the English throne. There was the descendant of King James the Second waiting his opportunity — which, unfortunately for him, soon occurred — to pounce upon the country, involve it in rebellion, in the hope of seizing the crown which the folly and the crimes of his grandfather had lost. Birmingham had an hereditary hatred against the Stuarts. She never forgot the " burning love " of Prince Rupert, who, in 1643, poured his soldiers into the town, set it on fire, and levied a contribution on its inhabitants in aid of the royal cause. So the revolution of 1688 was popular in this town, and the Georges, who succeeded in consequence of that memorable event, were popular too. Any one to keep out the hated Stuarts. In 1742 George the Second was king. He had succeeded to the throne on June 1 1, i 727 ; and in the first June after the establishment of the Gazette we have the following announcement of the celebration of the anniversary of his accession. It mtist always be remembered, in reference to dates, that the paper was published on Mondays, and the date of publication is given in the extracts : — Birmingham, June 14. — Last Friday being the Anniversary of his Majesty's Accession to the Throne, in which he enter'd into the si.xteenth Year of his Reign, the same was observ'd with Ringing of Bells, and other Demonstrations of Joy. The Evening was concluded with Bonfires, and drinking to the Healths of his Majesty and Royal Family, Success to his Majesty's Arms, and to the Healths of those Gentlemen who have apjieared conspicuous in the Interest of their Country. Here is the record of a local event, which will be interesting to many readers : — Bimiingham, July 26. — A few days since Sir Lister Holt, Bart., of Aston Hall, in the County of Wanvick, and Member of Parliament for Litchfield, was married to Miss Harpur, Sister of Sir Henry Harpur, of Twyford, Derbyshire, Bart., a lady of great Fortune, and possess'd of all the valuable Accomplishments that adorn her Sex. In 1743 the King took command of the allied armies, and on the 1 6th of June defeated the French under the Duke de Noailles, at PUBLIC LIFE AND EVENTS. 23 Dettingen. Wonderful to relate the Gazette gives a full plan of the battle, showing the position of the various forces on that notable day. The news was received in Birmingham with great enthusiasm. The following is the brief notice of the event: — Birmingham, June 27.— On tlie receiving here the agreeable News of the Defeat of the French by the Force under the Command of his Majesty, the Bells of both our Churches were set to Ringing, at Noon there were several Discharges of Fire from the Soldiers, and the Evening was concluded with Bonfires, Illumination of Windows, and drinking Success to his Majesty's Arms. The expected rebellion broke out in 1745. In July, Charles Edward Stuart, the Young Pretender, sailed from Port St. Nazaire, and landed with a few partisans in the Hebrides. He was proclaimed King at Perth on September 4; and at Edinburgh on the i6th. On the 21st the Highlanders defeated Sir John Cope at Preston Pans, or Glaidsmuir. The Habeas Corpus Act was suspended on October 21; and England proved her earnestness in raising 60,000 volunteers to assist in suppressing the rebellion. The Duke of Cumberland came from the Netherlands and brought part of his army with him. On November 6, Prince Charles entered England and took Carlisle on the 15th; on the 24th he had reached Lancaster, and Manchester on the 28th. The Duke of Cumberland with his forces was at Lichfield, on his way to meet the rebel army, which began to retreat on December 6, and arrived at Glasgow on the 25th. The news of the retreat of the rebels reached this town on Saturday, February 8, 1746; and we read that "on receiving the agreeable News of the Flight of the Rebels before his Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland, the Bells of this Town were set to Ringing, and the Evening was spent with the highest Demonstrations of Joy, as Bonfires, Illumination of Windows, giving Ale to the Populace, &c." The famous and decisive battle of Culloden was fought on April 16, 1 746; and the hopes of "Bonnie Prince Charlie" crushed for ever. The way in which Birmingham received the intelli- gence of this welcome victory is told in a few lines; but the joy of the people was evidently sincere, and the enthusiasm unbounded. This is the notice of the celebration : — Binningliani, April zS. — On Saturday, on receiving the agreeable news of his Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland's having obtained a compleat Victor)' over the Rebels, in every Face here appear'd the greatest joy and loyalty, which were demonstrated by the 24 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Ringing of Bells, several Firing from the Companies of the Right Hon. the Lord Gower's Regiment, and in the Evening by Bonfires, Fireworks, giving great quantities of .^le to the Populace, and an Illumination of Windows throughout the whole town. A day of general thanksgiving was appointed for October 9, which Birmingham kept with the same display of loyalty which had marked her celebration of the victory. Birmingham, Oct. 13. — Thursday last being the Day appointed for a general Thanks- giving for the suppression of the late unnatural Rebellion by the Defeat of the Rebels by his Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland, at the battle of Culloden, the same was observed here with the greatest Loyalty; the Morning was usher'd in by the Ringing of Bells, which was continued till the Time of Divine Service; in the Evening the Illumination of Windows far exceeded what was ever known here before, the Windows of those Houses in the most remote Parts of the Town being filled with Candle; and the Night was concluded with Bonfires, (at several of which great Quantities of Ale were given to the Populace), Fireworks, and all other Demonstrations of Joy. The following lines express the sentiments of almost the whole nation on the suppression of this rebellion. They are entitled RESTORATION COMPLETED. For Monarchy restor'd, while Thanks we pay, And warmly loyal, celebrate this day, O with our Praises let our Pray'rs unmix, That virtuous Deeds our Happiness may fix! That annual Choise may keep our S — te pure, That Courage, Truth, and Candour, may endure , Till antient Faith our Character restore. And Free-born Britons venal are no more. The anniversary of the King's accession was regularly celebrated here, but we need not repeat the same paragraph, which yearly records the event. They are almost literally the same. Ringing of the bells, firing by the soldiers, bonfires and illuminations, and drinking ale, with other signs of hilarious joy. Of many of the revellers on these occasions we might quote very appropriately Burns's lines describing Tarn O'Shanter's state : — Kings might be blest, but Tam was glorious, O'er all the ills of life victorious. The King's favours were conferred on two local men during this year, which arc worth recording in this place. On July 7, 1746, we read : — The King has been pleased to grant unto the Right Hon. Francis Baron Brooke, the dignity of an Earl of the Kingdom of Great Britain, by the Name, Stile, and Title of Earl Brooke, of Warwick Castle, in the County of Warwick. PUBLIC LIFE AND EVENTS. 25 And again, on the same day, The King has been pleased to grant unto the Right Hon. John Baron-Gower, the Dignities of a Viscount and Earl of the Kingdom of Great Britain, by the Name, Stile, and Title of Viscount Trentham, in the County of Stafford, and Earl Gower. On February 2, 1747, we have a notice of considerable local importance. In the paper of that date we read as follows : — Notice is hereby given, That To-morrow I'.vening at Six o'Clock a Subscription will be open at Mrs. Beet's for Building a Chapel in the Parish of St. Philip's at which Time and Place the Inhabitants of this Town are desired to meet. On February 23, 1747, the following appeal is made to the inhabitants in behalf of this laudable undertaking : — To the Inhabitants of Birmingham and Places adjacent. — A Subscription will shortly be opened for erecting and endowing a Chapel in the Parish of .St. Philip, and upon the Subscription of One Thousand Pounds not less than eleven, nor more than twenty-one Trustees will be elected as Managers : Who after a proper Place is fix'd upon (to erect the said Chapel) will be empower'd to collect (at four ecjual quarterly Payments) the Sums of Money subscrib'd by each Person. Which Trustees are likewise to nominate a Chaplin ; who will not only be oblig'd to Residence, but to preach twice every Sunday ; and as a handsome Provision will be made, he will not be allowed to be Curate, Lecturer, or Chaplain of any other Place whatsoever. In February, 1749, peace was proclaimed. The event took place in this town on Thursday, the i6th, "on which occasion," we are told, " was assembled the largest concourse of People ever seen in this Town." The day of thanksgiving was fixed for May 25. and was thus observed in Birmingham : — Birmingham, May 1. — Tuesday, the Day of Thanksgiving on Account of the Peace, was observ'd here with Ringing of Bells and other Demonstrations of Joy. In the Evening were Bonfires, Illumination of Windows throughout the whole Town, and at t\vo different Places the grandest Fireworks ever seen here, consisting of a great number of Line and common Rockets, Wheels, Stars, Suns, &c., and at the Conclusion of those at one of the Places, was an Explosion of near 200 Rockets at the same Time. There was an elegant Entertainment provided, at which were present a great Number of Gentlemen. During the whole Time of the Fireworks, we don't hear of any Misfortune that happen'd. The first notice wc have of any trade movement in the town occurs on May 19, 1746. It proceeds from the filers of gun barrels, and the emphasis and clearness of the concluding portion is quite refreshing :— " The Filers of Gun-Barrels are desired to meet and consult about keeping up the Price and Goodness of their Work, and so let their Masters and the Buyers of Gun Barrels know, that if their Prices arc 26 " A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. lower'd, the Barrels will be much worse." Our next extract relates to a trade which was then of importance in the town, but has since given place to other industries. Weaving is not now a great branch of trade here, but it is evident from tlic following report it occupied a rather prominent position at that time. The notice appeared July i i, 1748. This is to give Notice to all Housekeepers and others, That on the ist of this Instant July, there was at Camp Hill, near Birmingham, at Richard Baylis's, at the Sign of the Anchor, a meeting of Master Weavers from Binningham, Norton, Yardley, Handsvvorth, and several Parts 4 or 5 Miles about Birmingham, to consult about some bad Customs that have been very prejudicial to every Man there present, belonging to the Weaving Trade, who subscribed their Names to the Proposals that follow. That they will weave no Hempen Cloth for less than T,d. per Ell, nor Shackadown for less than 2it halfpenny per Ell, nor Hurden Cloth for less than 2d. per Ell. ; and that they will be paid for every Ell of Linnen Cloth they weave, let it be coarse or fine, and not weave two Ells in twenty for nothing ; Nor will they weave Woollen Cloth, Yard and Half wide, be it ever so coarse, for less than i^d. per Yard, nor fine for less than 6d. per Yard, nor Sale Lincey for less than 2d. per Yard ; nor Bedticks made with all Fla.\en Yarn for less than T,d. per yard ; nor Shackadown Ticks for less than (>d. per yard. They will meet at the same place the i8th Day of this Month, and desire all those Weavers that were not there before to be present. If any further satisfaction is wanting, enquire of Thomas Wiggin, in Birmingham, or of John Simcox, of Camp Hill. The first official notice from the local authorities which we have met with appears on the 1 3th of March, 1 749, and has reference to the Corn Market. The High Bailiff and Steward issued the following document : — Birmingham, March 13, 1748-9. Whereas the Place used in this 'I'own as a Com Market, has of late been taken up by Persons vending of Earthen AVarcs, Garden Stuff, &c., this is therefore to acquaint all such Persons, that for the future the same will be cleared, and render'd convenient for the Meeting of Buyers and of Sellers of Grain only, as usual. And all Persons who attempt to set any Stalls, Stands, &c., for Sale of such Goods will be prosecuted for the same. T. WicKiNs, High Bailiff. I. Maddox, Steward. The mechanics of Birmingham were always renowned for their ingenuity and skill. They were capable of turning their hands to many things ; and Hutton, in his own curious and grandiloquent manner, compares the inventor of the " gilt button " to Shakspere and Newton; and to the mind of our dear old gossipping historian, John Taylor, " who possessed the singular powers of perceiving things as they really are," appears as an " uncommon genius." To him " we owe PUBLIC LIFE AND EVENTS. 2^ the gilt-button, the japanned and gilt snuff-boxes, with the numerous race of enamels. From the same fountain also issued the paper snuff- box, at which one servant earned three pounds ten shillings per week, by paintmg them at a farthing each." It is quite evident, however, that for manipulative cleverness the working men of this town were not excelled by any. They proved it by the production of an infinite number of articles, which made the town the "toy-shop" of England and of the world. It would fill a long paper, and would be as uninteresting as Homer's catalogue of the ships in the Iliad, simply to enumerate the articles which they produced. Then, as now, the fame of the town for varied manufactures was great. Unhappily, this skill was frequently put to very questionable uses, and the Birmingham coiners brought immense discredit on the town. "Brummagem" was the common appellation for bad money; and counterfeit halfpence was a well known and almost generally recognised branch of local industry. The references to this subject in the old Gazette are frequent. They follow each other in rapid succession, and persons guilty of making counterfeit coin were arrested and sent to prison with laudable diligence. One or two of these notices will suffice. On November 15, 1742, we are told that, "On Tuesday last a Person of this Town was taken up for being concerned in making Counterfeit Halfpence, who has dis- cover'd some others guilty of the like practice; two of whom are taken into custody; but the rest have absconded." On December 6, in the same year, we read that "On Tuesday last six Men were convey'd from hence to Warwick Gaol, under a strong Guard of Soldiers, for making and uttering of Counterfeit Halfpence." In the following week, December 13, we have recorded that "Since our last four more Persons have been taken up for making and uttering Counterfeit Halfpence, two of whom are admitted to Bail." These cases might be multiplied indefinitely. The crime was severely punished, but for a long time the frequency of its commission was not affected by this treatment. The punishments were so disproportioned to the ^rime that they appear to have had little effect as deterents. The coining of counterfeit halfpence was not considered by the tradesmen of the town as a subject of much importance, and until the year 1751 they were in pretty 28 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. general circulation. In the early part of that year measures were taken to stop them; and in consequence of a recommendation of the Judge and Grand Jury at Warwick Assizes the following notice appeared: — Birmingham, April 8, 1751. It Having been recommended by the Judge and Grand Jury at the Assizes at Warwick, that an absolute Refusal should be continued of taking Counterfeit Halfpence, the Tradesmen and Shopkeepers of this Town are determined for the future to take none; and it is to be hoped that those of other places 'will do the same, by which Means it is likely a Stop may be put to the making of them. The Reward for discovering a Maker of Counterfeit Halfpence is ;^io., to be paid upon Conviction. This recommendation was acted on, and the following advertisement tells us the means which were employed to call in these counterfeits in order to have them melted down : — This is to give Notice, That for the future the Tradesmen of this Town will take no Counterfeit Halfpence, but after the rate of Eightpence per Pound, in order to their being melted. The first allusion to King Edward's School which we find is contained in the notice of the election of a writing master, which took place on Wednesday, February 3, 1 742 : — Birmingham, Feb. 8. — Last Wednesday came on the Election of a Writing Master for the Free-School here, founded by King Edward 6th, in the room of the late Mr. James deceased, when Mr. Becket, who keeps a school at Coventry, and who served his time with Mr. James, was chose to succeed him. In 1746 there was an election of a Head Master to the school. The following is the notice: — Birmingham, Nov. 10. — On Friday last came on the Election of a Head Master of the Free-School in this town (founded by King Edward 6th) in the Room of the Reverend Mr. Mainwaring deceased, when the Reverend Mr. Wilkinson was chosen. In the same year, namely, 1742, and on the 12th day of that month, the following event occurred: — "The wife of Mr, Crosby, in Litchfield Street, was delivered of three fine boys, who are all likely to live, which were baptized by the names of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." Charity was a characteristic of the people then as it happily is now. This case attracted public attention, and in the ne.xt paper the following appeal was made in behalf of the family : — To the well-disposed inhabitants of the town of Birmingham, &c. Whereas the three Children that were mentioned in this Paper to be born at a Birth, and were baptized by the names of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, are alive and well, being near three Months old, and as the Father of the said Children is a Journeyman to a Business which is now dead, a subscription hath been propos'd to be carried on towards PUBLIC LIFE AND EVENTS. 29 the support of the said Children, and to enable the Mother to have some Help to the looking after them, of which she is now destitute. Whoever shall be pleased to contribute to their assistance, be the sums ever so small, the Favour will be thankfully acknowledged. The next item of news is a tragic one, and shows how the military laws were administered in the good days of old. It appears on July 26, 1742 : — On Saturday last William Putress, a Soldier belonging to the late Lord James Cavendish's Regiment, quartered in this Town, was shot at Titna! Wood, near Wolverhampton, for deserting several Times from the said Regiment. Up to the year 1 748 the postal arrangements in the town were ver)- inadequate. There were only three post days a week between this town and London, and many other places. The high charge for postage had also encouraged and kept up a system of private collection and delivery which was illegal. The announcement of the additional postal facilities, and a warning as to private collection, are conveyed in the following notice : — Post Office, Birmingham, December 9, 1748. His Majesty's Post Master General, for tlie further Improvement of Correspondence, having been pleased to order. That Letters shall, for the future, be convey'd by the Post Six Days in every Week (instead of Three Days as at present), betwixt London and Chipping Norton, Evesham, Worcester, Bromsgrove, and Birmingham, with the inter- mediate Places ; and that these Letters, on the three additional Post Days, shall be convey'd through Oxford. Public Notice is hereby given. That these additional Conveyances will commence at Christmas next, and whereas great Numbers of Letters have hitherto been privately collected and deliver'd contrary to Law, and to the great Prejudice of the Revenue of the Post Office, all Carriers, Coachmen, Watermen, Wherr)-men, Dispensers of Country News Papers, and all other Persons whatsoever any Way concerned in the illegal collecting or delivering of Letters, or Packets of Letters, will be prosecuted with the utmost severity. N.B. — The Penalty is Five Pounds for ever)' Letter collected or deliver'd contrary to Law, and One Hundred Pounds for every \\'eek this Practice is continued. By Command of the Post Master General, John Wilson, Surveyor. Our next extract reveals a curious state of things, and to our modern notions, is a curious way of remedying them. The statement that "all the parish offices in the town had become troublesome from the large- ness of the place" is a strange complaint. But according to Hutton, "from 1 74 1 to the present year, 1780, Birmingham seems to have acquired the amazing augmentation of 71 streets, 4,172 houses, and 30 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. 25,032 inhabitants. Such a rapid growth is a proof of the wonderful progress of the town." The notice which follows appeared November 25, 1 75 I. It is addressed to the printer of the Birmingham Gazette: — As all the Parish Offices in the Town of Birmingham are become very troublesome, from the largeness of the Place, and particularly Surveyor of the Highways is excessively so, for want of its being in general better understood, many People fancying Statute Duty a Matter of Courtesy, which they may be excus'd from if they please : I beg leave, therefore, to explain the nature of it in brief, in order to save future Trouble, both to the Inhabitants and Officers. The first Thing a Surveyor has to do after he has examined the Condition of the Summons in writing to the several House Keepers, to send Teams and Labourers to do two, three or more Days Work in the Highways as shall be thought necessary ; from which no Person or Profession is exempted, as the Law says every Householder, Cottager, and Day Labourer. After this the Surveyors are to give in upon Oath to the Sessions ; or two Justices of the Peace, a List of the several Persons ; who have neglected or refused to do their respective duty ; upon which the Justices send their summons, commanding the Defaulters to appear before them, to shew Cause, if they can why they have neglected or refus'd to do their respective Statute Duty, and why a Warrant of Distress should not be granted to levy the Sums forfeited, on their respective Goods and Chattels, to wit. Four Shillings and Six-pence for three Days Omission of sending a Labourer, and Si.x-pence the Warrant and Service, and Ten Shillings for each Day's Omission of a Team ; which Warrants of Distress will be granted, and put in Execution, if the Sum of Eighteen-pence, Composition Money, be not sent to the .Surveyors before Thursday, the 28lh instant, when the Justices' Summons are returnable, nor will it be in the Power of the Surveyors to accept of less than the Sum mentioned in the Distress Warrant, wiiich will be Five Shillings. — By inserting the above you'll oblige Yours, &c. The Surveyors. On November 4, 1751, appeared a notice on a subject which seems to have caused considerable excitement at the time. Whereas an Advertisement was put in the Binniiii^ham Gazette on Monday last, importing that the Warehouse Keepers and Waggoner> had combin'd together to raise the Price of Carriage in an unetiual Manner, by which the .Author of the same seems uneasy, and pleads for his Casks having a Right to be carried as low as Nails, by saying Twelve- pence the Hundred ; This may inform all Gentlemen, Trade.smen, and others, that the said Word Combination is false, malicious, and scandalous ; all that they have entered into being no other, than to load and carry no more than is allowed by Act of Parliament ; not one Word of Price being mentioned in the said Agreement, every one is left to carry as cheap as he j)leases. The next item of news which we extract shows the intolerance with which the Wesleyan body was at that time treated in the town. The act is said to have been committed by young and thoughtless persons ; but when we remember what occurred at a much later date, and from what we know of the state of public opinion from other sources, it is to EDUCATION AND LITERARY LIFE. 31 be feared that the burning of the pulpit was looked upon as a pleasant escapade, and was not visited by any very strong marks of disapproval. Binningham, October 26. — On Monday Night last an attempt was made on the Methodist Meeting in this 'I'own, by some young thoughtless Persons, who took from thence the Pulpit and many of the Seats, and made a Bonfire of them ; but by the good Management of the Constables, and some of the principal Inhabitants in that neighbour- hood, they were in the morning dispersed. In this year the question of the rectification of the calendar was introduced, and the bill for " robbing the people of eleven days," as one indignant elector or non-elector afterwards charged a candidate for Parliamentary honours with having done, was introduced into Parlia- ment. The intimation of this measure is given in February, 1751, when the public were informed of it by an on dit — " 'Tis said a bill will be brought into the House of Lords to alter our style, agreeable to that of other Nations ; and we hear that it is proposed to leave out Eleven Days in the year 1752, viz., from the 9th to the 21st of September." From the belief which then existed in the efficacy of asses' milk in cases of consumption and other ailments, the demand for milch asses seems to have been very great. The announcements that these then valuable animals were for sale are of frequent occurrence, and their wording is often ludicrously singular. In March, 1751, we read that there are to be sold " two she asses and a Jack one." The trade, if it exist now, takes another method of appealing to the public. § 4. i:duc.\tion and literary like. The references to education which we find in the old papers are, like aneels' visits, few and far between. There was no thougfht then of popular education. It was deemed dangerous to teach the people too much. In the cant of the day it unfitted them for their stations, and made them discontented in the situation in which God had placed them. Mechanics' Institutes and P'ree Libraries would have been thought revolutionary institutions, and would have been intolerable to all. The State would have prohibited, and the Church anathematised them. The working classes would not have appreciated them, and would most probably have joined their superiors in denouncing such new-fangled A CENTURY OK BIRMINGHAM LIFE. notions. To work was all that was required of working men, and what leisure they had was spent in the ale-house, on the skittle-alley, or in training dogs or cocks for the indulgence in brutal sports. Nearly all the efforts to remove ignorance, and to ameliorate the condition of the people have been made in our own day, and working-men's clubs such as have been established in various towns at the present time would have been impossible. Comparatively few of the artisans and mechanics could either read or write. These acquirements, which a great authority tells us come by nature, did not come to the working man of the eighteenth century. He was left to himself and his own devices. It is sometimes said that we run into the opposite extreme, and too often patronise and coddle those of the "fustian jacket and horny hands." This may be so; but it is only the natural reaction arising from the consciousness of long centuries of oppression and neglect. The feeling that we are our brother's keeper is of late growth, and if in attempting to give it practical effect we sometimes err and mistake the road, it is not to be wondered at. Any foolish vagaries which we may commit in our efforts to dispel the dark, dense ignorance which once oppressed the land — to lessen the miseries of the poor — to improve their dwellings and to make life more beautiful to them, are preferable to the cold callousness which marked the conduct of our ancestors in such matters. We look upon the efforts to raise the mass of our population as among the most blessed, encouraging, and healthy signs of the present feneration. The first instance of lectures not actually delivered, but likely to be given, which we meet with, occurs in November, 1742; and in this case the subject is a scientific one. It is entered under the head of Coventry, November 13, and runs thus: — We hear tliat Mr. Gabriel Holland, Watch Maker in this City, has just compleated in Miniature, that noble and useful Engine for raising Water (out of Coal and other Mines) by Fire, and we hope to have a conect and satisfactory Description of its Principles demonstrated by him in a Course of Mechanical and Experimental Philosophy. In the paper for April 27, i 747, we find the following announcement: — Reading, Writing, .Vrithmetic, and the Science of Geography Taught after the most New and expeditious Manner, by Benjamin Simpson, in Peck Lane, Birmingham, on the following easy Terms — EDUCATION AND LITERARY LIFE. 33 1. That as he is determined to do his duty by such Children as shall be committed to his Care, no more than Twelve at a Time will be admitted. 2. Each Child at his Entrance to pay 2s. 6d., and is. per week aftenvards. N.B. — For the Advantage of such who are willing to retrieve a neglected Education, the School will be kept each evening, from Six to Eight o'clock. *,* Letters wrote and Papers transcribed with the utmost Secrecy and Fidelity. In August of the same year we have an advertisement of a course of philosophical lectures brought before the public in the following manner : — Mr. Martin hereby proposes a second Subscription to his Course of Philosophical Lectures now reading in this Town, and to begin on Wednesday next at Mr. Taylor's in the Cherry Orchard, at Four o'clock, if twenty shall subscribe. Gentlemen and Ladies disposed to attend the same, by communicating their Names to T. .\ris, or Mr. Warren, Booksellers, or to Mr. Taylor, will greatly oblige their very humble Servant, B. Martin. Syllabus's to be had at the above Places. Dancing was taught in those days as now, and in the advertisements special reference is always made to " French dances." The one copied here bears date April 25, 1748 : — This is to give Notice to all Gentlemen and Ladies, that are disposed to let their children learn French Dances, that by applying to Harry Barton, in Smallbrook Street, Birmingham, they may be sure to meet with proper Attendance, and due Care taken to bring their Children forvvards in the Art of French Dancing. — N.B. I purpose to begin on Monday, the 2nd day of May, and to continue the same Days as the late Mrs. Fades did, which are Mondays and Thursdays ; and all Gentlemen and Ladies that are pleased to favour me with their Children, may depend on the utmost Care being taken, by their most obedient servant, Harry Barton. On April 23, 1750, a series of lectures is announced. It is worthy of remark, that although the place and hours are given at which the lectures will take place, the name of the lecturer nowhere occurs : — At Mr. Packwood's Great Room in the Cherry Orchard, Birmingham. This present Monday the 23rd Instant, exactly at Eleven o'Clock in the Morning, will Begin, a Lecture upon the Mechanical Powers, as they are commonly called, with an Explanation of Wheel Carriages ; and at Five o'Clock in the Afternoon will be an Explanation of Compound Engines, and several Working Models. On Tuesday and Wednesday will give an Explanation of all Sorts of Water Works, and how Water may be raised in the cheapest Manner, to supply Gentlemen's Houses, Towns, and Villages, with an Expla- nation of the Diver's Bell, and many other Experiments. On Thursday and Friday, the Nature of Vision or Light will be explained, with the Dissection of a Natural Eye, likewise an Artificial Eye, and a curious Artificial Ear ; with many other Experiments. Saturday Afternoon the Lecture will consist of Miscellaneous Experiments in several Branches. N.B. The Lectures begin every Day exactly at Eleven in the Morning, and Five in the Afternoon. o J4 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. In 1748, an exhibition, which may be considered of an educational character, was open in the town. The detailed description of the announcement is as curious as the collection itself. They certainly possessed the accomplishment of " drawing up" advertisements in those days : — Birmingham, May 7, 1748, To the Curious.— A Description of the Four Hundred Fine Figures in Sculpture, Being a beautiful Representation in Marble of our Saviour's Life, from the Institution of the Lord's Supper to his Resurrection -. Found among the great Treasure taken by the Prince Frederick and Duke Privateers : and are now to be seen at Shakespear's Head, opposite the Welch Cross. A Mong the Liberal Arts which have adom'd the World both in this and past Ages, that of Sculpture has always been highly esteemed therein : And this Art among the old Romans was so nearly allied to Poetry, that it appears doubtful among the Learned, whether the Poets drew their descriptions from the Works of the Statuaries, or the Statuaries formed their Designs from the Description of the Poets. It is indeed generally allow'd that the Ancients, notwithstanding all the disadvantages under which their Performances are now seen, far surpassed the Moderns in the Art of Sculp- ture : But we imagine that this Superiority may even be disputed in these six Pieces in Relievo, mentioned in the following list, in these Representations of Scripture Transac- tions, the Designs are so just, the Attitudes so proper, the Proportions so true, and the Drapery so flowing and easy, that Fancy itself can form nothing of the Kind more excellent. But above all these Distinctions, the Features and Passions of the different Ages and Sexes are so natural and emphatically represented, that at first View their various Sentiments may be discover'd from their various Aspects ; the same Countenances are also easily known in the different Pieces, although represented in the different Passions and Circumstances. The more neariy these fine Pieces are inspected, the more exquisite the Workmanship appears ; and as the same Turn of Elegance and Beauty displays itself throughout the whole, they must undoubtedly have been the Labour of one and the same Artist ; a labour of at least twenty years. It is not therefore surprising that such Extraordinary Curiosities were designed as a present for the French King : For this Purpose they were brought from Lima in the French South Sea Ships taken by the Prince Frederick and the Duke Privateers, and brought into Bristol. And now these beautiful Pieces are exhibited to View at Shakespear's Head, opposite the Welsh Cross. 1. Our Saviour eating his Last Supper with his Disciples. 2. He is betrayed by Judas ; with Peter cutting off the High Priest's Servant's Ear. 3. He is scourged in the Hall before Pontius Pilate. 4. He is fainting under the Cross, as he is led to Crucifixion, with Simon compelled to carry it. 5. Joseph of Arimethea taking the Body down from the Cross. 6. His appearance to the Holy Women, after his Resurrection, at the City of Galilee. The above Curiosities have been view'd by most of the Nobility, Clergy, Gentry, and principal Inhabitants of Bath, Bristol, and Oxford, and other great Cities in this Kingdom, who express'd an entire satisfaction in the admirable Beauty. N.B. The Proprietors have been offered One Thousand Guineas for the above EDUCATION AND LITERARY LIFE. 35 Curiosities. Price is., 6d., and 3d. Between the two Parts of the Concert will be presented (Gratis) a Comedy, called "The Miser." The Part of Lovegold the Miser by Mr. Breeze, Frederick by Mr. Smith, Clerimont by Mr. Slaiter, Ramilie by Mr. Wignell, James by Mr. Whitaker, Decoy by Mr. Child, Lift the Taylor by Mr. Waher, Mariana by Mrs. Slaiter, Harriet by Mrs. Wignell, Mrs. Wisely by Mrs. Child, Wheedle by Mrs. Smith, and the Part of Lappett by Mrs. Whitaker. To which will be added an Opera, call'd " The Mock Doctor ; or the Dumb Lady Cur'd." The Part of the Doctor by Mr. 'Whitaker, Dorcas by Mr. Slaiter, Leander by Mr. Child, Sir Jasper by Mr. Breeze, Dumb Lady by Mrs. Whitaker. To begin exactly at Seven O'clock. AMUSEMENTS. 47 Man's ingenuity in devising amusements has ever been tolerably active, and we find that in old Birmingham the people had plenty of opportunities given them for sight-seeing. In the announcement to be quoted next, mechanical skill of rather a high order is evinced in the production of an extraordinary musical clock, which was exhibited in 1742. On March 8 of that year this advertisement appeared : — For the entertaining amusement of the Quality, Gentry, and others. — There is to be seen and heard, at the Sign of the Wheat Sheaf, in the Bull Ring, Birmingham, 'a Curious and Unparallel'd Musical Clock, made by David Lockwood, going by Springs Only, being a Machine, incomparable in its Kind, as well for the Beauty of its Structure as the Nicety and Perfection of its Performance. Its compositions are admirable, and far more elegant than any yet extant, being the choicest Airs taken out of the best Operas, with graces ingeniously intermix'd. Together with French Horn Pieces upon the Organ, German and Common Flute, Flagollet, Sec, to the great satisfaction of the most eminent Masters and Judges, as Sonatas, Concertos, Marches, Minuets, Jigs and Scotch Airs, compos'd by Corelli, Alberoni, Mr. Handel, Dr. Bradley, and other eminent Masters. This beautiful and harmonious Machine may be seen (if desir'd) at any time of the Day by half a Dozen ; but the Common Hours of shewing are Eleven in the Morning and Six at Night. Price Twelve Pence and Six Pence. Note. — The above Clock plays a Piece of Music every Four Hours of itself, and at Pleasure j is wound up once in Eight Days, and is now to be sold by Edmund Rising, the Owner. This Piece was never here before, nor the like seen. Any Persons that are curious, and desire to see the inside Work, shall be welcome. Our stay in this town will be very short. Wax Work Exhibitions have always had great attractions for a large class of sight-seers. Nor were our ancestors without this source of amusement. In June, 1746, a collection of wax figures was exhibited in Birmingham, the nature of which will be gathered from the following advertisement : — • This is to give Notice to all Gentlemen, Ladies, and Others, That there is come to this Town from Fleet Street, near Temple Bar, London, and is now to be seen at the Chamber over the Old Cross, The Royal Wax Work, representing the Royal Family of Great Britain, richly dress'd, and in full Proportion, as they appear at St James's on the King's Birthday Day, the late Queen Caroline being dress'd in a Suit of her own Cloaths. They are esteem'd by all who have seen them, tlie most beautiful Work that has ever been seen in the Kingdom, being valued at Five Hundred Pounds, and have been shewn to most of the Nobility of the Kingdom with great satisfaction. N.B. They will be shewn from Ten in the Morning till Nine at Night, and ilie Company entertained with Variety of Musick, Vocal and Instrumental; the latter perform'd on a Chamber Organ, with two Sets of Keys; the full Organ, with the stops as follow; Stop Diapasent, the Trumpet Stop, the Principal Stop, the Coroned and Fifteenth, the Chair Organ and Flute Stops. Price Six-pence and Three-pence. 4^ A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. But the musical clock and the wax works must "pale their ineffectual" powers before the wonderful collection of works of art exhibited in May, 1749. The advertisement gives full details, and will be read with interest at the present time : — This is to acquaint the Curious, that at the Black Boy in Edgbaston Street, Birmingham, this and every Evening during his Stay in Town, Mr. Ycates, from London, will exhibit a Grand, Curious and Splendid Representation of the Temple of Apollo, at Delphos in Greece. Being the Temple to which Alexander the Great went to inquire who was his Father; whether he had reveng'd his Death on all his Enemies; and where the Heathens of Old repair'd in Times of private Distress, or public danger. This admirable Piece of Art is adorn'd with every Thing that can render it pleasing to the Spectator, having curious Pillars of Lapis Lazuli, and embellish'd with Painting in an elegant Manner. Phaeton is represented petitioning Apollo to let him drive the Chariot of the Sun, which being granted occasions the Fall of Phaeton, who wanting judgment to conduct the Chariot of the Sun thro' the Mid Air, had like, thro' this Misconduct, to have set the World on Fire; but was destroy 'd by a 'J'hunderbolt from Jupiter, and thrown headlong into the River Padus in Italy, otherwise called Eridanus. Likewise the Triumphs of Bacchus and Ariadne, represented in a grand and magnificent manner, and adorned with all the Ornaments and Decorations which can fill the Mind with pleasing Ideas, and charm a judicious and curious Spectator. Likewise a curious Organ, which performs several select Pieces of Musick, composed by the best Masters. N.B. The Machine is in Height twelve Feet, in Breadth nine, and in Depth seven, and not seen through any Glass. In order to afford the Vertuosi an agreeable Amusement, Mr. Yeates will perform his inimitable Dexterity of Hands ; Who, for his Cards, and the clean Conveyance of his Outlandish Birds, that Talk very agreeably at the Word of com- mand, together with his sudden and surprising production of an Apple-Tree, which he causes to Grow, Blossom, and bear Ripe Fruit fit for any Person to Eat of it in less than three Minutes' Time ; and several other surprising Tricks is allowed, by the curious, to excel all other Performers. Pit is. Upper Seats 6il The Doors to be opened at Six o'clock, and begin at Seven. Gentlemen or Ladies may have a private Performance, giving two Hours' Xotice. There was a popular place of amusement at Aston, which was well known till within a very few years. At the Apollo Tea Gardens con- certs used to be given, fire-works discharged, balloon ascents made, and dancing alfresco, as well as within doors, afforded the people of the day a round of amusements, in which they readily participated. Then, as now, the inclemency of the weather was a source of much anxiety to out-of-door pleasure seekers ; and one advertisement, taken from the Gazette of May 9, 1 748, contains the announcement of the postpone- ment of a performance on this account, and will give our readers an idea of the entertainments which were given at these once celebrated gardens. MANNERS, CU.S'HjMS, ETC., ETC. 49 Whereas the Performance of Music and Fire-Works, at Bridgman's Gardens, at the Apollo at Aston, near Birmingham, was to have been on Thursday last, but the Inclemency of the Weather j^rcvcntint; 'tis postpon'd to next Thursday Evening, when a grand Trio of Mr. Handel's out of .\cis and Galatea, and that favourite Duet of Mr. Arne's call'd Damon and Chloc, will be perform'd by Mr. Bridgman, and a Gentleman of the Town. These extracts sufficiently prove that the people of the old town knew how to enjoy themseh'cs, and that they had ample opportunities of doing so. § 6 MANNERS, CUSTOMS, ETC., ETC. The manners and customs of those days also receive some curious illustrations from the t)]d newspapers. Wives seem to have very frequently eloped from their licgc lords, and the advertisements announcing the fact are e.xccedingly strange. In January-, 1747, a Mr. Slater informs the public of such a break-up of his domestic establish- ment, and cautions anyone against trusting his runaway wife. In a few days, however, his wife returned, and he appears to have repented of his conduct, for in I'ebruary he says: — "Having advertised my Wife, Elizabeth Slater, for eloping from me, for which I own I am very sorry, she being return'd again, I do hereby promise to pay anyone that shall trust her for the future." Another lady rejoicing in a name to which she did little honoiu', and standing in "odorous" comparison with the famous wife of Ulysses, is thus advertised: — Fechingham, August 15, 1 747. — Whereas my Wife, Penelope Prett)-, hath lately eloped from me, without any just Cause or Reason whatsoever, and I am fearful she should run mc in Del)t, therefore I give this publick Notice to all Persons not to entrust her with any Goods whatsoever. I being resolved to pay no Debt she shall contract; and do hereby give Notice, that if she will return again, and behave as she ought to do, she shall be kindly received by me. Mdward Pretty. As witness my Hand this i5lh day of August, 1747. — Edward Prettv." It is curious to notice that ucarl)- all the husbands who advertised their wives were exceedingly anxious to receive them back again. Some e\en offer rewards to anyone who will inform them of their whereabouts. A Mr. Meredith having told the public of his loss, adds that "If any Persons will give Intelligence to the said William Meredith, where she may be met with, within seven 50 A CKNTLKV OK I'.IKMINGIIAM I. IKK. Days Time after the Date hereof, shall receive a Guinea Reward. — N.B. She has but one Eye, and was well dress'd." The most curious reward offered is contained in the following advertisement of June i6, 1749: — A\'Iiereas, the AN'ife of Godfrey Wildsmith has cloji'd from lier said Husband witlioul any Manner of Reason, and took some Things of Value witli her. This is to forewarn any Person or Persons from trusting her, for he will pay no Debt she shall contract; and if any one will help her to him again, they shall be well rcicarded, and as little regarded, and shall have a Strike of Grains for their Pains of me, Godfrey Wildsmith. The announcements of marriage are worth lookinj^^ at. There is a passage in "The Merry Wives of Windsor" which is vividly recalled by these notices. Evans, Slialloio, and Slender are talking of Mistress Anne Page, and the following interesting remarks are made : — Shal. Did her grandsire leave her seven hundred pounds? Evans. Ay, and her father is make her a petter penny. Shal. I know the young gentlewoman : she has good gifts. Evans. Seven hundred pounds, and i)ossibilities, is goot gifts. Our forefathers seem to have agreed with the good Welsh parson. On February i, 1742, we read: — Last Thursday, the Rev. Mr. Clemens, an eminent dissenting Teacher of AVarwick, was married to Miss Molly Barnett, of the same Place, a beautiful young Lady, with a great Fortune and fine Accomplishments. In May, 1743, this little paragraph appeared: — Birmingham, May 16. — Yesterday Morning was mairied at Handsworth Church, Mr. Luckock, a Taylor of good Business of this Town, to Miss Loudon, who a few days ago came from London, an agreeable young Gentlewoman with a fortune of ;^i,ooo. Our next happy bridegroom, however, met with m.uch "petter gifts." A young lady with such a fortune must indeed have been of "great merit." Birmingham, March 14. — On Monday last was married, at the Quaker's Meeting at Wigom's Hall, near Castle Bromwich, Mr. Harfurd, an eminent Merchant of Bristol, to Miss Scanderett, of this Town, a young Lady of great Merit, witli a Fortune of ^^10,000. The next quotation is a police notice. It contains a very detailed and particular description of the culprit's dress, which may be taken to be the same as that worn by women of her class at the time. From the pen and ink portrait thus preserved we should say that Elizabeth Cresswell was a rather piquant and attractive girl. The notice appeared February 24, i 746. MANNERS. CUSTOMS, ETC., ETC. 51 This is to give Notice, That Elizabeth Cresswell, Daughter of Edward and Sarah Cresswell, of Great Wirley, in the Parish of Cannock, in the County of StaflTcrd, did feloniously take eleven Shillings and Six-pence from her Master, William Simkin, of the Blakeless, in the Parish of Shashall, in the aforesaid County of Stafford, and did also pick a Work-woman's Pocket; of three Shillings. N.B. — The said Elizabeth Cresswell is a lively good-looking Girl, of about seventeen or eighteen years of Age, a dark Eye, and low in Stature, and she wore a little Leghorn Hat (if not alter'd) unlined, tied with red Ribbands, and bowed very much about the crown with a red Ribband; and she had two Cotton Gowns, one a very narrow Strip upper bodied, with a narrow Strip of blue and white, the other a broad Strip of red, white and brown Colours. She had also two knitted Petticoats, the one blue, and the other red. Whoever can secure the above said Elizabeth Cresswell, so that she may be brought to Justice, shall receive Five Shillings Reward, and reasonable Charges, by me the abovesaid, William Simkin. At this time other traders besides Hcensed victuallers had their signs. Some of the publicans' were rather peculiar. There were the Upper Round House, the Lower Round House, the Cock and Blue Breeches, and so on. But the custom now almost entirely confined to public houses was then the custom of other traders. In an advertisement of January 13, 1745, we find a jeweller has removed to the sign of the Hand and Ring — appropriately so called, we suppose, in allusion to the wedding-ring part of his business. Here is the announcement : — This is to give Notice, That James Jackson, Jeweller, in Birmingham, is now removed to the Sign of the Hand and Ring in the High Street ; where Gentlemen and Ladies may be furnished with Variety of Jewelling Work in the newest Fashions, Funeral Rings of all sorts, also Chrj'stal Buttons, Seals, Rings, &c. AN'holesale or Retale, at the lowest Prices. The notions entertained of swift travelling by our forefathers are in strikinv., situate a little below the White Hart in Digbeth, Birmingham. Further Particulars enquire of Mr. \\illiam Dutton, at Mrs. Blackham's in Edgbaston-Street ; or Mr. Stewart, Attorney at Law in 'Woherhampton. On lime 21, of the same year, an advertisement informs us that there is for sale "A Freehold House in the Great I>ull Ring in Birmingham, adjoining to the Passage leading into the Old Church Yard now in the holding of Mr. John Mears." This announcement takes us back to the time when the Old Church was surrounded b)- shops. These shops existed within the memory of persons still living. With those now in St. Martin's Lane they formed a kind of square, in the middle of which w-as situated the Parish Chin-ch. The appearance in old j^rints is very curious. The thoroughfare in Spiceal Street on the one side, and the Bull Ring on the other was thus made verj- narrow, ami their removal about the year 1806 was a great improvement to this part of the town. Weaman Street would not be considered now as a very pleasant part of the town; but in the year 1757 it was a very different place. On Jul\- 4, in that year, we learn something about it which affords a standard for comparison. * Sl. li.irlliolomcw'-. APPKARAN'CK Ol' TIIF. TOWN. 67 Register Office, Binningham, June 27, 1757. To be Lett and enter'd upon immediately a large substantial House, the Bottom of Weaman-Street, airy, and very pleasantly situated; consisting of a large Kitchen, Parlour, and Pantry, four Chambers on the first floor, and three Garrets, all handsomely parged,* and most of them with Fire-places in ; very good cellaring, with AVarehousc, Brewhouse, and Good Shopping to employ 40 pair of Hands ; a large Garden, a good Well and other Conveniences &c. In September, "a House. Shop and Garden near the Welsh Cross," are advertised ; and on February 27, 1758, "The uppermost House in Lichfield-Street, next the Square, Birmingham, pleasantly situated, three Rooms on a Floor, with a Brewhouse and Room over it, a Well and Back Yard all entire." The next, which occurs on March 27, 1758, recalls a pleasant picture. The house is in Park Street, "pleasantly situated to the Meadows ; " and in the old maps there the meadows are, while now — but we all know what is there now, and gladly turn to the past, read the advertisement, and seek by the aid of a vivid imagination to restore the picture : — To be Lett, in Squire's-Court, Park Street, Birmingham, a very good House, pleasantly situated to the Meadows, with a good Kitchen, Parlour and Pantry, three Chambers, three Garrets, with Closets, Water Plenty, and any other Conveniency that shall be wanted. We had then the Great Bull Ring and the Little Bull Ring. We have recently quoted an advertisement in which the first w^as given ; the next. May 7, 1759. gives us the second: — To be Lett, and entered upon at Midsummer, The Lower Round-about House, being a large, convenient, and well-accustomed Publick House, situate in the Little Bull Ring, Birmingham. Another advertisement of the same year gives us a different notion of Walmer Lane, now Lancaster Street, to that obtained by a walk down it at the present time. To be Let to the best bidder, at Charles Freeth's Coffee House in Bell Street, Birmingham ; on Tuesday the 13th Day of Februar}-, between Two and Four o'Clock, about y?w Acres of Pasture Land, in Walmer Lane, near Birmingham, now in the Occu- pation of Mr. William Priest, .Attorney at Law, and to be enter'd on at Lady-Day next. — For further Particulars encjuire of Mr. Jos. May, in Moor Street. The year 1759 was remarkable for the impetus given to building. The newspapers of that date afford us no information as to the cause of this. In the barest manner, introduced by an on dit the fact is * Plastered with .1 pattern ; the word is now obsolete, 68 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. recorded, and nothing more. The writer is evidently under the impres- sion that " brevity is the soul of wit," and measured by this old proverb he deserves to be called the wittiest of mortals. Here is the record : — " Tis said there are more new Buildings now carrying on in this Town than have been for many years past, and that more are contracted for, that only wait for Hands to execute, which at this Time are very much wanted." He seems altogether unconscious of the great changes in the town which this statement foreshadows. On January 7, 1760, this advertisement appeared : — To be Sold, an handsome well-built Dwelling House, with several Shops, and other Out-buildings ; also a good Garden, and about a Quarter of an Acre of Land, with the Appurtenances, situate in Aston Street, Birmingham, in tlie occupation of Mr. John Simmonds, subject to a Ground Rent of 7/. per Annum. But all that we have extracted from this decade must give place to the one we are about to quote. It is something delightful to think that only a century back such things were. On June 23, 1760, was announced : — To be Sold, under a Commission of Bankrupt, for so many Years of a Term of 90 Years (86 of which are to come) as shall occur during the natural Life of Joseph Richards, a Bankrupt, with a valuable contingent Interest therein, an handsome Messuage, with commodious Out Buildings, Gardens, planted 7oith the choicest of Wall and other Fruit-Trees, and about ig Acres of Laiui adjoining, delightfully situated on the Hill* in the Parish of St. Martin in Birmingham ; and Three Messuages and Nine Dwelling-Houses, in and by the Side of the Town, all of which are new Buildings (held under the said Lease) and are of the clear Yearly Rents and Value of 186/. For further Particulars enquire of Mr. Edmund Hector, or Mr. John Turner, Assignees of the Estate and Effects of the said Bankrupt ; or of Mr. Richard Woodward, Attorney, all of Birmingham aforesaid. The year 1761 opens with this announcement : — January 19, 1761. To be Sold to the best Bidder, this Day between the Hours of Two and Four in the Afternoon, at the Swan Inn, in Birmingham, a Messuage or Tenement, with a good open Cellar under the same, fronting to the Great Bull Ring, in Birmingham, the next House but one below the Dolphin Inn, now in the Tenure or Occupation of William Townsend, Saddler : Also another Messuage or Tenement, standing in the Yard or Back- side behind the said Front House, late in the Tenure of Mr. John Wall, with two other Messuages or Tenements, a very large and commodious Malt House, two Stables, Pigsty, and Garden, situate also in the said Yard or Backside ; which said Building and Premises ' The Hill now occupied by Easy Row, part of Suffolk Street, and the end of Broad Street was at this time considered, and was a beautiful suburb of the Town. Baskerville's famous house and still more famous printing office were situated here. The house still stands in the same place ; but how changed are all the surroundings. APPEARANCE OF THE TOWN. 69 are adjoining together, all Freehold, and of the yearly Value of upwards of 50/. — For Particulars enquire of Mr. Thomas Steward, Attorney, or of Mr. Richard Hicks, m Birmingham aforesaid. The following notice reveals a curious state of things as respects the condition of Digbeth ; it also shows the willingness of those in office to remedy an evil when pointed out. It is dated April 6, 1761. Wiiereas Digbeth Street''' in this Town has been often represented to the Trustees of Lench's J.ands as very dangerous to travel through on Horseback, or otherwise, and that if there was a Landt made in the middle of the said Street, it would be much more safe, and of publick Utility, not only to the Inhabitants of this Town, but to all others, who shall have Occasion to travel tlirough the same ; and as several persons have already offered to subscribe to this great and useful Undertaking ; this is therefore to acquaint the Public that as soon as a sum of Money shall be raised proper to begin such an Under- taking, that the said Trustees are willing to do all in their Power to compleat it, not leaving undone such other things as they are bound to do under their Trust. Robert Moore, Bailiff of the said Trust. On July 20, 1 76 1, there was announced To be Lett, and entered upon at Michaelmas Next, a House in the Upper Part of Dale End, Birmingham, now in the occupation of John Cambden, Baker, with all the Utensils belonging to his Trade ; the House consists of 4 Rooms on a Floor, with an entire Yard, Stable, Garden, a Pump with Soft \\'ater, a Quantity of Back Building fit for a Person in a Mercantile ^^\^y or a large Manufacturer. Enquire on the Premises. These advertisements, selected from a very large number of the like kind, show that the appearance of Birmingham was very slowly chang- ing. It was still a small town in the midst of the country. Gardens were attached to most of the houses in almost every part of it. The streets, in which at the present time there is scarcely breathing room for a sickly looking tree, or a yellow-leaved flowering plant, were then rich with fruits and flowers, and men standing at Highgate could look over a town whose houses were for the most part set in the midst of lovely and well-cultivated gardens. Slowly at first, and by steps which we shall be able to trace, the town encroached upon the country, and the Birmingham of a ccntur)- ago grew into the Birmingham of to-day. * It is very rarely that the word "street" is added to Digbeth, and lliis extract is rendered more curious on that account. t This means, if a proper horse-road were made, which evidently did not exist at this date. 70 A CKNTl'RV OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. PUULIC IJFE. There are not many more public events to record during this decade than in the previous one. The people appear for the most part to have been contented with shouting at royal birthdays; with drinking success to Frederick the Great ; with having fireworks and illuminations on the occasion of victories ; with creating a disturbance when corn was dear, and in indulging in their favourite pastime — cock-fighting. Attention was, however, paid to the poor, and in 1752 we read that the weighing machine was bought b)' the Overseers, and that the profit was to be devoted to the relief of the poor, and the diminution of the poor- rate, or the poor levy as it was then called. The announcements of this sale was made on January 20 : — Whereas the Proprietors of the Upper Machine for Weighing of Carriages, in the Town of Birmingham, have disposed of the same for the Benefit of the Poor of the said Town : This is to give Notice, that if any Person or Persons indebted to the said Machine, neglect to pay their respective Debt or Debts, to Mr. Thomas Cecill, Attorney in Birmingham, within the Space of six Weeks now next ensuing, they will be proceeded against according to Law for Recovery of the same, without further Notice. And on February i 7, the Overseers issued the following Notice : — Birmingham, Feb. 17, 1752. Notice is hereby given That the Machine for Weighing Coal (known by the Name of the Town Machine,) is the only Engine now standing for that purpose; the other Machine being purchased by the Overseers of the Poor and will be taken down. That the Town Machine may answer the Design of its first Institution in as ample a Manner as possible, every House-keeper therefore will receive an Advantage by encouraging this Machine, since the Poor's Levy will annually be reduced in proportion to the Profits arising from it; and in order to prevent the deceitful practices of Coal-Heavers, it is determined to reduce their Number to Twelve ; that they shall be Men of known Characters, and be distinguished by a Brass Badge, number'd, and bearing the Letters T. M., but upon any illicit Practice, they shall be deprived of their Badges and Employment, and their Places filled up by the Nomination of the Churchwardens and Overseers of the Poor. And, in order to suppress the Imposition which Purchasers have frequently suffer'd from a large Bottom of small Coal, it is determined that no Payment shall be made for any Coal under one Pound Weight, but all such shall be measured by the Coal- Heaver attending (who will be provided with a Bushel for that Purpose), and for ever)' such Measure, Half a Hundred shall be deducted from the Load ; but instead of Half a Hundred in each Ton for Draught, only One Quarter of a Hundred will be allowed. PUBLIC LIFE. 71 N.B. — The Coal-Heavers will appear in their Badges on Monday, the 24th instant. All complaints to be exhibited a I the Workhouse, before the Overseers of the Poor, on Friday in the Afternoon. In this year the Governors of the Free Grammar School made an effort to extend the education <'ivcn bv that admirable foundation. On April 6, 1752, they made this announcement : — Whereas the Governors of the I'ree tJranmiar School in Birmingham in Pursuance of certain Statutes and Orders by them lately made for setting up English Schools in different Parts of the said Town, have appointed William Latham, in Dudley Street, Thomas Wilson, near the Old Cross, Mary .\nkers. Wife of Noel Ankers, in Free-man Street, and the Widow .\iistin, in London 'Prentice Street, to be the first Masters and Mistresses for teaching such and so many Boys and Girls to learn the English Language Gratis, as shall for that Purjjose be appointed, and sent to them from Time to Time by the said Governors, or the major Part of them. This Public Notice is therefore given, that sucli Inhabitants of the said Town, as are esteem'd proper Objects to have the Benefit of the said Charity, may forthwith ajjply to the said Governors on the Behalf of such Children as are intended to be sent to those Schools. The first notice, of what we suppose is by far the oldest Club in Birmingham, appears Jiuie 22, 1752. Thus, for more than a century and a quarter the famous Bean Club has changed neither in name nor politics — Notice is hereby given, That the .\nniversary Feast of the Bean Club, will be held at the Swan in Birmingham, on Friday the 17th Day of July next, when the Members of the said Club are desired to give their .\ttendance. N.B. Dinner will be on the Table at one. In January the following strange advertisement appears :- - This is to give Notice That at the Pin Warehouse in Corbett's .\lley, in the High Street, Biniiingham, are to be so\Ci/oseJ>/i AllciCs best LoiiJim Pins, as good as arc procured by any of the Trade, and as cheap as in London, by John .Allen, Peruke-Maker. Was it, then, the practice, as we understand it is at present with many manufacturers, to make things in Birmingham, and then, in order to increase their attraction in the ejes of purchasers, to advertise them as London goods .'' If so, some of our peculiarities of trade may at least plead antiquity for their justification. In consequence of the change made in the Calendar this year Onion Fair had to be postponed from Michaelmas Day to October 10. Of this alteration the following notice was published in September :^ This is to give Notice, that Bimiingham Fair, which usually was kept on Michaelmas Day, will be held on the 10th day of October, New Style, pursuant to the late Act of Parliament. Thomas Turner, High Bailiff. 72 A CENTURY Ol' ISIRMINGHAM LIKK. Occasionally a paragraph is to be met with which shows that some one more far-seeing or patriotic than his fellows is not quite satisfied with letting things take their course. Thus in 1753 the bad state of the roads appears to have attracted some attention, for on the first day of the year some one asks this pertinent question : — Would it not be a great Inducement to a generous Contribution for opening the Roads from Birmingham to Aston, and from Birmingham to Sortley,* if Estimates were taken of the Expense that will attend putting them in good Condition ; and proper Persons chose to receive the Sums subscribed to each Road ; as the Inhabitants would then be convinced there is a Probability of Raising a sufficient Fund and of having it impartially Expended. The ne.\t extract records an event in the history of the old and famous Bean Club, which its present members will read with interest: — Birmingham, August 6. — On Monday last, at the Anniversarj' Meeting of the Bean Club at the Swan, a Proposal being made for beginning a Subscription to erect an Altar Piece in the New Chapel in this Town, Lord Fielding generously gave the whole Sum, being jQi2o., the Estimate of a Design given in by Mess. W. and D. Hiorn, which is to be executed with all Expedition. At this time the Bean Club met on the first Thursday in every month ; at present the members only assemble once a year. In October, 1753, the town was visited by the great preacher, Mr. Whit- field. Let us hope that the "great number of people" who went to listen to him were attracted by something more than " curiosity," and that if " they went to scoff they remained to pray." The End of last Week Mr. Whitfield came to this Town, and yesterday on a large waste Piece of Ground he preached to a very great Number of People, which were collected together by Curiosity. An extract relating to 1754 tells us of a public grievance, and also tells us that public spirit was as easily roused against taxes in those days as in our own. We have sought in vain for the result, if any, which followed this invitation to the inhabitants: — December 23, 1754. — The Inhabitants of Bimiingham are desired to meet upon Friday, the 27 th Day of December Instant, at Three o'clock in the Afternoon, at the Widow Packwood's in the Cherry Orchard, to consider whether it may not be proper to apply to Parliament for a Redress of the Grievances complained of by the restraint put upon the Wheel Carriages. There is a fearful history in the next brief statement. On May 24, 1756, we read " On Friday War was declared against France at Lich- * Now called .Sallley. PUBLIC LIFE. 73 field, on Saturday at Warwick, Worcester and Tamworth ; and this day- it will be declared in this Town." As a fitting corollary to this we find in July of the same year the people engaged in a display of public spirit not quite unknown in our time. We can only say of such customs that they are more honoured in the breach than the observance. In this pleasant month, 1756, "an Efiigy, said to be that of an Admiral,* was burnt in the Publick Market here, with an inscription on it signifying that Acts of Cowardice in those who are esteem'd their Country's Defenders, should always be in that manner treated." The people burned the efiigy of the unfortunate admiral, but they kept the king's birthday with enthusiasm. It was observed here says our chronicle with "Ringing of Bells, and other Demonstrations of Loyalty; and in the Evening were Bonfires and a great Variety of Fireworks, in one of which were formed the following lines: — BRITONS, awake: Your Sovereign's Foes subdue ; Reward the Brave, And give each Knave his Due !" Bonfires, illuminations, and even the burning of effigies were in vain to lessen the fearful distress which the people suffered at this time. Corn was being sold at famine prices, and the rage of the nation was turned against the farmers, millers, and corn-factors. There were riots in almost all the neiofhbourinor towns. At Kidderminster "the poor manufacturing people being half-starved through the excessive Price of Corn, &c., assembled at Market Time, and committed great Outrages among the Farmers and Millers; and on Monday a numerous Mob of Men and Women travers'd the Market at Evesham in a tumultuous Manner, which prevented the Corn-Factors appearing in the Market, or even in any of the Streets, the whole day." At Walsall, Droitwich, and in fact all over the country the people assembled in large numbers, and a general rising was anticipated. There is not, however, a single statement made as to the conduct of the people of Birmingham under this terrible infliction ; it is therefore fair to presume that it was peaceful and orderly; and that their industry carried them through this, as it has since carried them through so many crises, almost unscathed. On November 28, "there was a great Council at the Cockpit, on the affair of settling the Price of Corn, at which the Lord * This was .\dmiral B)Tig. In May, 1756, he made a feeble attack on the French Fleet before Minorca. He was tried for cowardice, condemned, and was most unjustly e.\ecuted on M.-irch 14, 1757. 74 A CKNTURV OK I;IRMIN(;II AM I. IFF.. Mayor, and several Merchants of London, Liverpool, Bristol, &c., attended." The Privy Council took the matter up, and on December 4, "a Proclamation was published for putting the Laws in speedy and effectual Execution against Forestalling, Regrating, and Engrossing of Corn." Little good appears to have resulted from this proclamation, the distress continued and the sufferings of the people were very great. The evils which legislation could not cure, the generosity of some of the wealthy served to alleviate; and it is pleasant to read of the efforts of many of our noblemen and gentlemen to decrease the distress. Lord Dartmouth was eminent for the extent of his charity. On February 21, 1757, we read: — The number of people that his Lordship reUcves weekly at West-Hromwich is near 300 ; three Days a week a good Wheat Bread is given away at the Hall, when each Person has a Loaf that weighs si.\ Pounds, and twice a Week Beef, Broth, and Bread, are distributed to near 200 Persons at a Tenant's of his Lordship's; be.sides which large Quantities of Wheat and Barley are constantly bought to be sold at a low Rate; and several in the Neighbourhood are relieved in a private Manner with Necessaries, to make their Lives comfortable. His Lordship hath placed out to School thirty Boys, and twenty CJirls, (whom he hath clothed in an Uniform, and provides with Books) to be taught to read and write, and the Ciirls also to knit and sew. At Bridgnorth, Sir Richard Acton, Bart., was especially active in his benevolence. "We hear," says the Gazette, "that the Poor of four Parishes in the Neighbourhood of Envil arc relieved by the Right Hon. the Earl of Stamford, to whom Bread is weekly distributed, and at the same time eighteen Pence given to each Person." The price of bread made of the best wheat was fixed to be sold at sixpence the quartern loaf; but with a land-tax of four shillings in the pound and one of the same amount on all salaries and premiums, it would have been vain to have hoped for returning prosperity. In 1757 our manufacturers made a step in advance of free-trade. Here is the proof: — This is to acquaint the Iron Manufacturers and others, that there is opened at Mr. Whinnick's, at the Swan in Birmingham, a Subscription for presenting a Petition to Parliament for the Importation of Bar Iron from America, Duty free, to all the Ports of England ; and that a general Meeting of the Subscribers will be at the said Swan on Thursday next at Two o'clock. In this year the Sabbatarians of the town made the following announcement. There is no signature to the notice, and we are, there- fore, not able to say whether it emanated from the authorities or not. PUBLIC LIFE. 75 Birmingham, August 20th. 1757. As there are many excellent Laws relating to a religious Observation of the Sabbath, it is dcteniiined U> put the said Laws in l'',xecution, against those who shall for the future be found guilty of buying, selling, or exposing for Sale, any Goods, Wares, or any Sort of Merchandize whatsoever; and also against all those who shall be found Guilty of following their several Occupations, in any Respect on that Day, contrary to the several Statutes in such Cases made and provided. The two following extracts afford some very interesting and curious information. They also show that complaints of the increase and expense of the poor were not unknown in the "good old times." Birmingham, December 12. The great Expence that attends the support of the Poor of this Town, which in the Time of the last Overseers amounted to near Foitr Thousand Pounds, has occasioned an enquiry into the Number of Housekeepers that do not pay towards such support ; and it appears, on examination, that upwards of Two Thousand do not pay to the Poor's Levy ; by which means the Levies fall so heavy on those that do pay, that if the yearly expence should continue to increase as it has done for some years past very bad conse- quences must ensue ; to provide against which is highly worthy of Consideration ; and it is thought that tlie most likely Method to be taken, would be to fix the charge of the Poor on the Houses, to be paid by the Landlords ; the good effects of which have already been found by St. Luke's Parish in London, for which Purpose an Act of Parliament was obtained. Birmingham, December 19. To obviate any Objections that may be made to the Number of Houses, mentioned in our last, that do not pay to the Poor's Levy of this Town, the following exact Numbers of the Houses that are assess'd and not assess'd, in each Overseer's Collection, are given ; but many of the Houses that are assessed do not pay. Houses Assessed. Not Assessed. Edgbaston Street Collection 289 433 New Street ditto 384 196 Digbeth ditto 275 348 Bull Street ditto 378 386 Middle Town ditto 303 134 Dale End ditto 329 497 1958 1994 The Kinof ol Prussia was a great favourite in this town. His victories and his birth-days were celebrated with bell-ringings, illumi- nations, and bonfires. Thus on May 23, 1757, we read: — Yesterday the Bells of this Town were immediately set to ringing on the receipt of the Confirmation of the Victory obtained over the Austrians by the King of Prussia, and the greatest joy was by ever)' Body express'd on the Occasion. At a later date we have this long paragraph narrating the Birming- ham celebration of the great Frederick's birthday. The enthusiasm of one gentleman, it will be seen, blossomed into rhyme on the occasion. 76 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Birmingham, January 30. Tuesday last being his Prussian Majesty's Birth-day, the same was observed here with the greatest Demonstrations of Joy. Immediately after Twelve o'Clock on Monday Night the Bells were set to ringing, and they were continued ringing, by different hands, the whole Day afterwards. In the Evening there were Bonfires, Fireworks, and Illumi- nation of Windows ; and so much regard was had to the Day that there was not a Publick House of any consequence in Town at which there was not a Meeting on the Occasion. Before the Bonfire at the Bird and Hand, where some very good Fireworks were played off, most of the Soldiers recruiting here fired Vollies, and during their several Discharges, many l.oyal Healths were drank. At the same Place the following Ode, wrote by a Gentleman of this Town in Honour of the Day was sung. Hail Day I by Providence design'd To give its favourite Hero Birth i When Heav'n in Pity to Mankind Sent Prussian FREDERICK down to Earth. Auspicious Day! for Liberty and .A.rts, Triumph of Science fair, and Joy of hone.'-t Hearts. Winter, Happy Season 1 thou Well may boast thy darling Son, Crown'd with Glories, wearing now Laurels by thy Influence won. May all the Seasons join to aid his Cause ! 'Tis that of Sacred Truth, and wholesome Laws. Nor Conquests only shew thy Mind, Such Glory meaner Heroes share. For others could subdue Mankind, 'Tis yours alone, O Prince, to spare ; 'Tis yours alone to bend the stubborn Will, And bid the stormy Passions of the Soul be still. Winter, Happy Season ! &c. Wise, just, benevolent, and brave. And nurs'd the Darling of the Nine, Whilst other Kings their Realms enslave. To cherish Liberty be thine ! Be ours, the precious Blessing to declare. And with our grateful Mirth and Musick rend the Air, Winter, Happy Season ! &c. What tho' pale Envy rears her Snakes, And faithless Nations round him rise; Round him Bdlona's Thunder breaks And Lightnings red confound the Skies; Serene, triumphant, lo I the Hero stands. Delight of all the Good, and Dread of barb'rous Bands, Winter, Happy Season I &c. PUBLIC LIFE. "n Thus, if by Chance, in calm Repose, The Eagle makes a Rock his Bed, Around him flock his numerous Foes, And hover o'er his Royal Head ; Rous'd by Invaders base, he mounts on high. Divides the feathered Clouds, and soars his native Sky. Winter, Happy Season ! &c. On March 13. 1758, the following police notice was published : — Birmingham, March 11, 1758. Whereas the following incendiary Letter was put into the Letter-Box, at the Post Office in this Town, on Tuesday Night last ; whoever will discover the Author of the same, to the Constables shall receive of them a Reward of Ten Pounds, on his Conviction ; or if more than one were concerned, if either will discover his Accomplice or Accomplices, so that he or they may be convicted thereof, he shall receive the Same Reward. "To the Gentlemen of Birmingham. " As whe ave Long Strugled for this twelve months Past for the Scasety of Provition whe think it very hard that the Gentlemen Never Concidered it, for there is a Great meney that are Starved for ye Whant of Provition and Whe think it But Our Duty to Let you Know that if things are Not Altered for the Better Whe shall make Bold to take it from them Can Best Spar it for Whe are in great 'WTiant as it as Plesed the Lord to Provide for Us Plentyfull Crops and for the Baggers & millers & bakers to Surve Us so Whe think that the Are No better then What you may Call Rougs but theres is a Company that will attend On them on the Next market Day So No more "Till the Deed Proves itself." The following notice of the Churchwardens contains a pleasant bit of information : — Birmingham, July 15, 1758. I am directed by the Churchwardens to let the Inhabitants of this Town and Neigh- bourhood know, that the Opening of St. Martin's Bells will be on Tuesday the i8th Instant, and those Gentlemen who will oblige me with their Company, the Favour shall be acknowledged by their humble Servant William Stevenson, At the Rose in Edgbaston Street. N.B.— Dinner will be on the Table at One o'Clock. In the year 1759 we have three references to the Free Grammar School : — Birmingham, March sth. On Monday Night last died the Rev. Mr. Wilkinson, Rector of Wallington in Hertfordshire, and Head Master of the Free School in this Town, founded by King Edward the Sixth. And on Friday the Rev. Mr. Green, Second Master, was by the Governors of tlie said School, chose Head Master in his room. Birmingham, March uth. On Wednesday the Rev. Mr. Wearden, who was third Master in the Free School of this tow n, was chosen second Master in the room of the Rev. Mr. Green, 7.8 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. August 6th, 1759. The Gentlemen educated at the Free Grammar School in Bimiingham, under the late Reverend Mr. Wilkinson, are desired to meet onj Tuesday August 21st. at the Castle Inn in Birmingham. The Rev. Edward Patterson ) The Rev. Joseph Mann ) Dinner to be on the Table at two o'Clock. The Militia was in those days an important body ; and the references to them are numerous. Our local Militia had a grievance to which they gave utterance in the following petition : — May J 4, 1759. To the Inhabitants of the Town of Birmingham. The humble Petition of the Militia of the said Town — Sheweth That whereas the Clothing distributed to the Militia of the County of Wanvick, consisting only of a Coat and Pair of Breeches for each Man, and the Inhabitants in several Parts of the County have entered into a Subscription in order to compleat the Clothing of the Militia in their respective Districts, by furnishing them with ^Vaistcoats. We, the Militia of the Town of Birmingham, who ha\e shown our Loyalty and Zeal by entering Volunteers into the Service, humbly hope that the Inhabitants of the said Town will, agreeably to their accustom'd Generosity, grant us the same Encouragement which our Brethren in several Parts of the County have receiv'd from the public spirit of their Superiors. They were, however, an efficient body of men ; and as our next extract proves, went through their exercises to the satisfaction of their superior officers. Birmingham, May 26th. On Friday last the two Companies of Militia raised in and near this Town, were exercised by the Honourable George Shirley, Esq, Major of the Regiment ; when they went through the whole E.xercise with the greatest j Exactness, and so much to the Satisfaction of the Officers, that they made them a handsome Present, which was equally divided amongst them. In Whitsun Week the whole Regiment will be exercised at Warwick, and on Monday and Wednesday Evenings in that Week there will be Balls at Warwick. The war spirit was dominant in the nation, and no wonder that it was especially so in sword and gun making Birmingham. Nor was it allowed to die out for the want of fanning. Such an event as is recorded in our next extract was calculated to keep it at fever heat. Birmingham, Oct. 20th. Yesterday on receiving the first News of the Taking of Quebec, the Bells of both our Churches were set ringing, in the Evening were Bonfires and Illumination of Windows, and this Day the Bells are also ringing on the Occasion. In December a Day of Thanksgiving was appointed to be kept ; this is the way in which loyal Birmingham responded : — PUBLIC LIFF.. 79 Birminghain, Dec 3. The Day of Thanksgiving for the Successes obtained by his Majesty's Anns was observ'd here with the greatest Devotion and Rejoicings; the Morning by crowded Churches, and the Evening with the Ilhimination of every Street, Bonfires, Fireworks, &c., and the Windows of our Cross Chamber were ilhiniinated in the following manner : The Moon, with the Word France wrote upon it, gradually eclijjs'd till the whole Writing was covered. Praise the Giver of all A Portrait of his Bear \\itness Good, who hath been Majesty King George with ' Senegal, Goree, Minden, pleased to signalize the a Glory over his Head Niagara, Year representing the Sun, on Guadaloupe, &c. ■ 759 which was inscribed And lastly thou by so many and extraor- Britannia. Q u e b e c dinary Victories. won by the Arms of a most magnanimous King .And the conduct of a Patriot Minister Mr. Pitt On another Window was the following inscription : — In Memor)' of the Brave General AVolfe, who hath himself raised a Monument more lasting than Brass, in the Hearts of grateful Britons. At the Po.st-Office was an elegant illuminated canxa.-.s'd Frame, representing a Comu- Copia2 on one side, a Troi)hy of .\rms on the other, with the initial I-ctters G.R. and on the Front, Glory be to God, for Plenty and X'ictory. .\nd in New Hall Walk, New-Meeting-Street, and other parts of the Town, were Windows also illuminated with dititerent l>evices. The Bells of both our Churches were rung a great Part of Yesterday, on Account of Admiral Hawke's Success over the Brest Fleet. This will be of interest to the hie trade: — December 7, 1759. .At a general Meeting of the File .Makers of Binningham (on account of the great Advance of Steel) it was unanimously agreed to advance the Prices of Files, Rasps, &c from this Day, in Proportion to that Advance ; which they hope will not be taken amiss by their Customers, it being impossible to get them up at the Prices they have been hitherto sold for. The following notice from the Governor of the Workhouse refers to a very strange proceeding on the part of those engaged in the Coal trade: — Birmingham, December 24. 1759. Whereas a Practice prevails among the People who are concerned in the Coal Trade to this Town, of selling Coals twice or thrice over, both before and after they reach the Machine : This is therefore to give Notice, that the Overseers of the Poor have given Orders to Mr. Doljjhin to refuse weighing the Coals of su( h Persons as shall be detected of such unfair Practices, and 'tis hoped the Interest of the Inhabitants of this Town will excite them to discover such Persons. 8o A CENTURY OK BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Still remains in This Workhouse, Four Girls from 1 1 to 14 Years of Age, to be placed out Apprentices. The Garden belonging to the said Workhouse having of late been frequently robb'd of Quantities of Greens; whoever will discover the Offender or Offenders so that they may be brought to Ju.stice, shall receive half a Guinea Reward, and if more than one are concerned, whoever shall discover his or her Accomplice or .Accomplices, shall be Pardon'd, and receive the same Reward from Wii.i.iAM Bachk, Governor of the Workhouse. The notice quoted above respecting trading on a .Sunday seems, like similar notices of a later date, to have had little effect, for on June 23, 1760, we find a .second reminder of the law addressed this time to the barbers especially. Whereas several Barbers have used their Trade upon Sundays, and commanded their Journeymen and Apprentices to do the same, contrary to and in manifest Violation of several Statutes to the contrary: Now whoever is found practising that, or any other Trade upon Sundays, after this publick Notice, will be informed against, and dealt with according to Law. In 1760 an additional duty was put upon ale, and the publicans of the town were immediately astir. On February 9, 1761, The Publicans of this Town are desired to jneet at the House of Mr. Jordan, at the Dolphin in the Bull Ring, on Wednesday next, at Two o'clock in the Afternoon, to consult of a proper Method, to petition his Majesty for a Ri-pcd of the late Act for the addition of Duty on .Me. On the next week another advertisement calling another meeting appeared, but we have no report of what was done at either of the meetings. Birmingliam, i6th, 1761. The Publicans of this Town and Neighbourhood are desired to meet at Mr. Cook's Great Room in the Cherry-Orchard on Wednesday next the i8th Instant, at Two o'clock in the Afternoon, to consider of a ])ro]5er Ap])lication to be made to Parliament for a Repeal of the late .Act for laying an additional Duty upon Ale. As this is a matter of the utmost Consequence to Publicans in General and is thought necessary to apply before the Parliament breaks up which probably may be soon, it's hoped every one who conveniently can will attend. The Malsters are likewise desired to give their Attendance. On Monday, July 6, 1761, appeared the following notice of a death which will not be without interest to the reader. "On Saturday Night died, at his house at Ilolluway Head, where he had retired from business but a short Time, Mr. Thomas Aris, the late Printer of this Paper." And this is all that is said of the founder of the first PUBLIC LIFE. 8 1 permanent newspaper in Birmingham.* Rcquiescat in pace. Few men have done a greater work for the town, and few have been allowed to go to their rest with so brief a memorial. But the people seem to have been too busy with public rejoicings over victories, and in keeping coronation days to bestow much time upon the death of him who established their first newspaper. On July 27 of the same year we read, "On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, we had great Rejoicings, such as Ringing of Bells, Bonfires, Fireworks, &c., on receiving the agreeable News of the Surrender of Pondicherry, the Taking the Island of Dominico, and Prince Ferdinand's Victory over the French Army." King George III. was crowned on the 22nd of September, 1761, and on the 19th was sounded the following note of preparation : — As it is expected there will be many Persons in Town on Tuesday next, the 22nd Instant, to celebrate his Majesty's Coronation, and in order that People may pass the Streets quietly this Notice is given, that whoever shall be found throwing Squibs, Crackers, or other Fireworks, or Breaking of Windows, on that Day, will be prosecuted with the utmost Severity of the Law. How the town celebrated the event may be gathered from this extract : — Birmingham, September 28. On Tuesday, the Day of their Majesties' Coronation, was celebrated here with the utmost Loyalty ; the Bells rung the whole Day ; at Noon there were several Public Entertainments at which the Healths of the King and Queen, and all the Royal Family, were drank ; in the Evening Ale was given to the Populace, Variety of curious Fireworks, Bonfires, &c., and the grandest Illuminations throughout the whole Town that ever were seen ; in several Streets were Paintings representing his Majest}' and his Royal Consort, and other emblematical Pieces expressive of the joyful Occasion ; at the Post Office were the following Devices shewn from a square illuminated Frame : at the front was an elegant Representation of his Majesty's polite and affectionate Reception of the Queen at the Garden of St. James's Palace, wth this Motto, Long live the King and Queen ; on one Side was Cupid presenting a Couple of Hearts to Hymen, with this Motto, Britain and Mecklenburg united ; and on the other Side was a Cornucopia shedding forth Ears of Corn, &c., &c., an emblem of those blessings which we have received in so bountiful a Manner from our great Creator, with this Motto, All Glory be to God. The VMiole was conducted with so much Harmony and Order that there was not the least Disturbance, or a single Accident happened to any one. * A newspaper, called the Birmingham Journal, was published as early as 1732, but its existence was a short one. The time was not ripe for such an undertaking, and it remained for Thomas Aris to perpetuate his name, and to earn the gratitude of posterity by founding the first successful newspaper in the town. Aris's Gazette is, therefore, the oldest of existing Birmingham newspapers. A copy of the twenty-eighth number of the Birmingham Journal, bearing date Monday, May 21, 1733, is in the possession of the proprietors of the paper now published under that title, and which was commenced on June 4, 1S25. It is, locally considered, a very interesting document. 82 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. And we hear from all the neighbouring Towns, and even Villages, that there were the greatest Rejoicings ever known. And with the sound of coronation bells ringing in the ears, the shouts of loyal citizens rending the air, the glow of loyal bonfires reflected on the clouds, and the beauty of loyal illuminations delighting the eyes, our good old ancestors ended the public life of our second decade. § 3. EDUCATION AND LITERARY LIFE. We have no movement of a literary character to record during this decade of a like importance with that of the formation of the Book Club. Still the work of education was making progress ; slowly, but still surely. The importance of the arts of drawing and designing to a manufac- turing town is now acknowledged by all persons, and laudable, and to a certain extent, successful efforts are being made to supply an acknow- ledged want. A principle which is now clear to the meanest capacity, was a hundred and twenty years ago, recognised only by the most acute and far-seeing men. We are glad to say that Birmingham possessed at least one such man. On January 19, 1754, a "Well Wisher" addressed the following sensible letter to the printer, and on the 21st it was published in the paper. We wish we knew the writer's name, but as it is we must rank him among the unknown worthies of the town. Such a letter, written so long ago, is a credit to the writer, and deserves to be reproduced. We sadly fear that it had little effect at the time; but such good work is never altogether thrown away: — To the Printer of the Birmi7tgham Gazette. That Arts and Commerce are the means of putting every Nation into a flourishing and respectable Condition, is now fully proved from the general practice of all Countries, and no People can be more sensible of it than the Inhabitants in and near this Place, who have felt the pleasing effects of it. This should put every Country upon considering as well how to increase the Number of Manufactures, as also how to improve such Manufactures as have been the general Employment of any particular Town or Place for some Time past. It's supposed the Iron Manufactory hath been a considerable Employment in this Town for three hundred years past and upwards, and I have often heard it observ'd, that there are at this Time in it some as good working Hands for putting into execution any Plan or Design in the Iron Way, as are to be met with in any other Place; but they are still wanting in the Art of Drawing and Designing. This is such an Impediment EDUCATION AND MTERARY LIFE. 83 as calls out for a speedy Relief. It's a Reproach to the Manufacturers of this Place to have it declared and confess'd that if a Gentleman here wants to be supplied with a Pair of Gates and a few Palisadoes, for his own Use, that he must apply to Derby or Warwick to be furnished. If a Deficiency in the Art of Drawing and Designing is the great Obstruction to our making a more considerable Figure in the Iron, or any other Manufactory, than what we have hitherto done, why is not some Method fix'd upon for improving that Art amongst us ? The People in Birmingham don't want Generosity to encourage any useful Undertaking, when it is promoted upon any rational Principles; and I dare venture to affirm, that if an Academy or School was to be set up by Subscription for teaching some Young Persons, under proper Restrictions, in the Art of Drawing and Designing, and in some parts of Mathematical Learning, as have the Appearance of promoting any useful Manufactory, that proper Encouragement will be given to it suitable to the Undertaking. These are the Thoughts of A.B. A Well-wisher to Birmingham. Birmingham, Jan. 19th, 1754. In May we read: — French, Drawing, and Sewing, Taught over-against the Gardens in Park-Street, Birmingham, at an easy Rate. Also Fans mounted, and Boxes painted by J. M. De RlDDER. Thomas Taylor, School-master in the High-Town, Birmingham, having been called to Norwich on an affair that greatly concern'd his Interest, and being detain'd ten Days in the Isle of Ely, by Reason of the Floods, hopes his Friends will excuse his Absence, he likewise hopes none that please to send their Children to him, vfiW think much of Two-pence Half-penny per week, or Two Shillings and Six-pence per Quarter, for which they shall be carefully taught English Grammar and Orthography, after the most proper method. By their most obedient humble Servant, Thomas Taylor. In October of the same year this advertisement appeared: — Parents and Guardians are hereby informed That a Boarding School is now ready to receive Young Ladies, in Church Street, Birmingham, being an Airy part of the Town ; where the true method of Spelling and Reading will be taught, and all sorts of Needle Work in the neatest Manner; Great care will be taken in all Respects, and the tenderest Treatment may be depended on, by M. Williams. %* A Drawing-Master, French and Writing Master, will attend. On August 29, 1757, Mr. Devoto thus makes his merits known: — To the Inhabitants of Birmingham. Gentlemen, I take this Method to inform you, that I intend to open a Drawing-School for the Instruction of youth, in all the different Branches of Drawing; (for which Purpose I have taken a large commodious Room in New-Hall Street,) to begin on the 3rd of October next, and to be continued on the Evenings of every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. As I have a fine collection of the Performances of the most eminent Masters, I flatter myself I shall meet with Encouragement. The other three Evenings of the Week, I propose to teach young Gentlemen to perform on the following Instruments of Music, viz., the German Flute, Bass Viol, and French Horn; and the Public may 84 A CENTURY OK BIRMINGHAM LIFK. be assured no Pains or Care shall be wanting in me, to improve the youth committed to my care, and the Favours I receive will be gratefully acknowledged by, Clentlemen, Your most obedient, and most humble servant, John Devoto. At Mr. John (iucst's in New Street. Of the local poetry of this period we present two specimens, which every reader will, we fear, consider quite enough. The whole ten years affords us no verse at all comparable to the poem on the Origin of i)irmingham, dedicated to Baskerville in 1751. But without further comment we give the lines. The first appeared in May, i 756, and is called : — A Thouuht \vhu>st Riding to take the Aik. (By an elderly Gentleman.) I little else can do from Day to Day, But ride, eat, drink, and sleep the Time away. Feeble wth Age, helpless and useless grown, My trust will I repose in God alone. Age, nor Disease, nor Death itself can harm. Securely fenced by his Almighty Arm. His Goodness great, by long Experience tried, Assurcth me where I may safely hide. My God, my Rock, my Fortress and strong Tower, Nothing I fear, — su])i)orted by thy Power. O may I finish well my part assigned ! Then — Welcome Death or Life- — 1 am resigned. On November 26, i 759, a local patriot thus celebrated the death of General Wolfe. Ode on the Death of General Woi.ke and the Success of the British Arms. I. Arms, and tiie man, my muse inspires, W'hile Britain's cause my bosom fires. To sing of glorious deeds ! Yet though she hears Fame's trumpet sound, Sees vict'ry smile with laurels crown'd. Her breast with pity bleeds. 2. For Wolfe — (Oh, dreadful fate of war!) Returns in death's triumphal car, To greet his native isle ; See ! See ! his trophy'd plumes appear. And Britons shed the gen'rous tear. Which drowns each grateful smile. 3- Those grateful smiles, — for great success, Th' exulting heart, — joy'd to express. For favours heav'n displays : EDUCATION AND LITERARY LIFE. $$ Since wisdom guides the helm of state Our wairiors brave, act truly great ! Demand immortal praise. 4- Lo, Wolfe ! — when honour, glory calls, Soon mounts rough rocks and lofty walls, Where Quebec's tow'rs arise : There led his troops undaunted on, And saw that glorious conquest won, In which he bravely dies. S- Just in the florid bloom of youth ! — Was so attach'd to honour, truth, That pleasure's smiles were vain : AVhether she sparkled in the bowl, Or wanton loves, t'enchant the soul. Yet firm he did remain. 6. While others in the lap of ease SujHnely rest— and waste their days, \\'here lux'ry courage palls : But he ! the toils of war sustains, No coward shifts his honour stains, But flies ! — tho' danger calls. 7- While thro' his wounds rich crimson flow'd, His gen'rous heart with raptures glow'd. Nor shrunk beneath his fete : But freely for his country bled ; Th' expiring hero bow'd his head, Thus early clos'd life's date. 8. Since thus he fell,— let's shout and sing ! While Fame extends her joyful wing, And spreads abroad the sound : Which Echo wafts from shore to shore ; The Hero's virtues, all adore. Are now with honour crown'd. 9- Repeat the strain,— let's shout and sing, Long live great George ! our glorious king ! Proud (lallia's schemes are vain : Britannia's \engeful thunder roars. And shakes with fear their guilty shores ; The triumphs o'er the main. Birmingham. FHiLo-PArK,.t. 86 A CENTURY OK BIRMINGHAM LIFE. § 4. AMUSEMENTS. The amusements of this decade are the same as those of the pre- ceding one. There is no change for the better. Cock-fighting is the one principally advertised. We have giants also, and learned dogs brought for the delectation of our ancestors. There were giants before Chang ; and one of these Anaks of the earth appeared in Birmingham in 1752. On May the 4th in that year, the Gazette was decorated with a wood cut of the " modern living Colossus," who was about to pay the town a visit. In the illus- tration there is the usual dwarf, and ordinary sized man placed in juxtaposition and contrast with Anak, just as our e.xhibitors of giants manage their business at the present time. Under the engraving is the following announcement. It may be noted as a curious fact that although the description of the " Colossus " is rather minute, we are not told how tall he was : — This is to acquaint the Curious, That there is coming to this Town Mr. Blaker, the modern Living Colossus, or wonderful Giant, who has given such wonderful satisfaction in London, will be to be seen at the London Apprentice, in Birmingham, at the Fair and for some Time after. This Phenomenon in Nature hath already had the Honour of being inspected by great Numbers of the Nobility and Gentry, by many of the Royal Society, and several Gentlemen and Ladies who are Lovers of Natural Curiosities ; who allow him to be a stupendous Height, and esteem him the best proportion'd of his Size they ever saw. He is above half a Foot taller than the Sussex Boy, lately shown at the Mansion House, in the Poultry. He infinitely excels the famous Swedish Giant in Symetry of Body and Regularity of Features ; and is much higher than Maximillian Miller the Saxon. He is not yet Twenty-seven years of Age ; and what is worthy of Notice, has grown above eleven Inches within these seven years. He has been seen, with an agreeable Surprise (if I may be allowed the Expression) by several Persons of Distinction from Abroad, by some Foreign Ministers, and by Gentlemen from most Countries in Europe, who have given him pressing Invitations to exhibit himself at their several Courts. He is to be seen by any Number of Persons, from Nine in the Morning till Nine at Night, without Loss of Time. From a giant to a learned dog is perhaps not a very great descent ; however, the Birmingham people had the opportunity of making it in 1752. In September we read the following curious description of the capabilities of the " Learned English Dog," then exhibiting in the town : — AMUSEMENTS. 87 We hear that of all the extraordinary Curiosities that have been exhibited in this Town, none have met with such general Approbation and Esteem as the learned English Dog, from the great number of Gentlemen and Ladies that daily resort to see him, who actually reads, writes, and casts Accompts, by means of Typographical Cards, in the same manner that a Printer composes ; and by the same Method, answers various questions in Ovid's Metamorphoses ; Geography ; the Roman, English, and Sacred History ; knows the Greek Alphabet ; reckons the number of Persons present, if not above thirty ; sets down any Sir-name, or Capital Name, which is not too difficult to spell ; solves small Questions in the four Rules of Arithmetic ; tells, by looking on any common Watch of the Company, what is the Hour and Minute ; knows the foreign as well as English Coins. He likewise shows the impenetrable Secret, or tells any Person's Thoughts in Company ; and distinguishes all sorts of Colours. As the Proprietor intends to stay here but a very short Time, he has reduced his Price to Sixpence each, less than which will never be taken, and he assures the Publick that this is the first Time of so low a Price being submitted to. Note. — He waits on Gentlemen or Ladies, at their Houses, if required. The Original impenetrable Secret to be sold. A few concerts are announced ; and the plays at the theatre are still performed gratis after a charge has been made for a musical entertain- ment. A specimen of how the " poor strollers " were treated is afforded by the following notice, which appeared in July 7, 1756 : " The Company of Players acting in this Town are hereby desired to take notice that if any one of them attempt a Benefit Play, the Law will be immediately put in force against them." A different kind of entertainment was afforded the townsfolks this year by the arrival of an Italian Hussar. He came in November, 1756, and was thus announced : — This is to acquaint the Public, and all Admirers of uncommon Performances, that there is now arrived in this Town an Italian Hussar, and his Company of Liliputians, just arrived from Italy and other Parts of Europe ; they having perfomied, with universal Applause, before the University of Oxford, as well as before most of the Courts in Europe : Besides many other surprising Performances, the following will be exhibited. First various Feats of .\ctivity, and astonishing Attitudes, in a Manner not to be believed without seeing: The whole to conclude with a new Machine called Theatori Mathematica, or Pictoresque. Boxes 2s. Pit is. Gallery 6d. N.B. They will perform every night this Week Next week the Gazette thus notices these " uncommon perform- ances :" — The Hussar that has been performing the la.st week in this Town, will also exhibit on this Day, Wednesday, and Friday. Besides his company of Liliputians, and wonderful Feats of Activity, he will exhibit many performances on the Wire, and some which have never been done by any Person but himself ; such as balancing two Straws at one Time, ,88 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM l.IFE. one on his Nose, and the other on his Forehead; he will drink Tea on a Board put on the Wire, with three of his Liliputians on it the same Time, and will go in full Swing. And as tossing the Straw is so much in vogue, none are, or ever were, capable of doing so much with it as this Hussar, which is allowed by all that have seen him perform. To begin each Night at Half an Hour after Seven o'Clock. There were brave men before Agamemnon says the poet ; and there were fools before — well, we will not say who ; but the following extract records a feat of one of the old stulti. July 17, 1758. On Saturday se'ennight Mr. Morson won a considerable Wager by getting off the Battlements of St. Martin's Church in this Town, which is upwards of 73 Feet high, without the Help of Ladder, Rope, &c., by dropping from Corner Stone to Comer Stone. Duddeston Hall, commonly called Vauxhall, and the Apollo Gardens at Aston, were the principal places of public amusements. The poet Freeth, as we shall see, sung at a later date the glories of Vauxhall. In June, 1758, the public are informed that Duddeston Hall, commonly called Vauxhall, near Birmingham in Warwickshire, is now fitted up in a neat and commodious Manner for the reception of Travellers ; it lies in the direct road between Liverpool, Warrington, West-Chester, Stratford-upon-Avon, and Oxford ; and is much nearer than going through Birmingham. It is conveniently situated for most of the great roads that pass thro' Birmingham, and by going this Way, Gentle- men, &c. avoid riding near two Miles upon the Stones : Hands with Directions, will be set up in proper Places : All Noblemen, Gentlemen, and others, that please to make use of the House, shall find good accommodations and reasonable Charges, with grateful Acknowledgments, By their most obedient humble Servant, Andrew Butler. The Garden for Publick Entertainments continued as usual. Cricket was not entirely neglected by our forefathers, for on July 14, 1 760, we read A Society of Cricket Players of Birmingliam would Play a Match there, the best three Innings, with any others within 30 Miles of the Place, for 20 Guineas, and another Match for the like sum, at the Town from whence they may come. — Whoever chooses to accept this Challenge may apply to Thomas Bellamy, at the Bell in Smallbrook Street, Birmingham. In September of the same year we have also evidence that music had a place in the affections of old Birmingham. On that day we are told that ''the Performance of the Oratorios of Samson, Messiah, and Judas Maccabaeus, on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday last, con- ducted by Mr. Hobbs, was honour'd with very polite Audiences, and received the greatest Applause." We need not repeat the notices wliich continually occur of cock- fightingf. The announcements of such events to come off are more AMUSEMENTS. 89 numerous than those of any kind of amusements except, perhaps, the theatre. A report of one of these mains which was published May 25, 1761, we quote as much for the anecdote attached to it, as for the account furnished of the match. The second of the 7 Years Main subsisting between the Gentlemen of Birmingham and Bridgnorth, was decided in Favour of the Birmingham Gentlemen, at Duddeston- Hall, in the Whitsun-Week, by 8 Battles a-hcad in the Main and 14 in the Byes: What was very remarkable out of 61 Cocks weighed, 58 were matched. Next Year the 3rd Main will be fought at the Crown in Bridgnorth in \Vhitsun-week. At the above Cocking, a gay young Fellow, of a very good Family near Bridgnorth, having lost all his Money (which was a considerable Sum) apply'd to a Recruiting Officer, and enlisted himself; but as soon as he had received the Advance-Money, he returned to the Cock-Pit, and again deeply engaged in the Bets, and being so fortunate as to win bet\veen nine and ten Pounds more than he had before lost, quitted the Pit, and immediately repaired to the Officer to whom he had enlisted, came to terms with him for a Discharge, and then returned home. The Birmingham Theatres were in their usual activity, and some of the best plays in the language were performed at them. We have nothing like criticism in the very brief notices which are given of the performances. In July, 1761, however, one spectator was inspired to tell us in rhyme what he thought of the acting. His Muse laboured and thus she was delivered : — When Salop's Sons from Labour rest, And Phoebus journeys down the West, Theatric-Bills innte : I go, with many hundreds more, And drop two Shillings at the Door, To see 'em every Night I went to see the Jealous Wife, And what cou'd more resemble Life, Or touch the human Heart ? O — Cutter with his Comic-Song, Delighted the attentive Throng, .\nd each one topp'd their Part. What need I then exhibit Names, Since purest Critics sound Acclaims? And say, — " their Rival Queens " Had those who acted here before " Been present at — they'd Play no more, " But sell their Cloaths and Scenes." go A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM I.IFE. § 5. MANNERS, CUSTOMS, ETC. The whirligig of fashion brings round stranger revenges than the whirligig of time. In reading the following lines, which appeared July 27, 1754, one almost feels as if, but for the abominable versification, they were written in the present day (1866), so like the sights we now see daily in the streets and elsewhere are some of those satirised by the author. A-la mode, 1754 : The Dress in the year Fifty-three that was worn, Is laid in the Grave, and new Fashions are born ; Then hear what our good Correspondents advance, 'Tis the Pink of the Mode, and 'tis dated from France. Let your Cap be a Butterfly, shghtly hung on. Like the Shell of a Lapwing just hatched on her Crown, Behind, with a Coach-Horse short dock cut your Hair, Stick a Flower before, skew-wiff with an air ; A Vandyke in Frize your Neck must surround, Turn your Lawns into gauze, let your Brussels be Blond ; Let your Stomacher reach from Shoulder to Shoulder, And your breast will appear much fairer and bolder ; Wear a Gown or a Sack, as Fancies prevail. But with Flounces, and Furbelows, ruffle your Tail ; Let your Hoop shew your Stockings, and Legs to your Knees, And leave Men as little as may be to guess. For other small Ornaments do as before, Wear Ribbons a Hundred, and Ruffles a Score ; Let your Talk, like your Dress, be fantastic and odd. And you'll shine in the Mall, 'tis Taste a-la mode. The change, however, has already set in ; and as fashion never did, and it appears, never will know any medium, it is probable that before these lines are published our wives will wear dresses so narrow, that like our mothers, they will not be able to step across an ordinary gutter. The following extract tells us of a custom which might be restored with advantage. The occurrence took place in January, 1756. Last Thursday, and the Market Day before, the proper Officers here seized considerable Quantities 0/ Butter which wanted weight, and gave it away to the Poor, and tried a great Number of Market Measures, among which many were deficient, the Owners of which are taken an account of, in order for prosecution. Inspectors are also employed to detect that illegal Practice of Forestalling the Market Example worthy of imitation, where the same Grievances are complained of. MANNERS, CUSTOMS, ETC. 9 1 On December 13, "The Members of the Society of Comus are desired to attend the Court on Wednesday next, at their new Place of Residence. By Order of the Grand. Supper on the Table at Seven o'Clock. Carpe Diem." What has become of the Society of Comus and who was its Grand ? Alas "The woods decay, the woods decay and fall, The vapours weep their burthen to the earth, Man comes and tills the field and lies beneath, And after many a summer dies the swan." And even Societies of Comus and their Grand pass away and we hear no more of them for ever. Our next extracts show that there were schemes and schemers in those days. On February 28, 1757, the following notice appeared: — As several Gentlewomen have only the Interest of a small Sum of Money to maintain them, which at this time is very low; a Person has form'd a Scheme for the Benefit of such; whereby whoever adventures in it, will receive 10 or 12/. per Cent, yearly advantage from their money, at least, and sometimes considerably more; and the Principal as well secur'd as at present. No Gentlewomen to advance above the sum of 500, nor under the Sum of tool. ; neither will any Gentlewomen be admitted who is married, or has a Father living. On March 7, Mary Turner narrates the result of her enquiries respecting this proposal. To the Printer of the Birmingham Gazette. I waited on one of the gentlemen, according to the Directions in your Paper, and saw the Proposals, which I liked very well, and proposed to advance the Sum of four hundred Pounds; after which I was asked many Questions, and then was told, it was not design'd for such as me, who had enough to Maintain me without; I can't say but I was vex'd at my Disappointment, in riding eight dirty Miles for nothing, but next Day was better satisfied, when I consider'd, that it was intended for the Fatherless and Widow; and I wish Success to the Scheme: Please to insert this in your next, for the Good of my Sex. I am your Humble Servant, Mary Turner. On the next Monday this "editorial" paragraph (if the Gazette oi that period contained such a thing, of which we doubt) appeared: — "We can assure the Public, that the Scheme for the Benefit of Gentlewomen of small Fortunes, has been so well approved of, that no less than ;^2,300 was subscribed last Week." The mode of travelling in 1757 is well illustrated by this brief announcement, which appeared on June 27: — "Any Person of Character 93 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. who would ride a good and easy Horse from London to Birmingham may hear of one by applying;;' to the Printer of this Paper." The next two extracts are curious, and bring the Hfe of old Birmingham rather vividly before us. The first is dated August i, and the second Nov. 7, 1757. Any one that wants Money (upon an Emergency) in small Sums, not Lower than Twenty Shillings, giving good Security, may be supplied on reasonable Terms by William Snibson, near the Rib in St. John Street, Binningham. — In Mr. Morris's Entry, turning in at the first door on the Right Hand, you'll meet with him. William Weston, of Tamworth, who has carried on the Cod-Fish Trade for more than twenty years jjast, and flatters himself with having given general Content, begs leave to acquaint his Friends, That his Cod-Fish Stage comes in at the Bull's Head, near the Welch-Cross Birmingham, on Tuesday Morning the 15th of November, and again on Friday Morning the i8th following, and will continue (as usual) twice a Week, where Cod Fish will be sold Retale, together with ^\'ild Fowl, Oysters, &c. upon the most reasonable Terms, By their humbk' Servant, W. Weston. N.B. — .Any Person having Coods to carry, requiring e.xtraordinary Expedition, to any Parts of the North (not cNceeding Two Hundred Pounds weight each Parcel) may have them forwarded regularly by the above Cod Fish Stage, with the usual care, every Tuesday and Friday Mornini;. Ingenuity and poverty ollen went hand in hand then as they do now. The following advertisement might be"paralleled by similar ones in our own day. In .\pnl, 1756. an imknown mechanic thus appealed to the public. Whether anything ever came of the appeal there is no evidence to show. I, * * * of * ■' * having been always em])loyed in Business as an Artizan or Manufacturer (now upwards of fifty years of age) have a Conception, and some Experience, of a certain Manufacture not yet practised, which being presumed of general use, may consequently have its particular .\dvantages; But the Property must be secured by Patent or Parliament. To caiTy the Proposition into Execution, as Trade, an Assistant or Partner becomes necessary. If this Hint excites the attention of any one used to Business and Accounts, and willing to be so still, iind cnipluy in this new proposed Undertaking, under his own Inspection, a Sum or Sums of Money, as it may become necessary, from a few Hundreds to a few Thousand Pounds and will, before the 20th of May, Send his Name and Place of Abode, with such other Reejuisites as himself may think necessary, seal'd and directed to Philo Benveno, to be left at the Hen and Chickens in Birmingham, such person shall be answer'd or otherwise made acciuainted with the Person or Particulars above meant. Our forefathers took many things very coolly. It is difhcull for us to comprehend a state of things in which two such notices as the following could be issued without complaint. In these days of railways and incessant travel, it takes us back to a quiet, easy-going, contented MANNERS, CUSTOMS, ETC. 9J State of existence to read that on February 4, 1 760, the dwellers in this town were informed that "The Horses belonging to the Birmingham Stage Coach are so much affected by the present Distemper that prevails among them, that its Journies are obliged to be discontinued till their Recovery." In the week following this notice appears : — , February i ith, 1760. — The Horses belonging to the Birmingham Stage, are still so bad, that it would be dangerous to attempt their going with the Coach this Week ; but on Monday next, the i8th, Mr. Peyton proposes that the Coach shall set out, to go from hence as usual ; after which he hopes it will meet with no Interruption. The difficulties of ladies in finding husbands were not entirely unknown to the daughters of our great grandmothers. Two of these unfortunate young spinsters dwelt in Birmingham in 1761; and on April 27 of that year thus publicly made known their desires. It is questionable whether the "men of sense" would be those likely to respond to such an appeal. To the Men of Sense : Wanted, for two young Ladies, whose persons are Amiable, straight, and free From natural or chance Deformity, — Pomfret two agreeable Partners for Life, Men of Integrity and Worth, between the Age of 24 and 30; if in Trade will be most agreeable. They are Ladies about the same Age, with very handsome Fortunes, and whose Characters will bear the strictest Enquiry. None need apply but those who wish to be concerned, for none but Principles will be treated with. It is curious to note how customs repeat themselves. During the last few years a stand has been made by tradesmen against the giving of Christmas boxes. They are but walking in the steps of their predecessors, who, as vainly as their followers, tried to abolish a custom of which we scarcely know whether to say it is more honoured in the breach than the observance, or not. However, in November, 1760, this advertisement was published, and continued for several weeks. A similar advertisement appeared from the grocers, &c., of Kidderminster, Stourbridge, and Wolverhampton, so that it has the appearance of a combined action against the custom. It did not however succeed. The Grocers, Druggists, Tea-Sellers, &c. in Birmingham, give this Notice to their Customers, that they have all unanimously agreed to leave off the Custom of giving Christmas Bo.xes for the future, and hope it will not be took amiss, as the Profits of Grocery and Tea in general are so much reduced, that they will not admit of it. It is not necessary to cjuotc the numerous notices of highway robberies which marked these times. The badness of the roads, the 94 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. absence of gas, the weakness and inefficiency of the police, and the cruelty of the punishments caused robberies with violence to be quite common. We read almost every week of gentlemen being robbed by footpads in or near Birmingham, and we are horrified at the number of executions recorded for comparatively trivial offences. That this cruelty of the law did not diminish crime is now universally admitted. The next extract is a bit of a thief's biography, which will show how successfully the light-fingered gentry of a hundred years since pursued their avocation. This man, it will be seen, was hanged for robbing a carrier. The date is April, 1756. On Saturday, Samuel Edwards, who was convicted for robbing Mr. Phillips, the Stour- bridge Carrier, was executed at Warwick. He behaved with great Decency at the Place of Execution ; some time before which he confessed that he had been concerned in the following Robberies since July last, viz. The Robbery of a Man asleep between Stourbridge and Kidderminster, of 9s. — A Man at Kidderminster, being Drunk, of almost 3/. — Stole three Horses, one from Bilson, one between Bilson and Oaken, and one at Oaken. — Two Horses near Leominster, and one by the Clee Hills. — Robbed two Men within a Mile and a half of Stratford-upon-Avon, in the Road to Henley, of 3s. 3d. — A Man within three Miles of Worcester, of about 8s. — Two Men near the same Place of about 16s. — A Man near Shrewsbury of about is. 6d. — A Man near the same Place of his Watch and about 2/. los. — Two Men near the same Place of about 19s. — A Man near Welchpool of 7$. — A Man near Leominster of 3s. — Stole a Mare out of a Close near Leominster. — Robbed a man at the Clee Hills of about 10/. — Stole 15 or 16 Geese out of a barn near Tamworth. — Robbed three Men near Bishop's Castle of about i/. — Two Men and a Woman near Shrewsbury, of a Watch and a Snuff-box, and 14s. 6d. — A IVLnn near Shiftnall, of his Watch, and about i/. — A Man in the Road to Stourbridge of about 3s. 6d. — A Man between Birmingham and Halesowen of his Watch, and 4/. 14s. 6d. — A Man near Walsall, of his Watch and about 2/. 3s. — A Man between Bridgnorth and Wolverhampton, of 3d. but returned it again. — A Man within t\vo Miles of Wenlock, of a Piece of Cloth and 1/. los. — A Man within two Miles of Ludlow, of about 1/. 4s. — A Man near Ludlow of his Watch, Pocket-Piece and 4s. — Two Men at Keinton in Wales of about i/. 1 8s.— A Man at Rudgely, of his Watch and about 2/. 2s. — A Man three Miles from Bridgnorth of his Watch and 3 Halfpence. — Two Men near Bridgnorth of about 3/. 7s. — Two Men near Birmingham, of a Watch and about 2/. 2s. — Three Men at Cotshill-Wood, near Wolverhampton, of about i/. — A Man near Tamworth of about 2/. 3s. —Two Men between Lichfield and Walsall, of 31/. — A Man at West-Bromwich of his Watch and about i/. (he had his Watch again of the Gaoler). — A Man on the Worcester Road near Birmingham, of a Watch and about los. — Besides eleven Watches, seven Horses, and Abundance of other Things. Edwards's Mother attended him before the Execution, by whom she was desired to take his Body to his Place of Nativity, near Ludlow, to be interr'd, which she was enabled to do by the contributions she received from the Gentlemen of Warwick. THE PROTESTANT DISSENTING CHARITY SCHOOL. 95 THE PROTESTANT DISSENTING CHARITY SCHOOL. The oldest and certainly one of the most useful Charities in the Town is the Blue Coat School. It was built in 1724, and for nearly one hundred and fifty years has fed, clothed, educated, and put out to different trades and professions " friendless orphans, or the children of such poor people as cannot supply them with food and raiment."* Next in date, and next in importance to this charity is the Protestant Dissenting School. "This valuable Institution," says the Rev. Samuel Bache, "was founded in 1760, by the Societies of the Old and New Meeting Houses."t There is no record of the meeting at which the resolution to found the charity was passed; the minutes not having been collected and entered in a book until the year 1 783. The various Secretaries had however been very careful of their papers, and we have a rather complete record of the meetings and the business transacted from the 22nd of June, 1761. This is called the first General Meeting, and it was resolved " That a Committee, a Treasurer, a Secretary, and a Collector should be chosen for the sole management of the Charity during one year, under such regulations as had been agreed to." These regulations are not given. At the next meeting, June 29, the following gentlemen were appointed the first Committee : John Kettle Michael Lakin W. Hawkes, Sen. William Ryland Samuel Harvey John Lee Thomas Abney Samuel Richards J. Ryland James Piddock Samuel Blyth Samuel Lucas Thomas Bedford Joseph Smith John Rogers Mr. J. Kettle was appointed Treasurer, the Rev. Mr. Blyth, Secretary, and Mr. W. Ryland, Collector ; and it was resolved that the next Committee meeting be held at the Anchor Inn, Spiceal Street. The Committee had considerable difficulty in findino- suitable premises. On July 7, a house in Old Meeting Street, part of it the property of Messrs. Kettle, Smith, and Abney, w^as proposed as a proper house for the use of the Charity. The question was discussed, and the Committee adjourned, some of the members being " desired to get what information they could relative to this or any other house that * Morfitt's Leltere in the Harvest Home, v. i, page 319. + Outline of the History and Plan of the School, page 3. 96 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. might be suitable." The Committee met again on July 21, but nothing was resolved upon, as the owner of the property was determined not to let, and the Committee was not able to purchase. At their next meet- ing Thomas Cartwright offered to build " conveniences for the Charity if the Committee and he could agree upon terms." Messrs. Hawkes and Blyth were desired to view the ground, and ask Mr. Cartwright to meet the Committee. This was done, and plans were drawn, and estimates of the charges made, which were submitted to the Committee on August II, but nothing came of them, as Mr. Cartwright "insisted upon ^18 per annum rent, which was more than the Committee could afford. The next meeting was held at Freeth's Coffee House, on August 18, and Mr. Cartwright's plans were dismissed with a vote of compensation. It was again proposed that the house in Old Meeting Street should be taken " either upon their own account or for the use of the Old Meeting Society, and then let it to the Charity on reasonable terms. To see what could be done in this way the Committee agreed to wait a month. On September 15 they again met at the same place, but no progress had been made in providing premises for the School. It was then agreed to appoint one person from the Old Meeting Society, and another from themselves, " of supposed judgment and impartiality, to survey the house, and whatever they should agree it was worth in its present state, it should be sold for." At a meeting held at " Marion's Lamp, Moor Street," Mr. Lakin reported that they had purchased the house and offered it to the Committee on the following terms : They were to pay ^5 per cent, per annum for money advanced in the purchase, viz. : .^^90, and for what should be laid out in putting it into repair ; besides ;^5 per annum charged upon the said house to Miss Bourn. The house to be repaired, and the Committee to enter on it at Christmas next as tenants from year to year. The house having been obtained, the next thing to be done was to find a master. At a meeting held at Marion's, on November 10, this subject was considered, and this minute made : " A master for the Charity School being now wanted, and Mr. Thomas Cartwright having sometimes dropped a hint that he should be pleased with the office, Messrs. Kettle and Piddock were desired to talk with him upon this head, and report his sentiments to the Committee at their next meet- THF. PROTKSTAXT DTSSKNTINT, CHARTTY SCMOOI,. 97 ing." Mr. Cartwright, however, declined; and Messrs. Leach and Joseph ElHot, jun., were the first candidates for the office. The Committee, at a meeting held December 8, re.solved to recommend Elliot to a general meeting as School Master ; Messrs. Kettle and Blyth were also appointed " to visit the Charity School in the New Church Yard, to see the lads and consult Mr. Cotterell relative to the management of the School." The General Meeting was held in the New Meeting Vestry on December 15 ; Mr. PLlliot was elected School Master. Mr. W. Ryland was requested to collect the first half-year's subscriptions, in place of his father, deceased. Subscribers were desired to recommend children as fitting objects of the Charity, boys and girls above 6 and under 12 being eligible. Then follows this entry, "It being inconvenient for Mr. John Marion, at the Lamp, in Moor Street, to entertain the gentlemen of the Committee, they adjourned from the New Meeting House Vestry to the Castle Inn." They then sent for Mr. Elliot and acquainted him of his election. The School Ma.ster attended the next meeting of the Committee at the Dog Inn, Spiceal Street, and took the minutes. On January 19, 1762, the Committee agreed upon the clothing for the boys, a suit of green, and resolved that they should " wear hats and not caps." It was also resolved to admit "two girls as well as ten boys." At a meeting held in the School House, January 26, the first election took place, and the following is a list of the first inmates of this School : — Benjamin Stone William Pratt Josh. Bradeley William Moss Thomas Key Sarah Chambers Josiah Hunt James Wells William Ryland Samuel Smith Richard Matchet Elizabeth Ash Elizabeth Ash was sent in by mistake, but was " accepted of upon Mr. John Kettle's assurance that, if this Committee should not be able to maintain the child at the year's end, he would." On February 9, the Committee allowed the boys stocks. We quote from the Minute Book : " The Order and Manner of spending their Common Time to be observed by the Children belong- ing to the Charity School. I. — The Children are to rise at six every morning in the week, except the Lord's Day morning. 98 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. 2. — As soon as they are dressed they are to be put upon saying such short and easy forms of prayer as shall be thought suitable to their age. 3. — Having gone through their private prayers, with decency and seriousness, they are to attend family Worship, which is to be carried on by the Master's or one of the children's reading a chapter out of the New Testament, or some practical book of the Old, and repeating the Morning Prayer for the Day out of Mr. Bourn's Family Prayer Book, or such other form as the Committee for the time being shall direct to the use of 4. — Family Prayer being over, the Children are to attend their Schooling till eight. 5. — At eight they are to breakfast, and after breakfast they may play till nine ; the Master taking care that they do not exceed their bounds, nor use profane, or any indecent Language, or be otherwise guilty of Rudeness or Immodesty. 6. — From nine till eleven the Children are to work when work can be had, and then go into School for one hour, viz. : till twelve. But when no work is to be had they must attend the Scliool from nine till twelve. 7. — From twelve till two they are to dine and play, under the restrictions mentioned in the 5th head of instructions. 8. — From two till four and from four till five the same regulations take place as from nine to twelve. 9. — From five till six they may be left to choose their own employment, provided they are not guilty of any abuses. 10. — At six the Children are to sup, and immediately after supper to attend Family Worship, which is to be carried on in the same manner as in the Morning. II. — After Family prayer they are to be at liberty till they go to bed, except so much time as shall be required for Reading a short Psalm and saying their private prayers. N.B. — The children are none of them to be out of bed after nine o'clock, but sucii of them as choose it may go to bed sooner. Regulations are given as to Diet, Holidays, and the order and manner of spending the Lord's Day. The first year's working was financially successful, as will be seen by this statement of receipts and expenditure : Receipts — Annual Subscriptions Collected at the Charity Sermon A Benefaction £ s. iL 172 5 6 51 1 7 I ;^2 24 13 9 149 12 9* Expenditure Balance ^75 o 11^- The first Charity Sermon was preached on May 9, 1762, by the Rev. Mr. Worthington, of Leicester, at the New Meeting House in the morning, and at the Old in the afternoon, from Psalm xli. i. " Blessed is he that giveth to the poor." Dr. Doddridge's 205th Hymn was THE PROTESTANT DISSENTING CHARITY SCHOOL. 99 sung after the sermon, and after the last prayer an anthem from Psalm xli. In the year 1764 the balance in hand reached ^^135 19s. jd., and the Committee purchased an Indian bond for ;{^ioo. On November 24, 1 783, the Committee resolved to take the whole house in Old Meeting Street, and passed a very important resolution, which it is to be regretted they did not pass at a much earlier period ; or what would have been still better, kept their minutes properly entered from the first. They express the " desirability of collecting the minutes as far as can now be done, from the first institution to the present time, and entered into a book in which all future minutes should be kept." The secretaries still living were requested to collect their respective papers. The Birmingham printer, John Baskerville, had bequeathed to this Charity ^500 ; but a difficulty was raised about obtaining the money. At a Committee meeting held February 9, 1784, Mr. Jackson produced an extract from the will in the following words, viz. : " Five Hundred Pounds to the Committee, for the time being, of the Protestant Dissent- ing Charity School, in Birmingham, in Trust, towards erecting a com- modious Building for the use of the said Charity." It was agreed to take Mr. Lee's opinion upon the subject. The testator died two years after the date of the will, and Mr. Lee did not think the legacy was valid. He, however, advised that Counsel's opinion should be taken on the point. Mr. Blyth was appointed to wait upon Mrs. Baskerville relative to the legacy, and at a Special General Meet- ing, held July 6, he reported that he had received from her a very handsome and favourable answer ; that she was very friendly disposed to the Charity, and expressed her persuasion that the legacy would be paid by the Executors according to the intention of her husband's will. Mr. Barker, however, gave his opinion that nothing Mrs. Basker- ville could do would make the legacy valid, and that the Charity could only be served by a new act of her own. Another deputation was appointed to wait upon her on the subject, which she declined to see on the ground of indisposition, and peremptorily refused to adopt Mr. Barker's suecfestion. The matter was allowed to rest for some time, but in October i, 1788, it was again revived, when Mr. Maddocks gave his opinion that the Charity had no legal right ; and at a meeting held lOO A CENTURY OK KIRMIM.IIAM LIFE. on the 6th of the same month the Governors passed a resolution giving uj) all le<4al claim to the legacy ; the money, however, was afterwards paid to the Charity. Other large and undisputed legacies were also bequeathed to it ; and we find that in 1787 Miss Addyes left ^500, and in 1790 Miss Bayliss a like sum for the benefit of the Schools. The Committee were busy for several years in looking out for more commodious premises, and in January, i 784, we find a minute to the effect that Bell Rope Croft was an eligible place for the .School. No definite steps were taken until 1791, in which year the (iovernors bought a house in Park Street for ^'600. The admirable manner in which the funds of the Charit)- were managed is evident from the fact that the balance sheet for that )ear shows, after paying the amount of the purchase, no less a sum than ^1.715 13s. 2i^d. in hand. From the foundation of the school in 1760, until the year 181 3, both boys and girls were admitted, but since the latter date it has been confined to girls only. In 1839 the admirable building in Graham Street, New Hall Hill, was erected, and taken possession of March 30, 1840. The architect was Mr. D. R. Hill, and the cost of the School was about ;^3,ooo. It is well suited for its purpose. The school room is large and healthy ; the dormitories all that could be desired ; the training excellent ; the food ample and of good quality ; and the recreation of the girls attended to. The present Secretary, the Rev. Samuel Bache, in 1854, wrote a very brief " Outline of the History and Plans of the School," from which we make the following extract. " The establishment is under the management of a Matron, who superintends the conduct of the ' large Family,' and a Governess, whose time is occupied in School duties. Sewing and knitting are taken in to l^e done by the girls, who make all their own clothes and perform the whole of the household work ; no servant is kej^t, an assistant washer- woman being the only help that is ever employed : so that these ' poor Girls," besides being well instructed in School, are taught, as far as is possible in such an Institution, the duties of domestic servants." It is only proper to add that the purpose of the School " has been carried out without the least regard to sectarianism or party distinctions among either its subscribers or its beneficiaries." THE PROTESTANT DISSENTING CHARITY SCHOOL. lOI From tlic last report, dated January 28, 1S67, we find that the number of girls then in the School was 32, and that the average number during the year had been 38. The number of applications made during 1866, for girls to enter respectable service had been about 66 ; and the balance at the Banker's was ^22 is. 3d. In i860, when the School had e.\isted a hundred years, a special fund was raised, called the "Centenary Fund," which realised ^1,305 5s. od. for the Chanty. And " in consideration of the importance of its objects, the ecjuity of its rules, the liberality of its spirit, the benefits which it has already conferred on those who have been brought up in it, and on the community of which they have become members^ — in consideration also of the benefits which it is still adapted to confer," we are justified in saying that few institutions more thoroughly deserve " the support of the enlightened and benevolent friends of Education and of the Poor, of all religious denominations " than the Graham Street Protestant Dis- senting Charity School. CHAPTER 111.-1761-1771. § I. APPEARANCE OF THE TOWN. The period embraced in tlie present chapter is one of great interest and importance. Birmingham seems to have started into new Hfe, and to have been most active in srood works. In this decade the General Hospital — still one of our noblest charities — was founded ; the first of our Musical Festivals was held ; the Birmingham Canal Navigation was commenced ; the Act for Lifrhtine and Cleaning; the Town was obtained ; the first Circulating Librar)- was opened, and other admirable labours were undertaken. The evidences of increased activity are very numerous. Newly-built houses — still with gardens for the most part — are continually advertised ; and land, either to be let or sold on building leases, is frequently announced. Large quantities of bricks, numbering in some instances 100,000, are offered for sale. In many ways we obtain proof of an increasing population, of increasing wealth, and with the increase of wealth its certain accompaniments, an increase in the public spirit and the Christian charity of the people. We proceed to select such announcements as afford illustrations of the growing change in the appearance of the town. There is no necessity to connect these advertisements together by any comment. They tell their own story ; and, as will be seen, they refer to almost every part of Birmingham. Many of them testify to the growing activity of the people, and the gradual encroachment of the town on the country. To our mind these are among the most interesting of the old advertise- ments, and we have made rather a numerous, but still a sort of representative selection. The first is dated July 19, 1762. To be Sold to the best Bidder, On Friday the 23rd of July Instant, between the Hours of Three and Five o'Clock in the Afternoon of the same Day, at the House of Joseph Cooke, known by the Sign of the Golden Coftee-Pot, in the Cherry-Orchard, in Birmingham, in the County of "Warwick, Two Leasehold Messuages or Tenements, witli the Shops, Gardens, and Appurtenanees thereunto belonging, situate in Temple-Street, in Birmingham aforesaid, in the Occupation of Mr. John Gisborn and Mr. Walter Adams, and set at the yearly Rent of 19/. loj. APPEARANCE OF THE TOWN. I03 August 30, 1762. — To be Lett, and entered on at Michaelmas next, A Dwelling-House, Stable, Malt House, and other Out-Buildings, and an entire Backside, situate on Snow Hill, otherwise Satidy Lane in Birmingham, nearly opposite to the Town Machine. March 28, 1763. — To be Lett Part of a Dwelling House pleasantly situated m Livery Street, Birmingham, with Household Goods. April 25, 1763. — To be Lett, and entered upon immediately. All that Farm in Bordesley, in the Parish of .\ston, called Silvester's Farm, near the Golden Hillock, and late in the Tenure of Benjamin Groves, containing; 61 Acres, lying within about a Mile of the Town of Birmingham, and between the Stratford and Coventry Turnpike Roads. For further particulars enquire of John Taylor, Esq., of Birmingham ; or of Mr. Tomlinson, at Aston. The following advertisement gives a good description of the appear- ance of Duddeston Hall at this period : — - May 23, 1763. — To be Lett, and entered upon immediately DUDDESTON H.VLL commonly called Vaux Hall, near Birmingham in the County of Wanvick, being a large commodious House, with necessary Out-Buildings, and a large genteel Pleasure-Garden, neatly laid out and planted, with a large Bowling-Green ; it lies within Half a Mile of Birmingham, and greatly resorted to by the Inhabitants thereof, as well as from other places, being used in the public Way, and in the Summer Season is a Concert every other week. There is a Close Cock Pit. The Place is well known to most Travellers. The present Possessor having no Wife or Family has a mind to retire from Business, therefore any Person desirous of taking the Place, may apply to Andrew Butter, of Duddeston Hall, aforesaid. June 6, 1763. — To be Lett, and entered upon at Midsummer ne.xt, a Good Messuage, known by the Name or Sign of the Salutation, at the Bottom of Snow Hill, Birmingham, with good Gardens, two Bowling Greens, and other Conveniences thereto belonging, now in the Tenure of Thomas Cotton. For particulars enquire of Mr. John Kempson, of Birmingham aforesaid. The first mention we find of the famous Old Crown House is on June 13, 1763, and then, we regret to add, it is in connection with the barbarious sport of cock-fighting. Birmingham, June 25, 1763. — John Hawkes, at the Old Crown in Deritend begs Leave to acquaint his Friends, that his .\nnual Meeting will be held at his House on Friday and that the favour of their Company will be gratefully acknowledged by their most humble Servant, John Hawkes. N.B. There will be a Subscription on Cocking as usual, and he hopes that those Gentlemen who intend to favour him with a Cock will please to send him there by 1 1 o'clock to be weighed. October 24, 1763. Birmingham, October 22, 1763. — Whereas on or about the iSth of this Instant, srceral young Elm Trees were maliciously broke and destroyed in the Night time at NrtV Hall, in the Parish of Birmingham : Whoever will give Information of the Person or Persons concem'd in destroying the said Trees, so that they may be convicted of the same, I04 A CENTl'RV OF BIRMTNOIIAM LIFE. shall receive Five Guineas Reward, by applying to Mr. John Wheeler, Attorney, in Birmingham, or at New Hall. February 13, 1764. — To be Sold in Parcels for Building on, Savral Closes of Laud, lying on the Eastward side of AValmer-Lane, at Birmingham, either in Fee Simple, subject to an annual Rent, or in Fee Simple, and without being subject to any Rent, as Persons may be inclined to Purchase. No/i; A Plan of the several intended Streets, with the respective Prices may be had, by enciuiring of Mr. Richard Woodward, Attorney at Law, in Birmingham aforesaid, or of Humphrey Vale, Bricklayer, in Bordesley. April 3olh. 1764. — To be Lett, and enter'd upon immediately, a Large commodious House, neatly finished, situate in New-Hall-Walk, Birmingham, and fronting Charles- Street; consisting of a Hall, two Parlours, Kitchen, and Pantry, on the first Floor, with two Flights of good Lodging Rooms ; good Cellars, a Back Kitchen, with a Pump of fme Soft Water at the Door, two Necessaries, a Three-Stall Stable, ami Garden which opens into Edmund Street, with Ground to build either a large Warehouse or Coach-House. Enquire of Mr. E. W. Patteson. The next two extracts are of considerable importance. Any one looking at Westley's Plan of Birmingham taken in 1731, will see that the New Hall is situated in the midst of very large and pleasantly located grounds of a park-like character. The grounds are well timbered, contain three good pools, and occupy that large piece of land bounded by Congreve Street, Ann Street, Colmore Row, Monmouth Street (then called New Hall Lane), and Snow Hill, and stretched away to where New Hall Hill and bVederick Street now are. The extent of this beautiful suburb will be understood if we mention that New Hall Street, Church .Street, Liver\- Street, and all the branch streets connecting these main thoroughfares and the houses therein contained are now on the New Hall grounds. It appears Ijy the following advertisement that there was a foot-wa) through the grounds, and that in 1764 an action was tried between .Mr. Holloway the then tenant of the New Hall, and the Inhabitants of Birmingham, as to the right of the former to stop up the footpath. On May 14, 1 764, this notice appeared : — New-Hall, May 10, 1764.— As the Gate in New Hall Walk will be shut next Week, and it is impossible to know ever>' Gentleman or Lady who would wish to have a Key for their Convenience, such Gentlemen and Ladies are desired to be so goo 1 to send to Mr. Holloway, who has orders to deliver Keys for their Service. Charlf.s rOLMORE. The next advertisement gives the result of the trial, and the manner in which the people respected the verdict. It is, however, a most APPEARANCE OF THE TOWN. IO5 remarkable fact that no account is given in the Gazette either of the trial, or the riot, except that contained in the advertisement. But for this notice we should have no record of one of the most noteworthy events of the year 1 764. May 21, 1764. — Whereas upon a trial atlhe last Warwick Assizes between Mr. George Holloway and the Inhabitants of Birmingham, relative to a Foot Way thro' New Hall Grounds, a Verdict was given for Mr. Holloway, who did, on Saturday last, erect a gate to obstruct passing over the said Road, which was broke down by a great number of rude People ; the gentlemen who disputed Mr. Holloway's Right to erect such Obstnictions (as many substantial Proofs have arisen in Favour of the Public since the late Trial) are determined to tr)' the right of the said Road over again, do hereby declare their utter detestation of such riotous Proceedings, and offer a Reward of Five Guineas to any one who will discover the Person or Persons that encouraged and promoted the breaking the said Gate in so riotous a manner, being determined to suppress any such illegal Proceedings, such Reward to be paid by their attorney John Clay Hallen, on Conviction of one or more of the said Rioters. Sign'd by George Middleton and Thomas Bingham, on Behalf of themselves and the rest of the Gentlemen concem'd. George Middleton. Thomas Bingh.am. Birmingham, May 20, 1764. N.B. — Here under is a Copy of a Letter several of the Gentlemen signed and sent to Mr. Holloway the Evening after the Violence was committed. "Birmingham, May 19th, 1764. " Mr. George Holloway, " Sir, — We are very much concerned at the riotous Proceedings of this Day ; and have such an Abhorrence to Practices of this Kind, that we will gladly join you in discovering and punishing the Oflenders in this or any future illegal Outrage that concerns the Road in Question." We hear nothing more of the second trial threatened in the above advertisement ; but suppose that it did not come off, or if it did that it was lost, for the foot-path was closed. On May 28, i 764, we have this notice of a brook which has now passed away, and like its famous contemporary. Pudding Brook, is among the things that were. By long Experience it has been proved that the Tolls collected between the Collieries and this Town are insufficient to keep the Roads in Repair, and it appears that one grand Obstacle to the Carriage of Coals on that Road has been the Sands or Ice at Hockley-Brook, and the Ascents therefiom ; a Subscription is therefore proposed, in order to raise a Sum of Money, to be applied towards erecting a Bridge over the said Brook, and lowering the Hills on each Side. June 4th, 1764. — To be Lett, near the Sand Pits, Birmingham, a Very good Pasture for Cows and Horses. Enquire of the Printers. 9 I06 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. It sounds Strangely to us now to hear the top of Deritend called " Near Birmingham ; " yet in the following and many other advertise- ments, these words occur. June II, 1764. — To be Sold to the best Bidder, at the Dolphin Inn in Birmingham, on Friday the 22nd Day of June Instant, at Five of the Clock in the Afternoon, according to such conditions as shall then be produced, A Good Substantial Freehold Dwelling House with a Back Kitchen, and Chamber over the same, a Brewhouse, Stabling for five Horses, and a good Garden thereto belonging, situate at the Top of Deritend, near Birmingham aforesaid, for several years past 'till lately used as a Public House, and known as the Sign of the George, and now in the Possession of Mrs. Sarah Hawkes, A\'idow. For further particulars enquire of Mr. Hallen, Attorney, Birmingham. Land was being let for building in various parts of the town : — October 15, 1764. — To be Lett, for Building, All the Land unbuilt upon lying on the West Side of Snow-Hill, Birmingham ; also all the Land lying on the North Side of Holloway Head, Birmingham, opposite to a Row of Buildings called E.xeter Row. For further Particulars enquire of Mr. Mainwaring, Attorney, in Birmingham. February iS, 1765. — To be Lett, and entered upon immediately, For Building upon, for the Term of two Thousand Years, A Piece of Ground, situate on the Westward Side of Walmer Lane in Birmingham. A Plan of the Land and Streets, and Account of the Price, may be had of James Day, in Birmingham. Also to be let in Small Gardens, Part of the long Piece, situate on the South Side of Holloway-Head at 2S. lod. per Rod. It is proposed that there shall be two Rows of Gardens, with a Walk nine Feet wide between them. Enquire of James Day aforesaid. March 4, 1765. — To be Sold The Remaining part of a Lease, in which there is about 80 years to come, and may be entered upon at Michaelmas next, if required, a good genteel substantial and convenient House, situated in Aston Street, in Birmingham, containing a large Kitchen, two Parlours, and a Hall, wainscotted, a large Back Kitchen, with four Upper Rooms on a Floor, neatly fitted up with proper Hangings, &c. with Vaults, &c., under all the said Building, with Shopping in ichich 200 Pair of Hands may be employed, with a good Warehouse joining to the same, a good Four Stall Stable, all in good Repair, with a large Garden plafited with all Sorts of IVall and Standard Fruit Trees, 7oith a Summer House at the Top of the Garden, all 'walkd in and entire ; Also a Piece of Land joining to the said Garden, containing upwards of 40 Yards to the Front of Aston Street, and about 60 yards deep, on which great Improvements will be made by building thereon ; this Land will be sold separate from the Building, if required. March 25, 1765. — To be Lett, and entered upon immediately, A Handsome large commodious House, situated in Edgbaston-street, Birmingham, and late in the Occupation of Mrs. Elizabeth Blackham, deceased, consisting of a large Warehouse, with a Counting- House behind it, two good Parlours, a Hall, two Stair Cases, a China Pantry, three large Chambers, each having light and dark Closet, many of each of them large enough to hold a Bed, a spacious Dining Room wainscotted, six good Upper-Chambers with Closets, a Kitchen, Pantry, four large Cellars, in one of w-hich there is a Pump, a Brewhouse with a Pump, and an Oven to bake Bread, a good Stable, with large Loft over it, a Coach-House, a large Garden, with a Canal, and other Conveniences thereto belonging, APPEARANCE OF THE TOWN. IO7 \.B.— The Parlours and Chambers on the First Floor are all hung and wainscotted, and are neatly fitted up with Marble and Stone Hearths and Chimney Pieces and Brass Locks on the Doors. For further Particulars apply to Mrs. Anna Blackham, or to Mr. Charles Blackham, Attorney at Law, both in Edgbaston Street, Birmingham. .Vjiril 7, 1766. — To be disposed of About 120,000 of Bricks, now lying on a Piece of Land at Walmer Lane ; which Land will be Sold in Fee-Simple, for building on, in large or small Parcels. Apply to Mr. Woodward, Attorney, in Birmingham aforesaid. Note, in the said Land, is Clay, Sand, and Soft Water. July 14, 1766. — Birmingham. July 5, 1766. — To be Sold, Together or Separately, for the remainder of a Term for 99 years, 98 of which were unexpired at Lady-Day Last, Twelve New-built Houses, situate in Lovely*Street, leading out of Steel-House Lane, now- let at the Yearly Rent of ;^7o, all well tenanted, and pleasantly situated, with a Yard entire, good soft-Water, and Gardening to each House, free from Ground Rent. I'or further Particulars enquire of Mr. Norman Mabbank, opposite Moat-Lane, in Digbeth, who will shew the same. Oct. 6th, 1766. — To be Sold A verj' giwd Garden and a Neat Summer House, war Pudding Brook, in Birmingham. The Purchase will be about Ten Guineas, l^nquire of the Printers of this Paper. N.B. — Wanted an .Apj^rentice to a good Trade, Some Money will be required. Pudding Brook, which crossed Bradford Street, belongs to the past. Hutton mentions it and points out a pecuHarity in its motion. He says, " Near the place where the small rivulet discharges itself into the moat, another, the same size, is carried over it, and proceeds from the town as this advances towards it, producing a curiosity seldom met with ; one stream running south and the other north, for iialf a mile, yet onl\- a path-road of three feet asunder. This surprised Brindley, the famous engineer, "t Here we interpolate a very curious advertisement, which strikingly illustrates the change which a century has produced in the town. In this year land was actually offered for nothing to any one who, under certain conditions, would build upon it. We are not, be it remembered, speaking of a newly-discovered country " beyond the seas," but of a street called Bradford Street, in the town of Birmingham. It reads like a fable, but it is, nevertheless, indubitably true. August 3, 1 7 67. TO BK GIVEN GR^VTIS. Some Fee Land, pleasantly situated for building on in Bradford Street, Ueritend, to any person that will build upon the said land, and carr}' on a considerable trade there. Enquire of Mr. John Horton, in Ueritend, who will shew the same. * Now Loveday Street, t Histor)' of Birmingh.im, p. 272. lo8 A CK.N ri kV OK i;iKMIN(;ilAM I.IIK. This practice of "giving a crab lo catch an apple" was not uncom- mon al)out this period. Ten years earlier we find an advertisement of land at Bilston, which, for the reason stated in the advertisement, was to be given away. We suppose the long dash at the end stands for the word ta.x collector. Dci.cmber 19, 1757. — I'or the encouragement of Trade and Industry, and the lessenhig of Luxury and Idleness. Land to be given away in the Liberty of Bilstone, for to build u])on, which lies next the Great Road, and where Coals will be delivered lU 2d. a Cwl. and which is neither Copyhold, nor under the Breath or Jurisdiction of a l!y Thomas Tomkvs, Cent. September 12, 176S. — To be Lett, or .Sold inuneiliately, a New-built House, situate opposite Mr. Baskerville's Gate, Birmingham, facing tlie two Roads, wiili two Rooms on a Floor, a Brew house, a I'unip with fine soft Water, a; a: § © TP.S_ API'EARANCK OV TIIK TOWN. 1 09 House therein, t'wo Slories hij^li, adjoining to the Fields. Two Pieces of Land near Birmingliam, well watered, with a liarn thereon, all in good Rejiair, will be Let with the above Premises if required. For Particulars enquire at the said House. The next advertisement carries us back to the time when the Moat- house really corresponded to its name, and was "moated all roiuid." It affords a vivid picture of the chanQje which has taken place in that part of the town now occupied by Smithfield Cattle Market. January 4lh, 1768.- — To be Let, and entered on at Lady-Day ne.\t, for the Term of 21 Years, or longer if required. All that Messuage or Tenement, commonly (ailed the Moat- House, containing four Rooms on a Floor, and being three Stories high, with a large back Kitchen thereto adjoining, and convenient Warehouses, Shopping, and other Buildings contiguous thereto, situate in the Moat-Vard, in Birmingham, and late in the Occupation of Mr. Thomas Abney. The Premises are moated, all round, and are very fit and convenient for carrying on a large Manufactory, there being Buildings wliich, at a small F'xpence, may be converted into \\'ork-Shops capable of employing 300 Workmen. For Particulars enquire of Mr. Josepli Webster, in Digbeth, Birmingham. October 31st, 1768. — To be Let, all that Messuage and Tenement, situate in Camj)- iiill, known by tlie Sign of the Bull's Heavn Standard, to lift it uj) on one side, and let it fall down for 3 Times, in order to make it hold just Measure ; and this Method being thought to be very wrong and imperfect : This is to give Notice, That the Town Brass Standard Bushel and other Measures, have lately been regulated by the Winchester Standard, and Bakers and Maltsters, are hereby desired to bring their Measures, to the Chamber over the Old Cross, on Tuesday next by Ten o'Clock in the Forenoon, there to be examined and adjusted : Whoever shall neglect or refuse to do so, if upon Examination afterwards their Measures should be found Deficient, will be prosecuted as the Law directs. By Order of the Officers. The next announcement relates to a very different subject. Birmingham, October 14, 1771. — The Inhabitants of the Town, are desired to meet at the Chamber over the Old Cross, To-morrow, at Ten o'Clock in the Forenoon, at the Tolling of the Bell, to consider of an Application to Parliament for Building a Church. The 5th of November, gunpowder treason and plot, brought the old constable trouble, even as they bring it to the modern policeman. In October the authorities issued the following notice : — Birmingham, October 31, 1771. — Whereas great Complaint hath been made of Persons throwing Serpents, Squibs, and Rockets in the Streets whereby the Town is often in Danger of being set on Fire, in order that no Person may plead Ignorance the Constables of Binningham have caused an Abstract to be made of the -Vet of Parliament of the 9th and loth of William. Here follows the abstract. The last day of this decade contains the record of an act, which very worthily closes an account of the public life of a period marked by extraordinary activity, and an exceptional number of good works. Birmingham, December 30th, 1771. — A Subscription is opened at the House of Samuel Aris, Printer, for the Relief of the poor industrious House keepers of this Town, upon the following conditions. — ist. That a Committee of twelve Subscribers of not less than One Guinea, be chosen by Ballot for the Distribution of the Charity. — 2nd. That each Subscriber of One Guinea have the Recommendation (in Writing to the Committee) of Four objects, and so in proportion to their Subscription, more or less. — 3rd. That the Committee have the Distribution of the Charity, to the several Objects at their own Habitation, at Five Shillings and Three-pence per Head. — 4th. That no Object shall receive more than once. EDUCATIOiN AND LITERATURE. 1 29 The Subscribers are desired to pay their Subscriptions, and send their Recommenda- tions in Writing to the Committee, or to S. Aris, on or before the 30th of January next. And in such Christian efforts ended the year 1771. § 3. EDUCATION AND LITERATURE. The progress made in education and Hterature during this period was not commensurate with the general growth of wealth, The cultivation of the mind, and the love of literary pursuits are the last to develop themselves anywhere, and the people of this town seem to have been too much absorbed in business, and with the desire to get on, to pay much attention to anything which did not immediately assist this all-engrossing purpose. There were, however, some slight advances made in this direction. The Free Grammar School was doing something, although not much, in imparting education to the young. We had also teachers of French and of dancing, and lectures were occasionally given. A book or two and a few pamphlets were published by Birmingham men. But taken altogether the literary labours of the decade were of a very trilling and unimportant kind. John Freeth, whose works we shall have to notice at a later date, wrote some of his songs prior to 1771. The literary' notices, however, are few and far between. On April 26, 1762, this advertisement appeared : — This is to acquaint Gentlemen and Ladies, — That the French Tongue is taught with the greatest Fidelity and Expedition, at Mr. Atwell's, in Colemore Row, Birmingham, by their most obedient servant, Jean Guien, late of the University of Lausanne. N.B. — Mr. Hughes, late Teacher of French, declines returning to Birmingham. Here is an announcement respecting an art which some people still think forms no part of education — but happily they are gradually becoming a smaller minority. Birmingham, June 21, 1762. — Signer Giorgi takes the Opportunity of informing young Gentlemen and Ladies, that if they choose to have his Instructions in the Art of Dancing, he shall be willing to attend them, at his leisure Hours, during his Stay in this Town. In 1763 died one who, although not a Birmingham man, was so intimately connected with the locality that we may fairly introduce 130 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. his name here. William Shenstone and the Leasowes form a part of our local history : the fulness with which his death is recorded in the Gazette shows the interest which Birmingham felt in this good man, if not brilliant poet. On February 21, 1763, many persons doubtless read the following announcement with sorrow : — On Friday the nth of February, 1763, After a short, but violent Fever, Which he bore with a philosophic Fortitude, And with a Christian Resignation, dy'd, Aged 48, William Shenstone, Esqr., of the Leasowes, The Pride of his Country, The Favourite of the Muses ! And, what still more redounds to his Praise, The Enemy of Vice, and the Friend of Virtue. But to delineate the utmost of his inestimable Worth Would swell a Folio ; And no sun'iving Genius is equal to the Task. Ask his foes his Character ; But where shall they be found ? Ask his Acquaintances ; They would talk down the sun in his Praise ! Ask his Friends; Sorrow will choke their Utterance ! And the Poor will reply — alas ! — but with Tears ! But the Voice of the World will thus pronounce ; He lived — universally belov'd — and dy'd — universally lamented. Next week this tribute to his memory appeared : — To the Prhitcrs of the Birmiiii^ham Gazette. February 28, 1763. — An individual (who, from an enviable Acquaintance with the late Mr. Shenstone's Virtues and Accomplishments, most sensibly laments that Loss, which every ingenious and good Man must feel) desires your Insertion of the following. The Thought was suggested (as may be plainly perceived by the last Passage) from the Recollection of an Inscription which that Social Being placed in his own Walks, to the Memory of a valued Friend. M. S. Gulielme Shenstone ! Ah ! Gulielme^ ! Hominum dignissime, Amicorum intergerrime Indole optima, Eruditione prsecipue diffusa, Moribus gratissimis, Ac Corde quam maxim^ benigno, Praedite, EDUCATION AND LITKRATURK. 13I Morte eheu ! praematura abrepte, Ah ! Gulielme, Vale: " Quanto minus est, Cum aliis versari, Quam tui meminisse." Again on the 28th we have these lines : — To THE Memory of Mr. Shenstone. By a Lady. On the Left Side or the sole Building I can call my own, Is consecrated A Monument To the Memory of The beloved and lamented William Shenstone : It is formed something like an Urn But of Substance so soft That all his Virtues Were, with Ease, engrav'd on it ; Yet so tenacious They never can be erased. — It is inscribed with Affection and Respect For the gentle and elegant Qualities Of which He was The happy Possessor, And stamp'd with the deepest Gratitude For the Honour he had conferr'd By his kind and condescending Notice Of the Thereby dignified 0«Tier. To William Hutton belongs the honour of opening the first Circu- lating Library in the town. In 1751 he "hired out books" from his little shop in Bull Street. He did not, however, continue in the business long ; but it set an example which was sure to be followed. The most important literary event of this decade was the opening of a much larger library than that of the historian "s. This was done by Joseph CroiTipton, in Colmore Row. It was, wc believe, the prede- cessor of the late Evans's Librar)-. The following is the announcement of Crompton's intention. April 4, 1763. — To the Inhabitants of Bimiingham, and the Country adjacent : particularly all Lovers of Literature, and mental entertainment. CIRCULATING L1BR.\RIES being established and encouraged in most of the principal Cities and Towns throughout the Kingdom, Joseph Crompton, Stationer, in 132 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM l.IFK. Colmore-Row, near ilie New Church, Bimiingliam, desires by this means to acquaint you, that he has been at consideralile Pains and Kxpencc in collecting a small Library, con- sisting of about Eight Hundred Volumes, of the most esteemed modern Publications, and intends to purchase for the future all the new Books and Pamphlets, suitable for that purpose, as they are published. — Catalogues of the Library, with Conditions, may be had at his shop gratis. N.B. He sells Books in all Languages and Faculties (l)y Commission) at the lowest Prices, and takes Subscriptions for the Magazines, Reviews, and ail other periodical Publications. Several subsequent advertisements prove that this library was suc- cessful. In March, 1767, a new catalogue was published, and the library contained nearly three thousand volumes. In July was tried at the Guildhall, London, the action brought by the printers of the North Briton against the King's Messenger, when they obtained a verdict for ;^2,ooo damages for false imprisonment. On the 1 8th the following poem, signed J. F. (John Freeth), appeared in the Gazette. ON A LATE VERDICT. Tunc — " The Lilies of Frame." Since I'reedom each i)owcrful Opponent repels, What Friend to his Country his Gladness conceals? As Liberty's Sons in exerting their right. Have tudgel'd the State and triumph o'er might. Chorus. From Thame to the Tweed loud Huzzas we will send, For Liberty's Cause, and for Liberty's F'riend. \\'liat Pages in Hist'ry, if backward we trace, Can point out a hint of so noble a Case ? What Records can any such Instances call. Than what has been lately obtained at Guildhall ? May Suff'rance more great fall on those who contend \\\\S\ Liberty's Cause, against Liberty's Friend. How bless'd, and how joy'd, are the lads of the Press, How fondly their Patron and Patriot caress? Then strike up the Song, let the Tabor be mute. Assist the glad Chorus with Hautboy and Flute. To Wilkes, and to Liberty, joyfully sing, Whilst Shouts from the West make the vaulted Sky ring. In September of this year the following school advertisement appeared. It ma)- be mentioned that the descendant of this Swin- bourne is the present master of Hall Green School : and that the Editor of these memorials was taught the "three R's" by the son of Mr. John Reynolds, in his school "near the Chapel in Deritend." EDUCATION AND LITERATURK. 133 September 12, 1763. — John Reynolds, late Assistant to Mr. Swinbourne, at Hall-Green, begs leave to inform the Publick that he purposes to open a School near the Chapel in Deritend, on Monday the 3rd of October, for the Instruction of Youth of both Sexes, where he intends to teach the following Branches of Learning, viz. Reading, Writing and Arithmetic, both Vulgar and Decimal ; also Merchants' Accounts. Those who please to favour him with the Education of their Children, may depend on the utmost Care being taken of them, and their Favours will be gratefully acknowledged by their most obedient Servant, John Reynolds. N.B. Those who please to see his Performance, may see a Specimen of his Writing at the said School. On October 31, 1763, was printed John Freeth's song on that ever popular subject, — BIRMINGHAM BEER, A NEW SONG. To the Tune of " Ye Prigs who are troubled with Conscience's Qualms." Ye Mortals who never in all your wild Trips With good humming Liquor saluted your Lips, Give Ear to my Story, yc Strangers to cheer. The Pleasure I sing of is Birmingham Beer ; 'Tis here the Salutis of Life's to be found ; For Merchants who circuit the Kingdom around Declare, on their Travels from Thames to the Tweed, That Birmingham Stingo all others exceed. I grant that fair N'ottingham once bore the Bell, That our Grandsires ne'er tasted the Sweets of good Ale ; But our Fathers unravelled the Myst'ry, and we Enjoy the blest Comfort in jocular Glee; It banishes Care, and removes all our ills, When we sip at the Fountain, or tipple at Gill's ; Then here, ye Salopians, I beg you'd Repair, If wonted to taste of the choicest of Beer. Our true Othodox, from the Barrel fresh come. Throws the Tankanl lid up by the Strength of the Foam ; This Strike-fire of Nature, prepared right the Dose, Either 'livens or lulls us to gentle Reposj , 'Tis the Spring of Invention, a Balm that imparts The Cause that [iromotes and inspires us to Arts ; Then who would not wish to partake of the Juice, When knowing the feats it is wont to produce? Let others in vain boast of different places ; But say, can they turn out such plump ri-.ddy faces? Such free jovial Fellows, with Cheeks red as Roses, Who swim in October to raddle their Nosts ? Ye Beer-drinking Souls, to Good-fellowship prone, That dwell Miles a hundred or more from our Town, 'Tis well worth your Notice amongst us to steer, If only to taste of fani'd Birmingham Bier. J. F, 134 A CENTURY OK BIRMINGHAM LIFE. The year 1 764 was ushered in with a literary proposal which promised much, but realised little. The magazine was published, and reached twenty-five numbers. Mr. Samuel Timmins possesses a complete copy, but it contains nothing- about Birmingham except an occasional marriage or death, and some small paragraph of news in nearly all cases copied from the Gazette. January 2nd, 1764. — This day is published, Proposals for Printing on the First and Fifteenth of every Month, Price only 3d., a New Work, entitled. The Coventry, Warwick, and Birmingham Mag.\zine ; or the Gentleman and Lady's Polite Amusement. Which will contain useful and entertaining Pieces of Prose and Verse ; with every Thing else worthy of Notice, that shall from Time to Time appear in the other Magazines, periodical Papers, and new Publications. To which will be added, a well digested Account of all the Public Transactions and Occurrences of the preceding Fortnight, unde the Title of the History of P^urope. In the Course of this Work, the Substance of Pooks on almost every Subject, will be introduced ; which will render it, as it were, a Library of itself; and as the Intent of this publication, is only to aftord an agreeable .'\musenicnt to the Reader, which may at all Times be referred to with Pleasure and Benefit, it is to be hoped, every one disposed to such a rational and agreeable iMitertainment, will be inclined to encourage it. It need therefore only be observed, that the Purchaser will, at the End of the Year, upon the most reasonable Terms, find himself possest of several Hundred Pages of the most useful and entertaining Matter. — Notwithstanding this Magazine will be published at the price of only Threepence, it will always contain near as much as those published in London at the Price of Si.xpence. N.B. The first Numloer is intended to be ])ublished on the 15th of January Instant. Anyone who purchases the first Number, and docs not think it worth his Money, may have it returned. ^p° Those Gentlemen, Ladies, &c., who choose to be supplied with this Magazine, are humbly requested to signify their Intentions immediately to J. Jones, in Coventry, the Printer and Publisher ; .Mr. Keating and Mr. Sharp, in Warwick ; Mr. Warren, jun., and Mr. Sketchley, in Birmingham ; Mr. Lingard, in Atherstone ; T. Luckmand, in Coventry ; and the Printers of this Paper. Our next extract is worth quoting : — April 1 6th, 1764. — Wednesday Evening last the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, &c., adjudged the first Premium of fifty Guineas, for the best Landscape, to Mr. Barratt, a celebrated painter from Dublin ; tlic second of twenty-five, to Mr. Bond of Birmingham ; and the third of fifteen to Mr. Stewart, of London. The next advertisement affords us the first example of an uneducated local poet. Besides announcing the work, it gives a short biography of the author. It is especially interesting, for in those days uneducated rhymers were a rarity which this age of popular education has rendered somewhat common. There were preliminary advertisements, but the announcement of the publication of the book appeared on May 14, 1764. EDUCATION AND LITERATURE. 1 35 This Day is published, Price 3s., Elegantly Printed in Quarto, Poems on Sundry Occasions, By James Woodhouse, a Journeyman Shoemaker. The Author of the above is now a Journeyman Shoemaker, at the Village of Rowley, near Hales Owen, about seven Miles from Birmingham, and two Miles from the late Mr. Shenstone's of the Leasowes. He had no other Learning than what was sufficient to enable him to read and write, being taken from School at seven years old ; but to use his own Words, finding, when he was about eighteen, such an invincible Inclination to Reading, and an insatiable Thirst after Knowledge, he expended all his little Perquisites in the Purchase of Magazines, till he became acquainted with Mr. Shenstone, who never refused to lend him any Book his elegant Library could furnish him with ; but the Death of his generous Patron has again circumscribed his Improvement chiefly to the monthly productions. He is about twenty-eight years of Age ; has a Wife and two or three small Children, whom he endeavours to maintain by great Application to his business, and the teaching Children to read and write ; both of which Occupations bring him in not more than eight Shillings a Week. He generally sits at his Work with his Pen and Ink by him, and when he has made a Couplet he writes them down on his Knee ; so that he may not thereby neglect the Duties of a good Husband and kind Father ; for the same reason his Hours for Reading are often borrowed from those usually devoted to sleep. Southey in his interesting volume on Uneducated Poets gives us a few items of information about James Woodhouse. Shenstone had been compelled to close the Leasowes to the public on account of the shameful injury which the visitors committed. " Woodhouse," writes Southey, " upon this occasion addressed some verses to him, entreating that he might be exempted from this prohibition, and permitted still to recreate himself and indulge his iinagination in that sweet scenery ; and Shenstone, who was always benevolent and generous, when he inquired into the character of the petitioner, admitted him not only to his grounds, but to the use of his library also."* Some idea of Woodhouse's poems may be formed by the following stanzas from that entitled Spring, But now domestic cares employ, And busy every sense ; Nor leave one hour of grief or joy, But's fumish'd out from thence. Save what my little babes afford, Whom I behold with glee ; When smiling at my humble board. Or prattling at my knee. * Lives and Works of our Uneducated Poets, p. 114- 115. 1 36 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Not that my Daphne's charms are flown. These still new pleasures bring ; 'Tis these inspire content alone ; 'Tis all I've left of Spring. I wish not, dear connubial state, To break thy silken bounds ; I only blame relentless fate, That every hour demands. Nor mourn I much my task austere. Which endless wants impose ; But oh ! it wounds my soul to hear My Daphne's melting woes ! For oft she sighs, and oft she weeps. And hangs her pensive head, While blood her furrowed fingers steeps, And stains the passing thread. When orient hills the sun behold, Our labours are begun : And when he streaks the west with gold. The task is still undone. " These verses," says Southey, " were pointed out to me, for their feeling and their truth, by the greatest poet of the age ; " who doubtless was Wordsworth. A second edition of these poems was published in 1766, and Woodhouse issued a second volume in 1803, and was then living near Norbury Park, " where he seems to have found a generous friend in Mr. Locke. He was then above si.xty-eight years of age; I do not know when he died." And thus unknown and unhonoured passed away one of the first of our uneducated poets. " The following advertisement will give us a good idea of lectures occasionally delivered in Birmingham a century back. It appeared on April 29, 1765. Mr. Arden begs Leave to acquaint the Gentlemen and Ladies in this Town and neighbourhood that as soon as Thirty or more have Subscribed, he will begin a Course of Lectures upon Experimental Philosophy, at Mrs. Sawyer's Room in the Square, consisting of twent)' Lectures, at which will be exhibited all the Experiments necessary for the Explanation of Natural Philosophy in general, or the Properties of Matter, and the Laws by which it acts. Astronomy, or the Phenomena arising from the Motion of the heavenly Bodies. Geography and the use of the Globes &c. Hydrostatics, or the Nature and Laws of Fluids explain'd. Pneumatics, explaining the surj^irising Properties of the .\ir, * Mr. John Woodhouse, of West Brorawich, very kindly lent me a MS. volume, copied by himself, of his relative's poems. Mr. S. Timmins has a Portrait of "James Woodhouse, /Etat 8l," which is said to be that of the shoemaker poet. EDUCATION AND LITERATURE. I 37 which depends upon its Pressure and Elasticity, its Rarefaction, Condensation, &c. Optics or the Science of Vision explained. N.B. The greatest Care will be taken (through this Course) to render the Experiments as plain and intelligible as possible, even to those who have not applied any Time or Study this Way. The Apparatus with which the Experimental Parts of these Lectures will be conducted is extensive and elegantly finished with the latest Improvements. — The Charge of going through this Course is One Guinea, to be paid at the First Lecture. Subscriptions are taken in by Mr. Wyatt in Bell Street, and by R. Pearson and S. Aris, Printers, where Syllabuses of the Lectures may be had gratis. On December 23, 1765, was advertised proposals for printing by subscription, in quarto, with a frontispiece, from a new drawing, " Edge Hill, or the Rural Prospect delineated ; a Poem in Four Books." — Containing whatever is most remarkable in that Scene, with Episodes, and Reflections adapted to the subject, By Richard J ago, A.M. Salve, magna parens frugum, Saturnia tellus. Magna vinim : tibi res antique laudis, et artis. Ingredior, sanctos, ausus recludere fontes. It is difficult to say whether the next advertisement should be classed as educational, or placed among the amusements. However, as it relates to a lecture, we quota it here : — May 2Sth, 1767. — In the large Room, at the Red Lion, in Digbeth, Birmingham, this present Evening the 26th Instant May, and on Wednesday and Friday, if due Encourage- ment is given, will be delivered by R. Whit^vorth, a New Satirical Lecture upon Hearts, which was delivered in London 48 Nights, and in several other places, with universal Approbation, with Additions and Improvements, wherein will be exhibited Drawings, representing the Characters of thirty-three Hearts belonging to Persons of different Sexes, Tempers, and Professions, whether odd, ridiculous, vicious or virtuous, proving that a Lecture on Hearts is more instructive than one on Heads ; The whole being designed to form an instructive Picture of Human Life, to enforce a Propriety of Conduct, and to expose Vice and Folly. " If wrong our Hearts, our Heads are right in vain." The Doors to be opened at Seven, and to begin precisely at Eight o'clock. — Tickets, at IS. each, may be had of the Printers of this Paper, the Castle, and at the Red-Lion. — N.B. Books of the Lecture may be had at the Door, after the Lecture is over, at 6d. each. In 1769, Miss Poynton, the blind poetess of Lichfield, announced the publication of a volume of poems, and probably to propitiate the people of this town, and to give them a specimen of her abilities, she sent the following lines to the Gazette, which were duly published : — 138 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. September 4, 1769. Extempore Ode. Addressed to the Inhabitants of this Toum, by Miss Poynton. Ye graceful Nine, oh, now assist my Lays ; And teach me how I Birmingham may praise ! Such Excellence, when I attempt to paint, My feeble Muse I find, alas ! too faint. Who of thy Arts can aderjuately sing ; Arts that have made each distant Climate ring ! Thy Equal, yet, no Nation ever knew ; Then to thy Genius all Respect is due. But stronger Claims from you, demand my Lays ; In you I find all — all that merits Praise. Friend to the Poor, benevolent, sincere ! Fair Truth and Pity all thy Actions steer. Thy generous Bosom with Compassion glows, Thou kindly sooth'st the Widow's, Orphan's Woes ! To humble Merit ever known a Friend ; Their Aid to raise it, all thy People lend. As God-like Milton's could my Numbers flow In polish'd Verse, I'd then thy Merits shew ; Could I with Pow'rs like matchless Blacklock sing, With Bimiingham I'd make each Nation ring ! My Virgin Muse, untutored. Critics spare ! Nor Homer's, Blacklock's, Milton's more sincere. Another " effusion " by this lady, which appeared in the Gazette on September 25, is so curious that we quote it. It is addressed to the Queen, and we wonder what that "sprightHest lass," "my Charlotte," thought of the verses when she read them. A Song Addressed to the Queen, By Miss Poynton, of the City of Lichfield, who is soliciting a Subscription for the Publication of her Works. My Charlotte is the sprightliest Lass, That ever tripp'd the verdant grass, Or trod the flow'ry Vale ; Let others sing, that Celia's fair. And write on Chloe's charming Air, I sing of Charlotte's Fame. Whilst Nature does on some bestow. Bright sparkling Eyes, and Cheeks that glow. With each attracting grace ; Her Purity of Mind and Heart, Devoid of ev'ry Female Art, Gives Lustre to her Face. EDUCATION AND LITERATLRE. I 39 Ye Bards awake my Charlotte's Praise, Esteem this Fair-one worth your Lays, Who does her Sex excel ; Virtue and Sense bedecks my Fair, Assist me then, she's worth your Care, Whilst 1 her Merit tell. Her Breast with noblest Friendship glows, Xo Pride or Affectation knows ; Open's my Charlotte's Mien : For her with joy I'd tune my Lyre, Her Virtues can my Muse inspire Beyond the Cyprian Queen. Birmingham is still famous for its Medallists, a fame which has descended to it from a long line of Artists in this beautiful work. Here is an advertisement of one who was famous in his day. It is remarkable that the second notice to be found of Mr. W'estwood should be in connection with the celebrated Shakspere Jubilee. Birmingham, August 30, 1769. — On Monday next will be published, — A Medal of the inimitable Shakespeare, struck either in Silver or Copper, done from that intended to be worn by Mr. Garrick, at the approaching Jubilee, which is an improved Likeness of that Great Man. Ladies and Gentlemen may have them cither in Cases for the Pocket, or with Pendants for the Bosom, at Mr. Westwood's, Engraver, in Newhall-Walk ; or at the Toy-Shops, in Birmingham ; they may likewise be had at Mr. Payton's, at the White-Lion, in Stratford, and the Toy-Shops there. ij*# Ladies and Gentlemen may have them struck in Gold, on the shortest Notice. In March, 1770, Mr. Edward Nicklin, of this town, published "Pride and Ignorance, a Poem." In September appeared the following lines in Memory of the Rev. Mr. Wilkinson, at one time head Master of the Free Grammar School. The lines record one of those strange muta- tions of fortune which unfortunately are only too common. To THE Memory ok the Rev. Mr. Wilkinson. Oh ! Wilkinson, how fresh thy Mem'ry flows Through fading Time, and like a Lily grows: > Still ripening more as rolling Years run on, While Merit owns thee for her darling Son. Arise great Shade, and view the annual Feast Where Bumpers rouse thee from thy peaceful Rest. But oh ! avert thine Eyes, no farther trace The Breath of Fame along tliy blighted Race. Alas I thy Son, so cherish'd, and belov'd. Has, since thy Death, a wretched Orphan rcv'd ; t40 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Now stands a Beggar at the Rich Man's Door, And craves the blessing of the hungry Poor ; While Governors, and Scholars, all thy own, Remember thee, but quite forget thy Son. In I 771, Mr. Joseph Giles, late of Birmingham, published a volume of Miscellaneous Poems, "revised and corrected by the late Mr. William Shenstone." In June, Mr. Ferguson began a second course of Lectures on E.xperimental Philosophy, which concludes all the educational and literary items of this decade. The harvest is small, but then the labourers were few. § 4. AMUSEMENTS. There is little to record of the amusements of this period : they were numerous, but not novel. Concerts, the theatre, the circus, balls, exhi- bitions of curiosities, conjuring, and the ever-obtruded cock-fighting, attracted their votaries and afforded relaxation and recreation to our over-worked forefathers. A few extracts selected from an enormous number will suffice for this section. The first announces a performance on the Musical Glasses : — January 18, 1762. — Mr. Lamboume returns his most grateful Thanks to those who have already honoured his Perfonnances on the Glas.ses, with their Company and Appro- bation ; and as he has given general Satisfaction, he intends staying some Time longer. N.B. He gives Notice, that he shall perform at Mr. Evers.man's in Colmore Row, from Ten to One, and from Three to Seven in the F,vcning, this Day, and all the Week, and no longer. Admittance One Shilling. A Constant Fire in the Room. The next informs us of the feats of horsemanship exhibited here a century since. The advertisement is worth extracting for other reasons. February 8, 1762. — Mr. Johnson will perform the first five Days in this Week, being the very last he shall exhibit in this Town, in a Piece of Ground adjoini?tg to the further End of the Gardens., near the Neiu- Chapel, towards Vauxhall. His Performances are as follow : I, He rides upon the Back of one Horse, standing upon one Leg, and in that Position he gallops three Times round the Place. 2, He rides two Horses with his Foot in each inside Stirrup, and when the Horses are in full Speed, leaps from the Stirnips with a Foot upon each Saddle, and in that Posture continues tossing up his Cap, and Cracking his ■\Vhip. 3, He rides Three Horses with a Foot upon each outside Horse, and when they are in full speed, lets two of them go, and leaps on the Third, without checking them. 4, He rides a single Horse, and while in full speed mounts and dismounts instantaneously, and to the great Surprize 01 the Spectators, flies over the Horse when at his greatest AMUSEMENTS. I4I Rates. — Tho' what is here mentioned may seem incredible to those who have not seen Mr. Johnson, yet it is undoubtedly True, that his Performances exceed all he did Two Years ago. The Doors to be open'd at Three in the Afternoon, and mount exactly at Four. Admittance One Shilling. %* Mr. Johnson will take care lo make llic Road good from the Chapel to the Piece of Ground. Here is a curious case of repentance and confession : — April 29, 1762. — As nothing so plainly distinguishes Gratitude in any Man as to acknowledge his faults committed to his Friends, I, John Redell, am determined from the Date hereof, never to attempt to fight a Mai.n of Cocks again, as witness my Hand, J. Redicll. P.S. As to my Old Dons and Little l)avids, they are no more. Of the exhibitions provided at this time few could have been more curious or interesting^ than the two followinof : — April 19th, 1762. — To be seen from Ten o'Clock in the Morning till Nine at Night, at the Black Lion, in the Bull Ring, Birmingham, a Surprising Piece of Clock Work, con- sisting of three Statues : The first represents a Shopkeeper in a Toy Shop, who opens and shuts his Doors, and is ready to serve them with (lold Rings, Watches, Silver Spoons, &c. The second represents a Vintner with a Cask under his Arm, who, at Command, draws Red, White, or niix'd Wine. The third represents Merlin, with a Wand in his hand and a Bell before him ; who tells the Day of the ^Veek, the Hour of the Day and Quarters ; Persons drawing a Card may be infonned how many Spots and the Colour; .\ny Spectator may think of a number under Twelve, and he will tell what the Number is ; how many Gentlemen and Ladies are in the Room, &:c. Admittance is left to the Generosity of Gentlemen and Ladies; but for Senants and Children, Six-pence each. The Proprietor intends staying in Town only this Week, and returns his Thanks to the Gentlemen and Ladies for their Favours. Birmingham, July 3rd, 1762. — At Richard Hawkin's in Edmund-Street, on Thursday next, will be exhibited four curious Pieces of Mathematical and Mechanical Machinery : The I St is the Representation of a Toy sho]), with the To}Tnan behind his Counter, that at the Word of Command opens and shuts a Pair of folding Doors, and serves his Customers with the following Toys, in any manner they please to call for them. — I. Watches; 2. Watch Springs; 3. A\"atth Cilasses; 4. Watch Keys; 5. Gold Rings; 6. Silver Spoons : he also makes his Obedience to the Company, and, if required, tells you the value of his Toys. — 2nd is a Vintner placed on a Pedestal, with four small Casks filled with Wine and Spiritous Liquors, with a Cock in each Cask, and scr\es the Company at the Word of Command with the following Sorts : ist Red Wine ; 2nd White Wine ; 3rd Brandy ; 4th Rum ; each Cock turning and stopping very \isible, as natural as human hand can turn it. 3rd is an Hermit in his Cave, with a Rock or Caskade on each side of him ; he, at the ^\■ord of Command, turns his head towards the Company, and by striking with his Stafi", causes the Water to run down which Rock the Company ])lease to mention. 4th is the Figure of Merlin placed upon a Pedestal, with a small \\and in his Hand, and a Book before him; and the first Question that is asked him, turns his Head 142 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. towards the Company, and by striking his Bell with his Magic Wand, causes the Book to open, keeping it oi>cn all the while of his Performance ; several surprising Questions are asked him, all of which he answers by turnmg iiis Head and striking on his Bell, and when done, shuts his Book again. To be seen from Five o'clock in the Evening till Nine, .\dmittance is left to the Generosity of Gentlemen and Ladies, but for Working People and Servants Six-pence each time. In August, 1762, this notification was made : — There will be an Exhibition of some Oratorios here about the End of October, if the Town is not averse to the Patronizing of them. This is followed by an advertisement in September, giving these particulars : — September 20th, 1762. — Mr. Bond takes this public Opportunity of acquainting the Nobility and Gentry, who have honoured him for three Years past with their Subscription and Encouragement in the Prosecution of his Oratorios, that they would have taken Place at the usual Time this Year, but a very severe Fit of Illness in the Beginning of Summer, and an almost continued ill state of Health in Consequence of it, has prevented him from paying that early and close attention he has always found it necessary to do on former Occasions. As this is the tnie and sole Reason of the present Suspension of the Oratorios, Mr. Bond hopes his Friends will not consider it as a total Discontinuance, it being his full Design to go on with them the ensuing Year; but not to disappoint them entirely of a Musical Entertainment this Year, he proposes to have a Concert on Tuesday the 5th of October next. The Vocal Parts by Messrs. Price, Mence, and Saville. Tickets at 2s. 6d. each, to be had of Mrs. Jobson, Printer, Mr. Parker, Bookseller, in Coventry, and of Mr. Bond. There will be a ball as usual. But what shall we say of the immortal Bridges, the parallel of Archimedes ? January 17th, 1763.- — If Sicily can boast of her Archimedes, England may equally glory in her Bridges. He has not only constructed a Piece of Art which exhibits the various Revolutions of the Planets, &c., but displays likewise several of the .-Vrts and Sciences. He has embellished this inimitable Perfomiance with a wonderful \'ariety of Moving Figures, Landscapes, &c., Szc, and when compleated, with great Propriety call'd it the Microcosm. — It is to be seen any Time of the day by four or more at one Shilling Each, At Seven o'Clock it will be shewn to more or less, three Doors above the Red Lion in Digbeth all this and next Week. We rejoice to read anything which indicates the presence of a feeling repugnant to the cruel sports which then prevailed. However slight it may be, it is the dawn of a spirit which is certain to increase and gain in strength until it is powerful enough entirely to put a stop to the practice, or to banish it to the secret haunts of the vicious, to be dealt with by the law. It is a long work, but in the end the better cause prevails. There is much yet to be done before men can be brought AMUSEMENTS. 143 Never to blend their pleasure or their pride With sorrow of the meanest thing that breathes. In our own day the brutes of Croydon are the lineal descendants of the cock-fighters of old. The public display of this shameful sport was however doomed when such paragraphs as the following began to be written and read. It appeared March 5, 1764 : — As the barbarous Custom of Throwing at Cocks too much prevails yet upon Shrove- Tuesday, to the Disgrace of real Christianity, true Humanity, and a good Police, in a civilized country ; all the Magistrates in the Kingdom should Prohibit it, and punish all Offenders, for their own and the national Credit, being a cruel Diversion to kill innocent Animals in that wanton Manner. The next extract is a theatrical announcement : — June 25, 1764. — We hear that the English Opera of Love in a Village will certainly be perform'd at the Theatre in King-Street on Friday next : And that the Masque of CoMUS, written by Milton, is now in Rehearsal, and will be speedily perform'd at the same Theatre, with new Dresses and Decorations. Madame Capdeville, the celebrated Dancer, is expected here sometime this week, and is engaged by Mr. Younger to dance at the above Theatre with Signior Lanchery and Miss Tetley. Theatrical advertisements sometimes ventured upon criticism ; and when they did they afford us some fine examples of the ciiriosa infelicitas. Here is one on "As You Like It" : — August 20, 1764. (By particular Desire) For the Benefit of Miss Ward, At the New Theatre in King Street, Birmingham, on Friday Evening, the 24th August, will be presented a Comedy call'd As You Like It. (Written by Shakespear.) This Comedy, tho' one of the first Productions of that immortal Genius, has been allowed by all the Dramatic Writers to be at least equal, if not excel, any other of his Perform- ances. The established Reputation it ever has and still continues to hold, with all Judges of Literature, and Frequenters of the Theatre, both for Variety of Character and Incident, True Humour, and Usefulness of Morals, speaks louder in its Favour than all that can be said in Praise of its Merit. The letter of a correspondent published on September 2, 1765, tells us something about the Theatre. It reads dreadfully like a puff. To the Printers of the Birmingham Gazette. I have in the course of this Summer when the Weather would permit attended the Play-House in this Town, and have been sometimes pleased with the Performance ; particularly with the Maid of the Mill, King John, &r. ; and now I mention King John, I must take notice of the very excellent Performance of two characters played by Mrs. Ward and Master Kennedy ; there was not a dry eye in the House ; Mrs. 144 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Ward's great Feeling and masterly manner of conveying her Grief, made each Person present feel as much as if they were in the Circumstances i and the Pleadings by Master Kennedy to Hubert, where he is about to lose his eyes, astonished the Audience, that a Boy so young could be so Natural, and yet so forcible as to omit nothing that the oldest Actor on the Stage would have made Use of to gain the Applause of the Audience. I think 'tis Pity that Merit is not more encouraged here. Master Kennedy, I am told, played the character of Prince .Arthur twice before his Majesty, and tiiat the Duke of York, and the present Princess of Brunswick, took great Notice of him, and paid him many Compliments when the Play was over. — I hope he will meet with Encouragement, as I hear he is to have Part of a Benefit ; and as he cannot be supposed to have -Acquaintance, being too young to Keep Company, 'tis hoped the Encouragers of Merit, particularly the Ladies, will make a Point of sending for his Tickets, and let the Town see it is not always owing to keeping a great deal of Company, or an overgrown Interest that always makes a great Benefit. I am your Constant Reader, Benevolius. The year 1 766 opened with an exhibition of a more serious character ; and proves that then, as now, all tastes were catered for : — January 6th, 1766. — To be seen, from Eight in the Morning till Eight at Night, at the Seven Stars, in the High-Street, Birmingham, Mr. Motett's Si.\ Curious Pieces of Marble Sculptures, representing the Suflferings of our Saviour, from his last Supper to his Crucifi.xion ; also his .\ppearance to the Holy Women in Galilee, after his Resurrection, in upwards of 400 Fine Figures in Relievo ; they were designed as a present to the French King, but taken in the War 1745. To which are now added four Fine Paintings, on the same Subject, by the most eminent Masters, finished in the year 1577, taken at Vigo in 1702. Books, giving a curious and just Description of these excellent Pieces, to be had of the Man who delivers the Bills, and at the place above mentioned. Gentle- men and Ladies, One Shilling each; Ser\'ants Six Pence. From hence they will be removed to Sutton-Coldfield, but for a short time, in the Way to Lichfield, Burton, and Derby. A sober, honest I\Lin, that can blow a French Horn or Trumpet well, may hear of Encouragement. *,* Pray observe our Stay is but a few Days. The transition from the grave to the gay is in these matters rather sudden. From Scriptural sculpture to a pantomime is a wide leap, but it has to be taken ; for life is made up of a succession of such transformation scenes. July 7th, 1766. — The Pantomime Entertainment of Harlequin Sorcerer on Friday last was received with universal -Applause and -Approbation, and is generally allowed greatly to exceed any Thing of that Kind ever performed here, both for variety of Incident and Machinery, as it contains not only all the capital Tricks used in London in the Panto- mime of that Name, but also the celebrated Dog Scene from Perseus and Andromeda. It can only be performed this week, as the Benefits begin the following one, for which Reason it will be done this Night, To-Morrow, Wednesday, and Friday. The Machinery is entirely made, and the Entertainment planned by Mr. Weller, who belongs to Covent Garden Theatre. AMUSEMENTS. 145 We gather from the advertisements that there was not a little difficulty in keeping up the periodical performance of Oratorios at this time. In October, 1767, this advertisement appeared : — October sth, 1767.^ — The Oratorios of the Messiah, Sampson, and the Mask of Acis and Galatea, ■will be performed here on Wednesday the 21st; Thursday the 22nd, and Friday, the 23rd Days of this Month. The Music will be conducted by Mr. Capell Bond, Organist, of Coventry. The principal Vocal Parts by Miss Thomas, Messrs. Norris, Mathews, Price, Saville, &c., &c. The principal Instrumentals Messrs. Adcock, Miller, Lates, and Others. It was followed by a decade of verses celebrating their revival. October 19, 1767. On the Reviv.-vl of the Or.\torios, in Birmingham. In other Towns whilst Oratorios please. Shall we in gloomy Silence spend our Days ? Nor taste of those Enjoyments that impart Melodious Sounds to captivate the Heart ? Sons of Apollo, who the Name revere Of Handel, and his Memory hold dear, Let not the circling Seasons pass unsung ; And whilst you've power to charm the list'ning Throng, Bid dulness fly, nor let it e'er be said. Where Arts are cherish'd, Music droops its Head. On October 26th we have the gratifying intelligence that, The Oratorios performed here last Week gave the greatest Satisfaction to a very numerous audience each Day ; about Eight Hundred Persons were at the New Church on Friday to hear the Sacred Oratorio, amongst whom were many of the neighbouring Nobility and Gentry, and it is intended to have these Performances continued annually for the Benefit of a Public Charity. The celebrated Shakspere Jubilee, designed and carried out by Garrick, was held at Stratford-on-Avon, on September 6, 7, and 8, 1769, and Birmingham caught a little of its reflected light. On September 25 this announcement was published : — SHAKESPEARE. For One Night Only. At the Theatre in King Street, Birmingham, on Thursday, October 5, will be performed a Concert of Vocal and Instrumental Music, 'in Three Acts. To consist of all the Songs, Glees, Catches, and Roundelays lately performed at Stratford Jubilee ; with the Ode written by David Garrick, Esq., in Honour of Shakespeare. — The Vocal Parts by Mr. Parsons and Others, the Instrumental by the best Performers of this Town, and from Gloucester, Worcester, and Lichfield, Sic. — The speaking of the Reciutive Parts of the Ode will be humbly attempted by a Gentleman of this Town. — Also a New Occasional Prologue, and other Particulars, which will be expressed in a future Advertisement, and in the Bills of the Day. X 146 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM UFE. Tickets will be ready to be delivered out on Wednesday, by Mr. Parsons, at Mr. Hodges in Peck Lane ; at the Swan in the High Street ; the Box-Iron in Dudley Street ; of Mr. Moore in Edgbaston Street ; at Mr. Gill's, in Worcester Street ; and of Pearson and Axis, Printers. Here is the picture of a Corsican Fairy ! — June II, 1770. — Birmingham. — Novelty has sometimes Charms sufficient to engage the Attention of the Public ; but if the Curiosity exhibited has no real Merit, that Attention will be found but of very short Duration. It is quite the Reverse with Maria Teresa, the Corsican Fairy. Her astonishing Littleness, admirable Symmetry, and pleasing Vivacity, daily attract great Numbers of the Curious to see her. Struck with an agreeable Surprize at her amazing Form, they bestow the highest Encomiums on her; and confirm the Opinion of the Judicious in all Countries where she has been shewn, that she is the finest display of human Nature, in Miniature, they ever saw. She is still to be seen in commodious Apartments, No. 87, in the High Street, where she will continue till Wednesday Night next, and no longer, on Account of Coventry Fair. The next advertisement gives us the record of a little theatrical quarrel. September 5, 1770 — Whereas a Report having been industriously propagated with a Design to prejudice the Ladies and Gentlemen of Birmingham against the present Manager of the Theatre and the whole Company, in Relation to Mr. and Mrs. Jackson's not being allowed to Play so often as they otherwise would have done. This is to assure the Public in general, that such Report is without Foundation, as both Mr. and Mrs. Jackson have been frequently solicited to Play, when both of them have as fi-equently refused to comply with such request. The Company would likewise recom- mend it to them to behave themselves with less Pride and Arrogance, and more Justice to the next Community they may chance to be engaged in ; lest their bad Conduct should exclude them from every Theatre. William Brereton M. Wrighton Robert Summers John Sherriffe Hannah Palmer Francis Langlois William Cooke Mary Capon S. Sherriffe J. Edwin William Glocester Ann Glocester James Wright R. Wemstyer Susannah Kirby W. Palmer Charles Moor We close the record of the amusements of this period with a descrip- tion of the conjuring, or, as it is called, "dexterity of hand," which delighted our forefathers :— March 25, 1771. — Dexterity of Hand. — This present Evening, at the Little No- Theatre, at the top of Needless-Alley, in Birmingham, are to be seen the noted Mr. Tayler's Grand Medley of Perfonnances, being the most extraordinary ever exhibited in England. He had the Honour to perfonn before his present Majesty in the Years 1770 and 1771- — ist. He does most surprising Tricks blind-fold, which was never seen before. — 2nd. He takes a Glass and drinks thereout, and after breaking it in Pieces, com- mands the same whole again before all the Company. — 3rd. He desires any Lady to pull off a Ring and throw it among the Company, and at the same Time he commands the MANNERS, CUSTOMS, ETC. 1 47 Ring back again into a Box, inclosed in six Boxes and the last Box secured with a Lock and Key. — 4th. He puts several Pieces of Money into any Gentleman's Hand, which he either increaseth or diminisheth, the Gentleman having them in his Hand at the same Time. — 5th. He permits any Gentleman to take a Piece of Thread, and measure it to any Length, he burns it, and spins it to the same Length again. — 6th. He takes a Piece of Money of a Gentleman and puts it into a Plate, standing five Feet distant, and conveys the Piece from the said Plate unto a Plate held in his Hand. — 7th. Any Lady or Gentleman may cut a Piece out of a Lady's Apron, Handkerchief, or Ruffle, and the said Artist will join it without Needle or Thread. — 8th. He likewise permits any Lady to draw one Card out of a Pack, holding an Egg in her Hand ; he causes her to put the Card into the Pack shuffling the Cards, and at his Word the Card flies into the Egg which the Lady had in her Hand ; another Lady takes an Egg, out of which, at his Word, he causes a whole complete Female Array to proceed. — 9th. He performs with live Birds and Perukes, multiplying one to one Dozen, without stirring a Hand from the Table. — To conclude with Mr. Punch and his virtuous Lady, with their whole Family of Soft Heads and Woodenskull Gentry. The Doors to be opened at Six, and begin exactly at Seven o'clock. — Boxes, 2s. Pit, is. Gal. 6d. § 5. MANNERS, CUSTOMS, ETC. Manners and Customs change more slowly than aught besides. Individually and collectively we are the slaves of habit ; and for most men each day is but a repetition of the one preceding, and to-morrow will find them treading in the old paths, performing the old acts, and sharing the old amusements. Still, customs and manners do change, and although in so many things we are but repeating under other forms the doings of our forefathers, we shall find that only a century since — and a century in the history of a town is little more than a day in the history of a man — things were done which seem curious to us. A few extracts will enable us to catch the manners as they fly. We should read with astonishment now a paragraph like this, which appeared on August 16, 1762: — "An Advertisement having been printed off in the first Page of this Paper, which we since find will give offence, we have thought most proper to cut it out." And accordingly the papers were published with the objectionable Advertisement literally cut out. This announcement was so thoroughly carried out that even the file copy has suffered excision, and no one now can know what it was which gave offence. I 48 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. But what will be said of John Foxhall, who thus advertises his domestic troubles ? August 23, 1762. — Whereas Elizabeth the Wife of John Foxhall, of Wightwick, in the Parish of Tettenhall, and County of Stafford, Yeoman, hath lately left her said husband and his Family, and taken with her divers Things, Household Goods, and other Things of Value ; this is therefore to require her to return to her said Husband, and to bring back with her all such Household Goods and other Things so taken away, on which Terms she will be kindly received by her said Husband, and on a proper Behaviour in future, all past faults forgiven ; but if she refuses so to do, her said Husband hereby gives Notice, that he will not pay any Debt or Debts she shall henceafter contract, and that all and every Person or Persons that do or shall henceafter harbour, entertain, or conceal the said Elizabeth, his said Wife, or from her or under her directions, take, receive, or dispose of, any of the Household Goods, or other Goods or Chattels of the said John Foxhall, will by him be prosecuted, without further Notice, for the same. John Foxhall. Dated the 19th day of August, 1762. The next tells us of a practice which perhaps might have been retained with advantage to science : — October 23rd, 1762. — The Body of the Malefactor, who is order'd to be executed at Lichfield on Monday the 25th instant, will be afterwards conveyed to the House of Dr. Darwin, who will begin a Course of Anatomical Lectures, at Four o'Clock on Tuesday Evening, and continue them every Day as long as the Body can be preserved, and shall be glad to be favoured with the Company of any who profess Medicine or Surgery, or whom the Love of Science may induce. The method of announcing marriages at this time differs somewhat from our own. If the statements made about the young ladies were literally true our Ancestral Benedicts ought to have been happy fellows. Take two as specimens of ordinary notices : — July 25, 1763. — On Thursday last was married at St Martin's Church, Mr. Joseph Oughton, jun., an eminent Gun Barrel Maker of this Town, to Miss Dolly Whately, an agreeable young Lady, with a handsome Fortune. July 2nd, 1764. — Sunday se'nnight was married at St. Chad's in Salop, by the Rev. Mr. Wingfield, Mr. William Heath, an eminent Merchant of this Town, to Miss Sally Fouler, a young Lady endowed with every Qualification that can render the Marriage State happy. The next is perhaps the earliest notice of the abolition of a custom which ought never to have existed. King-Street Theatre, July 16, 1764. — The Performers at this Theatre | take the Liberty of requesting such of their Friends, as propose favouring them with their Company at their Benefits to come early, as the Plays will begin exactly at Seven o'Clock ; and should the Front of the House be ever so full, there can be no admittaiue behind the Scenes. MANNERS, CUSTOMS, ETC. 149 A Green Goose Feast! Some of our readers will doubtless wonder what sort of a feast this could have been.* Such a one was held yearly at many of the public houses at this time. July i6, 1764. — Thomas Moore, at the Cock in Dale End, begs leave to acquaint his Friends that his .\nriual Green Goose Feast will be held at his house on Friday next, the 20th of July, and that the Favours of their Company will be gratefully acknowledged, by their most humble Servant, — Thomas Moore. Here is a specimen of threatening letters a hundred years ago : — January 21, 1765. — Last Monday night some Villians broke into the House of Mr. Brittain, Apothecary, in the High Street, and stole from thence a Gold AVatch, which they took out of a Cupboard in the Parlour, wherein where several Pieces of Plate, which they did not meddle with ; they attempted to break open a Bureau in the same Room, but without success ; they also open'd a Drawer in the Shop, and took some Money from thence, but left igd. in Half-pence behind. Between Seven and Eight o'clock the next night the following letter was sent : — " To Mr. Britton in ye high Street Birmingham. I ham a Neaighbour and ham Near Destres for want of about ten or fifteen Pounds if you will help me out you shall have your Watch again safe or els not as you can aford it for you have had ten times that of me and shall have that again as soon as I can spare it if you dont I must fli my Country and then my life will be very Troublesome and I must Loose my Life or Being if you Ofer to bio Or Refuse me ye mony I will bio your Brains Out the first time I meet you if I dont my Co pr. will for me for we dont Vaulle our Lives Sr if you will save me from a shamfuU end for it is the first time I ever wanted money and shall be the Last I need not wante ite now if 1 could get my own in Pray excuse me Sr as I ham Realy in distres if you will I never will trouble you any more you shall have ye watch ye night after I have ye money if dont fail Letting me have ye money if you do my Life for yours if you will you may Lap it up in a peis of Paper and put it in abit of hay and about ten of ye Clock On Wensday Night next being the i6th Open your Entry door and lay it on ye Step and I will come for it myself if you Ofer to Get any asistance I will Loose my Life and then avat yours for I will be well harm'd for if I ham taken your Life wont be Long if you do This time I never will trouble you any more I do ashure you neaither shall you be that Out of Pocket do Good Sr Consider a person in destris I would have ask'd you but if I had and my afiairs had comm to be none I should have been ruind, as I ham in Trad if you wont Lap up a letter in Sted Sr I hope we shall be better accunted from your Servant Mr i 234" Accordingly on Wednesday Night something was laid wrapped up tn Hay, but no one came. The naivetd of the proceeding given in the last paragraph is quite refreshing. We select two more examples of this style of ancient literature : — March 13, 1769. — The following threatening letter was found at the Back-Door of Mr. Brueton's House in the High Street, in this Town, on Thursday Night last : — * Geese before they are turned on to the stubble. 150 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. " Mr. Brueton if you Pleaseen to Lay Ten Pounds in Money at a Certin Place at the Back Door up in the Entry on Thursday Night Next Without fail If You Do not your house on ye following night shall be all in flames. If it tis not I will be Dam'd. So take it as You Please for if You Do not You will find your house ye Next Morning in ases. Witness our hands E. S. D. E. and 13 moor of the Gang for we are Stout hartted fellows and feir nothing." Birmingham, January 21, 1768 — Whereas the following threatening Letter was found under the Door of Mrs. Walker, in Moor-Street, on Tuesday Night last, directed thus : — "For Mrs. Walker Moor-Street." " Madam. — your a good woman Ime a poor man you Can aford itt I Wantt itt Lay Ten Guineas in a Old Shoe upon your Stepp to morrow night Eleven O'Clock Or your house Shall Blase Before Sunday and then Beware of money and goods "3 Sworn to do hitt "tudesday night, " Wele non be putt off." Raising money by state lotteries was then a common practice ; but it was not often that such a lucky hit occurred as this : — " We are assured that the Gentlemen belonging to the Society at the Phoenix in Park- Street, purchased five Tickets in the Present Lottery, and they are all come up Prizes." Here is something about a fashion which has long since gone out : — November 28, 1768 — William Jones, in Birmingham, takes this Method to acquaint the Public in general, that he makes Cork \\'igs both Bags and Bobs, in all their various Fashions, in the highest Perfection possible, so as not to be distinguished from the common Hair Wigs, but by their Superior Elegance. A farther excellence of them is, that the Wearers may dress them in a Minute's Time, though ever so much disordered, and make them appear more neat than the other Wigs, which would take an Hour in dressing them as they ought to be, and for Service they are greatly beyond any yet constructed, as many Gentlemen, whom he has had the Honour to serve, can witness. All Commands shall be expeditiously and faithfully executed. One example of an old Birmingham sharper : — December 19, 1768. — Thursday last a Farmer was met in this Town by a Sharper who asked him if he could take a Letter to a Place he named, the Farmer replying he could, was prevailed on to go with him to a Publick House, where, in a Back Parlour, sat two or three of the Sharper's Companions, who pretended a Dispute about which had the most Money ; this brought on Cards, and the Farmer was induced to play ; but, to his great Mortification soon found himself fleeced of Twenty Pounds, which the Sharpers carried clear off. Bad habits are even more durable than good. At the present time the newspapers are justly complaining of the foolish and dangerous practice of throwing orange-peel on the foot-path ; and serious accidents are the consequence of this thoughtless and culpable act. On June 19, 1 769, the public monitor had to give the following caution : — MANNERS, CUSTOMS, ETC. I5I We think it a Duty incumbent on our particular Part, at this Time to caution very seriously all Persons who regard the safety of Mankind, against throwing Pease or Bean Shells upon the Foot Pavements, by which many Persons walking the Streets, especially those who carry Lxjads and Burthens, are exposed to imminent Danger : And it is earnestly recommended to all the Shop-keepers to sweep them into the Streets when they see any lie before their Doors. It may not be uninteresting to tlie ladies to know the price of drapery at this period. From a tradesman's advertisement of 1 769 we quote the following. The goods are said to be offered much below the ordinary selling prices on account of the great advantages of the seller ; but this must be taken for what it is worth. Great Choice of printed Linens and Cottons i8d. to 5s. a Yard. Great Choice of Muslins, all Sorts, 3s. to i6s. Flower'd Muslins, at 7s. 8s. 9s. and los. per Yard. Ell-wides Striped ditto, 3s. 6d. Very fine Book ditto. Flower'd Striped and plain Lawns, i6d. to los. Long and Silesia Lawn, 2S. to los. Hollands and Irish Linens, lod to los.. Needle-work achieved wonders in the careful and industrious hands of the ladies of the olden time. The specimens which remain of their handiwork are marvels of patience, perseverance, and frequently of great skill. In 1771 we read : — There is lately finished, by a Lady of this Town, a Portrait of his Majesty, in Needle Work, allowed by the Connoisseurs to be the greatest Curiosity ever seen of the kind, being the closest Likeness to his Majesty, and so highly finished, that it has all the Softness and Effect of Painting. " Slaves cannot breathe in England," says Cowper. But this was not always the case. The following advertisement refers to Lichfield ; but it recalls so vividly before us the great change wrought by Sharp and his fellow labourers, and is in itself so curious that it deserves a place here : — November 11, 177 1. — To be Sold by Auction, on Saturday tlie 30th Day of Nov. Inst., at the House of Mrs. Webb, in the City of Lichfield, and known by the Sign of the Baker's Arms, between the Hours of Three and Five in the Evening of the said Day, and subject to Articles, that will be then and there produced, (except sold by private Contract before the Time) of which Notice will be given to the Public by John Heeley, of Walsall, Auctioneer and Salesman. A Negro Boy from Africa, supposed to be about Ten or Eleven Years of Age. He is remarkably straight, well-proportioned, speaks tolerably good Englis/i. of a mild Disposition, friendly, officious, sound, healthy, fotui of Labour, cutd for Colour, an excellent fine Black. — For Particulars enquire of the said John Heeley. 152 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Could a Southern slave auctioneer dwell more lovingly on the qualities of this specimen of a human chattel ? Here was a piece of good news to the youthful lovers of glory and haters of hard work. Sergeant Galbet knew his trade. July 22, 1 77 1. — He That Works Hard Is Sure to be Poor. After six Day's hard Labour Comes Sunday — you rest ; And no sooner peeps Monday But you are quite shy of Cash. Therefore to make Life easy, and fill your Pockets with Money, Sergeant Galbet, will learn any young Man a Profession (without Fee or Reward) by which the Learner will be sure to earn a Guinea and a Crown the very first Hour. He will also introduce you to His Majesty's First Division of Marines, which is always quartered at Chatham, only thirty miles from London to which Place Pleasure-Boats carry Passengers for Six- pence each. When you arrive at Chatham, you are immediately provided with Cloaths, free Quarters in a Public-House, where you will be sure to meet with merry Fellows, a kind Landlady, and a rousing Fire ; do nothing, but on a fine day dance to the softest Music, feed on Dainties, drink the best Liquors, and Play at " Why won't you " with the prettiest Girls, saying " Chatham for ever," and " God save the King." N.B. He teaches no Militia Men or Apprentice. A Birmingham traveller gives us an account of a curious sight which he witnessed. This might be called a trade demonstration of the eighteenth century. June 17, i77i.-^A Gentleman of this Town travelling between Nottingham and Sawley on Monday the loth Instant, and meeting with a Train of Frame-work Knitters, (to the Number of 300 at least, with their'Press Irons in their hands) was tempted to ask one of them the Reason of such an extraordinary Appearance, and received the following Answer : — " We are going. Sir, from all the neighbouring Parishes, upon an Invitation from our Brethren in Nottingham, and the Country round, to meet in the Market-Place in Nottingham To-day at Eleven o'Clock, to raise the Price of Stockings Two-pence a Pair, for Provisions are so dear, we can't maintain our Families. And if the Masters won't agree to raise the Prices, we are determined to throw down our Press-Irons and return home." What Numbers were assembled, and what success they met with, we are not yet infomned, but we are inclined to hope their reasonable demands were complied with, and that they returned peaceably to their Habitations and Employments. The following: " Card " is a strange illustration of the manners of that day. Mr. T r referred to was the Rev. James Turner who was Minister at the Baptist Chapel, Cannon Street, from 1753 to 1780. July 8, 177 1. — To the Printer of the Binningham Gazette. A Card. In Justice to the Rev. Mr. T r, who is reported to have been the principal Propagator of the Disturbance that arose near the Banks of the River Jordan in Cannon THE GENERAL HOSPITAL. 1 53 Street, on Sunday Fortnight, I think it incumbent upon me (as an Observer) to give the public a true Narrative of the affair. A Person in the Table Pew, not satisfied with hear- ing, seemed very anxious of bringing away the Contents of the Sermon ; but as the Preacher did not choose to have his performance copied do>vn, in a few Minutes after naming the Text, broke off from his Discourse, and in strong Emphasis cried out " I don't allow any one to write after me." The Writer regardless of what was said, still ventured to proceed, when behold the Minister again called out " Take the Pen out of that Man's hand." The Parson's Mandate was obeyed, t^vo Persons arose, and after some Struggling the Pencil was wTested from his Hand by J s a Copper-smith, and H d a Cabinet-maker.— Query. — Whether Mr. T r has acted any other- wise than what is consistent wth his dignity. — Observator. Neither Observator nor any other correspondent deigned to give a reply to this courteous query, and it remains unanswered to this day. The reader will not be lona: in answerincf it for himself. THE GENERAL HOSPITAL. The foundation of such a noble charity as the General Hospital is an event of memorable importance in our local history. The men who originated it, and whose contributions made it possible to carry it out, are deserving of the eternal gratitude of the community. Of the many important works undertaken between 1761 and 1771 the establishment of this Hospital ranks as the most important. Hutton gives us no information as to its origin. He contents himself with a few vague reflections on charity, and then gives us this short paragraph on the beginning of this great institution. " The shell," he says, " of this plain but noble edifice was erected in 1 766, upon a situation very unsuitable for its elegant front, in a narrow dirty lane, with an aspect directing up the hill, which should ever be avoided." He is right as to the unsuitableness of the site selected, but it is a pity that one who lived so near the time, who personally knew Dr. Ash, the founder, who once saved his life, and many of the earliest friends of the Hospital, has not left us a fuller record of the beginning, the progress, the difficulties, and the success of this noble undertaking. The file of the Gazette enables us to some extent to supply the desiderated information. It will be noticed that nearly all the extracts which we quote are advertisements. The news columns of the paper giving us the rarest scraps on the subject. 154 A CENTURY OF BIR>riXGIlAM LIFE. The first notice is a modest one in which it " is presumed " that such a charity would be "greatly beneficial," and calls a meeting to consider how to render the suggestion effectual. We quote the advertise- ment : — Birmingham Nov. 4, 1765. — A GENiiRAi, H(iSi'nAi. for tlic Relief of the Sick and Lame, situated near the Town of Birmingliam, is presumed would be greatly beneficial to the populous Country about it, as well as that place. A Meeting therefore of the Nobility and Gentry of the Neighbouring Country, and of the Principal Inhabitants of this Town, is requested on Thursday the 21st Instant, at the Swan Inn, at Eleven in the Forenoon, to consider of proper Steps to render effectual so useful an undertaking. All public undertakings, no matter how good, are sure to meet with opponents. So it was with the proposal to found a hospital. Some of the wiseacres of the time considered it a work of supererogation, and urged objections. The only knowledge we have of these objectors, and of the reason they alleged, is found in a postscript added to the preceding advertisement on November 18, and which reads thus; — P.S. It having been objected to the Usefulness of the above-mentioned Design, that the present Infirmary estalilished will answer all the jiurposes of it. It may be necessaiy here to observe, that more than half the Manufacturers in the Town of Birmingham, are not Parishioners of it, and cannot be entitled to any Relief from the present Infirmary : Many of them are Foreigners, but the greatest Part belong to the Parishes of a Neighbouring Country. The men who had the matter in hand, however, were too earnest, and the work itself too good and too much needed for these obstructive cavillers to retard its progress. The meeting was held on November 21, and " it was unanimously agreed by the Noblemen and Gentlemen then present that this Design should be immediately carried into Execution, and a Subscription was then opened for that Purpose." A paragraph in the Gazette, November 25, gives us a little fuller infor- mation on this meeting than the mere fact of passing the resolution to beein the work. From that we learn that Benefactions to the amount of upwards of .^f 1,000, and Subscriptions from ^200 to ^300 were raised. November 25, 1765. — Last Thursday, in consequence of an Advertisement for that purpose, a considerable Number of Gentlemen, both of the Country and Town, met at the Swan, to begin a Subscription for erecting a General Hosjjital near this Town : The evident Utility of this Undertaking, in a Situation so well calculated for the Benefit of a Populous Country, and the ready and cheerful Assistance given by all who wish well to Acts of Charity, have already had the most happy Effects, and afford the most pleasing THE GENERAL HOSPITAL. 1 55 Prospects of future Success, as the Benefactions at present amount to upwards of One Thousand Pounds, and the Annual Subscriptions to between Two and Three Hundred Pounds. The work went on well, and day by day the funds rapidly increased. On October 31 the Benefactions amounted to upwards of ^1,400, and the Annual Subscriptions to ^400 ; on December 7, the former to ^1,900, and the latter to /^6oo, which amounts in a few weeks increased respectively in round numbers to ^2,550, and £T2<^. Amongst the earliest friends of the Hospital we find many of the most noted Birmingham names, some of whose descendants are still honourably associated with the Charity — and chief among these is the honoured name of Lloyd. At a meeting held on the 24th of December, 1765, the rules were confirmed, and the first Committee elected. The following are the names of those whose labours and contributions on behalf of so noble an object won for them the confidence of the subscribers, and entitle them to the perpetual remembrance and honour of Birmingham people. The Earl of Dartmouth John Taylor, Esq. The Earl of Aylesford Henry Carver, Esq. Sir Charles Mordaunt, Bart. Samuel Garbett. Esq. Sir Lister Holt, Bart. Dr. John Ash Sir Rosrer Newdigate, Bart. Dr. William Small Sir Henry Bridgman, Bart. Mr. John Kettle Sir Henry Gough, Bart. Mr. Matthew Boulton William Bromley, Esq. Mr. Sampson Lloyd Simon Luttrell, Esq. Mr. Joseph Smith Charles Colmore, Esq. Mr. Samuel Galton Jervoise Clarke, Esq. Mr. John Turner Benjamin Palmer, Esq. Mr. Thomas Abney Richard Geast, Esq. Mr. Joseph Carles William Dilke, Esq. Mr. Francis Parrott David Lewis, Esq. Mr. William John Banner Abraham Spooner, Esq. We are enabled to trace the work step by step, and it will be seen that there was no delay in carrying out the resolution of the first meet- ino. The trustees evidently went to their work with a will. On January 27, 1766, the following advertisement was inserted : — 156 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. This is to give Notice That a PubHc Board of the Trustees for the General Hospital will be held on Tuesday the 4th of Februar)', at the Swan Inn, at Eleven o'Clock in the Forenoon, at which time the Trustees for this Impartial Charity are earnestly requested to give their Attendance, to receive the Report from the Committee for the intended Building, and to despatch other Business relating to the Hospital. The Gentlemen of the Committee are desired to meet at Eleven o'Clock, at the Swan, on Friday the 31st Instant, to prepare their Report for the Public Board. At this meeting " it was agreed to purchase Land for the Building on the terms offered to the Committee ; and a special public Board was ordered to be held on Tuesday the 4th of March, for receiving Plans and Estimates of the intended Building, sealed up." It is intimated in the same advertisement that " Such Builders as are desirous to engage in this Undertaking may apply to any of the Committee for what farther Information they may want." The land upon which it was proposed to erect the Hospital belonged to Mrs. Dolphin, and the Committee agreed to buy a little more than seven acres, at ^120 per acre. One clause of the agreement gives a very good description of the land, and enables the reader to form a picture of the rural character of a place then said to be " near Birmingham," but which is now in the very midst of this rapidly- extending town. The Committee agreed to purchase : — All those four closes, pieces, or parcels of Land, Meadow, or Pasture Ground, situate, lying, and being together near a place called the Salutation* in Birmingham aforesaid, containing, by estimation, eight Acres or thereabouts, be the same more or less, adjoining at the upper end or part thereof unto a Lane there called Summer Lane, and at the lower end or part thereof unto a Lane called Walmore Lane, with the Bam and other Buildings standing upon the uppermost of the said Closes towards the said Lane called Summer Lane, with all Ways, Liberties, Privileges, Hereditaments, and Appurtenances to the same belonging or therewith used and Enjoyed. At the meeting on March 4 " it was agreed to purchase the Land offered to them, and different Plans of the intended Building were sent in, and referred to the Consideration of the Committee. As immediate Contracts must be entered into with the Proprietor of the Land, and Person who shall be fixed upon to execute the Building, it is desired that the Nobility and Gentry will be pleased to order their Benefactions to be paid before the First Day of May next, into the hands of Mess. Taylor, Lloyd, and Co., at the Bank in Birmingham ; Robert Child, Esq., and Co., Temple Barr; Mess. Smith and Payne, Lombard Street, * The Salutation Inn, in Snow Hill, often mentioned in preceding extracts. THE GENERAL HOSPITAL. 157 London ; or any of the Receivers appointed in this Neighbourhood ; who are desired to transmit the same to Mess. Taylor, Lloyd, and Co., in Birmingham. — N.B. The Nobility and Gentry who are inclined to promote this Universal Charity, and have not yet signified their Intentions, are earnestly requested to send their Benefactions to any of the above-mentioned Gentlemen." The next public Board was held at the Swan Inn, on the 6th of May, and the Trustees were earnestly requested to give their attendance on special business. Its importance will be gathered from the following advertisement : — - At the last Public Board of Trustees of the General Hospital, it was unanimously agreed to Vest the Property of the Land in the following Gentlemen : — John Taylor, Esq. Dr. William Small. Henry Carver, Esq. Mr. John Kettle. Samuel Garbett, Esq. Mr. Matthew Boulton. Dr. John Ash. Mr. Sampson Lloyd. Mr Samuel Galton. Mr. Joseph Smith. Mr. Thomas Abney. Mr. John Turner, Barr. Which Trust is constantly to be filled up as Vacancies shall happen by the next Public Board after such Vacancies. Joseph Dallaway, Secretary. On July 2 1 it was announced that a Board would be held on every other Tuesday to receive and pass the accounts of the builders. A Public Board was held on November 3, at which the " Benefactors and Subscribers " were desired to attend. The next advertisement tells its own story; it appeared June i, 1767 : — General Hospital. — Birmingham, May 26th, 1767. — At a Publick Board held this Day at the Swan Inn, (pursuant to Notice given in this Paper,) it appearing to the Trustees that a farther Sum than what was already subscribed would be necessary to complete the Building; It was therefore unanimously determined, that a Second Subscription of Benefactions for that Purpose should be opened, the Gentlemen then present subscribed ; and when the importance of this useful Undertaking, in so populous a Country, is duly considered, it is hoped that the Nobility and Gentr)', as well as the Inhabitants of the Town, will not be wanting in their generous Contributions to render it effectual. Some of the Contributors to this Charity, having sent in their Annual Subscriptions unsolicited, they were accepted by the Trustees, as an Addition to their former Benefactions. The Books for Subscriptions are kept at Messrs. Taylor, Lloyd, and Co., at the Bank, in Birmingham, or they may be paid into the Hands of any of the Correspondents, a list of whom was before published. N.B. — The former Benefactions which were contributed in this Town have been all received, within a Deficiency of Ten Guineas. Joseph Dallaway, Secretary. 158 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. On January 25, 1768, we read : — The Committee beg Leave to inform the Public, that the Building is covered in, and Preparations are now making to fit up the Rooms for the Reception of Patients with all possible Expedition ; the former Benefactions having been found insufficient for this Purpose, a Second Subscription of Benefactions was proposed to the Members of the Committee present at one of their Meetings, and the following Benefactions were then subscribed, and the further Assistance of the Public is earnestly requested for the immediate furnishing and completing this useful and extensive Charity. John Taylor, Esq. Mr. Sampson Lloyd and Son ... Henry Carver, Esq. ... Mr. Joseph Smith Samuel Garbett, Esq.... Francis Garbett, Esq.... John Ash, M.D. William Small, M.D Mr. John Turner, Jun.. Richard Parrott, Esq. Mr. William Bentley ... Mr. John Banner Mr. Francis Goodall ... Mr. Edward Hector ... Mr. Samuel Galton Mr. James Farmer It is with regret that we learn that such a building as this was not considered sacred and free from the violence of the thoughtless and wicked. On July 11, 1768, the Board had to issue a notice, "that great Damage having been done to the Building of the General Hospital from loose disorderly People breaking tHe Windows, &c., Any Persons who shall hereafter be detected in such Scandalous Proceed- ings, will be prosecuted with the utmost Severity." The ne.\t advertisement is a very important one. Never was the remark that small beginnings often lead to great results more fully illustrated. It contains the announcement of the first Oratorio which was performed for the benefit of the General Hospital. — The beginning of those sflorious Musical Festivals which are now the honour of Birmingham and the pride of the musical world. It is an advertise- ment which will be read with profound interest by all. It appeared on July 25, 1768, and is as follows : — £ s. d. 21 21 21 21 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 5 5 5 5 10 10 5 5 THE GENERAL HOSPITAL. 159 General Hospital, This is to give Notice, that a Public Board of Trustees of the General Hospital, will be held by Adjournment at the Swan Inn, on Wednesday the 7th of September next, at Eleven o'Clock in the Forenoon, when all Trustees are desired to attend on Special Business. And for the Benefit of this Public Charity, on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, the 7th, 8th, and 9th of September, the Oratorios of II Penserosa, &c. Alexander's Feast, and the Messiah will be performed here. The Oratorios of II Penserosa, &c. and Alexander's Feast, will be at the Theatre in King-street, on the Wednesday and Thursday Evenings. On the Thursday Mijrning, at Eleven o'Clock, will be performed in St. Philips's Church, Mr. Handel's Te Deum and Jubilate, wth the Coronation and other Anthems, and the Messiah on Friday Morning at the same Place. — The best Vocal and Instrumental Performers will be engaged on this Occasion, the further Particulars of which will be inserted in a future Advertisement. On September 5 is added : — The Principal Vocal Parts will be performed by Mrs. Pinto, Mr. Norris, Mr. Matthews, Mr. Price, &c. Instrumental by Messrs. Pinto, Miller, Adcock, Jenkins, Park, Lates, Hobbs, Clark, Chew, &c. &c. The Oratorios will be conducted by Mr. Capell Bond of Coventry, and the Perfonners are desired to attend the Rehearsal on Tuesday the 6th Inst., at 9 o'Clock in the Morning. Tickets at 5s. each to be had at the Swan, Castle, Hen and Chickens, Dolphin, and the Red Lion Inns, Cooke's Coffee-House, and Duddeston Hall ; of Miss Jefferies's, Mrs. Tildesley's, Miss Matthews', Miss Mallett's, Mr. Chawner's, and of Pearson and Aris, Printers. The Music at the Church on Thursday Morning is to be opened with a Trumpet Concerto by Mr. Bond. N.B. Ladies and Gentlemen are desired to order their Servants to drive their Carriages down Peck-Lane and up King-Street, as they go to and from the Playhouse ; the Streets will be lighted from the Playhouse to the Ball Room. On September 1 2, the Gazette gives the following record of the performances and their result : — On Wednesday Evening for the Benefit of the General Hospital were performed the Musical Entertainment of L' Allegro and II Penserosa to a brilliant and Crowded Audience at the Theatre in King Street. On Thursday Morning Mr. Handel's Te Deum, and Jubilate, together with the Coronation Anthem, and Dr. Boyre's Anthem, suitable to the Occasion, were performed at St Philip's Church, after which a Collection was made, which the Countesses of Dartmouth and Aylesford ver>' obligingly stood to receive at the Church Door for the Benefit of the Charity. And in the Evening Alexander's Feast. And on Friday Morning was Performed at St. Philip's Church the Sacred Oratorio of the Messiah, which met with the most distinguished Applause. The Concourse of Nobility and Gentr)' from this and the neighbouring Counties gave the whole a most Splended Appearance, and at the same time shewed their Desire to concur with the Inhabitants of this Place in support of a Charit)' so beneficial and extensive. The Collection at St. Philip's Church with the Money received for the several Perform- ances and Benefactions given on this Occasion amounted to near Eight Hundred Pounds. l6o A CENTURV OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. The next advertisement announces a practice which has fallen into desuetude : — General Hospital, Birmingham, April 24th, 1769. — Notice is hereby given, that a Public Board of Trustees of the said Hospital, will bo held at the Swan Inn, on Tuesday the 2nd Day of May next, at Eleven o'clock in the Forenoon, where all Benefactors and Subscribers to the said Charity are particularly requested to attend on special Business. — JosEFH Dallawav, Sccretar)'. N.B. — Dinner will be put on the Table at Two 0^ Clock. In September, 1770, the Theatre in King Street gave a night for the benefit of the Hospital. As this is the first performance given in the town for such a purpose, I quote the bill : — For the General Hospital. — .Vt the Theatre in King Street, Birmingham, on Friday Evening the 7th of September Inst, will be performed a Concert of Music. The Doors to be opened at Six and begin exactly at Seven o'Clock. Pit and Boxes laid together Three Shillings, Gallery One Shilling. Between the several Parts of the Concert will be presented Gratis, by a Company of their Majesty's Comedians from the Theatres in London, A Comedy called The Jealous Wife. Major Oakley, by .Mr. Yates ; Mr. Oakley, Mr. Sherriffe ; Charles, Mr. Brereton ; Russet, Mr. Wrighton ; Captain O'Cutter, Mr. Edwin ;__ Sir Harry Beagle, Mr. Palmer; Lord Trinker, Mr. Cooke. Mrs. Oakley, Mrs. Sherriffe ; Hairiot, Mrs. Palmer ; Chambermaid, Mrs. Summers ; Toilet, Mrs. K.irby ; Lady Freelove, Mrs. Gloucester. With Dancing by Mr. Langlois and Miss Capon. To which will be added (by Desire) being positively the last Time this Season, a Comic Opera called The Padlock. Leander, Mr. .Moor; Don I'iego, .Mr. Edwin; Mungo, Mr. Palmer; Ursula, Mrs. Palmer; Leonora, Mrs. Wrighton. Tickets and Places to be had of Mr. Banks, at the Theatre, and of Aris, Printer. The Intention of the above Play being for a Public Charity, it is humbly hoped will be sufficient Reason for laying the Pit and Boxes together. Hutton says in his very brief and meagre account of the Hospital, " That the amiable desire of doing good in the inhabitants, seemed to have exceeded their ability ; and, to the grief of many, it hi)- dormant for twelve years." This statement is unfortunately true. Mr. J. W. Showell, in a series of papers on the Early History of the Baptists in Birmingham which he communicated to the " Notes and Queries " of the Gazette in 1856, quotes an interesting local poem on this subject. He says : — In 1774 the Theatre in New-street was built by subscription. The erection of the Theatre was impeded by no jjecuniary obstnictions, but was rapidly proceeded with and completed, whilst the Hospital stood a miserable object of ruin and dilapidation. Mr. AVilkes was determined to make an effort to arouse the curiosity and attention of the public by publishing tlie following THE GENERAL HOSPITAL. l6l Poetical Dream. Being a Dialogue between the Hospital and New Play-House, at Birmingham. At close of day, within a rural bower, ■ I sat mc down to muse away an hour ; But nightly silence so profoundly deep, Soon lull'd me into calm, and quiet sleep ; And as I slept, I thought I heard a noise, Then look'd around, and to my great surprise, I saw the Hospital, and Playhouse near. Both in profound discourse, which you shall hear. HOSPITAL. Hail, Playhouse, hail, thee I congratulate. Whilst I bemoan my own bewildered state ; Near seven years were my foundations laid. Ere thine were dug, or ought about thee said. Yet I've been long abandon'd human thought, Whilst thou, in haste, art to perfection brought. PLAYHOUSE. Cease Hospital, why should'st thou thus repine ? Though thou art neglected, 'tis no fault of mine ; Thy use is hospitality, I know, Or thou'dst been finished many years ago ; My use thou know'st is different from thine. In me the rich and opulent shall shine ; But halt, and lame, and blind must be thy guests, And such who are by sickness sore oppress'd. HOSPITAL. 'Tis true, mine is an hospitable door. And should stand open to receive the poor ; The rich from me can no advantage gain. Which causes me in sackcloth to remain. PLAVHOUSi;. Well, stop awhile, I'll now demand of thee, Shew me the man who e'er got aught by me ; No good nor profit can in me be found, My entertainments with expense abound. HOSPITAL. Oh, Epicureans value not expense. When buying tritles to amuse their sense; But though I loudly their assistance crave. Yet I, alas, can no assistance have. PLAYHOUSE. It must be wrong, I do in conscience own. That such unkindness should to thee be shewn ; That thou by Christians thus should slighted be, Whilst I'm caress'd, and crown'd with dignity. z 1 62 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. HOSPITAL. Oh, Theatre, it is indeed, a shame, That they should e'er be honoured with the name ; Could Christians in a Playhouse take such pride, Whilst I in dormancy so long abide ? PLAYHOUSE. Yes, Christians can ; pray do not go so far ; I hope you do not think they heathens are. HOSPITAL. Indeed, they are no better in my view. Or else they never could delight in you. PLAYHOUSE. .\h, that is certainly a grand mistake, The best of Christians should their pleasure take. iiosprrAL. And so they do, but thou hast none to give ; Their pleasure is the needy to relieve. PLAYHOUSE. If that's the case, then Christians are but few. HOSPITAL. Indeed, Theatre, that I think is true. Sure I this gloomy aspect should not wear If all were Christians who the name now bear. PLAYHOUSE. Well, be it so, I will no more jirctend To take their part : let this contention end ; Each pious mind, our gentry justly blame, So I awoke, and lo, it was a dream. After selling an immense number of copies, he found that it had so effectually answered his intention of awakening the attention of the Public to its object, that a subscription was immediately set on foot, and in a very short time the Hospital was finished and inhabited. The impetus thus given to the Charity was followed up by renewed energy on the part of the Board. Hutton places this revival in 1778, but we shall see that it really begun in 1776. The following advertise- ment appeared on .September 16 in that year : — General Hospital. Birmingham, September 10, 1776. — Many Gentlemen of this Town and Neighbour- hood, having taken into consideration the improper State in which the Building of the General Hospital at present stands, and being very desirous to see it answer the laudable Intention for which it was begun, do hereby Request a General Meeting of the Nobility and Gentry, as well as of the Inhabitants of the Town, at the Hotel in Birmingham, on Friday the 20th of this Instant, at Ten o'Clock in the Forenoon, to concert the most effectual Measures to prosecute the Undertaking, and speedily to render this charitable Design useful to the Public. THE GENERAL HOSPITAL. 1 63 A State of the Accounts is preparing to be laid before them, together with an Estimate of what may be further requisite to make the Building fit for the Reception of Patients. Joseph Dallawav, Secretary. On the 30th of the same month the following statement of affairs was published : — Birmingham Hotel, September 20, 1776. — At a Meeting held here this Day in Pursuance of a public Advertisement, the state of the Accounts of the General Hospital was laid before the Gentlemen then present, by which it appeared, — That the Money expended on the Building, contingent Expenses, &c. (including the Purchase of Land, ^942, and Interest paid thereon to Christmas last, jC359 3S- 8d.) amounted to ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ;^6,853 13 I That the Money already received for Benefactions, Subscriptions, &c., amounted to ... ... ... ... ... 3,97° 1° 4 So that a Debt has been incurred of ... ... ^2)883 2 9 This does not include any Charge for Interest, except that for the Land as above, and one Year's Interest, ;^2oo. Messrs. Taylor, Lloyd and Co., who are principal Creditors, will be content with 3 per Cent, per Annum for what they paid in Advance. The Building is well executed on a large, e.xtensive Plan, and capable of receiving upwards of 100 Patients, in the most commodious manner. — The Estimates of three different Builders were laid before the Meeting, by which it appeared that it would cost between _;^i,ooo and ^1,100 to complete the Building, exclusive of Furniture.* It was then Resolved, — That a Subscription should be opened to compleat and furnish the Building for immediate Reception of Patients. That it should be compleated and furnished before any Part of the Money subscribed be appropriated to lessen the Debts heretofore contracted. That Mr. Thomas Westley and Mr. Michael Lakin be desired to superintend the Finishing of the Hospital, and keep the Accounts, to which they have consented. That Application should be made to the Nobility and Gentry in the most proper Manner, and that the Inhabitants of the Town should be solicited to give their Aid and Assistance to bring this noble Charity into immediate Effect. N.B. — The Gentlemen then present, and a few other Inhabitants of the Town, have already subscribed ^^740, besides what has been generously offered by some Noblemen and Gentlemen who are Friends to the Undertaking. The next Meeting will be held at the Hotel, on Friday, the 4th of October, at Ten o'clock in the Morning, when it is proposed to elect a Committee out of the Contributors, of whom seven are to form a Board. Joseph Dai.lawav, Secretary. A collateral proof of the interest which the Hospital question was now exciting is afforded by this paragraph : — November 18, 1776. — We hear that the following Question is to be debated in the Conversation Society at Mrs. Aston's in the Cherry Orchard, on Thursday Evening next, — " Will the Establishment of the General Hospital be most beneficial or injurious to the Town of Birmingham ? " • The Hospital was designed for one hundred patients, .ind was estimated to cost about £2t°°°- ^'r. Vyse supplied the Committee with a plan, and ihcy determined to be their own architects, merely engaging Messrs. B. and W. Wyatt to superintend the work, for which ;f 150 was paid. 164 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Contrary to the usual practice in such matters the Gazette of November 25 gives the result of this debate : — On Thursday Evening last, at a numerous and very respectable Meeting of the Con- versation Society, after a mature Discussion of the Question, it was the unanimous Sense of the Company, that the Establishment of the General Hospital could not possibly be injurious to this Town, but on the Contrary would be of the utmost Utility, not only to Birmingham, but to its Neighbourhood and the Country in General. We now come to the year in which H utton tells us " the matter was revived with vigour." On July 25, 1778, this advertisement was published and continued for some weeks : — Birmingham General Hospital. The Hotel, May 19, 1778. — At a public Board of the Trustees and Benefactors of this Charity, held here this Day, in pursuance of the Advertisements inserted in the weekly Papers, the general state of their .\ffairs was laid before them and examined, and the success of the Trustees in their Application to the neighbouring Nobility and Gentle- men as well as the Inhabitants of this Town was given in. When it appeared that such necessary Provision was made for the Discharge of the Incumbrances on the Hospital, and such sums were given in by Benefactions, as to justify the Trustees in the unanimous Opinion of the whole .Assembly, immediately to enter on the Business of completing the Building, providing Furniture, and rendering the Hospital in all Respects fit for the Reception of Patients. hx\A the Public are hereby informed, That these Benefactions are secured to the Purposes of completing and furnishing the Premises in the Manner above mentioned. It was therefore resolved. That the Nobility and Gentlemen who have encouraged the Undertaking by their late Benefactions, be requested to pay the same into the Hands of Robert Child, Esq. and Co., Messrs. Hanbury, Taylor, Lloyd, and Boroman, Bankers in London ; Messrs. Little and Co., Bankers in Coventry ; or at Messrs. Taylor, Lloyds and Co., Bankers in Birmingham, between this Time and the Eleventh Day of July next. A Committee of Nine Trustees was appointed at this Public Board, for the Conduct of completing and furnishing the Hospital with all possible Expedition. .\nd the further assistance of the Public is earnestly requested by their Benefactions to this Charity, to render it of the most extensive Utility. — Joseph Dallaway, Secretary. This year the Oratorios were given for the joint benefit of the Hospital and St. Paul's Chapel. The announcement was made on the loth of August. Birmingham, July 27, 1778. Oratorios. — On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th of September next, will be performed, for the Benefit of St. Paul's Chapel and the General Hospital. At St. Philip's Church, on Wednesday Morning, in the Course of the Service, Handel's Grand Dettingen Te Deum Jubilate, and Dr. Boyce's Anthem, to conclude with Handel's Coronation Anthem. In the Evening, at the Theatre, in New Street, A grand Miscel- laneous Concert, consisting of select Vocal and Instrumental Pieces, by the principal Performers, THE GENERAL HOSPITAL. 1 65 On Thursday Morning, at St. Philip's, the Oratorio of Judas Maccabeus ; and in the Evening, at the Theatre, the Serenata of Acis and Galatea. Between the parts will be introduced some favourite Pieces. On Friday Morning, at St. Philip's, the Sacred Oratorio of Messiah ; and in the Evening, at the Theatre, a grand Miscellaneous Concert, consisting of several capital Pieces, by the principal Performers. Principal Vocal Performers, Miss Mahon, Miss Salmon, Messrs. Norris, Matthews, Price and Salmon. Principal Instnimental Performers, Messrs. Crammer, Carvetto, Park, Ashley, Storacci, Jenkins and Mahon. And other Part of the Band, which will be very full, by the most approved Performers, and the celebrated Women Chorus Singers from Lancashire. The Performers are desired to be in Birmingham in Time to rehearse on Monday Morning. This Musical Festival excited great expectations ; and on August the 31st we read : — The Appearance of Company at the approaching Musical Entertainments, which begin on Wednesday next, is expected to be both numerous and respectable, Lodgings we are informed being already engaged for many genteel Families ; and we have Reason to believe the Performance will be such as cannot fail giving universal Satisfaction, no Pains nor Expence having been regarded in selecting the most approved Performers, both Vocal and Instrumental. — Amongst the former, Miss Mahon's distinguished Merit deserves particular Notice ; she having received, at the last Enccenia at Oxford, and other polite Places, the highest Approbation of her Judgment and Execution. — Of the Instrumental, it may be thought sufficient to observe, that Mr. Crammer, the first Violin, has directed, for a considerable Time, with singular Honour and Ability, the most complete Band in the Kingdom, to perhaps one of the most Brilliant Audiences in Europe. — On the Clarionett, Mr. Mahon is said to have peculiar Excellence, and to stand unequalled by any Competitor.— In short, the Band, which is exceedingly full, is composed of Performers of great Eminence in the Parts in which they are severally meant to appear ; and the superior Powers of many, it is presumed, must be fresh in the Recollection of those who had the Pleasure of hearing them on a former similar Occasion in this Town. Compared with the large sums realised by the Musical Festivals in our time, the amount obtained by these gatherings appears small. It is, however, creditable to the Musical taste of the town, that in the year 1778, ^800 could be raised from such a source. The Gazetic gwes this account of the performances : — September 7, 1778. — On Wednesday Morning last the Musical Entertainments for the Benefit of St. Paul's Chapel and the General Hospital, began in St. Philip's Church, when Handel's Dettingen Te Deum and Jubilate, Dr. Boyce's .Anthem, and Handel's Grand Coronation .\nthem, were performed to a Crowded and respectable Company with universal approbation. — On this Occasion an excellent Sermon was preached by the Rev. Mr. Young, in the Course of which he pointed out, in the most elegant and persuasive Language, the Necessity of a liberal and public-spirited Support of the Objects under Consideration, as tending effectually and essentially to promote the Interests both l66 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. of Religion and Humanity. — On the two succeeding Mornings, the Oratorios of Judas Maccabreus and Messiah were performed in the same Place, to very genteel Auditories, that of the latter being particularly so, and exceedingly numerous. — And in the Evening of Wednesday and Friday the respective Performers acquitted themselves with the utmost Reputation in the Miscellaneous Concerts ; as well as in the Serenata of Acis and Galatea, which was exhibited on Thursday Evening. — The Produce of the several Entertainments amounted nearly to 800/. In March, 1780, we have tjiis report of the condition of the house and the number of patients at that time on the books : — General Hospital, near Birmingham, March 20, 1780. — At a Public Board held this Day, George Birch, Esq., in the Chair; — Resolved that the Thanks of this Board be given to Mr. M)Tiors, Surgeon, for his frequent Attention and Assistance upon Extraordinary Occasions at this Hospital. Resolved that the thanks of the Board be given to Mr. Tomheys, of Bilston, for his generous Present of a Boat Load of Coals to this Hospital. It appeared to this Board, that during the Half Year since the Opening of the Hospital the Numbers of Patients admitted into it have been In Patients .... 143 Remaining in the House . 39 Out Patients .... 132 Out Patients on Books . . 65 In the mean Time the Trustees have the Pleasure to observe, that the greatest Success has attended the Practice of this Hospital, Three In Patients only having died in the Half Year. The Benefactions to this Charity, which have not yet been received, amount to more than 200/. It is therefore earnestly requested that they may be fprthwith paid into the Hands of the Treasurer. The next extract contains a pleasant fact in the History of the Hospital : — The General Hospital, near Birmingham, December 18, 1780. — At a Public Board held this Day, Richard Moland, Esq., in the Chair, It was unanimously Resolved, That the Thanks of this Public Board be given to Charles Colmore, Esq., for his Generosity in accommodating this Charity with a Quantity of Land Gratis, for the Purpose of widening the Road to the Hospital. On the 25th of June the public is informed " That a Sermon will be preached at St. Philip's Church by the Right Rev. Father in God, the Lord Bishop of Chester, for the Benefit of this Charity, on Monday Morning, the 23rd of July." On July 30, we have a short report of this sermon, and the amount it produced : — • Last Monday Morning, was preached at St. Philip's Church in this Town, by the Right Rev. the Lord Bishop of Chester, for the Benefit of the General Hospital, a most excellent Sermon. It was delivered with great Elegance, which showed him both the Orator and Man of Feeling, and had most uncommon attention paid to it by a very numerous and genteel Congregation. The AVords of the Text were taken from the First Epistle of John, chap, iii, ver. 17, "But whoso hath this World's good, and seeth THE GENERAL HOSPITAL. 1 67 his Brother have need, and shutteth up his Bowels of Compassion from him, how dwelleth the Love of God in him?" — The Collection amounted to ^^128 6s. id. In June in the following year an advertisement furnishes us with some very interesting facts in the early history of the Hospital : — General Hospital, near Birmingham. — At a Public Board held on Monday, the 17th of June, 1782 ; Sir Robert Lawley, Bart., in the Chair. Resolved, that Mr. Henry Henn and Mr. James Taylor be desired to audit the Account of the present Year, and to prepare the Report to be laid before the Anniversary Meeting in September. Upon an E.xamination of the Treasurer's .\ccounts it appears to this Public Board, that no Subscriptions from the Inhabitants of this Town are in Arrears, and also that very few from the Country remain unpaid, and these are mostly such as where the Distance from the Receivers and Correspondents may have rendered it troublesome or inconvenient to make their Remittances. This circumstance is mentioned as a singular Proof that the Subscribers feel a particular Satisfaction in giving every Support to this Charity, by a regular Payment of their Subscriptions. The fluctuating State, however, of .Annual Subscriptions, calls upon us to exert our Influence, that the Fund may not fail ; it is therefore requested, that those Gentlemen of the Country, who, by their Liberality, have set an Example, will urge the Usefulness of this Institution to their Friends and Accjuaintance : -And as we are encouraged to hope for more Contributions from this Town, by many who have expressed a Disposition to promote the Charity, the Committee are desired to appoint some Gentlemen to make application to such as have not already subscribed, and that this be done as soon as possible, that the List of Contributors, which is to be printed before the next Quarterly Board, may appear the more respectable. Mr. Charles Hinckley, the Apothecary to this Hospital, having voluntarily given Notice that he intends to resign his Office on Michael- mas Day next. Resolved, That .\dverti.sements be inserted in the public Papers, declaring that the Election of a House .Apothecary, in the Room of Mr. Hinckley, will be on Monday the Sixteenth Day of September, being the next Public Board Day ; and that all Persons desirous of applying to succeed to that Office, do signify their Intention by Letters, directed to the Committee of the General Hospital, near Birmingham. It appears to this Public Board, that some Incurable Cases have lately been sent from Workhouses, which coming under respectable Recommendations have not been rejected, though they have been sent into the Hospital without necessary Change of Linen, and attended with many other di.sagreeable Circumstances, such as Vermin, the Itch, &c., to the great annoyance of other Patients. It is requested that Subscribers mil consider such as improper Objects, particularly as it has been obser\ed by the Visitors, that Patients of this class have generally behaved in an ungrateful, disorderly manner ; and that after having received all the Relief which their cases could admit of, have remained a Burthen upon this Charity, notwithstanding repeated Applications have been made to tiie Parishes to remove them. On September 16, in this year, a Sermon was preached at St. Philip's Church, by the Lord Bishop of Lichfield and Coventr}-, " for the Benefit of the General Hospital, near this Town." The Collection amounted to ^89 i8s. gd. l68 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. At a meeting held on the 15th of December, we learn that "the general Conduct and Success of the Management of this Hospital was, upon the Review of it, much approved ; and the Governors beg Leave to recommend it to the Further Patronage of the Public." Some anonymous person had drawn up an advertisement containing state- ments, we suppose, prejudicial to the management of the Charity, for on the same day the statement just quoted was made we have this notice : " The Advertisement sent us of a Publication entitled ' Anecdotes of the Birmingham Hospital,' we must decline inserting until we are favoured with the Signature of the Author, or of some other respectable Person. The money paid will be returned when sent for." In 1784 a lady gave ^500 anonymously to the funds of the Hospital, on which F. (our poet Freeth) wrote these curious and some- what mysterious lines : — November 15, 1784. On a Benefaction of Five Hundred Pounds being presented to the General Hospital, by a Lady unknown. Of Russel, though much has been said, .\nd the maidens the flowers have strew'd, To say " the cuniiudgeon is dead," The epitaph — who can think rude ? With benevolence known to abound, 'J'he virtue must be that excels ; Where no ostentation is found, The essence of charity dwells. The next statement made by the Committee is a very encouraging one ; and shows how thoroughly the well-to-do people of the town and neighbourhood appreciated the good work which the Charity was performing. It was published on September 26, 1785 : — General Hospital, near Birmingham, Monday, September 10, 17S5. — At a Public Board, being the Anniversary, The Rev. R. B. Riland in the Chair, — Resolved, That the Right Hon. Lord Middleton be elected President of this Hospital for the Year ensuing. A Committee was appointed, as usual. Resolved, That it appears to this Public Board, from the Auditors' Report, that the Benefactions of late have been so extraordinary, as to have discharged the Debts which were due at the Opening of the Hospital, except the Mortgage of jool. upon the land. Resoh'ed, That the annual Subscriptions have received a considerable increase by the personal .Application of several Gentlemen who lately undertook to solicit such of the Inhabitants of this Town as were disposed to encourage this useful Charity. THE GENERAL HOSPITAL. 1 69 Resolved, That by the Economy and good Management which has prevailed in the House, it is evident that a large Number of Objects have received the Benefit of this Institution during the last Year, and it is expected that the Increase of them will require an enlargement of the Building, as soon as the' Funds can admit of it. It appears to this Public Board, that in future it may be proper to add a Column to the List of Subscribers, expressing what Number of Years any Subscriber may have omitted to have paid his annual Subscription, as is the Practice in several other Hospitals. The resolutions passed at a meeting held on March 20, i 786, throw some light on the early working of this Charity and the care with which the Managers watched over its concerns. The three names mentioned in the first paragraph are famous ones in the history of the Hospital. The indisposition of Dr. Ash was happily not fatal, for that eminent benefactor of the town did not die until the year 1 798. General Hospital, near Birmingham, March 20, 1786. — Present Joseph Carles, Esq. ; in the Chair. Dr. Gilby having, by Mr. Hector, offered to attend this Hospital, as Locum Tetiens for Dr. Ash, during his present Indisposition, and his Offer meeting the .Appro- bation of the other Physicians attending the Hospital ; this Board agrees to accept such Offer from Dr. Gilby, and orders that he may be acquainted with the same, from the Chairman at this Board. Ordered, That the Thanks of this Board be given to Dr. Gilby, for his Offer to attend this Hospital as Loaim Tenens, as above. Ordered, That the Subscribers to this Charity be requested to attend to the Number of Patients they have a Right to recommend in each Year, in Proportion to their Subscriph tions, as a greater number cannot be admitted. It appears to this Board, that the Committee have often found themselves under the disagreeable Necessity of receiving into the Hospital some Patients whose Cases were judged by the Physicians and Surgeons as improper for this Charity, but yet coming from a Distance and being recommended by respectable Subscribers, the Committee have been unwilling to refuse them Admittance. Such Patients have remained an Incumbrance on the Charity for a few Weeks, and have at length returned Home, with very little benefit. It is much to be wished, that Subscribers would advert to Page 24, Rule 9th of the printed Book of Statutes and Orders for the Government of the Hospital, when they will find some particular Cases specified that are improper to be admitted, and which grow worse from the Confinement in the House. It would be proper that Subscribers who reside at a Distance, would request the Opinion of Some Medical Practitioner in their Neighbourhood, concerning the Propriety of recommending the Person that applies to them. It is also to be understood, that this Charity is not instituted for the Reception of Cases wherein no considerable relief can be expected, and of Persons that are more fit for a Workhouse than an Hospital. It is well known, that some have been sent here who have been in so miserable a State, as in a few Days to be buried at the E.xpense of the Charity. That the Thanks of this Public Board be given to John Taylor and Charles Taylor, Esqrs., for the Payment of a Legacy of Three Hundred Pounds, bequeathed to this Hospital, by their late Brother, William Taylor, Esq. ; by which Means the Governors have been enabled to discharge a Part of the Mortgage on the Premises. A I 170 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Applications having been frequently made for the Supply of Linen Rags, and but very few having been received, it being found by the Reports published, that a consider- able Expense is incurred by the Purchase of them, the Well-wishers to this Society will please to observe, that Presents of this Article will always be very acceptable. On April 2, 1787, was published the report of a meeting of the Quarterly Board, in which it is said " This Meeting has the satisfaction to acquaint the Subscribers that they find every sort of regularity in the Hospital, and every success in the management of the sick and lame people therein, which can be expected." " Since the foundation of the Hospital, the building has several times been enlarged, and additional land has been purchased. So far as can be ascertained, the number of beds in 1779 was one hundred ; in 1792, by the munificence of Mr. Samuel Galton, thirty more were added ; in the year 1830 twenty-eight additional beds were placed in new wards allotted to fever patients; and a further extension in 1842 raised the number of beds to 222. During the last year, 1857, a new wing — con- taining a lodge, a dispensary, physician's and surgeons' rooms, and other offices on the ground floor — was erected by the help of the funds derived from a fete in the grounds of Aston Hall. The upper portion of this wing supplies room for twenty more beds, raising the total number to about 240. These twenty beds and the furniture of the ward have been generously provided by Mr. J. C. Cohen, at his own cost."" The following extract from the Eighty-seventh Annual Report, from Midsummer 1865, to Midsummer 1866, will bring the affairs of the General Hospital up to the latest date. By far the most important subject which during the year has engaged the attention of the Board has been the erection (under the superintendence of a Building Sub-Committee, of whom Timothy Kenrick, Esq., is Chairman) of the Eastern Wing, including Two Wards of Twenty Beds each, with 1,600 cubic feet of space to each Bed ; Dormitories for Twenty Nurses ; and a spacious Out-Patient Department — accomplishing the greater portion of the reconstruction of the Hospital determined upon by the Quarterly Board after the visit of the Architect and Secretary to the principal Hospitals in the Kingdom and in Paris. After public competition, a tender for this Wing (including alterations to the main Building) was accepted on the 15th of September last from Messrs. W. and J. Webb for the sum of ^7,885. The Building was commenced immediately afterwards, the Foundation Stone having been laid by the Right Hon. the Earl of Bradford (President of the Hospital) on Monday, 27th November last. A Public Luncheon took place at the Queen's Hotel, in the afternoon, to commemorate the event, at which * The Birmingham General Hospital and Triennial Musical Festivals. By J. T. Bunce. pp. 70, 71. THE GENERAL HOSPITAL. I7I the Mayor of Birmingham, Edwin Yates, Esq., presided, and about One Hundred Noblemen and Oentlenien, friends of the Hospital attended. After the Luncheon the handsome sum of ;^i,5oo was subscribed in the room, in aid of the New Wing Fund. In consequence of the favourable state of the weather during the whole of the winter the AVorks have steadily progressed and are now rapidly approaching completion, and it is hoped that the Building will be opened before Christmas. The great gratification which has been expressed by all who have inspected this splendid addition to the Hospital has confinTied the Board in its conviction that this was, in every sense, a wise and necessary step. Inasmuch as the building of this Wing has of necessity involved the pulling down of the old Fever Wards (long known as the New Buildings), the accom- modation of the Fever Patients has occupied the serious consideration of the Board and the Medical Staft'. Many plans of a temijorary nature had been suggested to meet the emergencies, but none seemed worthy of adoption; and it has been eventually deter- mined, with the sanction of the Quarterly Board held in March last, to proceed with the erection of a new Western Wing, which includes Fever W^ards, new Kitchens, a plan for remodelling the Basement, and for the conversion of the present Out-Patient Department into a Ward. 'I'he Board have felt emboldened to undertake this important work, and thus complete the long-hoi)ed-for improvements which have been under consideration for many years, confidently believing that the public who have supported them so liberally hitherto, will, when they consider the urgent necessity for providing suitable accommo- dation for Fever cases, and see the progress of the Works come forward and contribute all that is needed to place this good and great Hospital in a thoroughly improved .sanitary condition equal to the requirements of the age. The Board feel more strongly emboldened to adopt this course, inasmuch as (as will be hereafter seen) the ordinary Income and Expenditure have been very nearly equalized. Accordingly an Anony- mous Friend, through Mr. Sampson S. Lloyd, having promised the munificent Donation of _;^i,ooo in aid of the Western Wing, and the sum of ^^1,200 having been announced from Donors to the Cotton Fund and others, tenders have been issued, and that of Messrs. W. and J. Webb, being the lowest in amount, has been accepted for the sum of ;^6,373, making, with Plumbers' work, a total of ^6,831 — and the Works are already commenced. The approximate financial position of the Hospital, in reference to its reconstruction, is as follows : — Contributions have been received and promised in aid of the Eastern Wing to the amount of ;^9,849 ; the sum of ^£'7,108 has been expended on account of the works, inchuling the erection of New Dead House, &c., the Balance due to the Contractors and others is jC4,iTT, and there is consequently a sum of ^^1,036 to be provided for. Contributions have been received and promised in aid of the Western Wing to the amount of ^2,258; the sum of ^32 has been expended for Appeals, &c., in aid of the object ; the amount of the contract is ;^6,83i, and there is consequently a sum of ;^4,6o4 to be provided for on this account. The addition of a Chapel will hereafter be a most appropriate ending to the good works that have been in contemplation so long, and which are now on their way towards completion. As respects the General Fund the financial jjrospects of the Hospital were never, for veiy many years, so highly encouraging and hopeful as they are at present. The Debt on this Fund, which at Midsummer, 1864, amounted to yrs,864, has been 172 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. progressively reduced to ;^5,44o in 1865, and to ;i£^2,479 in the year ending July 1S66, while the handsome sum of ;^i,io6 remains to be invested at the next December Quarterly Board. Referring to the estimate made by your Auditors at page xviii of their last Annual Report, it will be seen that, although the individual items do not all come up to their estimate, the expenditure has been as nearly as possible about the sum therein set down, and that the deficiency of ^^6,403, also therein estimated, has been reduced by the Congregational Collections and other sources to ^£^2,479, the amount of the present debt just stated. The total number of patients during the year was 22,430; the average of the three preceding years being 29,874. The total gross receipts from all sources, except the Permanent Accident Fund and the Samaritan Fund, was ;^i7,739 — an amount which testifies most significantly that the town has lost nothing of that spirit of Charity which called forth the praises of strangers in the old time. More than seventy years since a far-seeing philanthropist, whose name, alas ! is not recorded, suggested that an Annual Collection should be made in all our churches and chapels for charitable objects. This admirable suggestion, after being carried out in a small way once or twice, slept until our own time, when, in 1858, it was revived by Dr. Miller, then Rector of St. Martin's Church. The time was now ripe for its successful application. An energetic and active committee was elected ; ministers of all denominations cheerfully co-operated ; and it was arranged that the Collections should be made on the last Sunday in October, and in the following order: — General Hospital every third year ; Queen's Hospital every third year ; and General Dispensary, Lying-in Hospital, Eye Hospital, Children's Hospital, General Insti- tution for the Blind; General Institution fur the Deaf and Dumb, Homoeopathic Hospital and Dispensary, Orthopaedic Institution, Ear Infirmary, and Dental Dispensary every third year. The first collec- tion was for the General Hospital, and took place in the year 1859 ; it produced ;i^5,200 8s. lod. The collections for the same institution in 1862 and in 1865 realised respectively ^3,340 4s. jd., and ^4,232 ; making a total of ^12,772 13s. 5d. added to the funds of the Hospital by this simple but most effective mode of raising money. Thus step by step the Hospital grew and prospered. For more than a hundred years it has been engaged in the Samaritan work of healing the sick, and alleviating suffering. Hundreds of thousands have been THE GENERAL HOSPITAL. 173 benefitted by its existence ; and it has ministered to the relief of all the ills which flesh is heir to. To the poor it has been a blessing beyond price ; and during the century of its beneficent existence the amount of sickness it has relieved, the health it has restored, the joy it has given to friends torn with grief and bowed down with fear for the lives of those near and dear to them, is beyond the power of the most active imagination to conceive. It was, and still is, the noblest of the many noble works of Charity which are the honour and glory of our Town ; and this record of its origin and early growth cannot be without interest to all who delight in the progress of well-doing.'^ The following is a complete list of the Musical Festivals, with the amount of receipts and the profits realised. It will be seen how enormously the Charity has benefitted by these famous gatherings : — Year. Prebidenl Receipts. Profits. 1768 No President ;^8oo ^299 1778 No President 800 170 1784 The Viscount Dudley and Ward . . . I1325 703 1787 The Earl of Aylesford ..... 2,000 964 1790 The Viscountess Dudley and Ward . . . 1,965 958 1793 J^'o Festival, the Theatre having been burnt. 1796 The Earl of Aylesford 2,044 897 1799 The Earl of War\vick 2,550 1,47° 1802 The Earl of Dartmouth 3,829 2,380 1805 The Earl of Aylesford 4,122 2,202 1S08 The Lord Guernsey ..... 5,411 3,257 1811 The Earl of Bradford 6,680 3,629 1814 The Earl of Plymouth 7, '44 3^^3^ 1817 The Earl of Warwick 8,476 4,296 1820 The Earl of Dartmouth 9,483 5,001 1823 The Earl Talbot 11,115 5,8o6 1826 The Earl Howe 10,104 4,592 1829 The Earl of Bradford 9,77 « 3,8o6 1834 The Earl of Aylesford 13,527 4,035 ti837 The Lord Willoughby de Broke . . . . 11,900 2,776 1840 The Lord Leigh 11,613 4,503 1843 The Earl of Craven 8,822 2,916 1846 The Lord Wrottesley 11,638 5,508 1849 The Lord Guernsey, M.P. .... 10,334 2,448 1852 The Lord Leigh 11,925 4>704 * Some idea may be formed of the incalculable amount of good effected by the General Hospital from the fact that the total number of Patients received since its establishment, until 1S66, has been 649,400; viz. :— In Patients 120,745; O"' Patients, 528,655. + The sum of ;f 1,200 was paid this year out of the Festival receipts towards lengthening the Town HalL 174 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. *i855 The LorclWilloughby de ISroke .... 12,745 3,108 1858 The Earl of Dartmouth .... 11,141 2>73i 1861 The Earl of Shrewsbury and Talbot . . . Ji,4S3 3i043 1864 The Earl of Lichfield i3i777 5. 256 Total amount of I'rolits paid to the General Hosi)ital, ..£84,589 The magnificent Organ, valued at upwards of ^5,000, the cost of which has also been defrayed by the Festival Receipts, is the property of the Hospital. t BIRMINGHAM CANAL NAVIGATION. Without good roads and the means of speedy and convenient transit civilisation would be impossible. It is therefore one of the most certain signs of the progress which the people were making that in the middle of the eighteenth century, so much attention was paid to, and so much money expended in, making canals. This town was of all others most interested in such labours. Situated in the centre of England, and already renowned for the extent and variety of her manu- factures, she must have felt most keenly the evils resulting from bad roads, and the want of a better method of transporting goods from place to place than the slow, tedious, uncertain, and lumbering wagons, or the equally slow, tedious, and uncertain pack horses. Accordingly the Manufacturers were ready to avail themselves of the silent roads, which were to our ancestors as great a change from the ordinary methods of transit, as railways have been to us. The first canal in England was made by Henry I., in 11 34; it connected the river Trent with the Witham. For something like five hundred years scarcely anything more was done in the way of internal navigation. The New River canal was begun in 1608 ; but it was reserved for the eighteenth century to become the great epoch of canal making in England. From 1715 to 1799, no fewer than forty-five canals were commenced or completed. Birmingham joined in the work about the * The sum of ;^i,ckX) was appropriated from the Receipts on this occasion towards lighting and decorating the Town Hall and Organ. t A series of Papers on the Hospital and Triennial Musical Festivals, written by Mr. J. T. Bunco appeared in " Aris's Birviiugham Guzdle" in July and August, 1S58. They were republished with additions, and to this very useful little volume the reader is refeixed for much interesting information on the history of the Hospital, the lives of its principal medical officers, the Musical Festivals, ajid the famous singers, who, since their foundation in 1768, have delighted so many generations of visitors. BIRMINGHAM CANAL NAVIGATION. 175 middle of the century. On January 26, 1767, this advertisement appeared : — The Utility of a Navigable Cut from the Wolverhampton Canal, through the Coal Works, to this Town, having been pointed out in a preceding Paper, by which, exclusive of the other Emoluments, it appears that the Town will reap a considerable Advantage in the Maintenance of its Poor, a Meeting for the further consideration of this Scheme is thought essentially necessary ; therefore the Constables, Churchwardens, and Overseers do hereby give public Notice, that a Meeting will be held on Wednesday next, at Six o'clock in the Afternoon, at the Swan Inn in this Town, at which the Gentlemen and Inhabitants are solicited to attend in order (if the Scheme should be approv'd) that a proper Person be appointed to Survey and give an estimate of the Canal in Question, and that such other Proposals may be offered as may seem most likely to answer the intended Purpose. The result of this meeting is cjiven as follows :— On Wednesday last, in Consequence of an Advertisement for that Purpose, there was a Meeting of a great number of the Inhabitants of this Town at the Swan, to consult about making a Navigable Cut from hence to run as near as possible thro' the Center of the Collieries, and to join the Wolverhampton Canal, when it was unanimously agreed to have it Survey'd, and a Subscription was open'd to carry it into Execution. The great engineer Brindley was applied to, and the next thing we hear of the subject is a meeting at which he submitted his plans. June 8th, 1767. Birmingham Navigation. Swan Inn, June 4th, 1767. — At a numerous Meeting held this day, Mr. Brindley produced a Plan and Estimate of making a navigable Canal from the Town to the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal, through the principal Coal AVorks, by two different Tracts, and gave it as his Opinion that the best was from near New-Hall, over Birmingham Heath, to or near the following Places, viz., Smethwick, Oldbury, Tipton Green, Bilston, and from thence to the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal, with Branches to different Coal Works between the res|)ective places. As the Undertaking seems of great Importance, it is agreed that there be a Meeting appointed at this place, on Friday ne.xt the 12th Inst., at Four o'Clock in the Afternoon of the same Day, in order to open a Subscription to raise a Fund for the Expence of obtaining a Law, and completing the Work, which it is supposed will not exceed the Sum of p{^3o,ooo including all Kxpences. In the mean time Mr. Brindley's Plan, Estimate, and Opinion, and some Calculations of the Coal likely to pass, may be seen at Mr. Meredith's, Attorney at Law. It is expected that a Committee for the Conduct of this Undertaking will be chuse at the said Meeting. The supporters of this undertaking set to work with energy, for on July 15 we read : — Birmingham Navigation, July loth, 1767. ^Whereas several numerous public Meetings have been held at the Swan Inn, to consider of a Plan for making a navigable Canal through the principal Coal Fields in this Neighbourhood by Smethwick, Oldbury, Tipton- 176 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Green, and Bilston, in the Counties of Salop and Staflford, to join the Canal now making between the Trent and Severn, at Addersly, near Wolverhampton, Mr. James Brindley having made a Survey of it, estimated that the Kxpence would not exceed the Sum of ;^5o,ooo and on Friday the i2th Day of June last, in Pursuance of an Advertisement for that Purpose, a Subscription was opened to apply to Parliament for Powers to make such a Canal, and for compleating the same. There is already .;^35,ooo subscribed ; the Subscription Deeds will continue open at Mr. Meredith's, .Attorney at Law, Birmingham, until the 26th of July Inst, unless the whole sum of ;^5o,ooo be sooner subscribed. At the same Place the proceedings of the Committee ajjpointed for the Conduct of this application may be referred to. By Order of the Committee. John Meredith, Solicitor. And in the paper of the same date we are told that " Upwards of _;^35,ooo is already subscribed for making the Navigable Canal from this Town thro' the principal Coal Works." On July 8, 1768, it is recorded that, " We hear the Bill for making a Navigable Canal from this Town to Wolverhampton, has passed both Houses, and only waits the Royal Assent." And on the 29th we read that " Last Friday (July 26,) on receiving the agreeable news that his Majesty had been at the House of Peers and signed the Bill for making the Navigable Canal from this Town to Wolverhampton, the Bells were set to ringing, which were continued the whole Day." The works were at once proceeded with ; not, however, without meeting with some of those disgraceful acts of violence which accom- pany all great public labours. Frequent notices like the following had to be published : — Birmingham Canal Navigation. Navigation Office, July 3, 1769. — Whereas considerable Damage hath been done to the Works and Tools belonging to this l"ndcrtaking, and many of the latter taken away or stolen. This is therefore to give Notice, that whoever will give Information of any Person or Persons concerned in injuring the said \\orks, stealing or secreting any of the Tools or Implements belonging to the same, shall, upon conviction of the Offenders, receive Ten Guineas Reward, by applying to Mr. Joseph Dallaway, at the Navigation Office, in New-Hall-Street, Birmingham. — And Whereas one George Wilson late a Cutter in the said Works, hath been guilty of breaking off one or more Locks belonging and affixed to the Bridges of the said Navigation, for which Offence he hath since absconded ; whoever will give Information where he may be found, or secure him, so that he may be taken, or give Notice thereof to the said Joseph Dallaway, sliall be amply rewarded by applying to him at the Navigation-Office aforesaid. N.B. If any Person or Persons have or hath borrowed of the Clerks or Servants of this Company any Tools or Implements belonging to them, they are desired immediately to return the same, or, after this Notice, they will be prosecuted for withholding them. BIRMINGHAM CANAL NAVIGATION. I 77 Nor was it without its baptism of blood, for on July 24, we read that " Early on Saturday Morning last, a little beyond Winson Green, in the Birmingham Canal Navigation, the Earth fell suddenly in and Killed John Lester, one of the Workmen, occasioned, it is thought, by the heavy Rains on Friday Evening." Poetry lent its divine aid to the undertaking. In the rhyming preface to his volume called the " Political Songster," Freeth thus alludes to the enthusiasm which this new venture had inspired : — " But tliink not Politics alone. Can in a large free trading town, At this time fam'd for Speculation, Engross the public conversation. O'er chtering cups, as things fall out. And false alarms are spread about. Some grave appear, some gay, some sad, And some are Navigation mad." On November 6, i 769, our old prolific rhymester made the following announcement : — " Eighteen months have scarce run, Since the work was begun : How pleasing the sight ! What a scene of delight I As the barges come floating along ; Then cease from your toil, Nor hammer nor file Be handled to-day, All care shall away, While bonfires are blazing, (What can be more pleasing?) All free-cost to gladden the throng." After indulging in this vein for a considerable number of lines, Freeth adopts a different style, and thus joins Avon's jubilee with Birmingham's rejoicing. Two verses will suffice : — " What mortals so happy as Birmingham Bo)'s ? What people so flush 'd with the sweetest of joys? All hearts fraught with mirth at the Wharf shall appear, Their aspects proclaim it the Jubilee year. And be full as gay in their frolicksome pranks. As they who were dancing on Avon's green bank. There never in war was for victory won, A cause that deserv'd such respect from the Town ; 178 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Then revel in gladness, let harmony flow, From the district of Bordesky to Paradise Reno. For true feeling joy in each breast must be wrought, When Coals under Five-pence per hundred are bought. " From the bathos of the last line the poet passes into a strain of local patriotism which makes him prophecy, the truth of which must to Birmingham minds make up for its lack of poetry : — " Birmingham for arts renown'd, O'er the globe shall foremost stand, Nor its vast increase be found To be equall'd in the land. If the will of fancy ranges From the Tagus to the Ganges, Or from Lapland Cliffs extend, To the Patagonian strand, For mechanic skill and pow'r, In what kingdom, on what shore, Lies the place that can supply This world with such variety ? " In such strains were the glory, greatness, usefulness, and wonder- working power of Canal Navigation sung to an admiring people. Descending, however, from the regions of fancy into those of plain fact, the same paper of November 6 contained this satisfactory paragraph, which fully bears out the vaticination of the bard, and brings us at once to the time "When Coals under Five-pence per hundred are bought." It is with Pleasure we congratulate the Public on the probability of Coal being brought by Water near this Town in a few Days ; and that the Canal Company have not only resolved to sell the same this Winter at their Wharf for Fourpence Half-penny per Hundred, long weight of i2olb., but to fi.x the Price of their Delivery in every Street thereof: and in order for the better accommodating of the Poor, they have determined to establish Coal-Yards in different Parts of the Town, as soon as possible, where it will be sold in Quantities so small as Half Hundreds, or less : and, indeed, there is great Reason to believe, that the Price of Coal will come (after the present Winter) cheaper than Four-pence Half-penny per Hundred ; and that the Gentlemen who have the conducting of this important Affair, will use all possible Means to prevent Impositions of every Kind. The next extract contains a little history in itself, and summarises a controversy which produced a great deal of writing, and not a little ill-feeling : — December 4th, 1769. — On Friday last a numerous and respectable General Assembly of the Proprietors of the Birmingliani Canal Navigation was held at the .Swan Inn ; and we have the pleasure to inform our Readers, that tlie following Resolutions BIRMINGHAM CANAL NAVIGATION. 1 79 were then made, viz., " That the Thanks of the Company be returned to Mr. Bentley, for his great Care and Assiduity in the Conduct of the Company's Business ; also, to Mr. Ivettle, the Treasurer, and to the Gentlemen who have had the Conduct of the Wharf, for their Attention and Assistance. " That a Gold Medal, of the Value of Fifty Guineas, with a proper Device upon it, be presented to Mr. Bentley, as a Testimony of the Proprietors' Approbation of the Services which he has rendered the Undertaking. " That upon examining into the Particulars of a Misunderstanding which happened in the Committee between Messrs. Garbett and Bentley, it appeared, that Mr. Garbett did not intend to insinuate Mr. Bentley's having wilfully mispent any of the Company's Money, but always thought that he did his best ; and (taking the whole of Mr. Bentley's Conduct into Consideration) that the Public were under Obligations to him. It likewise appeared that Mr. Garbett did frequently request for the Poor to be supplied with Coal, in Preference to any Person whatsoei'er, and that there is no Reason to say, he ever did make a Point for the Brass Work to receive the constant supply of Three Tons per Day : But there are many Reasons to believe that Mr. Garbett did exert himself for Coal being sold at no more than 4d. per Cwt. at the present, and cheaper as soon as it was possible, and that he never did desire any from the Wharf, either for his owti Works or Dwelling House. " That Mr. Bentley, their Chairman, be desired to present the Company's Thanks to Mr. Joseph Barker, for the important Services which he has rendered them, since his taking Charge of the Coal from the Pit Banks to the Wharf near this Town." Many persons must have read this item of news with pleasure : — April 9, 1770. — We hear from Newham, in Gloucestershire, that the Brigg Birmingham, John Morgan, Master, of that Place, is safe arrived there from Hilditch's Wharf, London, and is now taking in Goods in order to return back with all Speed. The formation of canals led to the development of new industries, and Birmingham was not slow to use her advantages. Boat-building increased a thousand fold from the new demand. Boat Companies were formed who built or hired boats, and carried coal. On May 14, I 770, this advertisement was published : — The Birmingham Boat Company take this Method to inform the Public, that they this Day begin selling Coal at Four pence per Hundred Weight (si.\ Score to the Hundred) on the Wharf at Birmingham aforesaid, where Teams may depend on a constant supply. In July we read : — Birmingham, July 23, 1770. — We have the Pleasure to inform the Public that the Birmingham Boat Company have invented a Method to weigh their Boats by Tubes, and by an E.xperiment made on Tuesday last, they weighed by Scales 30 Ton 9 Hundred into a Boat, and weighed them afterwards at the Proprietors' Machine, and the Difference was only 1 1 Pounds, which Invention is allowed to e.xceed any Thing of the Kind, and is an incontestible Proof of the Justness of the weighing Machine. A successful scheme once set in motion is like a snowball rolling down a hill, it gathers in speed and volume as it progresses. So it was l8o A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. with canals. They increased and multiplied rapidly, and Birmingham and the immediate neighbourhood did their share in the work. This extract tells us something of the activity displayed at this time : — Birmingham, November 5, 1770. — We hear that the Country is surveying from the Coventry Canal by Coleshili, Castle Bromwich, Aston, Perry, Hamstead, and West Bromwich, to the Coal Pits near Wednesbury and Bilston, and to the Lime Pits near Walsall, and we are informed that a Canal in that Tract would very much reduce the Price of Coal and Lime in the Eastern Parts of Warwickshire, and the adjoining Counties ; and that a Cut therefrom to Birmingham would occasion the Price of Corn to be cheaper than by Land Carriage. And if Attention should be given by Gentlemen of the Country it is supposed that any Schemes of Combination (in the Article of Coal or otherwise) to take improper Advantage of the Public, may in a great degree be prevented. The managers of the Birmingham Company, however, had no easy time of it. They appear to have suffered, deservedly or not, an immense deal of opposition. The meetings called by fifteen of the shareholders, as allowed by the Act, were very numerous, and indicate a great deal of dissatisfaction somewhere. The charges of extortion, of oppression, and hard dealing are frequent, and sometimes the directors reply to them, but more commonly pass them by unnoticed. At last the subject is dealt with in a manner which might not be safely neglected. On November 19, 1770, this advertisement appeared : — Birmingham Canal. — To the Land-Owners near the Navigation between Birmingham and Bilstone. — There will be a Meeting at the Swan Inn, in Dudley, on Friday Morning next, the 23rd of this Instant November, at Ten o'Clock in the Forenoon, to examine into the Manner with which the Birmingham Canal Company have conducted some of their Operations, and to collect an Account of such Hardships and Inconveniences as may appear likely to be redressed by Parliament, and to consider upon a proper Application to obtain such Alterations as may be to the common Good of the Country. This meeting was followed by the reiteration of many charges against the managers, and on January 7, 1771, the following reply was given : — Birmingham Canal Navigation. Navigation Office, 4th Jan. 1771. — To the Public. — The Committee, from a Conviction that they have not intentionally done any Thing unbecoming the Characters of honest Men, either individually or in their collective Capacity, would have rested perfectly easy under their past Conduct, and the Assurances given to the Public in their Advertisements of the 7 th, 8th and 14th of December last, regardless of the invidious Insinuations suggested against them in several anonymous Publications that have appeared in the public Papers ; but as the Author of these Papers has at Length assumed his real Signature, they think it necessary only, to repeat to the Public their past Assurances of giving the most speedy Redress to all real Grievances, and of endeavouring to procure the THE ACT FOR ENLIGHTENING, ETC. l8l most essential Accommodations to the Public : And at the same Time to inform him, that they neither think themselves obliged, nor will in future give themselves any Trouble, to answer either his or the Publications of any other Individual, thinking themselves answerable only to their Constituents and the Public, to whom they are at all Times ready to account for their Conduct. By Order of the Committee, John Meredith, Clerk to the Company. This, however, did not close the correspondence ; the Committee were not powerful enough for this, but S. Aris was, and on the 22nd of the same month he published this " Notice to Correspondence," which, of course, put an end to the controversy. Birmingham. — The Obligations I owe to my Correspondents demand from me every reasonable Compliance with their Requests; and I beg Leave to profess myself disposed to conform to them in every Instance where I am not materially injured, or the Public in general dissatisfied : But having received from my distant Friends a Variety of Complaints, that my Paper is filled with Disputes relative to the Birmingham Navigation, or other local Matters, which cannot be either interesting or entertaining to the Generality of my Readers, I hope I shall stand e.\cused the future .\dmission of any private Dispute. S. Aris. And so for a lonof time henceforward the Committee of the Birmingham Canal Navigation worked in peace. THE ACT FOR " ENLIGHTENING AND CLEANSING THE STREETS." The extracts which we have already given will have afforded the reader some idea of the bad state of the streets, and raised his astonish- ment that the inhabitants endured it so long. But custom and habit, use and wont are tyrants to whose despotism we not only willingly yield obedience, but resist the efforts made by others to free us from their power. The time, however, was nearly ripe, and in 1765 the subject was brought before the people, and a resolution to apply to Parliament for an Act was adopted. The felicitous word " enlighten- inof " was used ; but the lovers of darkness were not to be allured by the truth involved in a word. The opposition to this Act was the fiercest, the longest sustained, and produced the greatest agitation on the public mind of anything yet recorded in this century. Every stratagem was employed to defeat the object of its promoters. It was urged that it would be unjust to the poor, and partial to the rich : that it would encourage vice and wickedness, and that the friends of the 1 82 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Act had better build churches. Like the modern zealots who advocate prayers for the removal of cholera and pestilence, instead of preventing them by providing good sewage, healthy houses, and well-ventilated courts, their predecessors in zeal thought a few churches would effect more good than widening, cleansing, and lighting the streets — which were mere secularities. As we shall see, the contest waxed wild and furious. The correspondence in the paper increased to an enormous extent, and from these letters, advertisements, and paragraphs, we are able to reproduce this active episode in the life of Birmingham a century back. The subject was first publicly mooted in an advertise- ment which appeared on February 4, i 765 : — Birmingham, February 4th, 1765.— Whereas the Repairing, Cleansing, and EnHghten- ing the Streets of this Town, will be of great Use and Importance, and tend to the Suppression of many Disorders therein, and to the Preservation of the Persons and Properties of the Inhabitants thereof; it is proposed to apply to Parliament this Session for an Act for that purpose : The Inhabitants of this Town are therefore desired to meet at the House of Joseph Cooke, Victualler, in the Cherry-Orchard, on Thursday next, being the 7th Instant, at Three of the Clock in the Afternoon, to consider of a Proper Application to Parliament for that Purpose, at which Meeting the following Plan of the intended Bill will be submitted to their consideration : That every Inhabitant, within the Town, who shall be seized of a real Estate of such Yearly Value, or possessed of a personal Estate alone, or real and personal Estate together, to such Amount as shall be then agreed upon, shall be Trustees for putting the said Act in Execution, who, or the major Part of them, being not less in Number than seven, shall have full Power to purchase Lamps, and to appoint Scavengers, Rakers, Lamp-Lighters, and other proper Officers, (with reasonable Salaries) and to remove them at Pleasure, and to issue out Orders, from Time to Time, for the Repairing, Cleaning, and Lighting the said Streets ; and at their annual or other Meetings to appoint Assessors, who shall have Power to assess upon every Person holding or occupying any Messuage, House, Malthouse, or any other Building, or Garden CJround, within the said Town, (in the same Manner as the Rates for the Poor are usually assessed, or as near thereto as can be) any Sum, not exceeding one Shilling in the Pound, to be collected yearly, or oftener, as the Tnistees shall direct, with Power to ap])oint yearly so many Collectors as shall be thought necessary, who are to take upon them the Office under a certain Penalty to be agreed upon, but not to be obliged to ser\e more than once in seven years, with proper and necessary Powers in the said Tnistees to compel the assessing, collecting, paying, and applying the said Money for the Purposes aforesaid, and for settling and determining any Disjnites relating to the said Act or the Execution thereof. On the 1 1 th this paragraph appeared : We hear iliat the intended ajiplication to Parliament this Sessions for Lamps and Scavengers in this Town is postpon'd, on account of the Shortness of Time allowed by the Hon. House of Commons for receiving Bills, Saturday next being the last Day. THE ACT lOK KXUGHTENINC, ETC. 1 83 And so the subject fell into abeyance, and we meet with no reference to it again until December 19, 1768, when the following notice was published : — A Meeting of the Inhabitants is desired at the Chamber over the Cross, on Tuesday- next, at Eleven o'Clock in the Forenoon, to consider of a Petition to Parliament for Lighting and Cleaning the Streets of this Town, &c. The matter was now taken up in earnest, and on December 26, the following advertisement tells us of some of the changes which the committee proposed to make in the appearance of the town :^ The Committee appointed at the Meeting of the Inhabitants at the Chamber over the Cross,* on Tuesday, the 20th Instant, have unanimously agreed to petition Parliament for an Act to light antl clean the Streets of this Town, and likewise to insert the following Clause, (viz.) to purchase and take down the House in the Bull Ring in the Possession of Francis Moles.t the upper Round-about House, and the Houses at the end of New-Street, belonging to Sir Thomas Gooch, and Henrj- Carver, Esq. ; J to remove Nuisances in the Streets, and for the removal of the Beast-Market to Dale End ; the Money for the above Purposes to be raised by a Rate upon the Inhabitants, not to exceed Eight-pence in the Pound per .\nnum. A further Meeting of the Inhabitants is desired on Friday next, at Eleven o'Clock in the Forenoon, at the Chamber over the Cross, to consider if any Thing further is necessary to be included. But the war note was soon sounded. On January 2, 1769, a letter signed G. B. appeared, deprecating the attempt as premature and uncalled for, as contrary to the opinion of the majority, and advocating a subscription for doing the work instead of a tax^one more example of zealous and misdirected voluntaryism. The writer thus urges his opinions and his plans : — Birmingham. — It appeared in this Pajjer last Week, that the Committee for enlighten- ing and cleaning the Streets, &c., in the Town of Bimiingham, had unanimously agreed to petition Parliament, for an Act to compel the Inhabitants to pay a Tax of Eight-pence in the Pound per Ann., and to solicit a Meeting upon the Friday following at the Chamber over the Old Cross. Before which Time the Inhabitants had weighed over what the Con- sequence of such an Act would be, and found that People in a middle Station of Life would be affected thereby, and their Posterity for ever taxed. A Majority appeared greatly dissatisfied with that Part of the Scheme of enforcing a Law to compel, when Numbers were ready to Subscribe to remove Nuisances. It's reported that the Overseers of the Poor ujion their Collection did, with Candour, ask Eighty-seven People, whether they would chuse a Taxation of Eight-pence in * The Old Cross in the Hull Ring. t This was one of tlic houses which surrounded .St. M.-irlin's Church, ami was close to the gates opposite Moor Street. Mrs. F. Price, my nmthcr-in-law, remembers it ([uite well. The bedrooms were over the gate and part of the walk l>y which the people went to church. t These were two Kound-al>oul houses, the Upper antl the Lower ; the latter was in the Little Bull Ring, and the former, which was to come down by this Act, in the Bull King. 184 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. the Pound per Annum, or not, when p:ighty-one declared for no new Tax. — Should the Committee who have convened themselves think proper to assemble again in a Publick Manner, it's hoped those of the Contrary Opinion will appear to shew their general Disapprobation of their Project. Hutton affords us some insight into the cause of much of the opposition which the attempt to procure this Act excited ; and we regret to say that it was in his case, as doubtless in that of many others, a very selfish one. Our historian makes no concealment of the motive which influenced his conduct. In his autobiography, writing of the year 1 768, he says " The Lamp Act came upon the carpet. Great opposition arose, and more by my means than any otlier persons ; and that for an obvious reason. I occupied two houses which formed the gateway entering New Street, and they suited me : both must come dow7i if the Act passed. All the terms the opposition could obtain, and which were all I wanted, after many hundred pounds had been spent, were that the buildings should not come down, nor be included in the Act."'^ A change in the circumstances, however, produced a change in the writer's feelings. Only four years later (1772), an amendment of the Act was asked for, and obtained in 1773. By this amendment, Hutton does not scruple to tell us, " My houses were to come down. It happened, that the old house, on the spot where my son now resides, was upon sale. I durst not let the opportunity slip, I considered it as a tool bj- which I must carry on my trade. I purchased it for eight hundred and thirty-five guineas. It was under mortgage for £^OQ. I was obliged to pay the residue ; and, as these premises would be open to New Street, if my two houses were reinoved, I now wished them down."t We are afraid that only too many measures for the public good are supported or opposed for similar reasons, although few are frank enough to give such an explicit statement of their reasons. The activity of the opponents will be seen by the following statement, which appeared on January 16 :— To the Inhabitants of the Town of Birmingham. — At a Meeting held at the Seven Stars, Birmingham, on Monday, the 9th Instant, to consult upon the Consequences of an Act now depending to compel the Inhabitants to pay an Annual Tax, not to exceed 8d. in the Pound, for Lighting, Cleaning the Streets, and removing Nuisances, it was thought * The Life of William Hutton, p. 191. t Ibid, p. 185. 19 279 6o .67 43 126 73 241 THE ACT FOR ENLIGHTENING, ETC. 1 85 such Act would not only be burthensome, but contrary to the General Sense of the Tomi. The Determination therefore was, that a fair Enquiry should be made of every Inhabitant thro' the six Districts or Quarters of the Towti, who pay the Parochial Dues, whether they chuse or disapprove of the said Act. The Result of the Enquiry is as follows : — For the Act. Against it. First, or Edgbaston-street Quarter Second, or New-street Third, or Digbeth Fourth, or Bull-street Fifth, or Middle Town not yet taken Sixth, or Dale End .. 11 216 Great Numbers of the Subscribers for obtaining the Act, are, on mature Consideration, much against it. If this fair and Candid Enquiry is not sufficient to satisfy the Promoters of this Scheme, and they still persist to lay their Petition before the House, in order to obtain an Act, it is thought advisable, that a Subscription be opened immediately to endeavour to set it aside. On January 23, this was followed by a second report, giving the results of a second canvass, which proved that wisdom does not always rest with the majorit)-. To the Inhabitants of the Town of Birmingham. — In the Paper of last Week, it appeared that in Consequence of a Meeting held at the seven stars, for Consideration of the Act for Lamps, Scavengers, and Removal of Nuisances, a fair and candid Enquiry had been made of the Inhabitants thro' five (out of the six) Districts of the Town, who pay the Parochial Dues, whether they approved or disapproved the said intended Act, and that the result of such Enquiry was, For the Act Against it 2o6 1029 The sixth District hath since been taken, and the Number now stands : For the Act Against it 237 1236 The Result of this second Enquiry being reported to a Number of the Principal Inhabitants, at a Meeting held at the New Tavern on Thursday last, and it appearing that the general Voice of the People is against the Act, it was thought advisable to open a Subscription to prevent such Act passing into a Law, which was accordingly done and very liberally subscribed to, an E.xample that 'tis hoped will be followed by ail who are inclinable to defeat so oppressive and ill-judged a Scheme. In the same paper in which the above report appeared is a letter from a correspondent bearing the initials T. F., showing the stratagems resorted to by the canvassers, and pointing out the true meaning and intention of the Act. It is one of the calmest letters written on the subject : — January 23, 1769. — To the Inhabitants of the Town of Birmingham. A Great Noise and Clamour has been raised through this Town by a few Individuals, respecting c I 1 86 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. the intended application to Parliament for Lamps, Scavengers, and removal of Nuisances, and a pretended Canvas was made for the true Sense of the Inhabitants ; I am informed their Enquiry was very unfair, being only asked if they were for a perpetual Tax of Eight- pence in the Pound, not specifying the Advantages to be received ; and a great many Names were put down contrary to the Inclinations and express orders of the different Persons ; and at the same Time the true State of the Case was not known to a great many to whom the above application was made : 'tis thought proper by this Method to set the Case in a clear and concise View to the Public. A Meeting was desired, by public Notice in the Churches upon Sunday the 28th of August, to be held upon the Tuesday following, when it was the unanimous Voice of the Persons present, that the present intended Application should be made ; and a further Meeting advertised, and was ordered agreeable to their Desire. A great many Persons met in Consequence of the said Notice, and it was their unanimous Opinions that a Subscription should be immediately set forwards, and those present subscribed each a Guinea, to the amount of Fifty, and several Persons went about the Town for a further Subscription, which met with the greatest Encouragement; another Meeting was afterwards appointed, when about four or five Persons appeared against the intended Bill : but so great a Number being for it, a Committee was appointed of the most respectable Persons in Town, to consider what should be applied for, and the intended Application was confined to the under- mentioned Particulars ; that Power be petitioned for a Rate upon the Inhabitants not to exceed Eight-pence in the Pound per Annum, Two-pence of which is to be appropriated towards the Removal of Nuisances, and Sixpence for Lighting the Streets : the above Two-pence will be entirely dropt, when the follo\ving Buildings are removed, which will not exceed six Years, and may be very reasonably expected to be purchased in four Years ; the Buildings to be removed are the Old House in the Bull-Ring, leading to the Church- Yard, the upper Round-about House, and to open the Way into New-Street. To remove the Nuisances that remain in the Street, such as, lately, that before Mr. Luke Bell's Door, which lay Six Months in the principal Street, and entirely obstructed the Foot Way. A small Fine to be levied after Notice upon Continuance. To oblige the Drivers of all Water-Carts,* and others carrying for Hire, to have ai Halter to the Head of the Shaft Horse, by which he shall be led when passing through the Streets of the Town ; to have the Houses in each Street Numbered and Painted, upon the Door, or Door Posts ; and to have the Beast Market removed from the High-street to Dale-End ; these are the Clauses intended to be introduced into the Bill ; and though a Power may be obtained, that 6d. in the Pound may be levied, it is expected, that not above Four-pence in the Pound will be wanted, for Lighting the Streets ; and no impartial Person can imagine, that any one that rents a House of Eight Pounds a Year, can think it a great Burden to pay Four Shillings per Annum, if the Whole is collected, and if Four-pence in the Pound mil be sufficient, no more than Two Shillings and Eight-pence per Annum will be required, and all other Houses in Proportion ; and the Public Advantage of having lighted and clean Streets, will more than compensate for the Payment T. Z. in a letter of February 6, states that a messenger was sent by the opponents of the Act to its supporters, " requesting they would * Till very recently numerous water-carriers were employed in selling Digbeth and Lady Well water through the town. THE ACT FOR ENLIGHTEMXG, ETC. 1 87 withdraw their Petition, and waive all Proceedings till next Session of Parliament; in the Interim the fresh Plan might be laid before the Town for their Consideration." The writer defends the conduct of the Opposition, whose " principal Motive of Action was an Endeavour to preserve them and Posterity from that heavy Tax." The next Opposition letter appeared on February 13, and is such a fine specimen of its kind that every one will be glad to read it entire ; we therefore quote it verbatim et literatim. It is without any signature. As much Altercation has lately prevailed on the Propriety and necessity of obtaining an Act for enlightening the Streets, &c., permit me to trespass a little upon the Attention of your Readers on that Subject, being actuated by no other Principle than an ardent Zeal for the Welfare and Prosperity of the Town ; abstracted from the least Degree of Prejudice or Self-interest. This being premised it may be proper to consider, that this is a Place whose very Dependance is on the Sale of its Manufactiu-es, which are vended in all parts of the commercial A\'orld ; and that the cheaper they are carried to Market, the greater will be their Consumption : The present flourishing slate of its Manufactures is looked upon with a jealous eye by many Foreign Nations ; it, therefore, highly concerns us to watch over them with the greatest circumspection, and take all possible Care to preserve them. For this Reason it appears highly impolitic to increase the Expence of its Inhabitants by any additional Impost or Expence whatever, without any absolute necessity. But as this does not appear to be the Case, from Experience of the Town having hitherto subsisted without Lamps, and that perhaps fewer Robberies or Accidents have happened to its Inhabitants, than any other Town for its Size and Numbers of People, which may perhaps be in Part ascribed to its want of Lamps ; for as according to the Proverb, "Opportunity makes a Thief," so Lamps frequently give a Villain an Opportunity of perjjetrating Mischief, which is prevented by Darkness, and his fear of being observed prowling about the Streets with a Light; and this seems to be verified by the City of London, which is watched and lighted at a very great Expence, yet, nevertheless Robbery and Mischief is very frequent there, for the Truth of which 1 appeal to the daily Papers. For my Part, I am amazed that People should be desirous of enslaving themselves and their Posterity by a perpetual Act of Parliament, and this too at a Period when the rest of Mankind are in full Chace after every shadow of Liberty ; but more especially People who have been so long accustomed to the most unbounded Liberty, unrestrained from those Shackles incorporate Towns have loaded themselves with, and which has contributed so great a Share towards their present extensive Trade and still increasing Greatness. If, after all, the Interested, or the Wealthy, are still desirous of having those proposed convenient Improvements, let a voluntarj- Subscription be opened for carrying these Schemes into Execution, and let them show their zeal by their liberal Contributions, and not enforce Money against their Neighbour's Incli- nation or Abilities, for the Conveniency of lighting the Affluent or Extravagant Home from Taverns and Ale-houses in dark Nights: It certainly would be infinitely better to promote, both by Precept and Example, a true Sense of Rehgion, Sobriet)-, Temper- ance, and other Christian and Moral Virtues among the People, than any luxurious extravagance; and what can be more conducive to this good Purpose, than giving i88 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. opportunities of frequently attending upon the Service of the Great Creator of the Universe, whose Almighty, providential Care, preserves, supports, and governs the amazing whole ! But it is greatly to be lamented, that Places for his Divine Worship, according to his established Church, have not adeiiuately increased with the number of Houses and Inhabitants ; wherefore I pray that this Deficiency may be properly con- sidered, and that a respectable Association may be immediately formed, for promoting so good and so useful a Work; and I beg leave to recommend the following Sketch of a Plan for the Execution of it to serious Consideration, viz. Let an Act be procured for separating two Parishes, and to lay a temporary Duty of 3d. in tlie Pound, to be paid by the Proprietors of all Lands, Rents, and Hereditaments whatsoever, throughout the whole Parish; which together wth the voluntary Subscription of the Tenants, and other well disposed Persons, would be sufficient, in a few years, to purchase two large Pieces of Ground for burying the Dead, and erecting two stately Edifices, to the Honor and Glory of God, the Ornament of the Town, and the eternal Felicity of Thousands unborn. The Seats in the Church, and Parochial Dues, would handsomely endow them, without any other Assistance from the Inhabitants. But though this scheme may not be readily embraced by the Avaritious, yet I hope (as by this Plan none will contribute any Thing but what they are really able, and that it is but reasonable Landlords should contribute something towards building Places for Divine Worship for the Use of their Tenants) all their Efforts against it will be ineffectual. I am, Yours, &c. In March John Freeth gives us this Epigram : — On the BILL depending for removing Public Nuisances. Epigram. Wonder not that this Contention, Feuds and Jealousies create ; Envy, Discord, and Dissention, Are true Copies of the State. The greatest Nuisances we want Fairly from the Land to shove, Are worse than any Town Complaint, And ev'ry Day are seen above. J. F. In this month another meeting of supporters and opponents was held, records of which are given in the following advertisement :— Birmingham, March 25, 1769. — In Reply to the Hand-Bills, circulated this Afternoon, relative to a Bill now depending in Parliament for Lamps and Scavengers, &c., as well as to a Meeting on Thursday last, at the Castle Inn, the Public are desired to Remark, that the Gentlemen of the Opposition were requested to shew their Objections, wherein any of the Clauses required Amendment, or new ones to be added ; and told that the friends thereof were ready to comply with any reasonable Proposal towards effecting an Accommodation : Notwithstanding this, the Opposers made no particular Objection, but for Answer declared, in general Tenns, that they would have no Bill at all. After some Altercation with one of the Friends of the Bill (unknown to the rest, except John Taylor, Esq., and Dr. Ash, who did not then attend as Part of the Committee) the Opposers proposed that a new Canvass of the Town should be taken, which indeed was unani- THE ACT FOR ENLIGHTENING, ETC. 1 89 itiously objected to by the Committee, when acquainted therewith, and that for the following Reasons, viz. — Their having already taken the Sense of the Town at several public Meetings appointed and held for that Purpose, in the usual Manner ; at all which a very consider- able Majority appeared in Favour of the Bill. The Time for determining its Fate was considered likewise to be so short, that it was impossible to obtain a fair and impartial Canvass of the Inhabitants in so populous a Place, especially as the Opposers had taken every disingenuous Method to prejudice them against it. Those who are well acquainted with the Frailties of Human Nature, must be sensible how difficult it is to exterminate any Prepossession which the Mind has once imbibed, even though they should consist of the most palpable Errors. Having removed every Objection which could reasonably be urged against the Bill, and being conscious that its Merit would stand the Test, we judged it highly imprudent to give up those Advantages for a plausible Proposal, so manifestly mis-timed, and which we considered to have been calculated with no other View than to protract the Issue of it. So sensible indeed of this was a principal Person in the Opposition, and apprehending that Lord Beauchamp saw the impropriety of their Proceedings, he was induced to request the Favour of his Lordship to remain neuter in the Affair ; and to which we added that of ours, in order to prevent his Lordship's having any further Trouble on the Occasion. The Petitioners for the Bill believe this to be a just Account of last Thursday's Meeting. They totally disavow any arbitrary and oppressive Intentions with regard to their Neighbours. They rest their cause altogether upon its own Equity. If they are so happy as to receive the Countenance of Parliament, they will have a Satisfaction from thence, proper timed to the many Benefits which they flatter themselves the Town in general will reap from the Bill : On the contrarj-, if it should become a Sacrifice to private interest and groundless Clamours, they will never the less have left a Consciousness in the Rectitude of their Views, and their Disappointment will only be an additional Instance to many others, of the best Plans failing of their deserved success. The opposition was, however, unsuccessful. Common sense was on the side of the petitioners, and this time common sense prevailed. On April 24, 1 769, the pleasing news w as inserted, that the Act had been passed by the Commons : — By private Letters from London we hear that the long depending Act for Lighting, Cleansing, and removing Nuisances, &c in this Town, had passed in tlie House of C s, on Friday last and that the Division upon this Occasion, which was expected to be very considerable, could scarcely be reckoned one, there being but one negative Voice in the whole Assembly. On May i the public were informed of the final carrying of the Bill. " We hear from London, that on Thursday last the Bill for Lighting and Cleansing the Streets in this Town, was read in the House of Lords, and that it now lies ready for the Royal Assent" Next week the commissioners published an Abstract of the bill, i90 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. containing the names of the first commissioners, by which it will be seen that all the friends of intelligence were supporters of this measure. In this list are some of the best remembered names, and some of the most notable men in our history. Dr. Ash (the founder of the General Hospital), Baskerville (the famous printer). Cope, Freer, Lloyd, Galton, Russell, and others not yet forgotten. The latter part of this abstract brings vividly before us the great alterations made, and the numbers of old houses taken down by the operations of this Act. New Street is to be widened ; the buildings projecting into High Street to be taken down ; the Upper and the Lower " Round Houses" pass from our history; houses by St. Martin's Church are to be taken down, and many of those alterations are to be made which have entirely changed the appearance of the place, and which have since been carried on with ever accelerating speed, until Old Birmingham has been almost lost in the embraces of the modern town. The document is full of local interest. May 8th, 1769. — Abstract of "An Act for Laying Open and Widening certain Ways and Passages within the Town of Birmingham ; and for Cleansing and Lightening the Streets, Lanes, Ways, and Passages there ; and for Removing and preventing Nuisances and Obstructions therein." The Commissioners appointed for putting this Act into Execution, are John Ash, M.D., Wm. John Banner, John Baskerville, Samuel Bradboum, Thomas Bingham, James Butler, Samuel Baker, Henry Caner, Esq., Francis Coals, Thomas Careless, John Cope, Thomas Faulconbridge, John Freer, Samuel Freeth, John Ford, Samuel Garbett, Esq., Samuel Galton, Richard Goolden, John Gold, Samuel Harvey, Gregory Hicks, James Jakson, John Kettle, Sampson Lloyd, Senior; Sampson Lloyd, Junior; Michael Lakin, Thomas Lutwych, Thomas Lawrence, William May, Benjamin Mansell, John Moody, John Oseland, Thomas Pemberton, William Russel, John Ryland, Thomas Russell, Richard Rabone, John Smith, William Small, M.D., Joseph Smith, John Taylor, Esq., Joseph Thomas, John Turner, Senior; John Turner, Junior; Joseph Wilkinson, William Walsingham, William Welch, Elias Wallin, Joseph Webster, and Thomas Westley. The Commissioners, or any seven or more of them, to appoint such and so many Scavengers, Rakers or Cleaners of the Streets, Lanes, Ways, Passages, and Public Places within the said Town, and such Keepers and Lighters of Lamps, &c., as they shall think proper. That every Person and Persons inhabiting within the said Town, shall from and after the Tuesday Fortnight after the Passing of this Act, sweep or cause to be swept and cleansed the Streets, &c., before or on the sides of their respective Houses, Warehouses, &c., once in every week, on Fridays, between the Hours of Six in the Morning and Two in the Afternoon, or upon such other Days and at such other Times as the said Commissioners shall appoint, and Collect and put together such Dirt, &c., in the said Streets, in Readiness for the Scavenger to take away, under Forfeiture of one THE ACT FOR ENLIGHTENING, ETC. I9I Shilling for every Neglect That the Commissioners may compound for cleaning the Streets. That all Spouts and Gutters belonging to, and conveying Water from, the Tops of Houses, &c., .shall, within nine Calendar Months, after the Passing of the Act, be removed, and the water conveyed by Pipes down by the Sides or Fronts of such Houses, &c., to be done at the Expence of the Landlords. All Nuisances to be removed upon Notice. Stalls to be removed after Saturday's market before Twelve o'Clock at Night, on Penalty of One Shilling for each Neglect. All Carts, &c., shall be conducted by the Driver, having a Halter to the Shaft Horse in his Hand, upon Penalty of 2s. 6d. Names of Streets, Lanes, Sec, to be affixed on the Comer Houses of such Streets, &c., and the Houses to be Numbered with Figures placed on the Doors thereof. The Cattle Market to be confined bet^veen Dale-End and Chapel Street ; any Person exposing Cattle in any other Part of the Town to forfeit for each 5s. Commissioners may contract for Lamps, &c. Any person convicted of damaging them, the first offence, 20s., second, 40s., the third and every other 5/.; one Half to the Informer, and the other to the Com- missioners. Commissioners may yearly, under their Hands, nominate and appoint six or more inhabitants to be Assessors ; Persons who rent to the yearly Value of 6/. and under 10/. shall be rated at any Sum not exceeding 2d. in the Pound in one Year. Persons who rent 10/. and under 15/. any sum not exceeding 3d. Fifteen Pounds and under Twenty, not exceeding 4d. Twenty Pounds and under Twenty-five, not exceeding 6d ; Twenty- five Pounds and upwards, any sum not exceeding 8d. in the Pound. Rates recoverable in the same Manner as Parish Rates. St Martin's and St Philip's united as to this Act. Expences of this .Act to be repaid to the said Commissioners out of the Monies raised by virtue thereof Any Person may appeal against the Rates at the Quarter Sessions, in Case of Aggrievance. The following Buildings are to be taken down, in Pursuance of this Act ; At the Entrance into New-Street ; four Tenements fronting the High-Street ; two of them in the Occupation of W. Hutton, one of Jn. Greaves, and one of Th. Brueton, with five Tenements backwards, in the respective Occupations of John Terry, Catharine Wright, Magdalen Hansard, Richard Walford, and John Ensell. The front towards the High-Street (including the present Passage about 1 2 Feet,) being about 64 Feet ; the Front towards New-Street about 70 Feet ; the West Side to the Alley about 33 Feet ; the South Side to the Alley, and projecting into the High-Street, about 55 Feet. — The Upper Round-about House, in the Occupation of Samuel Willets or his Under Tenants ; on the North Side, or Front, about 19 Feet ; on the West Side about 25 Feet ; but including the Projection on the West Side is about 28 Feet ; on the South Side about 19 Feet; and on the East Side about 28 Feet. — The House fronting the Corn Market, in the Occupation of Francis Moles; the Front towards the Corn Market, about 15 Feet; on the Side towards the Passage leading into St Martin's Church-Yard, about 30 Feet ; and the Back Part thereof, towards the said Church-Yard, about 1 5 Feet — That, from and after the Tuesday Fortnight after the Passing of this Act, the said Commissioners, or any Seven or more of them, shall have full Power and Authority to treat and agree with the Owners and Occupiers of and all other Persons interested in, the Houses, Buildings, Grounds and Estates thereunto annexed, and to purchase and become seized and possessed of the same ; and, upon Payment of such ^[oney, to cause such houses to be pulled down. Our next extract is the report of the first meeting of the Commis- sioners : — 192 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. May 22, 1769. — At the first meeting of the Commissioners nominated and appointed for putting in Execution an Act for laying open and widening certain Ways and Passages within the Town of Birmingham, and for cleansing and lighting the Streets, Lanes, Ways and Passages there, and for removing and preventing Nuisances and Obstructions therein, held this Day at the Castle Inn, It was Resolved, That, in order no one may plead Ignorance of the Law, the following Advertisement should be inserted, and it is hoped a due attention will be paid thereto, as the Commissioners are determined in every Respect to put the said Act into Execution. Commissioners Present. Samuel Garbett, Esq., in the Chair. Joseph Smith Michael Lakin Sampson Lloyd, junior John Ash Thomas Bingham John Ford John Freer Thomas Lutwych AVilliam Walsingham Thomas Faulconbridge John Moody James Butler Richard Rabone Joseph Thomas Thomas Westley John Turner, senior William May Elias Wallin John Turner, junior . John Cope Joseph Wilkinson Samuel Gal ton Thomas Lawrence John Kettle Samuel Bradboum Thomas Russell Richard Goolden Joseph Webster It is by the said Act directed, that, for the future, that Part of the Street called Dale- End, which is between the House now in the Occupation of Clement Satterthwaite and the end of Chapel Street, and not elsewhere, shall be the Place for holding a Market for Neat Cattle ; and if any Person shall expose to Sale any Neat Cattle in any other Part of the said Town, every such Person shall, for every such Neat Cattle so exposed to Sale, forfeit the sum of Five Shillings. It was Resolved, That this Regulation be dispensed with, 'till Thursday, the 25th Inst, and that the Town Crjers do publish the same by Bell on the Fair Day, and the two following Thursdays, and that the Beadles do attend in the High Street on Thursday the 25th Inst, and on Thursday the ist of June next, to prevent Country People incurring the Penalty through Mistake. Resolved, That unless Annoyances are removed as the Act of Parliament directs, the Offenders will be immediately proceeded against. Resolved, That the Commissioners do meet at the Castle Inn, on Tuesday next the 23rd Inst, at Four o'Clock in the Afternoon, when they will be ready to receive Proposals from any Person or Persons inclined to fix Names at the Ends of the Streets, and Number the Houses. By Order of the Commissioners, Thomas Steward, Clerk to the said Commissioners. In June 1771 was advertised the fact that the first year's lamp accounts were made up and settled. And that all Persons desirous of inspecting the same are to apply to the Treasurer, at the Lamp Office, No. 16, Spiceal-Street, between the Hours of Two and Five of the Clock in the Afternoon of this Day and To-morrow. By Order of the Commissioners. Thomas Steward, Treasurer. THE ACT FOR ENLIGHTENING, ETC. 193 The Act as first obtained was found inadequate for its wants ; and on February 3, 1772, this notice was published : — The Commissioners for putting in Execution the Act for Cleaning and Lighting the Town, intend applying to Parliament this Sessions to enlarge the Powers thereof. — Therefore the Inhabitants are desired to meet at the Chamber over the Old Cross, on Wednesday next at Ten o'Clock in the Forenoon, when the Heads of the Bill for enlarging such Powers will be laid before them for their Consideration. By Order of the Commissioners of Lamps. — Thomas Stew.^rd. On the 25th of January in the following year the public were informed that : — The Commissioners acting in pursuance of an Act of Parliament passed in the Ninth Year of the Reign of his present Majesty, for Lighting and Cleaning the Town, will apply to Parliament this Session to enlarge the Powers and Authorities thereby given. All Persons desirous of knowing what further Powers are intended to be obtained, may inform themselves by having recourse to the Cierk of the Commissioners, at his Office, No. 31, New Street. By Order of the Commissioners. Tho.mas Steward, Clerk. The inhabitants were themselves making efforts to improve the streets, as we find by this advertisement : — March 29, 1773. — The several Subscribers to the Paving of Bull-Street within this Town, are requested to give their Attendance on Wednesday next, at the House of William Southall, known by the Sign of the Swan in the said Street, at Seven o'Clock in the Evening, to take into Consideration the best Method of executing such Pavement, and to <;huse a Committee for the Conduct of the Work. On April 5, we learn that " The Bill for Paving, Lighting, and Watching this Town, and for widening and laying open certain Ways and Passages, has passed the House of Commons." It also passed the Lords very quickly, for on the 7th of this month it received the Royal assent. It was entitled a " Bill for laying open and Widening certain Ways and Passages within this Town ; and for cleansing and lighting the Streets, Lanes, Ways, and Passages ; and for removing and preventing Nuisances and Obstructions; and for widening certain Streets and Places; for establishing a Nightly Watch; and for resfulatins: Carts and Carmen." The conimissioners soon proceeded to exercise their new powers ; and the following advertisement will indicate how great were the changes whic'^. were wrought in the aspect of the town by carrying out the provisions of this bill : — 194 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. June 7, 1773. — The Commissioners appointed by or acting in Pursuance of the several Acts of Parliament lately Passed for laying open and widening the Streets, Ways, and Passages in Birmingham aforesaid, mentioned in the respective Schedules to the said Act annexed, and for other Purposes therein mentioned, do hereby give Notice, (according to the Directions of the said Act, or one of them,) that they intend to treat with the Proprietors of the Houses and Buildings, situate at the End of New-Street, and in the High-Street, now or late in the respective Occupations of Mr. Wm. Hutton, John Greaves, John Terry, Catherine Wright, Magdalen Hazard, Richard Wal.ord, and John Ensell, for the Purchase of the same, or so much thereof as they shall think necessary to be taken down, in order to render the Entrance into New-Street safe and commodious ; and any Persons willing to advance Money upon the Credit of the Rates by the said Acts directed to be raised, or to purchase Annuities out of the same, are requested t i apply to the Commissioners, at the Office in Spiceal-Street, on Wednesday next, at Ten o'Clock in the Forenoon, and the Wednesday following at that Time, or to their Clerk, at No. 31, New-Street, in Birmingham aforesaid. By Order of the Commissioners. Thomas Steward. In 1780 another application was made to Parliament for the purposes contained in the following notice : — Birmingham, Monday, Februar)- 14, 1780. — On Monday last, a Petition, signed by sixteen of the Commissioners of Lamps and Scavengers in this Town, was presented to the House of Commons, praying for Leave to bring in a Bill to empower them to take down certain Buildings which at present greatly incommode the Public Market, and to make such other Alterations as may be found expedient for the Safety, Ease and con- venient Accommodation of the Inhabitants and the Public in general. And so the work of improvement went on. In time the oil lamp gave place to gas ; but we must not forget the good begun by our forefathers in 1765 and completed in 1769. It is the earliest record of a great local contest, and it is encouraging to learn that liberal and disinterested intelligence won the victory. It was the happy augury of many such triumphs since obtained. CHAPTER IV. i77i-i7een nna-voidably obliged to omit many tliat were received for Insertion, till tlie Week following, frecjuently to the Injury of the Corres])onilents, and 'i'hemselves ; they have found it necessary to remove this Imiiediment, and to show their grateful Respect to their Friends, to enlarge the Size of their Paper, by which means it becomes the largest in the whole Kingdom. The additional room thus acquired will enable them to give a speedy and punctual Admission to all Advertisements that may be sent for Insertion in their Paper. The L'tility of advertising in which, on Account of its extensive circulation, cannot but be sufticiently obvious ; And as they .shall always be hajipy to receive, it will be their Pride, as it is their Duty, faithfully and diligently to execute the Commands of the Public. Our next extract is a pleasant one, and proves that old Birmingham people were not entirely absorbed in monej-making, good or bad : — PUBLIC LIFE AND EVENTS. 21 7 September 25th, 1775. — We hear that the Inhabitants of Deritend and Bordesley are encouraged by many of their Friends in Birmingham, to solicit their Assistance in order to enable them to purchase a Clock and a Ring of Bells to complete the Chapel in Deritend. We doubt not but the Subscription will meet with that Success due to so laudable an Undertaking. Here is the record of the death of a good and useful man in his time. Few of our readers have probably heard of him, and still fewer have read his sermons : — November 27th, 1775.- — Early on Monday last, died here, after a lingering and painful illness, which he bore with the most exemplary Piety and Resignation, the Reverend Mr. Brailsford, many years Head Master of the Free Grammar School in this Town, and Rector of Middleton in the County of Warwick ; — He discharged the sacred Duties of his Profession, with a Zeal and Sincerity, every Way becoming a diligent and faithful Servant of that Church of which he was a distinguished Ornament, and in a manner that will endear his Memory to all who heard him. In the more amiable Walks of private Life, he was courteous, hospitable, and compassionate ; polite without Arrogance, and liberal without Ostentation. In a Word, he was an affectionate Husband ; a tender and indulgent Parent ; and an open and disinterested Friend ; and a truly benevolent and good Man. On American affairs the inhabitants were generally with the govern- ment, and against the colonists in their great struggle. The following paragraph confirms this, and at the same time affords another illus- tration of the generous spirit which animated our forefathers. December nth, 1775. — We hear that some public-spirited Gentlemen in this Town have, with a Cheerfulness and Benevolence truly laudable, begun a Subscription for the Widows and Orphans of those brave and loyal Soldiers, who voluntarily sacrificed their Lives in Support of the constitutional Authority of their country in America. On February 5, 1776, we learn the result of these efforts : — The following Benefactions have been collected from a small Part of this Town, for the Relief of the distressed Widows, Orphans, and Soldiers in America, and transmitted by Mr. Wm. Holden, to Samuel Smith, Esq., Treasurer of the Society in London. — That Part of the Town which has not already been, will be collected very shortly, when it is hoped that every Person will contribute to so humane and benevolent a Design. Then follows a list of subscriptions, the total amount exceeding j^200. The condition of the roads was a constant cause of complaint. In the town they were bad, but in the country they were horrible. A fall of snow, a rain storm, a frost, or a thaw rendered them impassable. A passage like the following enables us to measure the progress which we have made ; and affords a most remarkable contrast with our present modes of transit. It seems like a bit of subtle irony to speak of the Diligencies which travelled some six or eight miles an hour on O I 2l8 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. good roads, as "Vehicles of winged Swiftness." The paragraph is exceedingly interesting : — January, 14, 1776. — The sudden and very heavy fall of Snow, during the Night of Saturday the 6th Instant, and on the succeeding Day, with little or no intermission, rendered the Roads in this Town, in many Places, e.xtremely dangerous, and in others altogether impassable. We were in a Manner, wholly cut off from all Com- munication with the Metropolis, and the remoter Parts of the Kingdom, for Several Days. The Coaches and Waggons which usually set out from hence on the Sunday Evening, after having proceeded a few Miles on their respective Journeys, were, many of them either obliged to remain in the open Road, or to make an Asylum of the first Place they came to. Even the Diligences, those Vehicles of winged Swiftness, were checked in the Rapidity of their Career, and were content to move more soberly o'er the pathless snow-white Plains, or to rest in safety under the peaceful Sheds of their dejected Owners ! — The Mails, both by the General and Cross Posts, have been greatly retarded by the Impediments they had to encounter : the former by way of Coventry, which we should have received on Monday Morning last, did not arrive here till Yesterday at Noon ; and all the subsequent ones on the same Road have been detained by the same Cause : — Of the Country Posts, those which have been able to travel, have exceeded their accustomed Stages many Days, while some have been kept back altogether ; and from the present dreary and discouraging Aspect, it is perhaps not very easy to determine how long it will be before a general Intercourse is restored to the Traders throughout this Kingdom, who must have suffered many Inconveniences from so great an Interruption to their Business and Correspondence. It were surely a most laudable Conduct in the Commissioners of the Roads to exert themselves on such Occasions with becoming Spirit, in order to the more speedy Removal of such Obstructions, which though but of short Duration, must in a trading and commercial Country like this, be attended with a manifest Injury to many of his Majesty's subjects. A local consequence of this fall of snow will be seen from the following advertisement : — January 22nd, 1776. — Swan Inn, Birmingham. During the Continuance of the Snow, the Birmingham Machine will set out every Monday and Thursday Mornings, at Four o'clock ; also, the Diligence, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday Mornings, at Six o'clock. — N.B. The late great Fall of Snow, and Succession of the Frost, renders it too dangerous for the Proprietors, at present, to attempt to send their Carriages in the Night. Immediate Information will be given as soon as the Roads are deemed passable for the Evening Journeys. We have now reached the time when the inconvenience arising from the circulation of bad half-pence had become intolerable. We have already quoted several passages referring to this subject. On January 29, 1776, the following letter was published, and public attention directed to a very scandalous practice which then generally prevailed : — PUBLIC LIFE AND EVENTS. 219 To THE Printer of the Birmingham Gazette. The Scandalous Practice of purchasing bad Half-pence at near 20 per Cent, cheaper than the Mint Coin, is now become so common and notorious in this Town, and some Places adjacent, that it is high Time effectual Means were taken to prevent their Currency. If Change for a Guinea be wanted, the Request is granted upon Condition of receiving Five or Seven Shillings in Half-pence, which are so bad in General, as cannot be circulated in any Place where this iniquitous Practice is not carried on. It is too notorious that Mr. T , in London, formerly an Inhabitant of this Town, has sold considerable Quantities here and in the Neighbourhood. If all honest Persons would absolutely refuse to take such as are obviously Counterfeits, the Growth of this Evil would be checked, and a few Informations (which I have Reason to believe will soon be laid against both Vendors and Purchasers), would perhaps totally eradicate it. Unless some spirited Measures are speedily adopted, it is hardly to be conceived what Mischief and Confusion will ensue. The Retail Dealer, who in the common Course of Trade receives Half-pence to a great Amount, will sustain a very material Injur)-. The longer the Delay, the greater will be his loss. In the mean Time the poor Artificer suffers daily : An industrious Nailor for Instance, who labours hard all the Week for four or five Shillings, receives a Part even of this small Pittance in such base, unlawful Coin, which he takes with him into the Country, and offers for the Necessaries of Life ; but there the Tradesman refuses them : they then either remain upon the poor Man's Hands, or are more injuriously employed at the Ale-house, to the manifest Destruction of his Health, and perhaps the Ruin of his Family. These are not mere suppositions. Facts of this Nature occur every Day. The Necessity then of putting a Stop to this Evil cannot but be obvious to every Man. Policy and Humanity both recommend and enforce it. An Enemy to Imposition. By the next paragraph we learn something of how this bad money was produced : — February 5th, 1776. — Last Week two Men, who a short Time since came from London and settled here, were committed to War^vick Gaol for Coining. It was not likely that such an evil could be tolerated. The eftects on trade, and the consequences apprehended from the continuance of this shameful wickedness are vividly narrated in this " Extract of a Letter from a Trader in London to his Correspondent in this Town, dated February 6th. " To such an enormous Height is the Circulation of Counterfeit Copper Money now risen, that the Tradesmen and others of this Metropolis begin to apprehend the most serious Consequences therefrom, unless some speedy and vigorous measures are imme- diately adopted for the Suppression of this alarming and increasing Evil. In order to accomplish this salutarj' End, a Meeting of a very numerous Body of the most respectable and opulent Traders of this City was held at Garraway's Coftee-House, on Wednesday last ; when besides a Resolution to enforce vigorously the Acts of Parliament passed for punishing Persons who shall be proved guilty of buying, selling, receiving, paying, or othenvise putting off, any such counterfeit Copper Money, not melted down or 2 20 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. cut in pieces, at a lower rate than its Denomination doth import ; they have, in a public Advertisement declared, that as they have great Reason to believe divers Persons in Trade, do encourage and carry on such unlawful Traffick, by buying up large Quantities of Counterfeit Half-pence, in direct Defiance of the Statute adjudging such Persons guilty of Felony ; and as the same does not hold out any Reward to those who may be Instrumental in bringing such Offenders to Justice, the said Body of Traders have therefore offered a Reward of Forty Pounds, to be paid by the Solicitor of his Majesty's Mint, in one Month after Conviction, in such Shares and Proportions (if more than one be concerned in convicting such Offenders) as he shall think proper. This laudable and public-spirited Proceeding, which is well supported by powerful Subscription opened at several Bankers for that Purpose, will, it is not doubted, have its desired Effect here ; and should similar Associations be formed in all the Manufacturing Towns throughout this Kingdom, there would be ever)' Reason to expect an effectual stop to a Practice, in itself highly illegal and infamous, and materially injurious to the honest upright Trader. — Yours, &c." The measures taken by the Birmingham tradesmen to meet and remove this evil will be learned from the following extracts : — February 19, 1776. — On Tuesday last a Meeting of the principal Inhabitants of this Town was held in the Chamber over the Old Cross, when it appearing absolutely necessary that an immediate stop should be put to the Circulation of Counterfeit Half- pence ; it was resolved to offer a Reward of Twenty Pounds, to such Persons whose Evidence shall convict any Offenders herein. — N.B. The real Value of 2S. 6d. worth of Counterfeit Half-pence is not more than 3d. Birmingham, February 19, 1776. — At a Meeting held this Day pursuant to public Notice, at the Chamber over the Old Cross, the Inhabitants of this Town taking into Consideration the many Evils which must accrue from the great Increase of COUNTERFEIT HALF-PENCE, uxanimouslv agreed, to discountenance the Circulation thereof, as far as lay in their Power, and particularly by neither receiving nor giving away the same ; and they do hereby earnestly request all other Inhabitants, not then present, to join them in a Resolution so necessary at this Juncture, for the Reputation and Welfare of this Town. And the more effectually to Deter all Persons from either Counterfeiting the Copper Coin, or in any wise contributing to so iniquitous an Abuse of the Community, as also to encourage those who shall use their Endeavours to Detect such Practices : It was at the same Time agreed to publish the following Extracts from two Acts of Parliament, which have been made in Reference hereto. The first in the isth year of his late Majesty, whereby it is enacted, "That whosoever shall apprehend, prosecute and cause to be convicted any Person or Persons who shall have counterfeited the Copper Coin of this Realm, such Prosecutor or Prosecutors shall be entitled to a Reward of Ten Pounds." The second is from an Act of Parliament passed in the nth year of his present Majesty, wherein it is enacted, " That if any Person or Persons, shall from and after the 24th Day of June, 177 1, buy, sell, take, receive, pay, or put off any Counterfeit Copper Money, not melted down or cut in Pieces, at or for a lower Rate of Value than the same by its Denomination doth or shall import, or was counterfeited for, every such Person and Persons shall be adjudged Guilty of Felony." PUBLIC LIFE AND EVENTS. 22 1 And Whereas there is Reason to suspect that some Persons in Trade may have much encouraged the Counterfeiting the Copper Coin, by buying Considerable Quantities thereof at a lower Rate than the same doth import, in Violation of the aforesaid Act ; and there being no Reward provided thereby, for Persons who shall be instrumental in bringing such Offenders to Justice, It was also thereby agreed, in Consequence of a Subscription entered into this Day, That a Reward of Twenty Pounds be offered, and accordingly it is now offered, to any one who shall apprehend, prosecute, and cause to be Convicted, any Person or Persons residing within this Town who shall have committed any of the Offences set forth in the last recited Clause of the above mentioned Act. And Notice is hereby further given. That the several Officers of this Town, for the Time being, together with any other Inhabitants, whose attendance they may desire, are appointed as a Committee, to take under their immediate Cognizance the Grievance here complained of, and to receive and pay such Proportions of the Sums that are or may be on this Occasion Subscribed, as any Prosecutor or Prosecutors of the Above said Offenders shall be entitled to, in Consequence of the Resolutions of the above Meeting. N.B. All other Inhabitants of the Town, who are willing to support this Undertaking, are requested as soon as may be, to send their Names, with the Mention of what Sum they intend to subscribe, either to some of the above said Officers of the Town, or to Pearson and Rollason, Printers, or M. Swinney. We shall see that for a time these efforts were almost in vain. The evil continued, and it was long before Birmingham was freed from the disgrace of being the centre whence flowed the apparently exhaustless stream of counterfeit half-pence. Our next extract is one of especial interest. It contains the first reference we have found to the labours of James Watt — labours which were destined to change the whole aspect of modern industry, and to produce results surpassing those of fairy-land or the domain of Romance. Without any apparent consciousness of the vast importance of the event recorded, the reporter dwells longer on the subject than is usual in these early papers, and really gives us a good description of the engine then " set to work." March nth, 1776. — On Friday last a Steam Engine constructed upon Mr. Watt's new Principles was set to work at Bloomfield Colliery, near Dudley, in the Presence of its Proprietors, Messrs. Bentley, Banner, Wallin, and Westley ; and a Number of Scientific Gentlemen whose Curiosity was excited to see the first Movements of so singular and so powerful a Machine ; and whose Expectations were fully gratified by the E.xcellence of its perfonnance. The Workmanship of the A\'hole did not pass unnoticed, nor unadmired. All the Iron P'oundry Parts (which are unparalleled for truth) were executed by Mr. Wilkinson ; the Condensor, with the Valves, Pistons, and all the small Work at Soho, by Mr. Harrison, and others ; and the Whole was erected by Mr. Perrins, conformable to the Plans and under the Directions of Mr. AVatt. From the first Moment of its setting to Work, it made about 14 or 15 Strokes per Minute, and emptied the Engine Pit (which 222 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. is about 90 Feet deep, and stood 57 Feet high in Water) in less than an hour. The Gentlemen then adjourned to Dinner, which was provided in that Neighbourhood, and the Workmen followed their Example. After which, according to custom, a Name was given to the Machine, viz.. Parliament Engine, amidst the Acclamations of a number of joyous and ingenious Workmen. This Engine is applied to the working of a Pump 14 Inches and a Half Diameter, which it is capable of doing to the Depth of 300 Feet, or even 360 if wanted, with one fourth of the Fuel that a common Engine would require to produce the same Quantity of Power. The Cylinder is 50 Inches Diameter, and the length of the Stroke is 7 Feet. — The liberal Spirit shewn by the Proprietors of Bloomfield in ordering this, the first large Engine of the Kind that hath ever been made, and in rejecting a Common one which they had begun to erect, entitle them to the Thanks of the Public ; for by this E.xample the Doubts of the Inexperienced are dispelled, and the Importance and Usefulness of the Invention is finally decided. — These Engines are not worked by the Pressure of the Atmosphere. Their Principles are very different from all others. They were invented by Mr. Watt (late of Glasgow) after many Years Study, and a great Variety of expensive and laborious Experiments ; and are now carried into Execution under his and Mr. Boulton's Directions at Boulton and Fothergill's Manu- factory near this Town ; where they have nearly finished four of them, and have established a Fabrick for them upon so extensive a Plan as to render them applicable to almost all Puq)oses where Mechanical Power is required, whether great or small, or where the Motion wanted is either rotatory or reciprocating. The Sunday question is once more troubling the authorities ; and again an unobserved notice was pubHshed. The last sentence is especially noticeable. Such churchwardens would have stopped the birds from singing on a Sunday if they had possessed the power. Birmingham, May 11, 1776. — The Church Wardens of this Town give this Public Notice, That if any Butchers, Bakers, Hucksters, or any other Shop-Keepers are found exercising their Trades on the Lord's Day, or any Publican selling Ale or other Liquors, during Divine Service, they will be prosecuted as the Law directs : — And whereas several Men and Boys have been seen playing at Ball, and other Games on the above Day ; if any are guilty of the like Practice in future, they will be punished accordingly. On June 24, the proprietors of the Gazette make the following announcement : — To the Public. — Any addition to the Taxes already levied on that Bounty, to which, not only the Proprietors of the Birmingham Gazette, but of every other Newspaper throughout the Kingdom, are so highly indebted, must be attended with the utmost Reluctance and Regret. Painful, however, as the office may be, it is their Duty to acquaint their Friends and the Public at large, that in Pursuance of an Act of last Session of Parliament, for laying an additional Halfpenny on Newspapers, they will be reduced to the disagreeable Necessity of advancing the Birmingham GAZErrE to Three- pence, to take Place on Monday the 8th of July next, the Act specifying the 5th of the same Month for that Purpose. They wish, nevertheless, to have their Readers thoroughly convinced that they shall not derive the smallest Advantage from this extra PUBLIC LIFE AND EVENTS. 223 Duty ; but on the contrary, sustain a material Diminution of their usual profits. Under the Influence of this Consideration the Proprietors hereof flatter themselves they shall be found still worthy of that Patronage and Support, wth which the Public has so long honoured and rewarded their Labours. In the Course of the present summer, the unhappy and distracted state of American Affairs, will probably give Birth to Events of the most interesting and important Nature to this Country. Whatever those Events may be, whenever they arrive, or however long they may be in the Detail, the Public may rest assured of receiving through the channel of the Birmingham Gazeite, not only the earliest, but at the same time the most authentic and circumstantial Information. Their Advertisements, numerous as they are, shall, on such Occasions be only a secondary Object ; and their Readers may credit the Sincerity of this Declaration — that they Will at all Times leave out such a Number as shall make sufficient Room, not only for the Whole of erery Article of Intelligeiue from America, but also of every Domestic Occurrence deserving the Public attention. They are determined not to give Place to trite and uninteresting Matters ; nor will they yield to any of their Competitors either in the Quality or Quantity of what is really worth selecting; fully persuading themselves that such unremitting Assiduity will not go altogether unnoticed, nor unrewarded. On July 22 a "compensation" is offered for the additional half-penny by an enlargement of the paper. To Compensate, in some Measure, to the Public, for the additional duty imposed by the Government on News-papers, the Proprietors have at a ver)' considerable Expence, greatly enlarged the Birmingham Gazette, by wliich means they shall be enabled to supply their Readers with as much Variety, and as great a quantity of Intelligence as most other Country' Papers, their Gazette being at least one-fourth larger than many, and containing more Matter than any, Papers published in this Kingdom. In this year we had a notable visitor : no less a personage than the Prime Minister of England : — September 9th, 1776. — On Friday last the Right Hon. Lord North, his Lady, and Family, arrived at the Castle Inn, in this Town, in their Way to the Right Hon. the Earl of Dartmouth's ; and Yesterday they visited the Soho, and Mr. Clay's Manufactory here. In this year a cattle-market was established in Deritend. The announcement appeared on the 14th of October. Birmingham, October nth, 1776. — Notice is hereby given. That there will be a Market kept every Monday for the Sale of Cattle in Deritend : and for the encourage- ment of Graziers, Farmers and others, the Butchers have entered into an Agreement, to give the same every Assistance they can ; the First Market will be on Monday the 28th of this Inst. October. To the advertisement of November 4 was added an N.B. stating that " there was a good market last Monday of all sorts of cattle, pigs, &c., most of which were sold." The market continued to be held for a long time, but no notice of its discontinuance appears. 324 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. The limited knowledge of the true principles of political economy which is displayed in many of the acts of the good old days finds a curious illustration in such a notice as this : — November 4lh, 1776. — To the Inhabitants of Birmingham. — Whereas the Town of Birmingham liath for a long Time past laboured under great oppressions from the unwarrantable Practices of Forestallers, Regraters, and Ingrossers, who advance the Price of Provisions in open Defiance of the Laws, and are permitted to escape the Punishment they deserve for Want of a proper Fund to support the High Bailiff in the Execution of his Office. The present High Bailiff, desirous of contributing to the Suppression of this great and increasing Evil, pledges himself to the Town, that if a proper Fund is raised by Subscription, and deposited in the Bank to indemnify him, and a Committee of Gentle- men is appointed, with whom he may confer, no Endeavours shall be wanting on his Part to prosecute to the utmost every Person who shall be found offending against the Laws of his Country, and to establish good order in the Market. This communication gives us a good idea of the extent of travelling in the town at this time : — January 6th, 1777. — The following table, says a Correspondent, which shews, at one View, the very astonishing Sum paid Annually for the Carriage of Passengers only, to and from this Town, in Stage Coaches and Diligencies, is a strong Proof that the Trade and Manufacturers of Birmingham form no inconsiderable Part of the Strength and Greatness of the British Empire : — To London. Castle 12 Can. i II 6 — 2 Swan 12 — I II 6 — I i> '. 8 — 2 11 4 — 1 4 — 1 Dolphin Day 29 — 20 — 29 — 25 — 21 — 21 — 21 52 Per Week. Carr. Dolphin 4 to Bristol 18 11 6 " 21 Castle 6 1. 22 16 Per Week 4 to Sheffield 2 1 4 to Coventry 4 d. o o o o o o o o o 6 Pass. C 2.714 i>357 2,714 1,560 2,496 1,248 1,248 Annual 13,338 o 6 Pass. 1,123 4 3 — 982 16 3 — 2,106 o Annual 4,212 o 6 Pass. 1,310 4 6 — 280 16 Yearly Number of Carriages. 2,704 London £^1,11^ o 832 Bristol 4,212 o 208 Sheffield 1,310 4 218 Coventry 280 16 Carriages 3,952 Total Amount ^19,141 PUBLIC LIFE AND EVENTS. 2 25 We now arrive at the first account of a trade dispute which we have met with. The quarrel was between the masters and journeymen tailors. In Swinneys Chronicle of February 13, this advertisement appeared : — Wanted Immediately. One Hundred Journeymen Taylors, to work Piece-Work in the Town of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick. The wages will be such as to enable a man to get i6s. per Week, and upwards upon an Average. Apply to William Moystin, No. 130, Moor-Street, Birmingham. On the following Monday the men published this statement : — February 17th, 1777. — To all Journeymen Taylors. — ^\^^ereas the Master Taylors of this Town of Birmingham, have inserted an Advertisement in last Thursday's Paper, for one Hundred Men to come to work Piece-Work at such Prices as, they say, a Man can get Sixteen Shillings per Week ; which we the journeymen declare to be false, as we know the Prices are Stipulated so, that he must be an extraordinary Hand that can get Twelve Shillings per Week ; and as our wages have for some time been to some Men Fourteen Shillings, and to others Fifteen and Sixteen Shillings per week, and that of the Master's own Raising in Opposition to each other, and we are at this present Time all out of Work on the Occasion ; we hope there are no Persons, who know what Trade is, that would comply to such arbitrary Power, nor come to this To\vn to Work under Us ; as we can assure the Public, that the Masters of this Town can very well afford to give the above Wages : — But they want to gain Fortunes out of poor Men's Labour, being not contented with cent, per cent, as will be made known to the Public very soon. — George Hanlev. It would appear that the public sympathy was with the men, for in the next paper these lines were published : — F'ebruary 24th, 1777. Epigram to the Master Taylors. Your Proceedings refrain, 'Twill be Labour in vain, For Hands round the Country to hunt ! Then pray be content With a clear Cent per Cent, And pocket the present affront. The masters next inserted this advertisement : — Wanted immediately, in the To\vn of Birmingham, 40 or 50 Journeymen Taylors to Work Piece-work ; the Wages are such that a good Hand can earn 16 or i8s. per A\'eek, and not work more than common Hours, and by applying to the under-written Masters, may article for constant Employ for any Time they chuse. The Men will not be subject to a House of Call, as none will be employed but such as call at the Masters' Houses, and are free from all Combinations. N.B. The above-mentioned Masters think it their Duty to return their sincere Thanks to their Customers for their Indulgence during the present Dispute ; and now inform them that they have such a Supply of Men as to be able to supply their Friends on the shortest Notice. 2 26 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. To which the men replied : — March 3rd, 1777. — To all Journeymen Taylors. — Whereas the Master Taylors of the Town of Birmingham have advertised for Fifty or .Sixty Men to come to work at Piece Work with them at eight .Shillings per Suit : Be it known to all Men, that it is not for Want of Men to work for them ; but the Reason is, that the present Men do not chu.se to work Piece work at all, on Account of their late Sufferings by it, for instance, a Master in this Town will keep twelve or fourteen Men. when seven or eight could do all his Work, and have Time to spare, so that they do not keep their Men, but starve them ; we the present Journeymen, are willing to serve our Masters on the same Terms as before, which was at Day Wages, and that of their own raising : but they have bound them,selves in a Bond as they say. We therefore hojie that no Man will act contrary to the i)resent Men, as they are all well Wishers to the Community, and can assure them, the Masters can well afford to give the same \\'ages they have done for some Time past ; and they also say that the Men shall not be subject to a House of Call, but it is well known that a House of Call has been an ancient Custom, both in London, and in all other capital Towns in this Kingdom, for our Trade, and that it is more to the Master's Advantage than a Man's; but our Masters want to impoxcrish us by an arbitrary Power, so that we cannot support our Families, and we the Journeymen do not chuse to submit to it, which is the Cause of the ])resent Dis[nite. We are, ("lentlemen, your humble Servants, the Journeymen T.-\vi.ors of the 'I'own of Birmingham. Henry Fv.\ns, &c. The men displayed some wisdom in this di.spute, and anticipated the method lately advised under similar circumstances. It was an early attempt to settle a trade difference by co-operation. The men com- bined, and appealed to the public for work. The record of this misunderstanding and its consequences are extremely interesting. Here is the men's appeal : — March 24, 1777. — To the Public of the Town of Birmingham and the Country adjacent.^ — Whereas the Master Taylors of this Town have advertised for a Number of Hands to come to work Piece Work for them at such Prices as they may chuse to give ; and their late Men have suffered so much by it for many years past, that they do not chuse to work Piece 'W'ork at all. And as many of the capital Masters have chose to employ unexperienced Country Lads, rather than good workmen, which they were supplied with, (and that in Justice they cannot deny) for \\hich Reason, ^\'^;, the under-mentioned Men, late Ser\'ants to those Masters, desirous that the Public may not be imposed on, have taken this Method to infomi their Friends and the Public, that they intend carrying on the above Trade in all its various Branches. Tho.se Ladies and Gentlemen, who please to favour us with their commands may depend on having their orders completed in the newest Fashion, at the shortest Notice, and on the most reasonable Terms, by their most humble servants, the under-mentioned Persons. N.B. All Journeymen who come to this Town, are desired to apply to the House of Call, at the Coach and Horses in Bell Street, where they will meet with good Encourage- ment. — None but good AVorkmcn need Apply. PUBLIC LIFE AND EVENTS. 227 The advertisement both of masters and men are repeated for six weeks, and then without a word as to the results of the dispute the subject drops. During the whole period of this contest, with the exception of the epigram quoted, there is no reference to its existence except in the advertisements. At the present time it would have afforded matter for columns on columns of reports and correspondence, to say nothing of the leaders which able editors would have written to point the moral if not to adorn a tale. But reports were almost, and leaders entirely, unknown to the newspapers of that date. Here is another trade notice of the period. April 7, 1777. — We are informed that the Merchants and Factors in this Town are determined not to give any Advance for Wood-Screws ; and that unless the Masters in that Branch comply with ser\-ing them on the usual Terms, they are determined to applv where they can be got for much less Money. The next e.xtract refers to a state of things for ever and for ever gone. It is difficult for us at this time to recall the feelings of terror and fear which such an announcement would excite in the minds of the people of that day. The press-gangs were formidable bodies, and their presence was dreaded in every place throughout the country. The tales of the cruelty perpetrated by these lawless men make the blood boil with indignation ; and hundreds of families had cause to curse the existence of a system which produced horrors scarcely exceeded by anything we read in the annals of the slave-trade, to which it bore a striking resemblance. In the paragraph which we are about to quote there is a set off in the fact that the work was terribly expensive. August 25th, 1777. — The Press is now very warm here and in the Neighbourhood. We hear a Gang is stationed at Gloucester, but they procure so few Men that the E.xpense of each is esteemed at no less than Fifty Pounds a Man to Government Press gangs and earthquakes range well together, and it is curious that the next event recorded should be the briefest statement of such a visitation : — September 22nd, 1777. — The Earthquake, which last Week threw several Parts of this Kingdom into the most dreadful Consternation, was felt verj' sensibly by many of the Congregation in Deritend Chapel, near this Town. The year 1777 was a calamitous one for this countr)^ Notwith- standing the efforts of Lord Chatham to influence the government against the American war, that suicidal and disastrous contest was 2 28 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIKE. continued. On the 30th of May the rapidly dying patriot was brought down to the House of Lords, wrapped in flannel, and the last effort of his life was his noble speech and ineffectual motion to stop the hostilities with that country. After a few small victories of the British forces under General Burgoyne, that officer and his army were sur- rounded by the American forces and compelled to surrender to General Gates at Saratoga. The news produced the greatest excitement and consternation in England. On December 1 1 the Habeas Corpus Act was suspended. But the country was as resolute as ever in supporting and continuing the fatal struggle. Birmingham was loyal to the government ; and our next extract will show the part which the town took at this crisis : — Birmingham, Jan. 21, 1778. — On Friday Evening last a Meeting of some of the Inhabitants of this Town was held at the Coffee House in the Cherry Orchard, to take into Consideration the present situation of Public Affairs, when a Subscription was immediately opened for the Support of his Majesty's Government, and upwards of 1,200/. instantly and most cheerfully subscribed. — To make this Measure as diffusive as possible a Meeting of the Inhabitants who are disposed to promote this most necessary under- taking, is requested at the Hotel, at three o'CIock this Afternoon. The gentleman who called this meeting, but whose name is not given, was so pleased with his speech that he published it as an advertisement. There is, however, nothing in it worth transcribing. On Wednesday, January 14, Lord Warwick called a meeting of the County, which was held in that city, and it was resolved to raise a county regiment of volunteers for the service of the King. On January 19, we read : — The Money already subscribed by the Inhabitants of this Town, towards raising Men for his Majesty's service, amounts to upwards of Two Thousand Pounds ; and there is every Reason to believe, as his Majesty has condescended to honour the Town by his Acceptance of the Men raised here, that the Subscription will soon be full. Next week this information is given : — Birmingham, January 26th. — We hear that an Express arrived at Warwick on Thursday last, from the Earl of Warwick, with Information, that his Majesty highly approves of the Plan his Lordship laid before the County of Warwick, on the 14th Instant, for raising a Re^fiment for the Service of Government. From another Correspondent we are assured, that when his Majesty signified his Royal Approbation of the Zeal and Affection manifested by the County of Warwick, in their Intentions of raising a Regiment for the Public Service, lie was graciously pleased to inform Lord Warwick : — that the Men which the County may raise shall be formed into a Regiment and agreeably to their own Request, be called The Warwickshire Regiment. The Choice to be left to the County of PUBLIC LIFE AND EVENTS. 229 either the 14th or 6th Regiment, and that the men shall either be entirely drafted, in order to leave the whole of one of those Regiments entirely vacant for the Warwickshire Levies, or that some Men shall be sent down with the Officers of the Regiment they chuse, as shall be most agreeable to the County. February 2nd, 1778. — We have the Pleasure to inform our Readers that the Subscrip- tion set on Foot in this Place to raise Men for the support of Government will now be Ijrosecuted with the utmost Vigour, his Majesty having most graciously accepted the offer of a Regiment, which is to take the name of the Warwickshire Regiment, and the several companies raised here to take the Name of the Birmingham Companies ; for which Purpose the Officers of the Sixth Regiment will be ordered to march into the County to recruit and receive the Men. And we have the further Pleasure to assure our Readers, that a Meeting of the County will soon be called by the Lord Lieutenant, to promote this laudable measure ; of course, the Report so industriously propagated, that his Lordship disapproved of it, was totally without Foundation. On February 5 Lord Abingdon moved a resolution in the House of Lords affirming that this method of raising troops was unconsti- tutional and illegal. This was rejected, and the work went on with increased enthusiasm. And on February 23 the Gazette says : — We have unquestionable Authority to assert, that the Lord Lieutenant of the County of Warwick has subscribed the Sum of Five Hundred Pounds, towards the Wanvickshire Regiment ; and in a few Days Places will be a|)pointed were Books will be lodged in this Town, for raising a Fund to enlist Men into the said Regiment, who are to be formed into Companies, and called the Birmingham Companies. The " poet Freeth " helped on the work in his peculiar way, and gave to the world his song " The Birmingham Volunteers." The next paragraph concludes the references made to this subject for some time : — Birmingham, March 16, 1778.— Last Saturday arrived here a Party of the 6th Regiment on Foot, into which the Wanvickshire Levies are to be incorporated, and when compleated that Corps is to be called the War^vickshire Regiment, in Honour of the Loyalty and Zeal manifested by the County in Support of Government, at this critical and important Junction of public Affairs. April 27, 1778. — Last Week the Officers of the 6th Regiment, into which the Warwickshire Levies are to be incorporated, at the Head of the Division of that Corps stationed here, made a public Procession through the Town, to encourage Volun- teers to enlist. They were preceded by a blue Flag, a Band of martial Music, a large Piece of Roast Beef, several Loaves of Bread, and a Barrel of Beer, and were attended by a great Concourse of People. In the Course of the ^^'eek, we are told, many promising young Fellows offered thcmsehes and were enlisted. The unfortunate General Burgoyne found much sympathy amongst the people. He paid a visit to Birmingham, and this was the way in which he was received by the enthusiastic inhabitants : — 230 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Bimiingham, August 17, 1778. — On Monday last, in the Afternoon, arrived here from Bath, on his AV'ay to his Seat in I^ncashire, attended by two Servants only. Lieutenant General Burgoyne. His Arrival was no sooner known, than the Bells began ringing and a great Number of People assembled before the Swan Inn, where the General had slopped. After some little Refreshment, he proceeded to New-Hall Street, to view Clay's Paper Manufactory there ; by w^hich Time the Sjiectators were become very numerous, both in the Street, and at the Windows of the Houses therein, who all discovered an uncommon Propensity to see this unfortunate Commander, whose Conduct in America had been the Subject of universal Conversation in the political World. The General, after viewing the Manufactory, came to the Door, and was received with loud Acclamations, which he politely returned by bowing : then getting into his Carriage, he pursued his Journey to Soho (where he spent a considerable Time) amidst reiterated Shouts of the Populace, who seemed happy in the Indulgence of their Curiosity. But now we leave " wars and rumours of wars" to return to the works of peace ; and our first item of news is very gratifying : — April 20, 1778. — The following Letter received last Week by the Committee of the Birmingham Canal Navigation, from their Superintendant of the Locks, affords an irrefragable Proof of the great Utility of a new-invented Steam Engine, lately erected on the said Canal, under the immediate Direction of Mess. Boulton and Watt, the Patentees. " To the Cotnmittee of the Birmingham Canal. "Smethwick Locks, April 17. " Gentlemen, — On Wednesday last, Mr. Smeaton made an accurate Trial of the Steam Engine erected lately on the Canal at this Place, and it appeared that it did not consume more than 641b. of Coal an Hour, when working at the rate of 11 Strokes a Minute (each Stroke being Five Feet Ten Inches). The Diameter of the working Barrel of the Pump is 20 Inches ; and the perpendicular Height of the Column of Water is 26 Feet 10 Inches and a Half, equal to iilb. 3-qrs. upon every square Inch of the Piston : The Quantity of Water raised at each Stroke is equal to 1 2 3-qrs. Cubic Feet. " Mr. Smeaton declared, that the best Newcomen's Engine, wth all his late Improve- ments (which are very considerable) would have required 194-lb. of Coal to raise an equal Quantity of Water to the same height; and that a common Engine without those Improvements would consume a still greater Quantity. " When the Asperities on the different working parts of this Engine are worn off, and the Cylinder is eased and finished, as is intended, I have not a Doubt but it will be an Advantage to the Proprietors of 20 per cent. more. " I am. Gentlemen, your most humble Servant, "8. Bull." The Horse fair had hitherto been held in Ann Street, or Mount Pleasant, or the Haymarket, as this street was then called, but this year it was removed to the place now called by that name, but which then rejoiced in the cognomen of Brickiln-Lane. The notification of this change was made on August 10, 1778 : — PUBLIC I.IFK AND EVENTS. 23 1 Birmingham Horse Fair. — By Order of the Officers and Commissioners of this Town, the Horse Fair will in future be kept in that spacious Street called Brickiln-Lane, at the upper end of Smallbrook-Street, where there is exceeding good riding Ground, and every other Accommodation will be provided for the Encouragement of Horse Dealers, &c. — N.B. The Toll Book will be kept at Thomas Whateley's at the upper End of Small-brook Street. Birmingham, August lo, 1778. The town was this year visited by another shock of an earthquake. September 21, 1778. — Last Thursday in the Forenoon, a violent Shock of an Earth- ((uake was sensibly perceived in this Town, and its Neighbourhood, by the jarring of Windows, rattling of China, and other Commotions, which usually accompany such alarming I'hcenomina. The next extract reveals a Hvely state of things : — November 23, 1778. — The Surveyors of the Highways in the Town and Parish of Birmingham, finding themselves liable to many Inconveniences and Hazards if they attempt to raise Money for the Repairs o( the Roads by a Levy on the Inhabitants, as has been usual heretofore, such Mode being contrary to the Laws now existing; they have therefore agreed and determined, to the best of their Abilities, to proceed in their Office, according to the Directions of the .\ct passed in the Thirteenth Year of the Reign of his present Majesty. A notice published on the same day affords us another bit of interesting local news : — November 23, 1778. — Considering the many neccssar)- Repairs wanting to be done, the Surveyors, with the Consent and Approbation of the Justices, at a Special Sessions, held the 26 October last, at the Public Office, have fixed the Statute Duty, for the Parish of Birmingham, at Six Days, for the Year ensuing. The base copper coin still troubled the tradesmen of the town, and again an ineffectual attempt was made to put a stop to its circulation. December 7, 1778. — At a Meeting of the principal Tradesmen of this Town on Tuesday last, at Cooke's Coffee House, in Cherry-Street, an Agreement was entered into and signed by the Company present, to put an immediate Stop to the Circulation of base Cojjper Coin, by prosecuting with the utmost Rigour, every Person who shall be found guilty of vending the same, and the Expences incurred by such Prosecution to be defrayed by the Inhabitants generally, out of a Fund to be raised for that Purpose. Little good was effected b)- this apparently energetic eflbrt to lessen the evil ; for on January- 1 7, 1 780, we find the subject thus referred to: — Januarj' 17th, 1780. — The amazing Quantity of Counterfeit Halfpence now in Circu- lation, and the great Efl'rontery with which they are given in Payment, in open Contempt, or Defiance of the Laws for their Suppression, have induced our Public Officers to determine upon pursuing the most rigorous measures immediately, against all persons who shall be pro\-ed in any way encouraging or carr)'ing on such scandalous and unlawful Practices. 232 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. The following extract affords further evidence of the progress which invention was then making, and is one more illustration of the activity of the period : — Birmingham, January 17th, 17S0. — To all Noblemen, Gentlemen and Otliers, who arc concerned in Navigable Canals. From the Commencement of Canals in these Parts, ever since they have been used, they have been injured more or less by the Frosts, so that Boats could not pass along, by Means of the Thickness of the Ice. To prevent the Inconvenience, I have a model of a piece of Moving Machinery which will answer every Fnd and Purpose that can be recjuired for Clearing th.e Ice before any Vessel passing upon a Canal, and which I am ready to communicate to any Nobleman, Gentleman, Community or Communities, if we can agree upon Terms. This Piece of Machinery will clear a Passage for a Boat to pass, if the Canal be Forty Miles in Length ; which said Machinery will be made of such a Model, that if the Boats are of one Construction, the said Machinery may be moved from one Boat to another, whenever they please to remove it, and that if they have a body of \\'ater lluU will carry their Vessels, and can pass through the Locks, no ice will be able to withstand it. If they had been in Possession of the above Machine, the Vessels might now have passed upon any Canal. That any Nobleman, Gentleman, Community or Communities willing to encourage this Undertaking may have a sight of the said Model immediately after tlie Agreement. This said Piece of Machinery will be made upon such a Con.struction, that if the Workman or Workmen whom they chuse shall make it, if any Part or Parts of it trail, it may be taken in Pieces and re])aired, without damaging any other Part of the said Machine, and that when the Frosty .Season is over, it may be kept for the same Use many years. — For Particulars enquire of Joseph Baker, the Lowermost House, Great Charles- street, Birmingham. In this year the government ordered and the people kept a general fast ; at least, if we are to accept the statement made in the following paragraph, without any qualification, they did so in this town : — Birmingham, Monday, February 7th. — Friday last being the Day of the General Fast, commanded by Proclamation, the same was observed in this Town, by all Ranks of People, with the greatest Solemnity and Devotion. Our next quotation affords us some audientic information as to the size of the town at this period. On Tuesday, February 8, a Petition signed by the Church-wardens and Overseers was presented to the House of Commons, which set forth that : — Though there be uj^wards of 8,000 Houses in this Town, not more than 2,823 arc rated to the Poor, and many Thousands are not assessed to either Church or Poor ; and there is but too great Reason to believe the Landlords and Owners of such unrated and unassessed Houses, let them, on that very Account, at much higher Rents than they would othenvise be enabled to do ;— that the Sum levied and to be levied on the Inhabitants for the Maintenance of the Poor only, for the present Year, will amount to the heavy Sum of Nine Thousand and Five Hundred Pounds ; that this burthensome PUBLIC LIFE AND EVENTS. 233 Charge falling on the Occupiers of so small a Proportion of the whole Number of Houses, is considered as a great Grievance ; and therefore humbly pray that leave be given to bring in a Bill to oblige all Landlords or Owners of Houses under Ten Pounds a Year to Pay the Church and Poor's Rates for the same. — The Petition was read immediately, and referred to a Committee to examine into the Allegation therein set forth, and to report the same to the House. These 8,000 houses will give us a population of about 40,000 ; and the poor rates for the year were no less than .1^9,500. At the present time we have a population of about 350,000, and the poor rates for the year ending Lady-day, 1867, amounted to ;^66,837 17s. 7^d. At this time the maintenance of the poor was causing the authorities great trouble, and some practical measures were adopted on the subject. On March 6, the following report was published : — Birmingham, February 29, 1780. — At a Meeting of the Inhabitants of the Town, held this Day, pursuant to a regular Notice thereof. The following Propositions were made and agreed to. I St. That the Overseers of the Poor, for the Time being, be empowered to appoint two Collectors as their Assistants, whose particular Business shall be to collect the Levies, examine the Cases of the out Poor, and report the same from Time to Time to the Overseers. 2nd. That the Overseers be empowered to allow the Collectors a Salary of Fifty Guineas each per Annum. 3rd That the Collectors do give to the Overseers good Security for the due and faithful Discharge of their duty, and the regular Payment of the Money they may collect. 4th. That it be recommended to the Overseers for the Time being to procure a New Set of Books ; distinguishing therein those Houses whose Inhabitants are excused paying the Levies, as Paupers, and those who are excused as being Non-Parishioners ; and likewise to make a Return of the Total Number of Houses, and the Annual Value of each. 5 th. That a Committee be chosen to meet the Church-wardens and Overseers for the Time being, to take the above Return into Consideration and to deliberate whether it may be necessary to apply to Parliament or not ; and in Case it should be expedient to digest a Plan for that Purpose, laying the same, with their other proceedings, from Time to Time before a Town's Meeting. A Committee was accordingly ap])ointed. On May i the committee published their report : — Birmingham, 27th April, 17S0. — The Committee appointed at a public Meeting of the Inhabitants of this Town, at the Office in Dale End, the 29th of February last, having heard Objections made to the Appointment of two Collectors or Assistants, as agreed on at said Meeting ; and apprehending the Duty expected from them is not sufficiently understood, think i)roper to lay the following more particular Sketch of it before the Public ; and appoint a general Meeting to reconsider the same, at the Office in Dale End, on ^\■ednesday next, at Ten o'clock in the Forenoon. I I 234 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. The Assistants are to collect the Levies, visit the Out Poor, look after Cases of Bastardy, which are become very numerous and burthensome ; attend regularly at the Workhouse to make report to the Overseers; and to receive particular Directions from them, as to any Enquiries necessary to be made. The Assistants are to make Remarks in their collecting Books ; ist. of all Persons not rated who are able to pay ; 2nd. Persons rated who cannot pay thro' Poverty ; 3rd. Persons not rated thro' Poverty ; 4th. Persons not rated on account of their being Non- Parishioners, and of these tiiey are to distinguish between such as are able to jjay, and such as are not. — But the Assistants are not to have Power to assess, or excuse any Person who is assess'd, for these things must be done by the Overseers only. — The Overseers are to be accountable for all Monies received by the Assistants, and frequently go with them, to collect the Levies, that so they may be well acquainted with the Situation of the Town. The Overseers are as usual to pay the Poor themselves, and not suffer the Assistants to do it, neither are the Assistants to buy Meat for the Workhouse, or interfere in the Management of the Family, the Intent and Meaning of their Appointment being to promote a more regular Collection of the Levies, and to prevent the many gross Impositions which the Overseers are liable to from the Out Poor. The Committee beg leave to recommend the following as a Resolution proper to be adopted by the General Meeting. " That the Assistants shall not be continued in Office by the Overseers of next year, without a Special Order be made for this Purpose by a public Meeting of the Inhabitants of this Town." In this month the town is honoured by the presence of a dis- tinguished visitor. Birmingham, Monday, May 22, 1780. — On Monday last arrived at the Swan Inn, in this Town, from Ireland, the Princess Dischkaw, of Russia, with her Son and Daughter, who after viewing the Soho, and the Manufactories of this Place, proceeded on their Way to London. Here is a bit about the old miUtia : — Birmingham, November 4, 1780. — Warwickshire Militia. — By Order of the Command- ing Officer of the above Regiment of Militia. This is to inform the Men that are absent from the above Corps, whose Furlows are es^-ed, or that have been lately enrolled, that did not join and march from Binningham on Friday last, that they are to assemble on Friday next, November the loth, at the White Horse, Moor-street, Birmingham, to receive Directions from Sergeant Pring, in Order to join the Regiment at Chelmsford, in Essex, or their Names will be inserted and they will be apprehended as Deserters. — Furlows Renewed not excepted. N.B. — ^Wanted, Substitutes for the above Militia : Young Men of good Size and Figure, by applying to Sergeant Pring, at the White Horse, Moor-street, Birmingham, if approved of, will receive a good Bounty. Trade questions were now exciting considerable attention. On October 9 was published a long letter from a correspondent signing himself Bristol, entided " A Serious Address to the Merchants and PUBLIC LIFE AND EVENTS. 235 Manufacturers of Hardware, and particularly the Inhabitants of BIRMINGHAM and the adjacent Towns."" The gist of this letter is the urging on Birmingham men to make their own Brass. His appeal was followed by immediate action, as this advertisement shows : — November 20, 1780. To the Merchants and Manufacturers concerned in the Consumption of Metals, in the Town of Birmingham and Places adjacent. Gentlemen, — You are earnestly requested to meet at the Hotel, in Temple Row, Birmingham, on Tuesday, the 28th of November, Instant, at Three o'Clock in the Afternoon, to deliberate upon a Plan, and to enter into a Subscription for forming a Company amongst Yourselves, for the making of Brass, &t., for your own Consumption; agreeable to the Design proposed to you by that Friend to your Trade who addressed you in this Paper of Monday the 9th of October ; and thereby to relieve yourselves from the Imposition of a Set of mercenary Men, whose Machinations manifestly tend to the Injury of the Trade of your Town and Neighbourhood. We anticipate a little in order to introduce the following advertise- ments referring to the same subject : — January 291)1, 1781. — To the Merchants and Manufacturers of Birmingham, Walsall, Wolverhampton, &c. The Committee appointed by a Public Meeting of the Merchants and Manufacturers, held at the Hotel, on Tuesday, the 28th day of November last, for the Purpose of consider- ing upon the Propriety of establishing A New Brass AVork ; having provided themselves with the necessary Information and Materials for that Purpose, do appoint another Public Meeting of the Merchants and Manufacturers, on Friday next, the Second of February, at the Hotel, Precisely at Four o'Clock in the ^Utemoon, in Order to lay before them the Results of their Proceedings. Birmingham, Monday, February 5th, 1781. — On Friday, at a verj' large and respectable Meeting of the Principal Merchants and Manufacturers of this Town, respecting erecting a Brass Work, in order to relieve the Manufacturers from the uncertainty of the Price of Brass; from the Report of the Committee, a Subscription was then opened for that Purpose, and the Sum of Twenty Thousand Pounds subscribed to carry the Work into Execution. Birmingham, April 2nd, 1781. — The Committee appointed for the Purpose of estab- lishing a New Metal Company, hereby appoint a General Meeting of the Subscribers to the said Undertaking, on Wednesday, the nth Day of this Instant April, at Three o'clock in the Afternoon, at the Hotel, for the Purpose of signing the Articles of Partnership, when every Subscriber is requested to attend personally. Hutton refers to this matter and tells us that " Publfc meetings were advertised, a committee was appointed, and subscription* opened to fill two hundred shares of ;^ioo each, which was deemed a sufficient * The whole of this important address is quoted in Mr. W. C Ailkiu's able .ind exhaustive paper on " Brass and 13rass Manufacturers,' in " Birmingham and the Midland Hardware District." 236 A CENTURY OK 111 RM INGI (AM I.ll-IC. capital ; each proprietor of a sliarc to purchase one ton of brass annuall)-. Works were immediately erected on the banks of the canal, for the advantage of water carriatre, and the whole was conducted with the true spirit of Birmingham freedom." These works have given a name to " Brass House Passage," and it may be added that the brass trade now gives employment to between g,ooo and 10,000 persons. In 1780 public attention was called to the iron trade. On December 25, this letter appeared in the Gazette : — For The Birmingham Gazette. — It is acknowledged by the most judicious Observers and Writers in the Kingdom, that the Iron Trade is inferior to none but the Woollen ; the Welfare of it, therefore, may be pronounced of the utmost Consequence to these Kingdoms. The most important Branch of that Trade, both for Employment of Numbers and Consumption of Materials is the Making of Nails, which 'tis well known consumes more than Half the Iron made in Great Britain, besides a considerable Quantity supplied from Russia. An Invention having taken Place, of casting Nails, it is well worthy the Consideration of the Public, how far that important Branch of Manu- facture may be effected thereby ; for that Purpose let us trace what must be the unavoidable Consequences. The Sorts which the Nail-Casters principally make at present, are Spariow Bills, Two-penny, and Three-penny Nails ; which have been found by Experience so lar useful, that many Persons, by their being rendered something lower, have been induced to buy and use them. This has occasioned a considerable Decrease in the Demand foi wrought Nails, and these being the .Sorts by which only Children are initiated into tht Art of making Nails, a Stoppage in the Use of them will eficctually disable the Master from taking such Kind of Labour from his Workmen; who will thereby be prevented from supporting and bringing up their children in the Nail Trade, and very ruinous Consequences will arise to that valuable Branch of Business. It becomes a Question worthy of attention ;— Shall so great a Branch of our Manufactures be subverted by so partial an Innovation? Shall the Welfare of Forty Thousand useful Subjects be put in Competition with Forty ? The Policy of all good States, Prudence and Humanity, forbid it. I will drop one Hint more before I conclude : — Should a Method be discovered of toughening Cast Iron, which, considering the increasing Light every Day thrown upon the Nature of Metals, may not be improbable, this would produce instant Destruction to the whole Nail Manufactory and other Branches of the Iron Trade, would considerably depopulate the Country, and reduce the Value of Landed Property. The Patent for Casting Nails is almost expired, several Persons are preparing to begin the Trade when that Time is elapsed ; it is therefore well worthy the Con- sideration of the Makers and Manufacturers of Iron, that some Step may be taken to restrain or remove so alarming a Grievance, by Petition to Parliament. A Friend to the Iron Trade. Here is a mysterious bit of news of which we can learn nothing but what is conveyed in the advertisement. June 18, 1781. — The Inhabitants of this Town are requested to meet at the Public Office in Dale End, on Tuesday next, at Eleven b'Clock in the Forenoon, to consider EDUCATION AND LITERATURE. 237 what is proper to be done respecting a Bill flelivered for mending an Engine, &c., &c., to one of the late Churchwardens, which he thinks a very unreasonable one. The condition of persons imprisoned for debt was very pitiable ; and the benevolent were often called upon to relieve their distress. Charity sermons were frequently preached for this purpose ; and we quote a record of one of these : — August 27, 1781. — After a most excellent Sermon, preached by the Rev. Mr. Harrison, (in Behalf of the Society for the Relief and Discharge of Persons imprisoned for small Debts,) at the Churches of St. Martin and St. Philip, we have the Pleasure to acquaint the benevolent Public, the Collection at the former amounted to 40/. iis. 6d. and at the latter to 47/. is. 6d. — together amounting to the Sum of Eighty-seven Pounds Thirteen Shillings. This is the reverse side of the picture : — Monday, September 17, 1781. — We hear that a Subscription is going to be opened in this Town, for assisting Creditors in prosecuting Persons that refuse to pay their just Debts, several of whom have been to London to surrender themselves for that Purpose ; thinking to take the Benefit of the insolvent Act, ,but were to their great Mortification disappointed. The result of the efforts to put down Sunday trading are seen in the following extract : — December 24, 1781. — On Thursday last thirty-eight Publicans paid the fine of ten Shillings each for allowing Tippling in their respective Houses on the Sabbath-Day, which, it is hoped will prove a sufficient caution to Publicans, Butchers, Barbers, Hucksters, &c. We hear the Officers of the Town are determined that the Laws shall be put in Execution against all Offenders. We have now finished this record of the public life for another ten years. It displays an energy of action which is truly surprising. The number and variety of the public undertakings were ver>' great — the charity of the people extensive and their public spirit remarkable. Few, if any, provincial towns could produce a more notable history than ours during this decade. § 3. EDUCATION AND LITER.VTURE. With the increase of prosperity we naturally find an increase in the attention paid to literary subjects. The period from 1771 to 1781 is distinguished in this respect as well as for the great public under- takings which mark its history. The reader who is accustomed to hear old Birmingham spoken of as a town of ignorant people, whose artisans were only famous for making bad half-pence, flash notes, and lacquered 238 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. shams, will be surprised at the great mental activity wliich \vc shall show distinguished them at this time. Boulton and Watt were now perfecting those inventions which were destined to change the whole trading relations of the world ; Hutton and Freeth were busy writing, the one his pleasant gossiping histories and personal narratives, the other his stirring songs upon every subject of general or of local interest. The Birmingham Library was founded, and at the end of this decade Dr. Priestley came to dignify the town by his wide learning, liberal spirit, and far-reaching scientific researches. In Education and literature, as in manufactures, volunteer movements, the introduction of new trades, and the intense interest manifested in jjublic affairs, Bir- mingham made great and remarkable progress in the brief space of ten years. The number of books printed in the town during that time would form a considerable and not insignificant list. The extracts which we shall make will afford ample evidence of the truth of this estimate. Our first quotation gives the welcome intelligence of the formation of a new Book Society : — February loth, 1772. — Book Society.— A Subscription for Books and Pamphlets is now opened at Mr. Swinney's, Printer and Bookseller, (No. 76) in the High Street, where Books and Pamphlets are to be kept separate for the Use of the Subscribers only. Each Member to pay Five Shillings per Quarter. For further Particulars Gentlemen are referred to the printed Rules, which are calculated to prevent some of those Incon- veniences and Expences to which other Societies are liable, and are ready to be delivered Gratis at Mr. Swinney's, where the Subscribers are requested to enter their Names. N.B. A London News Paper every Day, will be kept at the above Place for the use of the Subscribers. The ne.xt two refer to the Free Grammar School : — • Binningham, June 8th, 1772. On Tuesday last French Grammatical Compositions were made at the Free School in this Town, in Presence of all the Masters, when after two elegant French Speeches delivered Extempore by Master J. Brailsford and C. Illingworth, with such an Elocjuence, Gracefulness, and Command of Voice, uncommon to young Gentlemen, that astonished the Spectators ; Premiums of Silver Medals were given by M. Wratislavia, French Master at the said School, to them and to the following Gentlemen, not less distinguished by their Performances, viz. W. Freer, T. Charter, N. Boden, W. Rhodes, T. Goodal, T. Clark, R. Cliarter, — Hammerlay, and — Banner. May 31, 1773. — We have the Pleasure to assure the Public, that the French Orations spoken on Tuesday last by the Scholars at the Free Grammar School in this Town, were chiefly upon the Reign of King Edward the Sixth, Founder of the said School. The local muse was not very prolific that year — that is always excepting John Freeth. In December, however, we find two short EDUCATION AND LITERATURE. 239 poems in the Gazette, which as specimens of the taste of the time we quote : — December 13, 1773. — To the Printer of the Birmingham Gazette — By giving the following Lines a place in your Paper, you \s\\\ particularly oblige many of your Constant Readers. On time. Time flies so fast, no Mortal can it stay, Much less call back a Moment of a Day ; Of such a fleeting Nature 'tis, there's none Can say — 'tis here — for while he speaks 'tis gone. Yet tho' it flies so fast, we surely may As 'twere recall it, using right the Day ; And as improved, our Bliss or Woe succeeds, We shall be judged according to our deeds. Oh ! precious Time, let no more run to Waste, There's no Amendment in the Grave to which we haste, And none can tell which Hour shall be their last. December 20, 1773. — To the Printer of the Birmingham G.\zette. — By inserting the following Lines, on that a\vful subject Death, you may raise some pious Thoughts in the Minds of the most profligate, and will greatly oblige many of your constant Readers. On DE.\TH. Death, to the virtuous Man Ends all his Troubles, Pain and Strife, And gives him Entrance To Joy and Everlasting Life. But to the wicked Man, Death's Entrance of eternal Pains, Tho' here he long in Ease, And Pride, and sinful Pleasure reigns. Sure they who thus believe. Will quickly leave their Sin, That they to lasting Joys May surely enter in. And in doing our Duty present Pleasure we find. When those that transgress have great horror of Mind. Debating Societies must be considered as educational institutions. They make men read and think, and any society which accomphshes these two important results must exercise a considerable influence on the mental character. In the year 1774 Birmingham produced two of these societies ; the Free Debating Society, or as it was afterwards called, the Robin Hood Free Debating Society, and the Amicable Debating Society. The first met at a public house called the Red Lion, and a bit of more curious reading than the record of their doings 240 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. and the questions which they discussed, which are regularly advertised for some months, is rarely to be met with. There is no account of the formation of the Robin Hood Society, but we think the first notice we find of it indicates that the meeting reported was the first which was held for actual discussion. It appeared in April : — Birmingham, April 4, 1774. — The Free Debating Society will meet next Friday Evening, in Sam. \\'ickins's Long Room, at the Red Lion Inn, to discuss the following Questions, viz. 1. " Can a Juryman, consistently with his Oath,'^find a Prisoner guilty without a Proof Positive?" 2. " Whether the Practice of Duelling is consistent either with true Courage or Christianity ? " 3. " Whether Generosity in a Rich, or Gratitude in a Poor Man, is most amiable ? " 4. "Whether is an arbitrary, or mixt Government, most eligible?" Resolved, That the Pursuit of mild Measures respecting the Americans, will be most to the Interest of Great Britain. — Resolved, That the present Laws respecting Bastardy, are Destmctive of Virtue. — Resolved, That compelling capital Offenders to hard Labour in the public Highways will be attended with more salutary Effects than the Punishment of Death. — Resolved, That the present high price of Grain and Provisions is owing to Luxury. — Resolved, That an ignorant man is a greater Object of Pity than a presump- tive one. — The Company last Friday] Evening was very numerous and respectable, and was pleased to give their Thanks to the President for his Conduct in the Chair. — The Debates will begin at half-past Seven o'Clock precisely. — Tickets Price 6d. each, to be had at the Bar of the Red Lion ; and of the President, to whom all Letters or Questions for the Society are desired to be sent. The next announcement appeared in the same month ; and we are astonished at the number of questions discussed. How often did they meet ? and how long was each speaker allowed to address the meeting ? If they settled seven such questions in one night as are advertised on the 1 8th April they must have been model debaters : — Birmingham, April i8th, 1774.— The Birmingham Robin Hood Free Debating Society will meet next Friday Evening, in Samuel Wickin's Long Room, at the Red Lion Inn, to discuss the following Questions, viz. : — 1. "^Vhether a Deist, consistent with the Moral Law, can be justified more than the Christian that does not live up to the Moral Law ? " 2. " Which contributes most to make Mankind unhappy, Love, Avarice, or Ambition ? " 3. "Whether is Suicide, or what we call Self-Murder, the Effect of Courage or Cowardice?" 4. "\Vhether Lenity or Severity in a Father, towards an undutiful Son, is the best means of bringing him back to his Duty ? " 5. " WTiether have the present^Temptations of the Age more Influence over Man or Woman?" EDUCATION AND LITERATURE. 24 1 6. " Are Women, who are letl from the Paths of Virtue, by the Wiles of ill-meaning People, pitiable or despisable ? " 7. " What constitutes Happiness ? " Resolved, That the present Combinations for prosecuting Felons will not be prejudicial to the Community in general. — Resolved, That tlie Power vested in Justices of the Peace is not contradictory to the Constitution of our Country, nor prejudicial to Individuals. — Resolved, tliat Greatness of mind is more conspicuous by Fortitude in Adversity than by Moderation in Prosperity. — Resolved, That it is necessary that Sales by Auction should be laid under certain Restrictions. — Resolved, That the present Mode of permitting Pawnbrokers is injurious to the trading Parts of the Kingdom. The Debates will begin at Half-past Seven o'clock. Admittance 6d. each Gentleman. — J. Jones, President. The postscript in the next week's advertisement indicates that the president had some trouble with his audience or his speakers, or with both. He says : — A Plan IS formed, w/iich 7uill be put into Execution, that cannot fail of preserving Order and Regularity, and notwithstanding the illiberal Attempts that have beeen made io suppress this Society, yet there is no Doubt to be tnade, as some respectable Persons have promised their Aid and Support, but it will soon become the first Society of the Kind in the Kingdom. Since able Speakers have promised to attend. Was it the persons who made the " illiberal attempts" alluded to in this N.B. who founded the Amicable Debating Society ? This cannot be clearly proved, but it may be inferentially inferred. On the same day that the above notice appeared the formation, origin, and objects of the Amicables were also announced. It will be seen that the early meetings of this new Society were held at a coffee-house. Amicable Debating Society. — Birmingham, April 25, 1774. — At a Meeting, held on Wednesday F.vening last, to consider of the Proi)riety and Expediency of establishing a Society in this Town, for the Encouragement of free and candid Disputation, it was the unanimous Sense of the Company, that such an Institution might, if conducted with Harmony and Decorum, be generally useful and agreeable ; But, as the indiscriminate Admission of Persons into such Society, must cause the best Rules for its Government to be ineffectual ; so must it consequently render its Duration precarious, and its Advantages very circumscribed. In order, therefore, to remove these Difficulties, a more liberal Plan has been adopted ; a System of Laws has been formed, on the strict and regular Observance of which the Permanency and Reputation of this Society, immediately and ultimately depend. For, as the Power of making, wthout the Means of enforcing, a Law, would be absurd ; so would it be equally ridiculous, in any Society, to establish Rules for the Maintenance of Peace and Good Order without a fixed Determination to enforce and obey them. It will therefore be expected and required of all Persons, who may hereaftei be admitted Members of this Society, that they respectively subscribe their Names to such Rules as have been, or may be adopted, for the Support of this Institution. Copies of the Rules are left, for public Inspection at S. Aris's and Mr. Swinney's, Printers j to either of w hom all Persons, who may be desirous of becoming members, are requested K I 242 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. to send their Names, sealed up and directed — To the President of the Amicable Debating Society. N.B. A previous Meeting will be held at the King's Head in New-Street, on Wednesday Evening next, precisely at Seven o'CIock, when such Persons, whose Names may have been received, will be ballotted for. The first meeting of, and the questions to be discussed by, this uew society appeared in the paper on the following Monday : — May 2, 1774. — Amicable Debating Society. — This Society will meet on Friday next, at Mrs. -Ashton's Coftee Room in the Cherry Orcliard, Birmingham, when the following Questions are to be discussed :• — 1. " Is a Drunkard the greater Enemy to himself or to Society? " 2. " AVhich is most detestable in itself and most dangerous to Mankind, Treachery in Friendship or Hypocrisy in Religion?" 3. " Which are the greatest real or imaginary Evils ? " The President will take the Chair precisely at 8 o'clock. N.B. As the Questions for Debate will not be advertised in future, they will be left for public Inspection at the Bar of the above mentioned House, where the Society is intended to be held. Our friends of the Robin Hood were not to be intimidated by the unmistakable allusions to them, made by the Amicables, and on the same 2nd of May they advertised as follows : — Birmingham, May 2, 1774. — The Birmingham Robin Hood Free Debating Society will meet next Friday Evening, in Samuel Wickens's Long Room, at the Red Lion Tnn, in this Town, to discuss the following Questions, viz. : — 1. " What is true Generosity ? " 2. " Is it possible for a Man who is born blind to have any true Idea of Sight ? " 3. " Is not the Practice of State Lotteries prejudicial to a Commercial Country ?" 4. " Does not the Liberty that is allowed Ballad Singers tend to corrupt the Morals of the lower Class of People ? " 5. " Is not the sending so many Transports to America very detrimental to the Trade of this Nation ? " 6. " Which is guilty of the greatest Crime, the Ser\-ant that robs his Master secretly, or the Thief that audaciously breaks into his House ! " 7. " Is the Custom so much practised (in Birmingham) of sending Children to the Shops to work as soon as they are well able to walk, injurious or advantageous to the Inhabitants in general?" 8. " Who may, with the strictest Propriety, be called wise Men ? " Resolved, That Mr. Wilkes is a very proper Person to sit in Parliament. — Resolved, That Colonel Luttrell has no legal Right to sit in the House of Commons. — Resolved, That the Act of Parliament lately passed respecting the Bostonians is not founded upon the Principles of Justice or Equity. — Resolved, that the Inconstancy of the Fair Sex, originally arises from the Men, and not from themselves. — Resolved, That as this Society is intended to be of general .Advantage that such Ladies who choose to hear the Debates shall be admitted. — The President therefore gives Notice that the Upper Part of the Room will be railed in for the Reception of Ladies, that they may sit without Inter- EDUCATION AND LITKRATURE. 243 ruption, but no Gentleman is to be permitted to sit within Side the Rail. — The Ladies will be admitted without Expense. — Admittance 6d. each Gentleman. — The President will take the Chair exactly at Eight o'Clock. J. Jones, President. N.B. The President gives Notice that the Wolverhampton Free Debating Societ>' will meet next Thursday Evening in the Assembly Room at the Red Lion Inn, in that Town. The Questions and Resolutions are delivered in Hand Bills. The Robin Hood however did a bold thine. To both societies ladies were admitted ; but what shall we say to this announcement, which appeared on June 6 ? Did not our liberal Robins anticipate John Stuart Mill, on the woman's rights question, and settle it for themselves ? We wonder if any ladies availed themselves of the permission, and if so, what was the length of the speeches which they made ? Who was, and what lias become of Mr. John Scott, the able orator, whose abilities were recognised by the presentation of a silver medal ? But we quote the notice :^ June 6, 1774.' — Ladies will be allowed to speak to any of the above Questions. The Debates will begin at Eight o'Clock, and conclude at a Quarter past Ten. Admittance Six-pence each Gentleman ; the Ladies without Expense. A Silver Medal was adjudged to Mr. John Scott, for his abilities as an Orator and able Speaker. The Resolutions of friday Night will be published in Tiiursday's Paper. Ladies' Tickets to be had of Mrs. Wickens, at the Red Lion Inn, and of the President. Would our readers like to be present at one of these old debates ? Fortunately we can introduce them, for a curious stranger who was present at one of the meetings has left us a graphic account of the proceedings. It ajipeared in a letter to the printer on June 20, 1774:— To the Printer of the Birmingham Gazette. — If a Stranger's Sentiments on the Debating Society are deemed worthy of Admittance in your useful Paper, the following are at your service. Having a vacant Hour I attended at the Society held at the Red Lion, and, strange to think, the Effect of Pain and Pleasure never perhaps in such quick Transitions possessed the frame of Man. An Institution of this Nature, conducted with proper Decorum, is truly rational. What are the principles of this deconim ? Observance of Rules and Ability in the Speakers. The former. Method and common Sense can conceive as well as execute ; the latter, only Genius and Education can su]jply. The Remark has been often made that the Ridiculous in the Extreme, pleases the Mind as much as the I'^xtreme good Sense ; it may cause a laugh in others, but in me, it always produces a Pang. I feel for a Person who makes himself ridiculous more than probably the Object does for himself, and I ever enjoy the deserved Applause given to the sensible Candidate for Fame. Thus, Mr. Printer, these quick Transitions of Pain and Pleasure were caused. A Question is proposed, up starts a poor Mechanic, or an Apprentice Boy, and commences Orator. Nature is certainly the primary principle of Oratory, and if you 244 A CENTURY OK BIRMINGHAM LIFE. will Pardon a Pun, many of Ihcm must be truly Orators, being tnily Naturals ; thus my Pain is produced. Soon after, a judicious Person discusses the Point, then succeeds my Plcasuri; ; but unfortunately for me, the latter Instances were but few; a young Gentleman of the Law gave me indeed particular satisfaction ; a bad cause requires an able Pleader ; was I to be tried for a Crime I should certainly be acquitted, provided I had a Fee to employ him. These, Mr. Printer, are a few scattered sentiments ; hereafter, perhaps, you may have more, but, pray, through the Channel of your Paper, whisper the would-be Orators of that Assembly to be more attentive and less vociferous. That Nature is the first principle in the Composition of an Orator is an undoubted Fact ; assistive Art is a secondary Cause as requisite in his Formation; what is this Art? A refined Education. How is it possible a Poor A])prentice or a mean Mechanic can possess it? Besides the outward (iarb of many of those who spoke was rather indecent; a clean Shirt and Stock should surely be procured for this night, even though Sunday went unprovided ; the Ladies are permitted Gratis, and Cleanliness is a Compliment due to the Se.x every where. Milton beautifully describes the external appearance of an Orator. " Deep on his Front engraven " Deliberation sits, and Public Care ; " His Look draws Audience and attention — still as night " Or Summer's Noon-tide Air, while e'er he speaks." I shall conclude this with a parody on the above and leave it to the judicious Readers whether it is not perfectly suited to some of the Orators of the Robin Hood Free Debating Society. Dull on their unshaved Chins and dirty Brows, Stupidity resides, and vacant Thought ; Their Looks caused Laughter, while Contempt and Shame, Loud as when Ignorance made deadly drunk, While e'er they speak. Ali-ha. P.S. As Decorum is well preserved, much Honour is due to the President, who in every Respect seems worthy of this Office ; nothing remains wanting but able Speakers in the Society ; and though Timidity is ever the attendant of real Merit, yet it is to be wished that some other Gentlemen will follow the young Lawyer's Examjile ; on such a Scheme as this Oratory will again flourish, nor can the Mind of Man conceive a more effectual Plan for the encouragement of Elocution. On Monday next will be published, Price 3d., in 4to, the Robin Hood Orators, a Sat}Tic Poem. Inscribed to the President. Sold by the Printer of this Paper, and may be had of the Men who carry it. We can learn nothing; of this Satyric Poem. The most careful inquiries to obtain a copy have been ineffectual. In July the Robin Hoods cease to hold their meetings at the Red Lion and remove to the great room, late Hopkins', near Temple Row. The two societies continue to advertise their existence and debates for a few months longer and then silently disappear from History. On January 9, 1775, these verses appeared : — KDL'CATK^N AND I,ITF.Fose for those that pass that Way. Living campanologians will read the next few quotations with pleasure : — August 23, 1773. — On Tuesday last was rung at St. Philip's Church, by the Society of St. Martin's Youths in this Town, a complete Peal of 5040 Grandsire Cators, in three Hours and seven Minutes. It is allowed to be as musical a Peal as any ever composed, and the first ever rung on these Bells, which weigh 9 Ton, 10 C. 22 lb. November ist, 1773.— On Monday Morning was rung at St. Philip's Church, in three Hours and fifty Minutes, a complete Peal of 6,426 Grandsire Cators, by the Society of St. Martin's Youths of this Town. The weight of the Tenor is thirty Hundred ; it is allowed to be as musical a Peal as ever was composed, and the most Changes ever rung in this Town before or within 60 Miles of this Place. July 22nd, 1776. — On Monday last the New Peal of Eight Bells at Aston, were opened with Holt's celebrated Peal of 5,040 Grandsire Trebles, in three Hours and four Minutes, by the St. Martin's Youths of this Town. — The above Bells were cast by Messrs. Pack and Chapman, and hung by Mr. Samuel Turner, all of London, and gave universal Satisfaction to the Company assembled on the Occasion. August 5, 1776. — On Monday last, at Dcritend Chapel, near this Town, was opened a new Peal of eight Bells ; and on Tuesday was rung by the St. Martin's Youths, in three Hours and five Minutes, a complete Peal of 5,040 Bob Majors. — The above Bells were cast by Mr. Robert Wells of Aldbourne, in 'Wiltshire, and are pronounced by Judges (for their Weight of Metal) to be as musical a Peal as any in the Kingdom. On August 8, 1774, an epilogue by John Freeth was publi.shed. — The reader will see that the poet had an eye to business, and makes his verses serve the double purpose of an epilogue and an advertise- ment : — Epilogue written by Mr. Freeth for his Benefit, and spoken on Wednesday Evening last, by Mr. Penn, with great Judgment and Propriety to a very crowded and respectable Audience at the New Theatre in this Town. In times of old it often has been said, The best of Authors scarce could earn their bread ; And still we find in these our modern Days, Poor as a Poet — is a Common Phrase. Not long ago, a Bard, in needy Plight, To soothe his Cares, and set his Matters right. Thinking this House would give him some relief, Made application to our Vet'ran Chief. Indulg'd in this particular Request, 'Twas then his Duty to perform his best. The Night comes on — his best of Friends appear, But wonder not, if some discover Fear ; For many were the Expectations warm. To see the Poet— in the Actor's Form. AMUSEMENTS. 257 When question'd why he seem'd afraid to tread The dang'rous Stage his pressing Cause to plead : His Answer was — Tho' bred upon the Ground Where Freedom reigns, and Orators abound ; That not^\-ithstanding the expedient Rules, Weekly laid down in Free Debating Schools, 'Twas past his Skill to reach the graceful Art Of Speech and Action — Pleasure to impart ; Therefore as Proxy, pardon the Address, I come — his Thanks most humbly to express. In such Concerns were fondest hopes succeed, The grateful Heart can ne'er forget the Deed ; But while to you respectfully he bends, To you — his Patrons, Benefactors, Friends ; Words ill express the Gratitude he owes To him from whom this bounteous Favour flows. — Oft' has it been remark'd in Life's round Sphere, That common Bards keep Lent throughout the year. Such Observations are not always true, This Night's Appearance the Reverse will shew, The Scene is changed, his Brow is eas'd of Sorrow, Call at his House, you'll find Roast Beef to-morrow. The next advertisement announces the holding of a flower show : — July 31st, 1775. — ^ Carnation Show will be held at Thomas Smyth's, at the Red Lion, near the \\'elsh Cross, in Birmingham, on Tuesday the 8th of August next ; for which the following Prizes will be given, viz. for the best and completest Bazyor, los. 6d., the second best, 5s., to the best and completest Flake, los. 6d., for the second best 5s. The Blosoms to be delivered to the Stewards by Twelve o'Clock. Proper Care will be taken of them until a Committee is chosen to determine the Prizes. No Flowers to be taken away (but by Consent). Stewards. — John Hallen, Jajies Davies. N.B. — Dinner to be on the Table at Half-past One. The following passage contains the names of a few of the games which were popular at public houses. The number of publicans called on shows the extent to which such of the games mentioned were indulged in : — Birmingham, September 9, 1776. — The Officers of this Town (by desire of the Justices) have called on upwards of 50 Publicans, who keep Skittle-AUeys, Billiard Tables, Roley-Poley Tables, Tennis Courts, &c., or suffer other unlawful Games in their Houses, and gave them Notice to bring particular Sureties on License-Day (which is This Day) that they would put down all such Skittle-Alleys, Billiard Tables, Roley- Poley Tables, &c., otherwise their Licences would not be continued : — And further the Officers gave them Notice, that Enquiry would be made in future, and if any Person was found to suffer such unlawful Games, they would be prosecuted, and forfeit 40s. for the First, and 10/. for the Second Offence, and loose their License. — All other 258 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Publicans, of whom the Officers have had no Information, are desired to take particular Notice of this Advertisement. We quote the next paragraph with great pleasure. It is a protest against one of the most barbarous sports of the time. It is gratifying to find that there were men who felt the abomination of deriving pleasure from such practices : — February 10, 1777. — A correspondent observes, that amidst the wantonly cruel Diversions, for which this Country is reproached, there is none that deser\cs more severe Reprehension than the absurd and scandalous custom of throwing at Cocks on Shrove Tuesday. — If, says he, Mercy be the certain and glorious Characteristic of true Bravery, what Epithet can be found sufficiently opprobrious, for the Commission of unprovoked Barbarit)'. — To fi.\ an harmless, inoffensive Creature to a Stake, to be tortured for the amusement of Idleness and Inhumanity, is a Practice that would disgrace the most savage Nation : and he earnestly hopes for the Honour of his Country and of Christianity, that those who are possessed of the Power, will be diligent to apply the most effectual Means, for the Prevention and total Suppression of a Custom that is altogether injurious to the Character, and inconsistent with the Principles of a brave and generous People. What should we say at the present time of a theatrical apology like this : — June 17, 1777. — To the Public. — The Manager and Performers of the New Street Theatre are under tlie greatest Concern, that the Gentlemen and Ladies, who honoured them with their Presence on Friday Evening last, should meet with any Disappointment ; but the extraordinary Thinness of the House, rendered it impossible for them to contribute to their Entertainment. — Great Care and Attention having been paid to the getting up of this Play (The Count of Narbonne,) the Manager flatters himself they will find the Performance of this Evening worthy of their Patronage. Here is another proof of the growth of a better feeling on the subject of brutal sports — if not amongst the people, at least with the authorities. The determination to put down bull-baiting is a good sign :— Birmingham, July 10, 1777. — There having been great Disturbances in the Hamlets of Deritend, Erdington, Saltley, and other Places, in or near this Town, occasioned by Bull- baiting, and other Methods made use of to collect disorderly People together, to the great Annoyance of the Publick Peace ; Therefore this is to forewarn all Publicans and others from having Bulls baited. Races, or any other such Methods usually practised at Wakes, as the Magistrates are determined to punish all such People to the utmost of their Power ; and in order for the detecting of all Offenders, and for the more proper preserving of the Peace, the Magistrates will appoint an additional Number of Constables to take into Custody all such who shall be hereafter offending. We will now have a peep at Vauxhall : — July 14, 1777. — At the Musical Entertainments at Vauxhall on Friday last, there was a more numerous and brilliant Company than was ever known at that Place on a like Occasion ; The Gardens are in line Condition, the Beauty of which, added to the elegant AMUSEMENTS. 259 Appearance of the Company, particularly the Ladies, the Serenity of the Evening, and the admirable Performance of the Concert, diffused a Cheerfulness and Approbation over the Countenance of every Person present, highly grateful to the Performers, (who seemed to vie with each other) and the Proprietor of the Gardens, for his unremitting Endeavours to please and oblige the Public. On September 8 we read this welcome bit of news : — " We hear the Justices have resolved not to renew the Licenses of any of the Publicans who encourage Cockings, Skittles, or other unlawful Diver- sions." In 1778 a new concert booth, at which theatrical entertainments were given, was erected in the Moseley Road. On June 8 the following performances were announced to take place : — This present Monday, June 8th, At the New Concert Booth, near the Plough-and- Harrow, Moseley Road, will be performed a Concert of Vocal and Instrumental Music. — The Vocal Parts by Mr. Butler, and Mrs. Smith (late Mrs. Woodman,) from the Theatre-Royal Covent-Garden. Between the several Parts of the Concert will be presented (gratis) a Tragedy called The London Merchant ; Or the History of George Barnwell. To which will be added, a Farce, called the King and the Miller of Mansfield. Before the Play will be spoken an occasional Prologue. The Proprietors having been at a great expense in fitting up the above Booth in a commodious manner, and being determined to use their utmost Efforts in getting up all the New Pieces performed at the Theatres Royal in London last AN'inter ; hope to meet with the Encouragement of the Ladies and Gentlemen, &c., of Birmingham and its Environs. — Boxes 3s. — Pit 2s. — Gals. is. The Doors to be opened at Six, and to begin exactly at Seven o'clock. Subscription Tickets to be had of Mr. Graham, at Mr. Heath's in Cross-Street ; of Mr. Cross, at Mrs. Gastrin's, Upper Queen-Street ; and of Mrs. Collins. — No Persons to be admitted behind the Scenes. N.B. The Days of performing this Week, are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday ; and for the future, Mondays, \\'ednesdays, and Fridays only. This place of amusement came to a melancholy end. On August 1 7 we read the first report of its destruction : — On Thursday night last, the Concert Booth, erected on the Moseley Road, about a mile and a half from hence, for Theatrical .\musements, was burnt to the Ground, and all the Scenery, great part of the Company's cloaths, &c., were consumed. The Fire was first perceived by a Person living nearly opposite to the Booth, between twelve and one o'clock ; but the Building being composed of Timber, the Fire having communicated itself to ever}' quarter of the House, and the Flames being assisted by a brisk Wind, every Effort to stop their progress proved ineffectual. It is supposed to have been maliciously set on fire ; but no Discovery has yet been made of the Authors of this Calamity to the unhappy Sufferers. This called forth the sympathy of the people, and on the 24th of the same month a correspondent furnished the paper with this letter : it 260 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. affords one more proof of the kindheartedness of the people of this town : — To the Printers of the Binningham Gazette. — Birmingham, August 24th, 1778. — It is with the sincerest Pleasure that I congratulate the Inhabitants of this Town, on the singular honour they have done their Humanity in contributing to the Relief of the unhappy sufferers by the late Fire. The situation of the Actors was indeed deplorable ; after having taken infinite Pains during the last Months, — after having done all in their power to alleviate the Distresses of some Individuals in this Town, by giving them Benefits, while the miserable Pittance allowed to Themselves afforded them only a bare subsistence— just as they were in Expectation of the Approach of their own Benefits, when they might have shared a few Guineas to discharge their unavoidable Debts ; — at such a critical juncture, to have their fond hopes blasted at once, by a Calamity as shocking as the Authors of it were wicked, must deeply affect every Mind not totally lost to every humane feeling. But the noble Generosity displayed by all Ranks of People upon this occasion, transcends all praise ! Though obvious reasons had prevented their encouragement of the Theatre at Moseley, yet now every other consideration gave way to the generous impulse of Benevolence, and the Proprietors of both Houses evinced the strongest Inclination to render Service to the unfortunate Players. The Justices, too to their immortal Honour, did not discountenance the undertaking ; and two Plays have been represented at the New-street Theatre with uncommon applause ; but whether the violent claps which shook the House proceeded from a sense of the Perfomier's merit, or compassion for their distress is difficult to determine ; but probably each of these motives had its share in producing the effect. Though the Profits of the nights were not quite equal to the Exigencies of the Company, yet they were considerable, and went a great way towards extricating them from their difficulties ; but if a further application was to be made to the worthy Magistrates, and leave obtained for one or two plays more, at the King-street Theatre (the Proprietors having with great good-nature made an offer of their House), there is no Doubt but every Creditor would be satisfied, and the no longer unfortunate Actors might leave the Town with Comfort and Reputation. I am, Your most obedient Servant, No Plaver. Mr. Perry, the once famous player on the musical glasses, Avas with us this year, and the muse was invoked to sing his praises. September 28, 1778. — To the Printer. — On hearing Mr. Perry perform on the Musical Glasses in Birmingham. The Gods assembled on a Time, (And Gods you know will quaflf.) Of Matters talk'd in Mode sublime, And rais'd the jocund Laugh. ■ Swift flew th' ambrosial Nectar round. Of things below their Chat, Each Deity in Parts profound, Convers'd of this and that. 'Tis said the Subject turn'd at length. On Harmony and Ease, As who with most delightful Strength Of Melody could please. MANNERS, CUSTOMS, ETC. 26 1 Of Music's Sons an ample List Before the Gods were thrown, When Jove 'tis rumour'd would insist To name the greatest one. And " hark " rejoin'd th' enraptured God, "Such sounds divine you'll hear, " As yet ne'er reach'd our high abode, " Or charm'd the Imperial ear !" He spoke, and thro' th' etherial space Such soothing music flies, As ne'er before from human race Ascended to the skies. " And w'ould you," said th' imperial lord, " But learn who thus surpasses " All human skill ? — upon my word, " 'Tis Perry with his Glasses." Veritas. The entertainments given in the town were of a varied nature. This is an instance of what we suppose must be called " sport" : — July 13, 1778. — On Tuesday Evening last a Man of this To^vn undertook, for a Wager, to gather a Hundred Stones, placed three Feet distant from each other, in a right Line, and put them in the Bung-hole of a Barrel, by one at a Time, in the Space of 40 Minutes, which he performed with seemingly great Ease, in one Minute less than were allowed. The Ground over which he went measures 10,100 yards, wanting only 20 yards of 5 miles and 3-qrs., which is in the Proportion of 253 Yards a Minute, exclusive of the Time lost in picking up and depositing the Stones. — The Wager was decided on Winson Green, about two !Miles and a half from hence. Fire-eating, musical glasses, concerts, plays, stone-gathering, bell- ringing, and other pastimes have come in review, and now we have Fantocini. November 9, 1778. — M the New Theatre, Birmingham, on Wednesday next, the nth Inst, will be performed, A New Grand Ejdiibition, — By Mr. Breslaw and his Italian Company, likewise Master Russell, Sieur Gaetana a La Rossignoel, and particularly the Italian Fantocini, consisting of Variety of Figures elegantly dressed, just arrived from Abroad. The next advertisement refers to a society which makes frequent appearances in the old Gazette. Birmingham people then, as now, were evidently fond of music. Birmingham, i8th November, 17S0. — The Dilettanti Musical Society will have a public Concert at the Hotel, on Tuesday the 21st instant. In the Course of tlie Perform- ance will be introduced several select songs, by Miss Barnes, from Manchester — after which will be a Ball. It is not a little remarkable how frequently the praises of performers in the olden days were uttered in rhyme. Here is one more example to be added to the many already quoted : — 262 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. June 1 1, 1 78 1. — On seeing the part of Diggory performed at New Street Theatre. To move the muscles of a stoick's face, And make to laughter gravity give place, At once is done, if Parsons but engage To act his part in all the World's a Stage ; When comic mirth assumes her genuine sway, What tongue that speaks impartial but will say Pleasure from him must every heart derive, Whose very looks can keep the house alive. On Christmas Day— the day of peace on earth, and goodwill to men — the day on which He was born, whose religion was that of mercy, kindness, and sympathy with all creation, this announcement appeared, and so closed the year of 1 780 ! December 25, 1780. — Cocking. — At Mr. Pemberton's, at Duddeston Hall, commonly called Vauxhall, nigh Birmingham, will be fought the Annual Subscription Match of Cocks on New Year's Day and the day following, being Monday the first, and Tuesday the second of January. Gateley, of Bromsgrove, Cartwright, of Birmingham, Feeders. In 1 78 1 an al fresco ball was thus announced : — Birmingham, Vaux-IIall, 2nd July, 17S1. — La Danse en le Jardin. — A. Pemberton respectfully acquaints his friends and the Public, That on Thursday next, the 5th of July, wll be a Public Te.4 Day. Whatever else the town lacked there certainly was no lack of amuse- ments, good, bad, and indifferent, in old Birmingham. § 5. MANNERS, CUSTOMS, ETC. The selections which it will be needful to make illustrative of this part of our subject are not very numerous. Some of them border on, if they do not actually reach, the ludicrous, others are curious, and others show that bad manners and bad customs are very long lived, for they e.xist "even unto this da)." From this advertisement we learn that Catherine Cooper was not particular about letting the world know- all about her domestic troubles. Here is an unique advertisement : — February 24th, 1772. — Stolen, strayed, misled, or by Violence withheld from his Wife, Catherine Cooper, John Tliomas Cooper, Dniggist, only Son of Mr. Joseph Cooper, in Bull Street, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Brush-Maker. — Whoever can MANNERS, CUSTOMS, ETC. 263 and will give any Intelligence of the said John Tonks Cooper, to his wife Catherine Cooper, at Mr. Babington's, No. 83, in Bull-Street, Birmingham aforesaid, so that she may come to the Speech of him, shall receive Five Gui.nf..\s Reward. — Note, He is about five Feet four or five Inches high, of a pale Complexion, with his own light brown Hair, either tied behind or curled, and in general is very neat and clean, and of genteel Appearance : Though the said John Tonks Cooper has been misled by his Parent, if he will return he will be kindly received, in hopes of future Happiness, by his most affectionate Wife, for there never was any Misunderstanding between them. Whoever harbours or conceals in private the said John Tonks Cooper, from his Wife Catherine Cooper, after this public Notice, shall answer it as the Law directs. Catherine Cooper. Trade had its peculiar methods of pubhcity in those days ; and some of the traders were not very scrupulous as to what they said about each other. Thus a Mr. Durnall, brazier and tin-plate worker, at the Tea Urn and Candlestick Warehouse, No. 49, High Street, near the Welch Cross, advertises Dutch Tea Urns and Block Tin-plate Kitchen Furniture, a long list of which is given, and adds that " the above articles he will sell on the lowest terms, being the real tnamcfadurer ." Immediately under this advertisement the following " Card " is printed. A C.\RD TO Mr. Durnall, Brass Candlestick Maker. — Blunt and Wells, Lovers of Truth, and Enemies to Puffing, present their compliments and would be extremely glad to know where his Real Manufactor)' of Dutch Tea Urns, Coffee Pots, Pewter Plates and Dishes, &c., &c., &c., is carried on, having never had the Pleasure of seeing it: As to his new Boasted Method of Making Block Tin Kitchen Furniture, they are well convinced, may be made at most Tin Plate Workers in Town ; for it is well KnowTi amongst the Trade, that his present Workmen are not superior to other People's, but we believe upon Trial would be found inferior to many. This is a record of a common occurrence in the olden time : — April 27, 1772. — Wednesday morning last, about Three o'Clock, the Birmingham Coach, coming to London, was robbed near Chapel-House by a single Highwayman, well mounted, who took from the Passengers about Twelve Pounds, with which he got clear off, though there were no less than 1 1 Men Passengers in and about the Coach. A proper Guard for the future wUl attend the Coach. A vivid picture of a rather e.xciting, but not very creditable event is contained in the following paragraph. The name of the celebrated Divine is not mentioned : — May II, 1772. — Infonnation being received that a celebrated Divine from London was to preach in Deritend Chapel in this town. Yesterday, a Multitude of Persons from the neighbouring Villages of West-Bromwich, Wednesbury, &c., attended ; the -Anxiety of these deluded People was so great, that as soon as the Doors were opened, they flocked in with such Rapidity that no Regard was paid to persons in respect of Sitting. As soon 264 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. as the Discourse was ended, the Preacher expatiated upon the Rudeness of his followers, but was unfortunately interrupted by a genteel dismission from that consecrated Mansion ; accordingly in the Afternoon, having made a decent Retreat, he mounted a Table, and preached on the Banks of the River Rea to a numerous Audience. Threatening letters were very much in vogue at this time ; and unhappily we are not without similar cowardly productions in our more enlightened days. November 30th, 1772. — Whereas the under threatening Letter was sent to Mr. J. Guttridge, Engraver, Catharine Street, Birmingham, on Wednesday Evening last, the 25th inst., by some malicious Person or Persons. "Wednesday night, 25th November, Catharine Street, Birmingham. " Sir. — I Write these few Lines to Lett you know that if you go on the way that you Do you will utterly niin the trade for Ever, not that it is anything to me, for I am an Inde nt. But I am quite sorry to hear that such Infamous Preparation should be made for a Person in your Station a Wife and 3 Small Children Should Come to want which they Certainly must, if this horrid act is Put in Execution (viz.) Burning the House Down over your Heads or Murdering you by Night the first Opportunity. From your well-wisher, Goodman Truth. " P.S. My Brother Joseph Engraver Says he can't get work to Do upon your Account. Putting so much on that a Man Can't get Bread to eat sooner than Star\'e he will Die for you are a Spoil Trade Son of a Bitch to put as much work on anything for 6d. as any other Graver in Town will for is. 6d., But by G — d weel gett shut on you." A Reward of Ten Guineas will be given to any Person that will discover the Author of the said Letter, upon Conviction ; and if more than one were concerned if either will discover his Accomplice or Accomplices, he shall be entitled to the same Reward, and Endeavours used for a Pardon. J. Guttridge. Among the other strange customs of the times, that of wife-selling was not wantinij. From the records of Birmingham life our French neighbours will find a cause for one of their four characteristics of the English people. The " sell my wife at Smithfield," was not an inven- tion of the enemy. It appears from the following extract from the Annual Register that the custom was to lead the woman through a toll-gate and pay toll for her as if she were a beast, and then sell her. From other sources we learn that a halter was placed round the woman's neck by which she was led ; and thus the beastly character of the transaction was completed. The notice of one of these disgraceful acts is thus recorded in the Annual Register, August 31. " Three men and three women went to the Bell Inn, in Edgbaston Street, Birming- ham, and made the following singular entr^' in the toll-book which is kept there : — MANNERS, CUSTOMS, ETC. 265 'August 31, 1773, Samuel AVhitehouse, of the parish of Willenhall, in the county of Stafford, this day sold his wife, Mary Whitehouse, in open market, to Thomas Griffiths, of Birmingham, value one shilling. To take her with all her faults. ' Signed, Samuel Whitehouse and Mary \Miitehouse. ' Voucher, Thomas Buckley of Birmingham.' The parties are all exceedingly well pleased, and the money paid down as well for the toll as purchase." Here is a paragraph which was thought important enough to have a cross head to itself, and to be called March 25, 1776. INTELLIGENCE EXTRAORDINARY. One Evening last Week, a Company of jocular Friends being assembled at a respectable Drinking House not 100 Miles from the Swan Inn, in this Tomi, two Gentlemen tendered a Guinea each, to receive One Hundred Pounds between them in Return, from a shrewd old Wag, not less celebrated for a happy Quaintness of Speech and facetious Turn of Mind, than remarkable for his Freedom of Opinion on all Theological Points, if he should be suffered to be buried in consecrated Ground. — The Wager was eagerly accepted by the old Gentleman, who archly observed, it was a Matter of very little Moment to him what became of that worthless Lump of Earth, his Body, at his Death, but the two Guineas he xtix^t probably find a use for while living. The manner of announcing marriages and deaths was rather different from our brief mode of publishing these events. The young ladies seem endowed with every virtue under heaven, and always have a " genteel," a " handsome," or a " splendid " fortune. They were all " elegant," " lovely," " amiable," and " blessed with every qualification calculated to make the married state happy." It is the same with the deaths. Such virtuous martyrs never left the world as most of the people whose departures are recorded in the old papers. Reading the epitaphs in an English churchyard, a Frenchman naturally asked, " where do you bury all your wicked people ? " According to these obituary notices the deaths of the wicked were never recorded, or the maxim nil nisi bonuvi was interpreted in a very generous spirit. In the case of weddings the announcements were sometimes accom- panied with an Epithalamium. As illustrating the custom of the time we quote one of these : — August 19, 1776. — Married. At Muxton, Staffordshire, Joseph Green, Esquire, of Birmingham, to Miss Betty Cotton, of Bellaport, youngest Daughter of the late William Cotton, of Etwall, in Derbyshire. 266 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Nuptial Ode on Joseph Green, Esqr.'s Marriage with Miss Betty Cotton. Son of Commerce, tho' to you Better Strains than these are due ; Whilst the Music of the Bells, To the World the Pleasure tells ; Deign the Freedom to excuse, Of a weak but willing Muse, Fir'd with Joy, when Truth makes known ■WTiat does honour to the Town. To Pleasure, ye Vot'ries of Hymen, away 'Tis yours to be happy when Love crowns the Day. In Raptures advance the Appearance to grace, For all other Pleasures to Love must give Place. Then quickly ye NjTnphs to the Nuptials repair With Flora's best Presents to welcome the Fair. The Arts at the Tidings awhile shall suspend Their Cares and their Troubles to honour their Friend. The Lovers of Trade, their fond Joys to display, A Respite shall claim from the Toils of the Day ; And on the Occasion disdain the Neglect, Of paying to Merit a grateful Respect. The Heart that a true English Spirit can shew, The good of his Country \y\\\ ever pursue; May such be the Man, who deserving the Fair, Of Life's daily Blessings the choicest may share, And those real Comforts from Wedlock arise, Which no Friends of Harmony too much can prize. Here is another bit of INTELLIGENCE EXTRAORDINARY. September 23, 1776. A few Days since, as a Lady was walking in a Piece of Ground, contiguous to a Gentleman's seat not more than two Miles from this Place, a Cow that was feeding therein, mistaking her Head Dress (from the Variety of Vegetables that appeared thereon) for a Kitchen Garden, made hastily towards her new Pasture, which threw the Lady into such a Fright, that in making her Escape, she left behind her a great Part of the Graceful Furniture of her Head, which the Cow greedily began devouring ; when unluckily one of the Spits with which this tow'ring Apparatus was kept together, stuck in her Throat, and though every Effort was tried to disengage it, the poor Creature died a few Hours after in great Agony, a Sacrifice to the present EPIDEMICAL Distemper of the Ton. Of the ingenious tricks of the sharpers and hght-fingered gentry of the time this is not a bad example : — September 30, 1776. — A Correspondent desires the Public to take Notice that there is a Set of Sharpers who frequent Roads and Bye-ways, and by Stratagem impose on the credulous and unwary : They watch the Opportunity of a Person's coming along MANNERS, CUSTOMS, ETC. 267 the Road, and meet them at a place where they have before laid a Ring folded up in a Bill, importing the Value as Gold. The Shaq^er alights, and asks the Person to go halves in what he has found, to which the other eagerly assents, and pays half its denominated Value ; but upon examination finds it to be, not a Gold, but a Brass one, not worth a Halfpenny. The custom of using the streets as the common receptacle for rubbish must have been carried on to a reckless extent, when an accident like the following was possible in the streets named : — March 17, 1777. — The Inhabitants of this Town are earnestly desired not to suffer any Heaps of Rubbish or Manure, &c., to remain in the Street after it is dark, as the same may be productive of bad Consequences : By a Remissness of this kind, a \\'aggon loaded with Glass was overturned in Edgbaston-Street on Tuesday Night last, and another narrowly escaped a similar Accident in Moor-Street, owing to such obstruction. The preparations for the Fifth of November were as troublesome then as they are now. In 1777 we were very nearly losing a famous relic of antiquity by a " serpent." It is true it would have only hastened its destruction a few years ; for what the fire spared, man, a little time afterwards, destroyed. On October 27, we read : — On Saturday Night last, about eight o'Clock, the Railing which surrounds the Cupola of the Old Cross, in this Town, was set on Fire by a Serpent thrown thereon by some Boys, who were in the Street ; but being soon discovered, it was happily extinguished without any considerable Damage. — As such Acts of mischievous Wantonness may be productive of very alarming Consequences, the Magistrates are determined to punish severely every Person Offending in like Manner hereafter. —wWe hope, therefore, a proper Attention will be given to the Precaution, that unthinking/Youth may avoid the Odium which a contrary Conduct will inevitably incur. The next quotation gives us the record of an exploit by our local "bloods." It seems that we had our Mohawks and Savages as well as London, and that they were as unscrupulous and dastardly as the metropolitan scoundrels whom they imitated. We hope, and believe, that our authorities were more successful in their treatment of these ruffians than their London contemporaries, for we meet with no other record of their doings in Birmingham than this, whicli was published March 2, 1778 : — On Friday F,vcning last, as a poor Man and his Wife were walking down Digbeth, in their Way home, they were violently assaulted by a Party of disorderly young Fellows, who, for their heroic Achievements in their Cups, very judiciously stile themselves Bloods : and who, because the poor Man refused to deliver up his Wife to their brutal Rage, very gallantly broke one of his Legs in two Places, and otherwise so terribly bruised him, that he now lies without Hope of Recover)'. — One of these Bravoes has 268 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. since been discovered, and diligent Search is making after his Associates, and when taken 'tis hoped the corrective Hand of impartial Justice will properly allay the Fervor of their intemperate and outrageous Passions. Is this to be taken as a specimen of the wit of the year 1778 ? — June 22, 1778. — We hear that an eminent Brazier and Tin-Plate Worker, not an Hundred Miles from Carr's Lane, has in Contemplation the following emblematical Addition to his Sign, viz — Satan painted in all his usual hideous Attributes of Pride, Envy, Malice, Rage, and Despair, accosting the Sun in the Meridian ; behind him a Boy, looking with ineffable Contempt and Derision and pointing to the Fiend. Underneath the following Words : " • To thee I call, " But with no friendly Voice, and add thy Name, " O Sun, to tell thee how I hate thy Beam." Mi/ton, Paradise Lost, Book 4th. The whole to be supported on the Right Hand by an Artist, in an Attitude of addressing the Passengers, holding this Scroll, " Beware of Puffers and Pretenders," and on the left a Boy, supporting a Shield of Azure and Gold Letters, "This is the Genuine Manufactory;" and to be defended and preserved by a Chevaux-de-Frise next the Welsh-Crow. One more specimen of what was then thought — INTELLIGENCE EXTRAORDINARY. January 8th, 1781. The Foot Race between the High Bailiff of Hales-Owen, and Befifaire the Chape-Filer, terminated in Behalf of the latter, on the High-road leading from New-Street to the Five Ways, last Thursday Evening. — A second Match is talked of, and as the Salopian is supposed to be in training for the Purpose, it is expected the Odds on even Ground will be much in his Favour. Rotton Park must have been an inviting place for a stranger to visit if the following statement be true : — January 15, 17S1. — A few Days ago, one of the Collectors of the Poor's Levies for this Town, went to the Lodge in RoUon Park, to receive Payment of seven Levies ; when, on the Collector's approaching the House, a large Dog, between the Bull Dog and Mastiff, immediately seized him, and he very narrowly escaped being destroyed. This is inserted to put those People on their Guard who may have Occasion to go to the House above-mentioned, for Dogs are so placed that you can't go near the Doors without the utmost Danger. In the year 1781, a Smith and Farrier named Edward Freeth died, and one William Spooner took to the stock, and shop, and trade of the deceased. On October 29 he advertised the fact and solicited a con- tinuance of the favours of the public. To this advertisement the widow of the late Smith and Farrier adds this felicitous postscript : — ^g" Mrs. Freeth takes the Liberty to return her most unfeigned Thanks to the Friends of her late Husband, atid will think herself still more obliged by a continuance of their Favours to his Successor. THE BIRMINGHAM ASSAY OFFICE. 269 Everybody will be delighted to learn something about the ancestor of Jacob Wilson, the Town Crier. He also held that onerous and important office, and, as the following advertisement shows, he did not limit his labours to crying lost goods and lost children, but that he cried at funerals also on the shortest notice and with the greatest care and punctuality. NEEDLES. October 29, 1781. A Quantity of White-Chapel Needles was taken up in Birmingham, in September last. Whoever has lost them, on proving their claim, and paying the Charges, may have them again, by applying to. JACOB WILSON, Town Cryer, at No. 26, Moor Street; but if they are not redeemed within Fourteen Days after this Advertisement, they will be returned again to the person who took them up. J. Wilson respectfully returns his most sincere and grateful acknowledgments to his Friends and the Public in general, who have hitherto honoured him with their Encourage- ment, and assures them that the same Diligence and Attention shall be constantly exerted to merit a Continuance of their Countenance and Support. Particular Care will be taken to pay any or every Sum of Money, without Delay, that may be bid by him as a Reward for any Thing, publickly crj'ed or Advertised by him. — He attends Funerals, in Town or Country, on the shortest Notice, and with the greatest care and punctuality. And thus closes the year 1781. THE BIRMINGHAM ASSAY OFFICE. The first effort made to provide an Assay Office begins in the year 1773- On the ist of February in that year the workers in silver at Sheffield petitioned the House of Commons for leave to bring in a bill for establishing an Assay Office in that town. And " on the 2nd of February, a petition of Matthew Boulton, on behalf of himself and the rest of the manufacturers of silver wares in Birmingham, was presented; and, after noticing the application from Sheffield, it set forth that the petitioner and others were engaged in the manufacture of silver plate, which might be considerably improved in case an Assay Office were established ; but the inconvenience they laboured under in sending their goods to Chester, the nearest Assay Office, was a great interference with their success ; and the petitioner prayed that if provision should be made for establishing an Assay Office at Sheffield, that Birmingham might be included."'"' Of course the London gold and silversmiths were * The Assay of Gold and Silver Wares. By Arthur Ryland. p. 171. 270 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Up in arms, and the London Goldsmiths' Company opposed the prayer of these petitions. The following extract gives us an account of their proceedings : — March i, 1773. — We hear that the Opposition of the Silversmiths of London against those of the Country grows very Violent, and that the former have deserted their Shops, and are patroling over the Western Part of the Town, endeavouring to prejudice the minds of our Senators against Country Silver ; the Refining of which (as it is expressed in their Petition) is a sacred mystery, and is nowhere understood but in London ; nor are any good ^\■orkmen, or good Taste, to be found, but within the Eills of Mortality. Whereas the Fact is, the greatest Improvements that have been made, in the Separation of the base INIetals from Gold and Silver, for this Century past, have been made, and are practised in this Town, which has distinguished itself over the whole Globe by its various Productions, and that chiefly owing to its e.xcelling all other Countries in Machines and Tools for working in Metal. As to Taste and Elegance in Forms, compare but the Silversmith's Shops with the Productions of Staftbrdshire. One of the results of this opposition was, that " A fresh Petition is ordered into the House of Commons with respect to establishing Assay Offices in Sheffield and this Town, before anything more can be absolutely determined on." And on the same day we have this very sensible expostulation made with the London opponents : — As Assay-Masters for Marking Gold and Silver Manufactures, are granted to Chester, Exeter, Newcastle, and other large Towns, to save them the Expence as well as the Trouble of sending their Goods to London, it is surprising that any Ojjposition should be made to granting this Town an Assay-Master, which produces more Manufactures in Gold and Silver than all the other Towns put together, and is universally acknowledged the Seat of Mechanic Ligenuity in this Kingdom. It is very remarkable, that in this Town there is neither a Beggar nor a Justice of the Peace ; Sobriety joined to Industry forms the very honourable Characteristic of our Inhabitants ; and in their present Petition to Parliament for an Assay-Master of their own, their very Ingenuity, which should secure them general Favour, is the principal Argument urged against them by the Goldsmiths of London. It is indeed likewise objected to our People that they undersell almost all the other Places in England in every Article of Hardware ; here their Merit is again made Criminal, for the General Decay of all Manufactures arises from the Exhorbitant Price to which they are raised, and those are certainly most entitled to the public Encouragement who send them cheapest either to the domestic Market, or to Foreign Kingdoms. The more Children a Man has in Holland the richer he is, the more Children a Man has in England the poorer he is, the People of Birmingham indeed are a happy Exemption to tliis Remark, who make their little ones earn a subsistence at the same Age in which little ones are earning Vice through the Streets of every other large Town in the Kingdom. Still the opposition continued, and on March 15 we read : — . A fresh Petition has been presented to the House of Commons by the Goldsmiths' Company, setting forth, that in or near the Towns of Sheffield and Birmingham, Wares were made of Iron and Steel, and other Metals, have been plated with Silver, and Marks impressed thereon, purporting that the same are real Plate marked at an Assay Office. THE BIRMINGHAM ASSAY OFFICE. 27 1 This selfish and short-sighted fear and jealousy, however, were in vain. Matthew Boulton was not a man to be easily beaten. " He was," says Mr. Smiles, " a first-rate man of business. He had a hearty enthusiasm for his calling, and took a just pride in it. In conducting it he was guided by fine tact, great knowledge of character, and sound practical wisdom. When fully satisfied as to the course he should pursue, he acted with remarkable vigour and promptitude, bending his whole mind to the enterprise which he had taken in hand."* With such a man leading, we are not surprised to read that on the 29th of March, that " The Bill for establishing Assay Ofifices or Marking Halls in this Town and Sheffield, was read in the House of Commons on Friday last for the first time." It was read a second time and committed on April 7. On the 29th was presented a " report on the amendment made to the Bill," which was ordered to be printed. On the loth of May the following information was published : — We hear the Act now depending before Parliament for appointing an Assay Office in the TowTi passed a Committee of the House of Commons on Thursday last, and that the London Goldsmiths' Company, and also the Manufacturers of Plate in London did each of them on that Day Petition the House of Commons that they might, on Tuesday next, be heard at the Bar of the House by Council against the Bill, which is then to be reported for the Third Reading. — Notwithstanding the most infamous Reflections propagated in the News Papers, and by Hand Bills, insinuating that people who lived in Reputation in this Town have been suspected of " Clipping and Coining ; " we have the Pleasure to assure our Readers that some Noblemen and Gentlemen of the most eminent Rank in Staftbrd- shire and Warwickshire are so perfectly convinced that such Practices were never known in this Neighbourhood, except amongst People of no Character or Significance, either as Artists or othenvise, that they have voluntarily condescended to become Members of the Company which it is hoped will be established in the Town, to .\uthorise a Mark to be stamp'd on our Silver Wares, by which we may obtain the Honour thro' Europe of making Wrought Silver of better Standard (as well as of better Workmanship) than is generally marked at Goldsmiths'-Hall in London. The Bill was read a third time and passed ; it also passed the House of Lords, and on May 3 1 the Gazette contained this welcome piece of News : — On Friday last the Royal Assent was given to the Act for appointing Offices in this Town and Sheffield, for Assaying Silver Plate. — By this .\ct, several of the Noblemen and Gentlemen, who reside within 20 miles of each of those Towns, several of the principal Inhabitants, and a limited Number of Silversmiths in each are incorporated into two Companies ; one is stiled, the Guardians of the Standard of Silver Plate in Birmingham ; 'Lives of Boulton and Watt. By Samuel Smiles, p. 4S2. 272 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. and the other the Guardians, &>€. in Sheffield. — Each Company is empowered to appoint in its own Town, Assayers and other Officers necessary for the faithful Discharge of a Trust so important both to Individuals and to this Kingdom. — There is no doubt that very beneficial consequences will follow this Institution. The next reference to this subject is on August 9, when the notice of the day on which the Office would be opened appeared : — Birmingham Assay-Office, August 4th, 1773. — At a Meeting of the Company of Guardians of the Standard of Wrought Plate within the Town of Birmingham, it was resolved to open the Assay-Office, for the Assaying and Marking of Wrought Plate, on Tuesday the 31st day of August Instant. Any Persons desirous to receive Information relative to the conduct of Business at the said Office, may be acquainted with the Rules already settled, by applying to Mr. Jackson, the Assayer. — Note, It is necessary that every Silversmith and Plate-worker do enter his Mark, Name, and Place of Abode, with the Wardens of the Company, before his Work can be Assayed. Charles Stuart, Clerk to the Company. Matthew Boulton was the first to use the Act which he had been so instrumental in obtaining. We quote a list of the articles which he had assayed and marked on that occasion : — September 13, 1773. — A few Days since the Assay-Office in this Town opened, when the following Articles, manufactured at the Soho, were assayed and marked : viz.. Buckles, Spoons, Spurs, Ladles, Knife-Handles, Candlesticks, Branches, Salts, Gun Furniture, Tea Tongs, Instrument Cases, Bottle Stands, Snuffers, Snuffer Pans, Labels for Bottles, Sword Hilts, Buttons, Punch Ladles, Wine Strainers, Shoe Clasps, Whip Handles, Epergnes, Terrines, Tea Vases, Coffee Pots and Lamps, Tea Pots, Cannisters, Bread Baskets, Sugar Dishes, Castors, Ice Pails, Cream Jugs, Two-handle Cups, Waiters, Salvers, Table Crosses, Sauce Boats, Sacramental Plate, Arg)'les, Tankards, Pint and Half-pint Cups, Dishes, Plates, Tumblers, Cheese Toasters, Fanes, Skewers, Inkstands, Cassoletts, Toilet Plate, Fish and Pudding Trowels, Bells, Monteiths and Mazareens. On September 20, this notice was published : — Birmingham Assay-Office, September 17, 1773.— All Manufacturers of Plate, or any Kind of Silver Wares, are desired to observe, that agreeable to the Resolutions of the last Meeting of the Guardians of the Standard of Wrought Plate, this Office will be open for Public Business every Tuesday (excepting such Times when any general Holiday shall happen on that Day of the Week, or the Anniversary Meeting of the Company of Guardians, of which Notices will be wrote and affixed on or near the Door of the ^Office on the preceding Tuesdays). Two of the Wardens will attend in the Weighing Room between Seven and Nine until Michaelmas, and from Michaelmas to Lady-Day between Eight and Ten in the Morning, to receive all such Silver Work as shall be brought there to be assayed and marked. All Silver Wares capable of bearing the Marks are required (by the late Assay Act) to be assayed and marked, and all Manufacturers of such Wares who reside in this Town, or within 20 Miles thereof, are obliged by the said Act, on or before the 29th of September Instant, to enter at this office, his Name, his Mark, and Place of Abode, or he will be liable to the Penalty of One Hundred Pounds ; and in LICENSING THE THEATRE. 273 either of the two followng cases, the like Penalty will be incurred, viz. By striking on any Kind of Silver Work any Mark whatsoever that shall not have been first entered at this Office ; also by striking any Letter or Letters on any Vessel or other Thing plated or covered with Silver, or upon any Metal, Vessel or other Things plated or covered with Silver, or upon any Metal, Vessel or other Things made to look like Silver. And for counterfeiting any Assay-Office Marks, Transportation for 14 Years. N.B. — After Michaelmas Mr. Jackson, the Assay Master will undertake to Make Gold, Silver, or parting Assays every Tuesday on which the Office shall be open for public Business, if brought to him there before Nine in the Morning, and will generally Assay on Saturdays if to the Number of 20 Papers be brought to his Shop in the High-Street on the Friday Evenings. On August 8, 1774, the public are informed that " The Assay Office Mark used for seaHng Weights, is that of an Anchor, which it is hoped no Person will attempt to counterfeit ; the Penalty for so doing being no less than Transportation for Fourteen Years." We need not trace the history of this institution step by step. Its utility was soon recognised ; and the manufacture of plated goods increased so rapidly that in 1778 the following notice was published : — Birmingham Assay Office, July 6, 1778. — At the General Annual Meeting of the Company of Guardians of the Standard of Wrought Plate, within the Town of Birmingham, held this Day, pursuant to Act of Parliament, it was resolved. That on Account of the great Increase of the Manufactures of Wrought Plate there be two Assay Days in each Week, during the ensuing Year, and that every Tuesday and Friday be appointed Assay Days, and be observed as such by the Wardens and Assayer of this Office. C. Stewart, Clerk to the Company. Those who desire to know more about this subj'ect than is afforded by this narrative, may be confidently referred to the admirable little handbook on the " Assay of Gold and Silver Wares," by our townsman Mr. Arthur Ryland. THE FIRST ATTEMPT TO OBTAIN A LICENSE FOR THE THEATRE. The theatre is one of the chief instruments in the civilization of a people. It is only great and free nations that have had a noble drama ; and it is not exaggerating its merits to say that in this respect England stands at the head of the world. It is the wisest and most rational of all amusements ; and it is more than this. The stage, even in its worst days, has exercised a beneficial influence ; its eft'ects have on the whole been good. And yet, by a strange perversity, players have been treated O I 2 74 A. CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. as idlers and vagabonds. The church, after having used the stage for her own purposes, cursed it, and excommunicated the actors. In no Roman CathoHc country could a player be buried in consecrated ground. And those whom the great Master of the Art described as " the abstract and brief chronicles of the times," were, during their lives, the objects of petty persecution and bigoted prejudice ; whilst the noble art of playing, " whose end," the same immortal and transcendent genius tells us, " both at the first and now, was and is, to hold, as 'twere, the mirror up to nature ; to show virtue her own feature, scorn her own image, and the very age and body of the time, his form and pressure," had to be practised by an evasion of the law. Theatrical performances were illegal except at the licensed houses, and as Birmingham had two theatres, neither of which were at this time licensed, the managers, as we have seen, had to resort to the street-trick of selling a straw and giving a book^ — they charged for a concert and gave the dramatic part gratis. A curious instance of the position of the player is afforded by the following caution, which appeared in the Gazette of May 31. ^m ■■— A Caution. — Birmingham, May 22, 1773. — Whereas on the mature Consideration of many respectable Manufacturers in this very populous and Important Town, the Exhibition of Plays have been deemed as extremely prejudicial to the Manufactures carried on here ; having a Tendency to promote Negligence, create Expense, and corrupt the Morals of the Industrious ; the said Manufacturers are come to a Resolution to do their utmost to prevent such Exhibitions for the future, by laying such informations before the Magistrates for the County of Warwick, as may be the Means of bringing all Persons offending against the Acts of Parliament of loth Geo. II., Chap. 28 ; 17th Geo. II., Chap. 5th ; and 2Sth Geo. II., Chap. 36 ; (wisely provided by the Legislature, to prevent Music Meetings and the Acting of Plays, Interludes, Comedies, Tragedies, Operas, Farces, and other Entertain- ments of the Stage, without legal Authority) to condign Punishment. And this public Notice is given to prevent Persons accustomed to let Houses and Rooms for that Purpose, as well as Performers of this Kind, from putting themselves to unnecessary Expenses. And as this Step is taken to prevent as far as may be the Increase of Vice and real Injury to Manufactures, of such Importance to the Commerce of this Kingdom, 'tis to be hoped this Mode of Prevention will take away the disagreeable Necessity of executing the Law. This illiberal announcement was not allowed to pass without a protest. On the 3 1 st of the same month a correspondent thus takes up the cause of the " poor strollers " : — To the Printer of the Birmingham Gazette. — I have observed, in several of the public Papers, a Caution, Threatening a Prevention of the usual Theatrical Entertainments here, which not only seems to owe its origin to Prejudice and Ill-nature, but carries with LICENSING THE THEATRE. 275 it Abundance of Nonsense and Absurdity ; — Certainly the poor Players must tremble when they behold so many Articles of Law mustered up, and brandished forth as Rods for them, and the ingenious Caution Writer vowing Condign Punishment, should they dare represent Characters which are drawn by the inimitable Shakespeare and others, who do Honour to human Nature. — Is this Law Thunderer fearful a Mirrour might be held too near him ? Or is he so very polite and complaisant to the Public of Birmingham, to attempt depriving them of the most rational Amusement, because, forsooth, he may not relish it ? No, this is not the case : — like a good Pastor, he seems tenacious of their morals ; But I would beg leave to ask the Gentleman — does a well wrote Play, wherein the most excellent Precepts are enforc'd ; where Virtue is drawn in all her Loveliness and Beauty, and Vice unmask'd, appears in her native Ugliness and Deformity, despis'd and punish'd — does this " Encourage Vice?" — Does a Man go from such a Representation with his morals injured? — To think so is equally false and absurd, as to advance it " Promotes Negligence and Idleness." — The Plays here never begin before that part of the Evening, when it cannot possibly effect the Mechanical Branches of Trade ; and if the Labourer is resolved to spend his shilling, I leave it to any judicious Person to determine whether his Morals receive a greater injury in seeing a good Play, or stupifying liimself, and getting drunk in an ale house. — The .Advertisement would seem to intimate, a Majority of the principal Gentlemen of the Town have determined a Prevention of Plays; but as this, Mr. Printer, I am very certain, is not the Case, it appears very clear the Caution has its rise from some private Pique or Offence ; and (to speak in a Mercantile Stile), shall I, if a tradesman has offended me, endeavour his Ruin, by using every effort to prevent a whole Town dealing with him ? — The resentment is ungenerous and unmanly. — The Liberality and Generosity of the Gentlemen of Birmingham are so well known, and so often experienced, as not to need any Encomium ; and I will not pass so ill a compliment on them, as to say I think they will suffer the Expulsion of an amusement, which they have so long, and so liberally supported, for the Whim, Humour, or Caprice of one or two Individuals. A. Z. It was not likely, in a town so large, and making such progress as Birmingham, that the people would remain contented with such an anomalous state of things. Prejudice and Puritanism were, however, too strong for the lovers of the drama, and one fierce battle had to be fought and lost before the victory was obtained. To the history of this batde the present chapter is devoted. Before entering upon the record of the contest, however, it will be well to place before the reader a brief record of how theatrical matters stood in Birmingham prior to the year 1775 — the era of this well- contested fight. Hutton tells us " Theatrical exhibition in Birmingham is rather of a modern date. As far as memory can penetrate the stroller occupied occasionally a shed of boards in the fields now Tempk- Street : Here he acted the part of Distress in a double capacit)-. The situation was afterwards changed, but not the eminence, and the 276 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Hinckleys dignified the performer's booth. In about 1730, the amuse- ments of the stage rose in a superior style of elegance, and entered something like a stable in Castle-street." The price of admission he tells us was three-pence a head. About i 730 a theatre was built in Moor-street, and in 1752 a larger one in King-street, which was enlarged in 1774. On May 29, 1775, we find the following announce- ment : " The Theatre in King-street, which has been rebuilt, and is now elegantly fitted up with new Scenery, Machinery, Chandeliers, and every necessary Decoration, will be opened for the first Time on Monday next the fifth of June, under the direction of Mr. Younger." In the same year the Theatre in New-street, now the Royal, was erected, according to Hutton, "upon a suitable spot, an extensive plan, and richly ornamented with paintings and scenery. — Expense seems the least object in consideration." It was not, however, until 1780 that the " superb portico" was added. On June 27 we have a report of the opening of the new Theatre : — On Monday last the new Theatre in this Town was opened with the Comedy of " As you like it," and the Entertainment of "Miss in her Teens;" a Prologue (said to be written by Mr. Foote) was spoke by Mr. Yates, which was suitable to the Occasion, and very well received by the Audience. The drawing up of the Curtain about the Middle of the Prologue, discovering a most magnificent Scene of a Palace, had a very fine Effect, and was received with a prodigious Burst of Applause. The different Parts in the Plays performed this Week have been well filled, and the Performers in general met with universal Approbation. Particular Encomiums are due to Mr. Columba, from the King's Theatre, who painted the Scenes, which are allowed to be as well executed as any in London. The Audience each Night has been brilliant and numerous, and the Theatre is built upon a most excellent Plan both for Company and the Performers, and does Mr. Saul, the Builder, muih Credit : it is supposed to be as good, if not the best House in England out of London. — One Circumstance we are sorry to remark — that several of the Gentlemen that appeared in the Boxes were dressed in a very improper Manner for so conspicuous a Place, and it is recommended to them in future to pay more Respect to the Ladies, by dressing themselves in a Manner suitable to the Company, and as Gentlemen should who appear in the Boxes. On the nth of July the prologue referred to in this report is given : — A Prologue, written by Mr. Foote, and spoken by Mr. Yates, at the Opening of the New Theatre in this To'tvn. From fiddling, fretting, Monsieur and Signior, And all the Dangers of the Italian Shore ; From squeaking Monarchs, and chromatic Queens, And Metastatio's mixed and mangled Scenes, Where Fashion, and not Feeling, bears the Sway, Whilst Sense and Nature coyly keep away, LICENSING THE THEATRE. 277 I come. All hail the consecrated Earth * Whose bounteous Bosom gave our Shakespeare birth, Gave that great Master of the Scenic Art, To Feed the Fancy and correct the Heart, To check th' unruly Passions' wild Career, And draw from Pity's Eye the tender Tear ; Of Folly's Sons t' explore the ample Train, The Sot, the Fop, the vicious, and the vain ; Hypocrisy to drag from her Disguise, And Affectation hunt thro' all her Lies. Such was your Bard ; Who then can deem the Stage The worthless Fav'rite of an idle Age ; Or judge that Pleasure with Instruction join'd Can taint the Manners, or corrupt the Mind ? Far other Thoughts your generous Breasts inspire, Touch'd with a Spark of true Promethean Fire ; Sure that the Arts with Commerce came to Earth, That the same Parents gave those Sisters Birth, Cold creeping Prejudice you dar'd despise, And bade this Temple to the Muses rise. Oh that my Tongue could utter all I feel ! Or that my Powers were equal to my Zeal ! Plac'd by your Favour, not by Right Divine, Th' unworthy High Priest of the sacred Nine, No tainted Incense should pollute their Shrine, Nor ought be offered to the Public View, But what was worthy Them and worthy You. Though this is a good, yet as it is a serious Prologue, it rhust owe much of its Merit to the graceful Gesticulation and round mellow Declamation of Mr. Yates, the speaker. The announcement of the completion of the Theatre was made on June 5, 1775. On that day we read : — The Embellishment at the Theatre in New-Street will be compleated by Friday next, and it is thought to be the most elegant, and certainly is the best Theatre for Summer Performances of any in this Kingdom. — Mr. and Mrs. Yates will be here at the Beginning of this Week, and it is expected the House will be opened on Friday next, with the favourite new Tragedy of Braganza, and the Part of the Duchess of Braganza will be performed by Mrs. Yates. Competition produced its usual results, and the managers of the two newly-built theatres set to work in earnest to provide attractive dramas and good actors for the amusement of the people. The following few quotations from the paper in 1775 and 1776 will afford some indication of the bills of fare, and will recal some names not unknown to fame in histrionic annals : — • Shakespeare was bom in War\vickshire. 278 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. June 1 2th, 1775. — Mr. Macklin arrived here on Saturday, and will appear for the first Time, at the Theatre in King-Street, this Evening, in the Character of Shylock, and on Wednesday, in that of Sir Archy Macsarcasm, in the celebrated Farce of Love-a-Ia-mode, which will be performed on that Night after the Play of Braganza. The uncommon Applause given to Signor Rosignoel's Imitation of Birds, &c., on Friday last, at the above Theatre, has induced Mr. Younge to engage him for a few Nights after the Expiration of his present Agreement at Sadler's Wells, which will be some time in the next Month, when he will certainly return here, and entertain the Publick with several new Performances. Last Thursday arrived in this Town, Miss Younge, of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane ; and this Evening performs at the Theatre in New Street, in the Tragedy of the Grecian Daughter. — We hear that she will continue a few days in Town, during which Time she will perform two or three Evenings at the said Theatre. The Entertainment of the Jubilee, with the Songs, Choruses, and Pageants, as it was intended to have been represented at Stratford-upon-Avon, has been performed in the course of last week at the Theatre in King-Street, to crowded Audiences, with universal Applause, and will be repeated there for the 4th Time. The Entertainment of the Jubilee, with the Pageant, as it was intended to have been represented at Stratford-upon-Avon, which has been Performed several nights at the Theatre in King Street, to brilliant and crowded Audiences, with great Applause, will be repeated for the seventh Time this Evening, after the Tragedy of the Rival Queens, or the Death of Alexander the Great; in which will be introduced the Triumphal entry of Alexander into Babylon ; and after this Week the above Entertainment will be laid aside on Account of the Preparations making for the Coronation. On the same day we read that Miss Younge, of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, who performed last Week at Mr Yates' Theatre in this Town, witli uncommon great .Applause, will appear this Evening for the last Time, in the new Tragedy of the Heroine of the Cave. July 8th, 1776. — The.\trical Intelligence. — On Wednesday Evening last was performed at New-Street Theatre, to a numerous and brilliant Audience, at the Desire of Lady Bridgeman, the interesting, historical Tragedy of the Earl of Essex. The Part of the unhappy Favourite was sustained by Mr. Henderson with the most manly Firmness and Sensibility. In the Scene jireceding his Execution, where he takes a last Farewell of his distracted Wife, the silent but irresistibly persuasive Eloquence of his Countenance and Gestures worked very powerfully on the minds of the Audience, whose Tears and Distress were the most convincing and honourable Proofs of the Excellence of his Performance. Mr. Farren, in the worthy, and affectionate Southampton, and Mrs. Siddons in the afflicted, wretched Rutland, supported their respective Parts with great Propriety and Reputation ; and Mrs. Hopkins, in the haughtly, jealous, fond Elizabeth, richly deserved the Applause she so liberally received. On February 17, 1777, we read in the Gazette, that " On Monday last Mr. Yates presented a Petition to the House of Commons for leave to bring in a Bill to license the Theatre in New-Street, in this Town ' another Petition was also presented at the same Time, signed by LICENSING THE THEATRE. 279 several Gentlemen and respectable Tradesmen, in support of Mr. Yates's Petition : both of which were then read, and referred to a Committee appointed to consider the same, with a Power to send for Persons, Papers, and Records." The same paper contains an advertisement in which there are one or two very good suggestions. It is not at all unlikely that it was from the pen of Mr. Yates, and was issued to produce a conciliatory effect upon the undecided, and the not violently antagonistic. February 17, 1777. — To the Gentlemen, Manufacturers, Tradesmen, &c., of the Town of Birmingham, and its Environs. Whereas a Petition is now depending in the Honour- able House of Commons, for a Roval Theatre in the Town of Birmingham ; and it having been suggested to several Gentleman of the said Town, that a bad Use might be made of the Power intended to be vested in the Person to whom it may be granted ; the following Conditions are submitted to their Consideration : First, That no public Diversions, such as Rope-Dancing, Tumbling, Puppet-shows, &c., which have been lately exhibited, and are so greatly complained of, shall ever be permitted at the Xew-Street Theatre. Secondly, That the Time for performing Plays shall be limited to four Months ; and if any Attempt shall be made to exceed that Time, the Magistrates for the Time being shall have the same full Power in every Respect to restrain them, as if no such Authority had been granted for a Royal Theatre. On the above Conditions (which have already been offered to several respectable Gentlemen) it is presumed that a Royal Theatre would be very acceptable and agreeable, as it is certain nine Parts in ten of the Town are convinced that two Play-houses are greatly injurious. Therefore, whether a Theatre so regulated would not be preferable to those on the present plan is a Question submitted to the candid Public. As a justification of their proceedings, the proprietors of the Theatre, on the loth of March, published a copy of their little bill. Compared with ordinary Acts of Parliament it certainly is a model of brevity : — The Proprietors of the Theatre in New Street beg Leave to submit to the Inhabitants, and to the Public at large, the following as an exact Copy of the Bill intended to be brought into Parliament for licensing the said Theatre ; which they doubt not will effectually remove every objection against the said Bill's passing into a Law. A Bill for enabling his Majesty to license a Play-house in the Town of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, for four months a'cry year. Whereas it may be proper that a Play-house should be licensed in the Town of Birmingham, in the County of Wanvick for four months every year : May it therefore please your Majesty, That it may be enacted. And be it enacted, by the King's Most Excellent Majesty, by and with the Consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons in this present Parliament assembled, and by the Authority of the same, That so much of an Act of Parliament, which passed in the tenth Year of his late Majesty's Reign, intituled, " An Act to explain and Amend so much of an Act made " in the twelfth Year of the Reign of Queen Anne, intituled an Act for reducing the Laws 28o A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. " relating to Rogues, Vagabonds, Sturdy Beggars, and Vagrants, and sending them whither " they ought to be sent," as discharges all Persons from representing any Entertainment on the Stage whatever, in Virtue of Letters Patent from his Majesty, or by Licence from the Lord Chamberlain of his Majesty's Household, for the Time being, except within the Liberties of Westminster, or where his Majesty is residing for the Time being, be, and is hereby* with respect to the said Town of Birmingham, during the Months of June, July, August, and September in every Year ; and that it shall and may be lawful for his Majesty, his Heirs, and Successors, to grant Letters Patent for establishing a Theatre or Playhouse, within the said Town of Birmingham, for the Performance of Entertainments of the Stage, during the Months of June, July, August, and September, in every Year which Theatre or Playhouse (during the Time before-mentioned) shall be entitled to all the Privileges and subjected to all the Regulations to which any Theatre or Play-house in Great Britain is entitled and subjected. In order, we suppose, to produce a favourable impression on the minds of the inhabitants, the paper in which the Bill was published, contained the following : — Occasional Prologue, spoken at the Theatre in New Street, Birmingham, in August 1776. By Mr. Farren. Hush'd be the Din of War ! — Let Faction cease. And hear the Muses from the Bow'rs of Peace. — Hail ! Genius of Invention !— by whose Aid, Industrious Art is here successful made. With various skill the de.xtrous Hand combines, ^\'hat Fancy flivours, and what Taste refines. Here active Labours great Effects produce, And add the Grace of Elegance to Use. From Works like these her sons acquire Renown, And fix the Commerce of this Rising Town : — Long may she flourish ! — AVide from shore to shore, New Arts establish, and new Worlds explore. From the pure Fountain of Britannia's Laws, Commerce her best, her sure Protection draws. On this firm Basis all Success depends ; The Pow'r that raised her greatness — now defends. Revere that Power, whose mild and legal sway. Our brave Forefathers taught us to obey ; Equal in Arts and Arms, — assert your Claim, And add new Honours to the British Name. — Provoked to .'Vrms, Britannia's Sons appear. Nor Seas, nor dreadful Storms, nor Foes they fear. With hearts resolv'd they brave th' Atlantic main, And pant for Battles on the distant Plain. — Perhaps for absent Friends our Griefs may flow : Some Father's Bosom feel a tender Woe. — * If the Bill passes, this Blank will be filled up with the Word Repealed. LICENSING THE THEATRE. 28 1 For Sons, for Brothers, anxious Sorrows rise, And gen'rous Tears bedim the brightest Eyes. — But Fate shall soon the gallant Youths restore, Grac'd with new Triumphs, to their native shore : With eager Joy, the fond embrace to meet, And lay their Laurels at their Parents' Feet. — May Britain prosper still thro' every Age, Secure from Factions and Ambition's Rage ; With equal Rule o'er distant Climes preside. Justice her Aim, and Liberty her Guide : — Yon lowring Clouds shall soon disperse again, And the Sun brighten o'er the Atlantic Main. — As late the Moon, whose intercepted Light, Shed deeper Horror through the Shades of Night, Resum'd her Splendour, and with Ray's serene. Diffused new Glories o'er the pleasing Scene. — So shall both Homisphcres unite once more, And Peace and Plenty mutual Joys restore. We now pass to the House of Commons, and from the summary of the debates on the playhouse bill, we ascertain what honourable members of those days thought of Birmingham. The first reading was fixed for March 26, and short as the debate was, it has been made ever memorable by the fact that it was in his speech, delivered on this occasion, that the great Burke said he looked upon Birmingham to be the "great Toy'"-shop of Europe," a designation which has been repeated numberless times since, although but few persons knew its origin. This is an abstract of the debate on the first reading : — March 31, 1777. — On Wednesday last the Proprietors of New-Street Theatre, caused the Bill for licensing a Playhouse here, for the Months of June, July, August, and September in every Year, to be brought up, to be read the first Time in the Honourable House of Commons. That Day was fixed with the Opposers of the Bill, and their Clerk in Parliament, the Friday before ; this gave each Party Time to Solicit their Friends ; and every Member of the House of Commons that was in London had Notice of the Business coming on, so that it may be said to have been a fair Trial of Strength, as the Opposers would not listen to any Proposals for a future Day of Opposition, but declared the Bill should be rejected at Xh^ first Reading. Sir William Bagot, when the Question was put, that the Bill be now read, moved an Amendment, to leave out be now read, and put in this Day five Months. He enlarged in general on the pernicious Tendency of Playhouses in Manufacturing Towns, (and particularised Liverpool and Manchester;) said they promoted Idleness, increased the * This word does not mean merely children's toys, but trinkets of iron and steel, buckles, brooches, &c., &c. 282 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Poor's Rate, by introducing Dissipation and checking Industry, and likewise Oppression ; for when a Mistress of a great Manufactory wanted to fill a House for a Player's Benefit, she would oblige her Workmen to take Tickets instead of Money. That establishing such a Temple of Vice by Law, would in effect prove a public Support of Actresses, Figure-dancers, and the like, he supposed, for young Mechanics to take from the Theatre and undress them, in order for having right Models to work their Venus's by. It would be to study Nature to the highest advantage, and for that Reason it must be that the House were so ready to establish such useful Schools of natural and experimental Philosophy. Sir William said he knew the present State of Birmingham frOm having two Theatres, and the Persons concenicd in those Houses; and declared that if a Playhouse must be licensed, no Member could hesitate to determine that it ougJU to be granted to New Street Theatre on every Account. — He said he knew that a Comedian of the King- Street Theatre had stolen last Season a Brace of Fat Bucks, out of the Park of his Friend Sir Henry Bridgman, and he supposed the Manager and other Performers had a particular Relish for Venison, as well as this obscure Son of the Drama. Sir Henry Bridgman replied, that he had heard no solid Reasons against the Bill. All that the honourable Member had said amounted to no more than his particular Wish that no Playhouse might be licensed in Birmingham, but he hoped that would not weigh with the House against the Bill's being sent to a Committee. Mr. Burke. — I am sure, Mr. Speaker, that if the Playhouse in Question produces Pieces with half as much Wit in them as the honourable Gentleman has excited against the Bill, in what I may call the Prologue to the Play, the To\\'n of Birmingham will be most admirably entertained ; — but. Sir, the Honourable Member's Wit stops short even of the Dawuemeiit of this Piece : — Let us see something more of it : Let us hear the Piece before we declare against it. He has brought ancient History to tell you the Circum- stances of the City where Iron and Steel were first wTOUght : — but I will likewise tell him that we are indebted to the same Diety for Amusement and Theatrical Representation, consequently what he said is an Argument for the Bill. — But, Sir, to be more serious ; I do not know that Theatres are Schools of Virtue : — I would rather call them Nurseries of Idleness ; but then, Sir, of the various Means which Idleness will take for its amusement, in Truth I believe the Theatre is the most innocent : — The Question is not, Whether a Man had better be at Work than go to the Play ? — it is simply this. — Being idle ; — shall he go to the Play or some Blacksmith's Entertainment? — Why I shall be free to say, I think the Play will be the best Place that it is probable a Blacksmith's idle moments will carry him to. The Hon. Gentleman informs the House, that great Inconveniences have been found from the licensed Houses at Liverpool and Manchester. The Case is not parallel between those Towns and Birmingham. — They have a General Licence — Birmingham asks for a Four Months' Licence only — their Theatres are under the direction of the same Strolling Manager, who when he once enters the Town, never quits it, whilst by any Arts he can force Company to his Theatre. — Birmingham Theatre will be under the Direction of a Man very eminent in his Profession as a Comedian ; who in London conducts the most elegant F.ntertainment in Europe, and who never has been, or wishes to be there, but during the Time the Theatres of Drury-Lane or Covent-Garden are shut up in the Summer. I look upon Birmingham to be the great Toy Shop of Europe, and submit it to the Members of this Hon. House, to consider if Birmingham on LICENSING THE THEATRE. 283 that Account, is not the most proper Place in England to have a licensed Tlieatre. The Question before us turns upon this Point — there are already two Playhouses unlicensed j now the Bill proposes that instead of two in Defiance of Law, the People of Birmingham shall have one according to Laio — therefore, let us proceed and send the Bill to a Committee, when we shall hear the Evidence of Inhabitants of the first Reputation ; and if they can prove, that one legal Playhouse will check Industry, promote Idleness, and do other Mischiefs to Trade, which tiao Theatres contrary to Law do not, — then it will be Time to throw out the Bill. The Question being put, a Division followed, and the Word NOW was carried by 48 against 28, and the Bill was read accordingly, and ordered to be read a second Time the 22nd Day of April. The excitement in the town as to the fate of this bill must have been considerable. On April 7 this advertisement appeared : — This Day is published. Price Sixpence, The Contest : A Burlesque on some recent Proceedings relative to the Playhouse Bill. Inscribed to W m B n, Assistant to the Court of Requests. Perjjlex'd with Trifles, through the Vale of Life, Man strives 'gainst Man, without a Cause for Strife ; The Town divided, each runs different Ways, As Passion, Humour, Int'rest, Party sways. — Churchill. Confligitur Magna Ira. Birmingham: Printed for the Author; and Sold by J. Belcher, in Edgbaston-Street, and the rest of the Booksellers. On the 28th a second edition with additions was announced, and on May 1 2 a third. This fact shews the interest which was taken in the subject. The second reading was, after one postponement, fixed for April 29. The debate is exceedingly curious, and an excellent report of it is given in the Gazette. It is prefaced by a notice which will be read with astonishment by the existing race of newspaper proprie- tors, but we can assure them that this was not uncommon " a hundred years ago." — " Advertisements omitted This Day, on account of the great Length of the Debates on the Playhouse Bill, shall be inserted in our next." Among the speakers for the second reading were Fox, Burke, Dempster, Wilkes, and Harris ; and against it Sir William Bagot, J. F. Luttrell, Sir Henrj- Gough, T. Townsend, and T. Luttrell. The second reading was lost by a majority of 51, — the numbers against the bill, 69; for it, 18. And thus for a time fanaticism prevailed, and the theatre had to continue unrecognised by the law. The debate on the second reading was re-published as a pamphlet, which is now ver)- scarce. The desire to obtain a license for the Theatre was not subdued 284 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. by the defeat. The next attempt was made by the manager of the King Street Theatre, and it was prefaced by a Httle quarrel with Mr. Yates, of the New-Street estabHshment. The playgoers of the town took an active part in the dispute. Mr. Mattocks and Mr. Yates appealed to the public, and a meeting was held at the Old Cross on the 13th of Januarj', 1778, at which this resolution was passed in the affirmative by a very great majority : — " WlKther it was the Sentiments of the present Meeting, that the Proprietors of New- Street Theatre should proceed in the present Sessions of I'arHament, to obtain an Act to license their Theatre to the Proprietors during the Months of June, July, August, and September, only, in every year ? " The petition was presented, and there is an entry in the Journals of the House of Commons, January 28, 1779, referring it to a Committee. And so the matter ends. There is no further reference to the petition in the Journals, and Birmingham had to wait many years before she reckoned a patent theatre — a Theatre Royal amongst her institutions. THE BIRMINGHAM LIBRARY. In his admirable and eloquent address delivered at the opening of the Central Reference Library on October 26, 1866, Mr. George Dawson said, " A library is one of the greatest causes, as it is also one of the greatest results, of man's civilization." The year 1779 is there- fore one to be distinguished above most others in the history of Birmingham, for in that year the Birmingham Library was founded. After the establishment of circulating libraries the want of a public library was certain in a little time to arise. Unfortunately the docu- ments from which we could obtain a history of the beginning of this important undertaking are lost, and we in vain ask who were its originators ? and how did they proceed in its formation ? Even its first locality is a subject of doubt. The early minutes are lost, and by a curious fatality the year 1779 is missing from the otherwise complete file of the Gazette. In the first edition of Hutton no mention is made of the library, and in later editions it is only just referred to. " The public Library," he tells us, "originated in 1779 ; each subscriber paid a guinea entrance and six shillings per annum." He adds, " Their THE BIRMINGHAM LIBRARY. 285 number was so small that they could scarcely have quarrelled had they been inclined, and the whole stock might have been hid in a hand- kerchief." From such a small beginning has the present noble library sprung, and the books, which a handkerchief sufficed — metaphorically we suppose — to hide, have increased to between 30,000 and 40,000 volumes, and the members who were so few in number that they could have scarcely quarrelled among themselves, now exceed eleven hundred. Hutton was the first to open a circulating library in Birmingham. On the iith of April, 1750, "he agreed with Mrs. Dix for the least half of her shop, No. 6, in Bull-Street, at one shilling a week, which he opened as a book shop." In 1752, he says "I had now a smiling trade, to which I closely attended, and a happy set of acquaintances, whose society give me pleasure. As I hired out books, the fair sex did not neglect the shop." And the vain bibliopole adds, " Some of them were so obliging as to shew an inclination to share with me the troubles of the world." Our historian looked upon this fact of his life as a not unimportant event, and forty-seven years afterwards he refers to it with a commendable pride. It was something upon which he might look with pleasure and satisfaction, and we quite sympathise with the feeling which animated him when, in 1809, review- ing the past and recording the things he had accomplished, he says, " I was the first who opened a Circulating Library in Birmingham, in 1 75 1, since which time many have started in the race." The next notable one was that established by Joseph Crompton, in Colmore Row, in 1763. There were also several others in the town, as is evident from the words of Hutton, and in 1779 the present Library — or as it is lovingly called — the Old Library, was founded. It made but small progress at first, and during the year 1780 there is only one mention of it in the paper. On June 12 of that year this advertise- ment appeared : — Birmingham Library. — The General Meeting of the Subscribers to the Birmingham Library will be to-morrow evening at Six o'clock, at the Hotel, when and where the attendance of each Subscriber is re(iuested. J. L. Sikward. In the following year the annual subscription was raised to Ss., and a librarian was appointed with the noble salary of ^10 per annum. In 286 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. 1 78 1 there were two meetings held in reference to the library. On June I I this advertisement appeared : — "Birmingham Library. — A general meeting of the subscribers to this institution is appointed to be held on \Vednesduy, the 13 of June, at the Castle Inn, in High Street, at three o'clock in the afternoon, when every subscriber is desired to attend, to consider of some laws relative to the government of the society. This Library is formed upon the plan of one that was first established at Liverpool, and which has been adopted at Man- chester, Leeds, and many other considerable towns in this kingdom. The books are never to be sold or distributed ; and, from the nature of the institution, the Library must increase till it contains all the most valuable publications in the English language ; and, from the easy terms of admission (viz., one guinea for entrance, and six shillings annually), it will be a treasure of knowledge both to the present and succeeding ages. As all books are bought by a committee, of persons annually chosen by a majority of the subscribers, and every vote is by ballot, this institution can never answer the purpose of any party, civil or religious, but, on the contrary, may be expected to promote a spirit of liberality and friendship among all classes of men without distinction. The library in this town is at present in its very infancy, but it already contains a valuable collection of books, catalogues of which may always be seen at Messrs. Pearson and Rollason's ; and when the Library Room (which is already engaged in the most central part of the town) shall be opened for the reception of it, and the constant accommodation of all the subscribers, the advantages arising from the institution will be greatly increased." The prediction contained in this advertisement has been well ful- filled. The library has increased until it contains all the most valuable publications in the English language. On December 10 the regular annual meeting was announced, but it is one of the curiosities of the journalism of those days that we have no report of what was done on these occasions. "Birmingham Library. — The subscribers to this library are desired to meet at the Casde Inn, in this town, at half-an-hour after two o'clock, on Wednesday the 12th instant, that being the time fixed by the laws for the annual meeting. Each person is desired to bring a list of 20 names, consisting of those whom he would recommend to be of the committee for the year ensuing, as they are to be chosen by ballot ; and as it will take some time to settle this list, the members are requested to attend and deliver them as early as possible ; as no list can be received after half-past three o'clock. To the names contained in the list annexed to the printed copy of the laws and catalogue of books already delivered to every member, the following are to be added : — Benjamin Blythe, Captain Carver, J. Guest, Thomas Penn, and Edwin Piercy, those persons having become subscribers since that list was printed, and being eligible into the committee as well as the rest. It is to be wi.shed that the members would be particular to the time of attendance, as, on account of the removal of the library, several new arrangements must necessarily be made ; and in consequence of the additional expense in uliich the society will be involved, it will be proper to propose some addition to the annual subscription. The subscribers may rely on the proposition never exceeding the sum of los., which is the THE BIRMINGHAM LIBRARY. 287 limit prescribed by those who first formed the society, and for which they pledged them- selves. It is hoped that, notwithstanding the additional expense, the annual subscription of 7s. 6d. or 8s. may suffice." It is not known exactly where the Library was held at this time. In 1782, however, its habitat was changed, and the subscribers were informed that it would henceforth be held in a room " adjoining to Messrs. Pearson and Rollason's house in the Swan Yard." As the advertisement contains one or two more facts in the history of the Library, it is quoted entire : — January 20, 1782.— Birmingham Library. — The Subscribers to the Birmingham Library are hereby informed that the Library Room, adjoining to Messrs. Pearson's and Rollason's House, in the Swan Yard, will be opened on Thursday Next; and that the Librarian will attend there to deliver the Books, &c., every Day (Sundays excepted) from Two o'clock in the Afternoon to Five. Within those Hours any Subscriber may see the Books, read, and make Extracts, &c. at his Pleasure. A Fire will be kept in the Room, and the last Reviews will always lie on the Table. At the same Time the Tickets will be ready to be delivered to the Subscribers, signed and sealed by the President, and numbered according to the Order of each Person's Admission. Dr. Priestley, the " Father of the Library," came to Birmingham in 1780, and he at once turned his attention to this institution. Hutton tells us that the Society received from his benevolent hand in 1782 " that stability and method without which no institution can prosper." On June 1 7, another advertisement was published, repeating the infor- mation as to the character and purpose of the Library', which was previously given in the advertisement of June 11, 1781. This infor- mation, it may be added, is repeated for some time in all the advertise- ments which appear concerning the Library. The important part of this announcement is the first paragraph : — June 17, 1782. — Birmingham Library. — It is thought proper to give this Public Notice, That from this Time till Christmas, a Person may become a Subscriber to this Library by advancing only Four Shillings, for the Purchase of Books within the Year, in Addition to the One Guinea, paid as an Admission Fee ; whereas from Christmas to June, Eight Shillings must be paid. The slow growth of the Library is proved by the fact that after about four years' existence the number of volumes in the Library was, according to the advertisement of December 9, 17S2, announcing a general meeting for the iith of that month, only "near 500 vols." Another meeting was held on January 15, 1783, at which the following resolutions were passed : — 2 88 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. That the Librarian shall attend at the Library Room every Day (Sundays excepted) from Eleven o'Clock in the Morning till One, and from Two o'Clock till Five in the Afternoon. That when a Novel consists of more Volumes than One, a Subscriber may be allowed to take Two Volumes or more ; but he is to observe not to keep them longer than the Time allowed for One only, under the Penalty of forfeiting for each Volume separately. The first of these resolutions shows that the demand for books had increased so much that the services of the Hbrarian were required in the morning as well as in the afternoon. The second resolution is still in force. On June 2, 1783, the announcement of June 11, 1781, quoted above was repeated. The next notice of a meeting contained a proposal to form a separate fund for the purchase of scientific books and foreign publications. It appeared on May 31, 1784 : — Birmingham Library. — On Monday the 7 th of June, at Five o'Clock in the Afternoon, will be held a General Meeting of the Subscribers to the Birmingham Library, to consider a Proposal of some of the Members to form themselves into a separate Society, for the Purchase of Books of Science, and especially Foreign Publications of that Class, to be under the same Regulations with those of the present Library, and to be accessible to all the Subscribers to it, but not to take out of the Library except by the new Subscribers. If this proposal be approved, a Number of Persons intend to make a Deposit of a considerable Collection of scientifical Books, in order to begin the Establishment to more Advantage. N.B. Several of the Subscribers to the Library at Leeds have formed themselves into a separate Society, exactly similar to that which is here proposed, for the Purchase of Foreign Books in general. Henry Hever, President. The result of this meeting was published on the 14th of June : — Birmingham Library. — The Subscribers to the Birmingham Library having, at a Special Meeting, held this Day, given Leave to any of their Body to form themselves into a separate Society for the Purchase of Books of Science, and especially foreign Publica- tions of that Class, and having granted them the Use of their Room and their Librarian ; a Number of them have thought proper to propose an Annual Subscription of One Guinea for that Purpose : — And Notice is hereby given, that a List of the new Subscribers is in the Library Room, and will continue there, in order to receive the Names of more Subscribers till Monday the 21st Instant, when all the new Subscribers are desired to meet in the Library Room, at five o'Clock in the Evening, to make proper Regulations for the Execution of their Plan. In the advertisement calling the annual meeting for December 8, 1 784, it was stated that the number of volumes in the Library had increased to 900; in December, 1785, to 1,200, and in 1786 to 1,600. At the meeting held on December 1 3 in that year an alteration was made in THE BIRMINGHAM LIBRARY. 289 the laws. In the advertisement announcing this change to the Subscribers is mentioned the pleasing fact that the room would soon be too small for the requirements of the Library. It will also be seen that the annual subscription was raised from a guinea to a guinea and half: — December 25th, 1786. — Birmingham Library. — Resolved by the Committee, that the Subscribers be informed by an Advertisement, of the Alterations made in the Laws at the late Annual Meeting : First, tlie Admission Money, which has hitherto been One Guinea (agreeably to Law, No. i.) shall hereafter be a Guinea and a Half, until the Number of Subscribers amount to three Hundred, and then be raised to Two Guineas. When the Number consists of Four Hundred, the sum be three Guineas. IL The Librarian, in consequence of an Advance in Salary, attends to the Business of the Library an additional Hour in the Day, viz. : from Ten to Eleven o'clock in the morning. The Committee think it may not be amiss to remind the Subscribers, that the room which they rent at present will very soon be too small to answer the Purpose for which it was taken. By order of the President. William Horne, Librarian. The Library progressed at this comparatively slow rate in peace and quietness until the year 1787, when a dispute as to the non-admission of books on controversial divinity provoked some bitter feelings, and led to a warm discussion. The motion for their expulsion was made by Mr. Charles Cooke. Dr. Priesdey published a pamphlet in opposition to Mr. Cooke's motion, the profits to be given to the funds of the Library. This was followed by another pamphlet supporting the same side of the question. The following is the advertisement of the tract, with its explanatory paragraph : — September 3, 1787. To-morrow will be published, Price Two-pence, An Address to the Subscribers to the Birmingham Library, on the Subject of the late Motion for excluding Publications on Polemical Divinity. Concluding with a Remark on Dr. Priestley's Address on the same Subject. — By a Subscriber. '■'■Finally Brethren, be ye all of one Mind"— St. Paul. Birmingham, Printed and Sold by Pearson and RoUason. The Author of tliis Address, apprehensive lest the Appearance of O|)position among the Subscribers to the Birmingham Library may make the Public averse to avail them- selves of the many Advantages which it confers, hopes to remove such Impressions, by observing, it is not of that Conseciuence as to be likely either to affect tiie Peace of the Society, or injure it in its essential or important Designs. To guard all the Friends of polite and useful Literature from this Mistake, he recommends them to purchase and peruse Dr. Priesdey's, and the present Address, which he flatters himself may prove a gratification adciiuate to the trilling e.xpensc, and which will initiate them into an Acquaintance with the Origin and Nature of the present Opposition, an Opposition which Q 1 290 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. he trusts will soon subside to the mutual Satisfaction of all Parties, and to the more Permanent Establishment of Liberality and Peace. He is persuaded that the joint Efforts of Dr. Priestley and himself will contribute to promote these salutary Ends, and will also operate on the Candour and good sense of the Subscribers in general, so as to prevent any Altercation, or even much difference of Sentiment at the ensuing Discussion. He hopes for, and respectfully solicits, their serious Attention to what is proposed to them, and that the joint Addresses will in particular engage the attentive Perusal of all who intend honouring the next Annual General Meeting with their Preference. In concurrence with Dr. P.'s liberal example, he also intends applying whatever Gain may arise from the Sale of this Address, to tlie Funds of the Library. In October, another tract appeared, which has been truly called "one of the most uncharitable and unchristian tracts ever written." Its author was not a subscriber to the Library, and therefore must have joined in the controversy for the sake of abusing Dr. Priestley. Here is the full title of this virulent bit of party abuse : — October ist, 1787. — This Day is published. Price 6d. A Letter to Dr. Joseph Priestley, occasioned by his late Address to the Subscribers to the Birmingham Library. By Somebody, M.S. " Thou com'st in such a questionable shape that I will speak to thee." — Shakespeare. " Gloriam, honorem, imperium, bonus, ignavus, sequfe sibi exoptant : sed ille, vera via nititur, Hic quia bon* artes desunt, dolis atque fallaciis contendit." — Sallust. Birmingham, Printed and Sold by E. Piercy, Bull Street, Messrs. Pearson and Rollason, M. Swinney, E. Jones, and the Booksellers in the neighbouring Towns. ** As the Author of this Letter writes not on his own Account, neither does he publish for his own Emolument, but if any Profits should arise from the Publication, they will be applied to the Funds of the Sunday Schools. The following brief extract affords but a slight idea of the character of this tract. The writer says, " To an unconcerned observer, it appears that the supporters of Mr. Cooke's motion are cautious to guard against a more dangerous evil, an evil which, however latent at present, soon by the help of partial friends may acquire force enough to burst from its concealment, and issue forth a fountain of erroneous opinions, spreading infidelity, heresy, and schism through the whole neighbourhood. — Aware of this probable danger, heightened by the restless struggles of some men for power and influence, as well as by the sleepy indolence and remissness of others, they seem vigilant, I say, to meet and prevent the evil." This opposition, it is evident, was directed principally against Dr. Priestley. The meeting at which this motion was to be considered was held on December 12, 1787, and from the advertisement calling it, we learn THE BIRMINGHAM LIBRARY, 29 1 that the Library now numbered nearly 2,200 volumes. On the day the advertisement appeared Mr. Cooke published the following letter, giving his reasons for making such a motion : — December 10, 1787. To THE Subscribers of the Birmingham Library. Gentlemen. — My Motion for a Law to exclude Books relating merely to controversial Divinity, having occasioned some Party Animosity, and the Motive being greatly mis- understood, I beg Leave, before the General Meeting, to assure the Subscribers the Motion was brought forward solely with a view to extinguish, and in future prevent, uneasiness occasioned by the late Mode of introducing them. Dr. Priestley, in his Address to the Subscribers upon my Motion, declares that he had always opposed their Admission ; and I have often in conversation heard several of the Dr.'s Friends mention their own ideas of the Impropriety of their Introduction ; and it was from one of these Gentlemen I learned these Words, " after the present moment, mere Lumber." I have heard Books relating to the two learned Professions objected to in the Committee, merely because they were professional, I mean Law and Physic, but never heard the same objection to those of Theology. The principal end of all public Libraries should be, to collect a Fund of Literature, both entertaining and useful, not only for the advantage of present, but future generations, but more especially for the purchase of the books of History, Science and Profession, whose Prices are in general too high for the Majority of private purses, as the Philosophical Transactions, Moreri's Dictionary, Grose's Antiquities, &c., &c. The proposal which I wished to bring fonvard of a separate Subscription, on the Plan of the Scientific, for the Purchase of Books appertaining to the three sister Professions, sets aside every possible Idea of my Fears or Alarms relating to controversy. I have been tokl repeatedly, and with \\'amith and Acrimony, that my Motion was originally intended as a personal attack on Dr. Priestley, and that the Subscribers who are of the established Church were angry because the Dissenters in general were better read, and consequently more liberal than them. I am sure that the Doctor will Laugh at the former idea, and as for the latter, I think every one should Laugh at it. The Society are under many and great Obligations to the learned Doctor ; it was him who altered its original Plan, and put it on a more extensive scale; he amended and enlarged the Laws, and has paid a great Attention to its Welfare and growing Interests ; it is now becoming a very valuable and useful Library, and promises fair to be a most capital one. Considering the future Consequence this Institution is likely to be of to this Neighbourhood, it were to be wished that any Mode likely to create Misunderstanding amongst its Members was exploded ; it was therefore my motion was put up, and not only with the Approbation, but at the Request of many Respectable Subscribers, witii the Prospect of preventing in future the Bickerings occasioned by the Introduction of these controversial Books, and at the same time to establish Unanimity and Concord in the Society, and to explode the idea of Party influence. — I am, Gcndemen, Your most obedient and most humble Servant, Charles Cooke. Hagley Row, Birmingham, Dec, 1787. At this meeting several new regulations were passed ; these were published on December 24, but it will be observed that no allusion 292 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. whatever is made to Mr. Cooke's motion : we learn from other sources, however, that it was carried. Birmingham Library. — At a general Meeting of the Subscribers to the Birmingham Library, held at the Hotel, on Wednesday, the 12th of December, 1787.— It was resolved unanimously, that those Subscribers who live one Mile from the Town be allowed one Day extra for the Return of a Book, and those who live at the Distance of Two Miles be allowed Two Days extra. It was likewise resolved, that the Hours of the Librarian's Attendance he from Three o'clock to six in the Afternoon, between the first of September and the first of May, and from three to eight, between the first of May and the first of September. The first Friday in every Month will be excepted from this latter Regidation, as it will then be necessary that no Books be delivered out from the Library after five in the Afternoon, on Account of the subsequent Meeting of the Committee. The Regulations respecting the Attendance of the Librarian commence the first of January next. On February 16, 1789, the Subscribers were requested to attend a general meeting on the i8th, to "take into consideration the providing other Premises for a Library Room, also to raise the present sub- scription to los. per annum, and other special business." In a nota bene we read " It is to be wished that the Subscribers will make a point of attending this Meeting, as the 'special Business' alluded to relates to a proposed alteration of the general Rule (No. 9) for composing the Committee." At this meeting a resolution, empowering the Committee to take new premises at a rent not exceeding ^25 a year, was passed, and one moved by Dr. Priestley was negatived. It also appears from the report that Mr. Stubbs had declined his offer to let his warehouse for the Library ; no reason for this refusal is given. February 18, 1789. — Birmingham Library. — At a General Meeting of the Subscribers held this Day at the Hotel, Mr. Stubbs having declined his offer of letting his Warehouse for the Purpose of a Library Room, the following Resolutions were agreed to, viz. : Resolved unanimously, That the Committee for the time being be empowered to take any Premises, not exceeding ^25 yearly Rent, that they may think best calculated for the Use of the Library. And that they be authorised to expend any Sum not exceeding ^^50 in repairs that may be by them deemed necessary. Resolved unanimously, That the Annual Subscription be raised to los. including every Expense. Upon a Motion being made by the Rev. Dr. Priestley, That to each of the Lists of Names, the following clause shall be subjoined, " The Person who delivers this List declares, That to the best of his Knowledge no Person whatever is acquainted with any of the Names conuined in it except himself" — A Ballot ensued, — Non-Contents 74, — Contents 72. Majority against Dr. Priesdey's Motion 2. THE BIRMINGHAM LIBRARY. 293 Resolved unanimously, That the Law No. 9 be amended by erasing the Words ("giving to the President a List unseen by the Rest,") and that the following be substituted, " Sending of giving to the President, or Librarian, on or before the Day of the Annual Meeting, and prior to the Hour of One of the Day of Election, a List of the Gentlemen he has selected for the Committee, signed with his Name, either on the List or Cover." Any Subscriber omitting to give in such List, to forfeit one Shilling to the Fund. Resolved, That the Thanks of this Meeting be given to the Rev. Charles Curtis, President. The controversy which arose from Mr. Cooke's motion found an historian ; and on February 9, 1 7S9, this advertisement appeared : — February 9, 1789. — This Day is published, Price 4d., The Case fairly stated; containing a short Account of the Institution of the Birmingham Library, with the Circumstances, as they arose, which occasioned the present Struggle between the Sub- scribers, who are Dissenters, and those of the Church of England, as well as the other Members of the Society ; with a View to e.\culpate the latter from the Accusation of being the Promoters of Strife ; and to prove to the more temperate of the Society, and the Public, that they act only on the defensive. " Beware " Of entrance to a quarrel ; but being in, " Bear't, that the opposed may beware of thee." S/iakespear. By a SuKSCRiRER and a Churchman. Birmingham, printed and sold by E. Piercy, E. Jones, and ^L Swinney. The Profits, if any arise, from the Sale of this Pamphlet, will be given to the General Hospital. The difficulty about the room had evidently set the friends of the Library to consider how best to provide a building of their own. At this period of our history the one great principle exciting public interest was the Tontine. There were tontines proposed for almost every undertaking, much in the same way that Limited Liability is applied at the present time. There was the Universal Tontine, the Particular Tontine, and Tontines to remedy almost all the evils under tiie sun. The friends of the Library resolved to use this popular plan for raising money, and accordingly in i 7S9 this advertisement was published : — Birmingham Library. — A subscription is opened in the Library for two hundred names, to raise one thousand guineas for the purpose of building a new and complete Library, to be let to the Society at ^25. per annum, on a Tontine plan. Those gentlemen who wish to subscribe for one or more shares, not exceeding ten, are desired to send their names to the Librarian immediately. Any person having a freehold spot of land in a centrical situation to dispose of, is requested to send his terms, in writing, to Mr. Home, at the Library : — And any builder wishing to undertake the building, may send their plan and estimate to the same. The land must be at least two hundred, and from that to three hundred square yards," 294 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. The Library had now increased to 3,400 volumes. At the annual meeting held on December 9, 1789, the following resolutions were adopted : — Resolved — " That the following Words stand as Part of the seventh Law, viz., after the Words ' (General Meeting,' and the same shall be signed with the Proposer's Name, other- wise no notice shall be taken thereof." Resolved — " That Subscribers residing 20 miles or more distant from the Library, be allowed to keep a Book four days extra, instead of three." The thanks of this Meeting were unanimously voted to the Rev. C Curtis, President' for his Attention and Conduct in the management of this Library. In the year 1790 the Library was removed to the Upper Priory; a fact which we learn from the following advertisement : — Birmingham Library, April 26, 1790. — The Librarian is ordered to give Notice to the Subscribers, that on Account of the Removal of the Books, the Business of the Library will be suspended this Day, the 26th inst., until Wednesday the 5th of May ne.xt; during which Time not any Books can be delivered out, or received in ; and that on Wednesday, the said Sth of May, the Library Room in the Ujjper Priory (late Mr. Payton's Repository) will be opened at the usual Hours. The members of the medical profession had also formed a Library ; for on December 6, 1790, a meeting was called for the 9th, "at the Union Tavern, Cherry Street," at which " the company of such Practitioners in the Town and Neighbourhood of Birmingham who wish to encourage this Institution is particularly requested." The Medical Library still exists in connection with the Old Library, and numbers about 7,000 volumes. At the annual meeting held in 1 791, an alteration was made in the hours at which the Library should be open : — December 19, 17 91. — Birmingham Library. — At a General Meeting of the Sub- scribers held this Day, at the Shakespeare Tavern, in New Street, the following alteration in the Hours of the Librarian's Attendance was agreed on, viz.. That he attends in future from Eleven o'clock in the Morning till One, and from Three o'clock in the Afternoon till Six, when the Library will close ; and also that it be opened again at Seven o'clock, and continue so till Eight every Evening The above alterations to take place on Tiiursday, the 22nd Instant. The late Treasurer having intimated by the Chairman his Intention of declining that Office in future, — It was resolved unanimously, That the Thanks of this Meeting be presented to Mr. John Lee, Jun., for the Zeal he has manifested in promoting the Interests of this Society, as Treasurer for the last Ten Years. Resolved, that Mr. Thomas Cooper be Treasurer for the Year ensuing. Resolved that the Thanks of this Meeting be given to the Rev. E. Burn, President, for his Attention to the Business of the Library. From 1 789 to the beginning of 1 793 we meet with nothing more about the Tontine scheme for building a " new and complete Library." THE BIRMINGHAM LIBRARY. 295 It was, however, making quiet progress, and on January 7, of the latter year, we read that "The Subscription of the Undertaking upon Lives, with Benefit of Survivorship, for the Purpose of erecting a Library in the Town of Birmingham, being now completed, the Subscribers are requested to meet at the Shakespeare Tavern'"' in New-street, on Friday, the eleventh Day of January instant, at Four o'clock in the afternoon, in order to take into consideration and adopt proper measures for carrying the same into Execution." The shares were entered in the names of 181 proprietors, varj-ing in ages from five months to twenty- one years. The Tontine Deed is dated March 25, 1798, and 158 persons were parties to the indenture. From this document we learn that William Withering demised, leased, and set to Thomas Cooper, Charles Twigg, James Timmins, Joseph Gibbs, and John Petty Dearman a piece of land " situate and lying in Birmingham aforesaid, near to a Street there, called Cherry-street, and then lately used as a Bowling Green, formerly called Corbett's Bowling Green." The land is described " to front and adjoin at the North East End thereof, to a certain Passage there, called Corbett's Alley; and at the South West End and on the South East Side thereof, to the other Part of the said Bowling Green ; and on the North West side thereof, to a new erected Messuage or Dwelling-house of the said WilHam Withering." The dimensions of the land are then given. The lease is for 120 years, dating from June 24, 1793, and the ground rent was ^11 15s. a year. The building erected on this land is the present Library. It cost ^905. which was advanced " by the said Parties equally in Proportion, to the Number of Shares, of the Value of Five Pounds each." It was called the Birmingham Librar)', and the Proprietors were to pay an annual rent of ;^22 I2S. 6d. only, "subject nevertheless to the Payment of the Ground Rent." Since the establishment of the Tontine, the Library has continued its good work, though, not without those vicissitudes which generally attend the history of most institutions. By the year i860 it had grown into such a languishing condition that only the application of a sharp remedy would produce a cure. Mr. George J abet, who may be truly called the second founder of the Library, applied that remedy. Bj- his •This tavern, which is so frequently mentioned in these pages, wrts at the west end of the Theatre Royal. The premises are now occupied by Mr. Gillott, the well-known steel-pen maker. 296 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. persistent labours in the work of reform, he induced the committee to lower the annual subscription from thirty shillings to twenty-one, and to throw open the Library to non-proprietors. The result of this wise proceeding has been, not only to extend largely the usefulness and influence of the Library, but to increase its prosperity to an unexampled and unanticipated extent. From the report presented to the proprietors at the annual meeting, December 12, 1866, we find that there were 1,113 subscribers classed as follows : — Proprietors, at 2 IS. per annum ... ... ... 450 Annual Subscribers, at 2 IS. per annum ... ... 519 Quarterly Subscribers, at 6s. per quarter ... ... 119 Resident Members of Subscribers' Families, at \ I OS. 6d. per annum ... ... ... j 1113 The Treasurer's account, instead of showing a deficit, contained the pleasing statement that there was a balance in hand of over .;^200, notwithstanding a large increase in the purchase of books, and a con- siderable outlay in enlarging the Newsroom. In the days of prosperity the committee wisely thought of the future, and stated in the report that, in their opinion, " this is an opportune time for reminding the proprietors that the leases of the present premises Avill expire in 47 years, and that at that time the Library must either be given up or a new building erected. It would appear therefore prudent for the proprietors, out of their surplus income, to create a Reserve Fund to provide for the latter event. At present about ^100 per annum might be applied to this purpose ; and if for only ten years that sum were annually invested at compound interest, at the expiration of the leases it would have increased to about .;^8,ooo. The writer of this had the privilege of seconding the following resolution, which the proprietors unanimously adopted; — " That the committee be authorised to invest, at interest, at the end of each year, so much of the available balance in the hands of the treasurer as they shall think expedient, towards the formation of a Reserve Fund, such fund to be applied only as the proprietors in general meeting shall direct." Thus provision has been made for making this noble institution permanent, and for providing a building which, we trust, will be worthy of its contents. CHAPTER v.— 1781-1791. § I. APPEARANCE OF THE TOWN. The changes which Birmingham was undergoing in its appearance at this time were considered by the inhabitants as something wonder- ful and unparalleled. An advertisement, which was published on January 27, 1783, contains a paragraph which, in a few words, gives us a graphic account of how extraordinarily rapid the growth of the town appeared to the most careful observers. On that day an edition of Hutton's History of Birmingham in numbers was announced. The writer of this advertisement — doubtless Hutton himself — first descants upon the importance and advantage of the study of history generally, and then, in the following remarkable paragraph, he directs the reader's attention to the still greater need for an acquaintance with the history of "principal parts." " It follows," he says, "if an intimate acquaint- ance with our Country is necessary, an acquaintance with a principal Part is peculiarly so. Birmingham in many Points of \' iew may be considered in that Light ; tJte Name is eclioed through the Commercial World ; there is not a Village ivithout her Manufactures: This Seat of hive7itio7i furnishes Ornament and Use. Her astonishing Increase is beyond Example. The Traveller who visits Jur once in six Mont/is, supposes himself well acquainted with lur ; but he may chance to find a Street of Houses in the Autumn, where lie saw his Jwrse at Grass in tlie Spring. A pitiful Market Town, in an Inland County by pure Industry, in a few Years, surpasses most of our Cities. Thus singularly circumstanced, sJie naturally calls for a History, and invites a Reader.' We have anticipated a little in order to place at the beginning of the present chapter this vivid picture of the growth of the town by one who was an eye-witness of the changes which were going on around him, and who knew well how to use his eyes. We shall now proceed in regular order to quote such extracts as will throw light on the words of our historian. 298 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. It must, however, be premised that all ideas of the rapidity of our progress are relative. English people in general, and Birmingham people in particular, were a slow moving, contented, " happy-go-round " race ; and a growth which in the years of Hutton's existence appeared almost marvellous, would, compared with that of the last fifty years, be as the speed of one of their old " flying" machines of eight miles an hour to that of our express train at forty. We still meet with sufficient evidence that, although new streets were being made, large numbers of new houses being built, the garden-like character of the place was not yet destroyed. That the spirit was in the people which would produce the works of a later date is clear. In July, 1782, it is mentioned as a remarkable fact, consequent upon the keen opposition " amongst the sons of the whip," that coaches were then running from London to this town in fourteen hours. The alterations which were being made in the town and changing its whole aspect will be proved by the gradual disappearance of advertisements of such houses to be let or sold as those we have previously quoted. They are very few during this decade ; and, of course, will become still fewer and fewer as we come nearer our own time, and the ten years between 1 78 1 and 1 79 1 were especially marked by the beginnings of some of the most irnportant changes made in the appearance of the place. That notable bit of work, once the pride and boast of Birmingham people, the Crescent, was begun. The large estate of Dr. Ash was sold for building purposes, and Ashted was formed. Birmingham was now a town of between 50,000 and 60,000 inhabitants, and was daily increasing in numbers both by births and immigration, so that new houses were continually needed, and new streets were being made out of her fields and her gardens. Hutton thus gives the history of Ashted : — " Ashted received its name from the worthy Dr. Ash, who, in 1783, saved my life. He had by skill and assiduity acquired ;^25,ooo. Sir Lister Holt granted him a lease for 99 years of a large plot of land on the north of Birmingham, on which he erected a sumptuous house. His practice declining, it hurt his spirits, and he told me he had built one house too much. He afterwards disposed of the lease, and ended his days in London. A cupola rose from the roof of his house ; a pulpit and pews were within ; and it became a chapel. APPEARANCE OF THE TOWN. 299 Streets now [1812] cover his fields, and Ash ted is become a hamlet to Birmingham." In another place the historian says : — " I well remember, seventy -one years ago, July 15th, 1741, standing with my face towards the east against Pritchett's timber yard, now the carrier's warehouse. Dale End, when all the lands before me, were meadows ; and on my left not a house was erected. Now the front prospect is shut up ; and the buildings extend on the left to Vauxhall, three quarters of a mile." But to resume. The first advertisement we have is that of a house in Great Charles Street : — September 9, 1782. — To be Sold by Private Contract, a good substantial Dwelling- HousE and Premises, with an entire Yard and Garden, situate in Great Charles-street, opposite the New Market, now let under an Agreement for a Lease for Six Years, from Lady-Day ne.\t. — For further particulars enquire of Mr. Bragg, No. 8, Weaman-Street. The next gives one a pleasant notion of the condition of Warstone Lane at this time. All Birmingham people approaching middle age will remember the pretty cottages and gardens which characterised this part of the town : — November 24, 1783. — A Country Hou.se. — To be Let, at Christmas or Lady-Day next, ver)' pleasantly situated in Warstone Lane, within half a Mile of Birmingham. — For Particulars enquire of Mr. John Hawkins, near Saint Paul's Chapel, Birmingham. Every one knows what the Hinckleys new and old now are. Not a hundred years since the land now occupied by some of the worst class of houses in the town was open ground, or enclosed gardens, with fruit- trees and flowers ; and there was a Hinckley Hall ! Healthy "bracken and fuz ; but look at it now ! " The next two advertisements take us to this delectable part : — November 15, 1783. — To be Let, at Christmas next, or sooner if required — A substantial Messuage or Dwelling-House, situate in the New Hinckleys, consisting of Three Rooms on a Floor with three good Cellars, a Stable for Two Horses, a large Garden a/td Summer-house, all entire, late in the Occupation of Mr. John Taylor, deceased. The House will be very convenient for a Manufacturer, as there is some vacant Land adjoining the said Garden, upon which the Proprietor has no objection to build any Quantity of Shopping that may be required for a responsible Tenant. Any Person willing to treat for the same, may view the Premises by applying to Mr. \\'illiam Russell, at Summer Hill ; or of Mr. William Price, in Hill-Street, Birmingham. December 8, 1783. — To be Let and entered upon immediately, A House, with a large Quantity of Shopping behind the same, situated in that part of the New Hinckleys leading up to Hinckley-Hall, late in the possession of Mr. Iliffe. — For Particulars enquire of Joseph and Benjamin Fincher, No. 11, Spiceal Street, Birmingham. 300 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. The houses, however, which were then being erected, were of a somewhat different kind to the courts and blocks which have been run up in our time. Most of them were still adorned with gardens. And in 1783 a "modern built house" like this was to be let in Edgbaston Street. December 15, 1783. — To be Let, and entered upon immediately, a large Handsome modern-built House, situate in Edgbaston-street, containing on the first Floor two Parlours, a large Hall or Shop, a Kitchen and China Pantry ; on the serond Floor, four very good Chambers, one of which is designed for a Dining-Room ; and on the Attic Floor, four very good Chambers, nearly equal to those on the Floor below, commanding from two of the Rooms an extensive view of the Country. The Cellaring is particularly good and Sjjacious, and behind the House in a separate Yard, is a good Brewhouse, as also a Warehouse three stories high, and a stable. Adjoining to the yard is a large Garden, containing upwards of 450 square yards, well walled and oi)en to the Fields. Apply to Charles Lloyd, Edgbaston-street. The next advertisement recalls the time when there were fields and gardens where Navigation, Wharf, Severn, and other contiguous streets now are. How pleasantly the words " by the foot-way from Pinfold- street to the Five Ways" read! And how strange that land so situated should be said to be "near Birmingham." But Baskerville House, on Easy Hill, was not in, but near Birmingham. December 22, 1783. — Land near Birmingham. — To be Let three very convenient and desirable Inclosures, well supplied with water, and generally known by the Name of Farmer Smith's Lands, whereon are two Tenements, inhabited, and a third erecting and nearly compleated, situate by the Foot Way from Pinfold Street to the Five J Fays, at a very Little Distance from the Navigation Wharf, and one Part of which Land is contiguous to the Jeui's Burial Ground* — For Particulars and to view the Premises enquire of John Phillips, either at No. 4, Queen-Street, or of him at the Bull's Head, in Dale-End. The changes now being made are about to rob the town of one of its precious bits of antiquity. The Old Cross is doomed. It has become old and ruinous. A town's meeting is to be held to take its condition into solemn consideration, and to decide upon its fate. In the month when the golden corn was waving in many a field, and the surr of the wind through its " stiff-uprising heads " might have been heard by those present, the meeting was held, and the verdict pronounced ; and here is the record of the trial and sentence : — Birmingham, August 7, 1784. — .\t a Town's Meeting, held the 21st of July last, at the Public-Office, in Dale End, for the purpose of considering the niinous State of the Old Cross, agreeable to Notice given for that purpose, it was unanimously agreed, that there * A small piece of land, still enclosed, near the canal in Granville Street. o o O o 1^ 5 ft. (f '^fF^'-^ . ^W^TiTirt y; -.•''ii',3 oq S CO 1?? rn -^ o 3t o zt Cl S -1) •b ^^ -U «S5 S ^ ^1 5 ^^ ^ APPEARANCE OF THE TOWN. 30i was an immediate Necessity to take the same down. Therefore Notice is hereby given, that all the Materials belonging to the aforesaid Old Cross will be sold by .Auction, by T. Sketchley (on the Premises), on Friday the 13th of August, at Eleven o'clock in the Forenoon, subject to such Conditions as will be then and there produced. KAi. The Furniture belonging to the said Cross, and to the Commissioners of the Court of Request, will be sold at the same time, with the Time-piece and Bell. The Premises may be viewed by applying to Mr. Conway, Brushmaker, near the Cross. The materials were sold ; the Old Cross was taken down, and the event has been handed down to our remembrance in the following epigram : — August 1 6th, 1784. EPIGRAM. 0/1 the Sale of Birmingham Old Cross. Conscience's Court by auction goes. Bidders though few, the hammer does The business in a trice ; At sixty pounds the blow is stnick. Ten more knocks down the bell and clock ; Commissioners — no price. A survey of the town was made in 1785-6, the results of which were published on October 2nd. l'"rom this, which is called "an accurate survey," to quote the words of the paragraph, " it appears that it now consists of 173 streets, contains 9,773 dwelling houses, of which number 6,032 are to the front, 3,738 backwards, besides other buildings (exclusive either of Deritend, or that part of the town called the Foreign), and by computation, the number of inhabitants are 53,735." Many persons still living remember the Apollo Hotel and Tea Gardens in Moseley Street. In 1787 they were advertised to be let, and the now crowded thoroughfare was then " a new street," and it was a recommendation to annoimce that the hotel was situated on " the banks of the River Rea." What would it be now ? March 12, 1787. — The .\pollo Hotel, Bowling-Green and Gardens. — To be Let, and may be entered upon immediately. That new-erected large and commodious Public House, called the Apollo Hotel, together with a spacious Bowling Green and Gardens, thereto adjoining, and with or without about four .Acres of Pa.sture Land, pleasantly situated in a nav Street, called Moseley Street, in the Hamlet of Deritend, on the Banks of the River Rea, and not more than four Hundred yards from the Market Place in Birmingham. The Place is in an improving state and increasing neighbourhood, is peculiarly adapted for Public and Musical Entertainments, as well as for that of an Hotel and Tavern. N.B. The House is in part furnished, and a good Tenant that is likely to conduct the place with Propriety and Spirit, will meet with every Encouragement. Further Particulars may be known by directing a Line for Y.Z., Post paid, at the Printers. 302 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. The famous printer, John Baskerville, lived in a house on Easy Hill. It still bears his name, and our readers know its surroundings. Not a green thing could live, not a flower could blossom there now. He died on January lo, 1775. His wife carried on his business in the same place which, after her death on March 21, 1788, was sold by auction. The following is an extract from the advertisement of the sale. It is the description of the house and gardens, and the reader will be some- what astonished to learn what a beautiful country residence existed at the town end of Broad Street, not eighty years ago. It was sold on the 19th of May, 1788:— The out Offices consist of a large Kitchen, with .Servant's Rooms over it, a Butler's and common Pantry, Brewhouse, two Pumps, one hard and the other soft Water, a four- stalled Stable, and Coach House, a good Garden, with Green-House, and Garden-House, spacious Warehouses and Workshops, suitable for the Mercantile Business, or any extensive Manufactory, together with about seven Acres of rich Pasture Land in high condition, Part of which is laid out in Shady Walks, adorned with Shnibberies, Fish Ponds, and Grotto ; the whole in a Ring-Fence, great part of it enclosed by a Brick- Wall, and is, on Account of its elevated situation and near affinity to the Canal, a very desirable spot to Build upon. We have frequently had to refer to New Hall, and the beautiful grounds in which it stood, occupying almost all the land from Congreve- street to Snow Hill, New Hall Hill wards. According to Westley's View it must have been a lovely place, with its pools, and park-like appearance ; well-wooded, and with pleasant slopes and gently undu- latino- sweeps of land ; as is proved by the character of the streets into which the estate has been cut. This pleasant country residence was now doomed. The Hall is to come down. The increase in the population and the demand for building land are imperative. On July 2nd, 1787, we read this advertisement — an advertisement which, we should think, was read with regret by many who were then living : — New Hall. — To be Sold by Auction, upon the Premises, in Birmingham, on Tuesday the 24th of July, if not sooner disposed of by private Contract, that well known Mansion, called New Hall, with all the Offices and Out-buildings, except the Bam. The whole to be pulled down, and the Materials carried away within i Month from the Time of Sale ; and the Money to be paid in i Mondi after the Sale, or before the Materials are removed. It may be viewed upon Application any Time after the Qlh Inst. — Apply to Mr. Holloway, in St. Paul's Square. The advertisements of land to be let for building are now very numerous, and some of these reveal how completely the country aspect APPEARANCE OF THE TOWN. 303 of the town was about to be destroyed. These advertisements apply to all parts of the town, but one of the most remarkable relates to the breaking up of the estate of Dr. Ash, and the formation of the district now known as Ashted ; then composed of gardens, fields, and orchards, but now crowded with houses. The first announcement of this change is as follows : — January 28, 1788. — Land for Building upon, and for Gardens, in the Parish of Aston, adjoining the Town of Birmingham, late the Estate of Dr. Ash. The Public are respect- fully informed that the said Estate will directly be laid out into streets for Buildings and for Gardens. — Persons desirous of taking Part thereof, for either of the above Purposes, may be immediately accommodated with Quantities suitable to their Convenience. The extensive Beds of good Clay and Sand upon the Premises (in addition to the desirable Situation) will afford the Tenants great advantages in the opportunity of getting Bricks and Sand upon the Spot, on very easy Terms ; independent of which there will be a considerable Benefit in Parochial Payments, the Levies being about Two-thirds less in the Parish of Aston than in the Parish of Birmingham. For further Particulars apply to Mr. Brooke, Attorney, Temple Row, or Mr. Kempson, Bath-Street, Birmingham. The next advertisement respecting this estate gives a fuller and more detailed account of the plan : — ■ February 11, 1788. — Building L.^nd in the Parish of Aston, near Birmingham, late the Estate of Dr. Ash, to be Let for the Residue of a Term of ninety-nine Years, about eighty-eight of which are unexpired. This Estate, so peculiarly eligible in its vicinity to the Town, and not likely to be surrounded with Buildings, having lately been laid t)ut into Streets well adapted to secure the Benefit of a free and healthy Air, has sufficiently proved the desirableness of its Situation, as well as the essential advantages arising to the Tenants who have already been fortunate enough to take Part of it for Building. The quantity now let and the Preparations making, promise a rapid progress in the Buildings intended to form the Hamlet of Ashted, which is planned with more regularitj' and uniformity than has usually been attended to in laying out land for building in Birmingham. To render the Streets spacious they are made from sixteen to upwards of twenty Yards wide, and Levels are taken to make i)roper Falls for carrying off the Water, to prevent similar Incon- veniences to those which have been so generally experienced from the ifant of attention to so necessary a Precaution. The valuable Articles of Clay and Sand upon the Premises afford a very beneficial accommodation to the Tenants ; to which may be added, the Convenience of plentiful Springs of fine Soft Water and a considerable saving in Parochial Payments ; the Levies being two-thirds less in the Parish of Aston than in Birmingham. As the Season for Building is approaching, it is hoped that those who are inclined to secure a Situation so replete with advantageous Inducements will not lose the present opportunity of availing themselves of it. A Plan of the Estate may be seen, and every other Information and Satisfaction that can possibly be required respecting the same may be had by applying to Mr. Brooke, Attorney, Temple Row, or to Mr. Kempson, Surveyor, Bath-street, Birmingham. 304 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. N.B. A Quantity of Thorns, growing Quick, and young Trees of various Sorts upon the above Estate to be disposed of. Here are two more advertisements showing how stronsf was the building fever at this time : — March 10, 1788. — Land for Building. — To be Let for Building, for the term of 120 Years, Part of the Glebe Land, belonging to the Parish Church of St. Martin, in Birmingham, situate at the Five Ways. Peculiar advantages arise from taking this Land, as the Rector for the Time being of St. Martin's has (by the Act of Parliament enabling him to set the same Land) a Power of renewing the Leases within the last thirty years of the Exi)iration of the Term. Two new Streets are intended to be immediately laid out ; Plans whereof and further particulars may be had by applying to the Rev. Mr. Curtis, at the Parsonage, or to Mr. Charles Stuart, Attorney, Temple Row, Birmingham. Also 18 Acres at the Sand Pits, belonging to the said Rectory. May 19, 1 7 88. — Building Land. — The Public are requested to take Notice that the Street called Bordesley Street is intended to be carried all the way to Bordesley, and there unite with the London Roads, forming a Street of a Mile in Length, and of sufficient Breadth to admit of an uninterrupted Passage for all Carriages travelling between this place and the Metropolis ; the several other Streets intended to communicate therewith are also marked out, as well as Land in the centre of the same for a Chapel and a Burial Ground, forming together a plan for a beautiful Hamlet. — The Wiole of the Land abounds with excellent Clay and Sand, abundantly more than sufficient to make Bricks for the whole Buildings. A Plan of the Land may be seen and parties treated with for Building Leases, by applying to the Office of Messrs. Meredith, and Smith, in Birmingham, or at the House called Cooper's Mill-House, upon the spot. One of the most important additions to the buildings of the Town begun in this decade, was the plan for the erection of the Crescent. In the first mention of the subject we are told that " there is an extensive prospect, that cannot ever be interrupted by other buildings ; " and now stretching away for two or three miles there is nothing but houses. On the noble sweep of land over which the early inhabitants of the Crescent looked, fields, and gardens, and pleasant tree-shaded walks met their view ; and now — let any one take a walk along the front of the hand- some houses which are erected on this very eligible site, and he will have a more vivid idea of the wonderful growth of the town than any words, or plans, or views, or quotations of figures could afford. The first mention of this project appeared on November 3, 1788. Between six and seven acres of the Free-school land, behind the houses of Mr. Ryland and Mrs. Farmer, is taken, we understand, for building upon, by Mr. C. Norton of this place. On the most elevated part of it, and from whence there is an extensive prospect that cannot ever be interrupted by other buildings, he purposes erecting a large and elegant crescent, fronted with stone, &c. A plan and drawing of it has already been APPEARANCE OF THE TOWN. 3O5 made by an ingenious architect, and is now at the Shakespeare Tavern, where it may be seen. The houses will be spacious and commodious. In a fortnight the projector had proceeded so far with his design as to make this announcement : — November 17, 1788. — Crescent. — A Plan, Elevation, and Section, of the intended Building to be called the Crescent, with Proposals for the same, may be seen by applying to Mr. Ranstome, Architect, at Mr. Clarke's, Paradise-street, Birmingham. On the same day this paragraph was inserted : — November 17, 1788. — A Correspondent who has seen the design for the elegant Crescent intended to be built in this town, remarks, that the houses will be very con- venient, and the situation e.xcellent in every respect, either for a winter or summer residence, as the houses will have both a southerly and northerly aspect A reservoir will be formed in order to supply them with good water, without the trouble and danger of wells or pumps. And it is an additional recommendation of the plan in this growing town, that there is not the least probability of any future buildings ever excluding the inhabitants of the crescent from a most agreeable prospect of the countr)'. The range of buildings undoubtedly \vi\\ be the greatest ornament to the town, and pay the subscribers a good interest for their money. A year elapsed before we hear anything further on the subject ; but when we remember that the negotiations for a lease had to be made with the Governors of King Edward's School, we shall not be surprised at this. However, they were concluded at last, and on November 9, 1 789, this announcement was made : — We are happy to hear that the Governors of the Free Grammar School of King Edward the Sixth, in this Town, have let on Lease, to Mr. Charles Norton, a large Plot of ground behind Mr. Ryland's house and garden, facing Summer-hill, whereupon he has engaged to build the handsome Crescent that we have before spoken of, and which will be a great ornament to the town. The prospect it will command will be most extensive and delightful. In the fourth edition of Hutton, published in 18 19, we have the following description of this ambitious undertaking : — " The Crescent will consist, when finished, of a handsome range of 23 houses of stone, elevated upon a terrace 1,182 feet long, and 17 feet high. The centre part is 622 feet, and each wing 140, exclusive of a return in each, towards Cambridge-street, which is 141 more. Only 12 houses are finished, chiefly in the wings, which cost ;^io,5oo. The remainder, which are to cost ^^200,500, are at a stand, owing to a ruinous war with France, which has been the destruction of our commerce, caused 500 of our tradesmen to fail, stagnated currency, and thinned the inhabitants." S I 306 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. In an advertisement on December 8, a house is announced to be let in that " increasing situation, Bordesley-street, leading out of Park- street into Digbeth, and very near the intended Wharf." Hurst Hill, "a spot of land" lying at the back of Smallbrook-street, is also to be let for building. And in March 1 789 there is to be let " for building upon, or for gardening, a Piece of land called Bell-rope Croft, situate by the side of the Road leading from Birmingham to the Five Ways, adjoining King Edward's Place." The method of dealing with Ashted will be seen by this advertisement : — April 6, 1789. — Crescent. — A Subscription is opened and neariy filled for erecting a Crescent at Ashted, to consist of 24 Houses to range on each side of the Mansion- house built by Dr. Ash. So delightful a Situation for the Purpose, would admit of much being said in its Praise, but in this Neighbourhood it is sufficient to remark, that it was the favourite Spot of the above eminent Physician during his residence in Warwickshire. Any Lady or Gentlemen desirous of becoming a Subscriber may see the Plans, and be acquainted with other Particulars, by applying to Mr. Brooke, Attorney, Birmingham. In this year they were beginning to build round the Hospital. The advertisement almost reads like a myth, when we look at the neigh- bourhood now : — May nth, 1789. — To be Let on Building Leases, a Spot of Land, containing upwards of three Acres, now occupied in small gardens, lying on the South Side of Summer-lane, Birmingham, immediately beyond the Hospital, and separated from the Ground belonging thereto by a Brick Wall. The situation is very pleasant and convenient for the Purpose of Building. What a strange difference in the state of things does this account of a fatal accident reveal : — February 2, 1789.— On Thursday night last, Mr. Wright, patten maker of Digbeth, in this Town, attempting to cross the small bridge over Deritend Brook, opposite Messrs. Humphreys' "' warehouse, unfortunately fell into the Brook, and though the water was but low, yet as he was aged and infirm, and no assistance being nigh, he was incapable of getting out, and was found dead in the mud the next morning. As several persons have fell over this bridge in the night, we hope some kind of railing will be immediately erected on its sides, or other means adopted to prevent similar accidents. There are people living who remember when such an accident as this was possible at the moat : — June 22, 1789. — Yesterday morning, a man driving a one-horse chaise round the Moat, in this TowTi, and going too near the edge of the water, the ground gave way, when the chaise, man, and horse were all overturned into the moat. It was with great difficulty that either the man or the horse were saved ; and as people are frequently falling into • Mr. George Humphreys built the large house opposite the Angel at Sparkbrook, which was sacked at the Riots of 1791. APPEARANCE OF THE TOWN. 307 this water, it now becomes absolutely necessary that the rotten bank should be repaired, and some kind of railing erected. The next advertisement will recall to the memory of many the once famous Apollo Tavern, Moseley-Street. April 5, 1790.— Apollo Tavern, Deritend. — John Perkes returns Thanks to his Friends and the Public for their past Favours conferred on him at the Lamp, in Smallbrook-street, and informs them, he has lately taken the Apollo Tavern, situate in Moseley Street, Deritend, where he has laid in a good Assortment of Wines and Liquors of all Sorts, and of the best Qualities. — The Bowling Green, likewise, is much improved, and in excellent Condition, which he purposes opening This Day, and hopes those Gentlemen who have hitherto countenanced it with their Support will still continue their Favours, as he assures them every Attention will be given to render their Accommodations as agreeable as possible. He likewise wishes to inform Gentlemen, Farmers, and others, that he has good Stabling for upwards of twenty Horses, and conveniently situated for the Coventry, Warwick, and Alcester Roads, and but a short Distance from the Market, besides a Saving of the Toll, and the Disagreeableness of riding over the Stones. .A good Ordinary will be provided every Market Day, and he is determined to spare no Pains to accom- modate them in the best Manner. On April 12, the Summer Hill Estate was announced as having been staked out " for a range of elegant and uniform building, com- prising fifteen houses, along the declivity of the beautiful hill." And thus, year by year, almost month by month, the growing town extended its arms and embraced some additional part of the country. We all know the Smithfield of the present day. Where the House of the Birminghams stood surrounded by its defensive and dangerous moat, are our cattle, our horse, and hay markets. The neighbourhood is thronged with a busy and energetic people, whose incessant traffic renders the idea of a blade of grass growing there wilder than the wildest fancy of the poet. And yet not quite eighty years back this was true of the place : — Birmingham, April 11, 1791. GR.\SS. The Meadows, near the Moat, commonly called Bagnes Meadows, are opened on this Day for the Purpose of taking in Horses and Cows. Apply at the George Inn. The town is now about to lose the Heath fields, the origin of Heath Mill Lane. Bit by bit the countr)' is being absorbed, and the fields cut up into streets and built upon. It will be seen by the next advertise- ment, that even at this period in our history Aston could boast of the smallness of its levies : — 308 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. September 19, 1791. — Land set out for Building upon. — Mr. John Cooper, the Proprietor of the Heath Fields, lying near to a certain Mill, called Cooper's Mill, having cancelled the Lease granted by him to the late John Meredith, deceased, and finally settled with his Executor, hereby gives Notice to the Public that he is ready to treat with any Person or Persons desirous to build on such Lands, either to sell the same in small Parcels, and convey the same in Fee Simple, or to convey the same in Fee Simple, subject to an annual Rent, payable for ever ; or to Lease the same for 1 20 years, subject to an annual Ground Rent. By the two first Modes, each Person will have an absolute Freehold in the Spot he takes, either with or without Rent, at his Option ; and by the latter Mode, will only be accountable for his own annual Ground Rent, which would not have been the case had he taken Land under the Lease granted to the late Mr. Meredith, until suflicient Building had been erected to have secured the Rent stipulated to be paid by such Lease. The Situation of this Land, owing to its Vicinity to Birmingham, is e.xceedingly eligible to build upon ; and as the whole lies in the Parish of Aston, there will be a considerable Saving in Levies, which are much lower than in the Parish of Birmingham ; besides, there is a most excellent Bed of Clay under all the Land. Further Particulars may be known by applying to Mr. t}em, in New Street, Birming- ham, where a Plan of the Lands and the Streets intended to be laid out may be seen. It will be seen by the many examples given that the activity of the town was very great, and that greater changes were made in the appearance of the place during the ten years from 1781 to 1791 than in the forty preceding. These were ten years of great prosperity to Birmingham, but it was a prosperity destined to be succeeded by years of gloom, bitter suffering, deep despondency, bankruptcy, and general ruin. The nation was soon to be tried to its utmost, and both in suffering and patriotism our own town bore a sad but not ignoble part. iv 2. I'UBLIC LIFE .\ND EVENT.';. We record the public events of this decade with mingled feelings of pride and shame. Of pride at the many good works which were be(7un, and at the immense public activity which distinguished it — of shame that it Is disgraced by that fierce outburst of fanaticism and bigotry, the Birmingham Riots. The ten years upon which we are now engaged were crowded with important local events, and the riots themselves may be traced to the same energy which, well directed, was producing such extraordinary results. We shall treat of that dis- graceful display of religious and political madness in a separate chapter, and so leave it now for more pleasant and encouraging events. PUBLIC LIFE AND EVENTS. 309 Amongst the many which we shall have to record we may mention, as the more notable labours of the people during these ten years, the formation of Sunday Schools, the Opposition to the Slave Trade, the agitation on the subject of the taxation of small tenements, and the first hint of the claims of Birmingham to direct representation in the House of Commons. The extracts which we have to make will show how intensely earnest was the Birmingham of this period. The first notice we meet with in 1782 is one calling a meeting for increasing the canal communications with other towns : — January 7, 1782. — The Gentlemen and Tradesmen of the Town of Birmingham and its Environs, who are desirous of encouraging the Scheme now in Agitation for making a Navigable Canal from the Collieries at Wednesbury to the Lower Part of the Town of Birmingham, and from thence to Atherstone, are requested (previous to a General Meet- ing) to attend at the Swan Inn, in Birmingham, To-Morrow, the 8th Day of January Instant, at Three o'clock in the Afternoon ; — when and where the Plan of a late and improved Survey will be produced for their approbation. The project was approved, and the work begun in a true Birming- ham spirit, for on the 4th of February we read : — A Petition was presented to the House of Commons on Monday last, for Leave to bring in a Bill to make and maintain a navigable Shaft or Canal from Wednesbury to Birmingham, and from thence to join the Coventry Canal at Fazeley. And we are informed, that since the Subscription for carrying the same into execution was closed, Sums to a ver)- large Amount have been offered. In this year the tradesmen agitated for an act to "promote and encourage short credit, by allowing debts to bear interest under certain restrictions." The maintenance of the poor troubled and perplexed our forefathers as it is now troubling and perplexing us. The continual increase of the poor rates was a constant source of alarm, and the complaints on this subject are not like angels' visits — few and far between. The following reads very like a letter of a modern guardian : — May 6, 1782. — To the Inhabitants of the Town of Birmingham. — The very great Complaints that are made of the Magnitude and encreasing Expense of the Poor's and other Parochial Rates in the Parish of Birmingham, is well known and felt by every House-holder ; the Expenditure last Year amounted, at least, to the enormous sum of Sixteen Thousand Pounds, and the Expenses of the present Year, without a consider- able Reform takes place, will amount to considerably more. I presume there is no Person that pays to the Rates, but must acknowledge the utmost Care ought to be taken in the Distribution of the Public Money by the Officers, and that 3iO A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. a fair and equal Rate ought to be made upon every Person liable to pay them ; whether that is done or not, the List of Persons rated and not rated, lately distributed by Order of the Overseers, will clearly prove. The greatest Part of the above-mentioned Sum was expended by the Overseers of the Poor ; who employed Two Persons, and paid them a Salary of One Hundred Guineas a Year out of the Town's Money, to collect the Rates for them, and the same Persons are continued by the present Overseers upon the same terms ; the Inliabitants have therefore a Right to expect the Collection to be made imi)artially, and with the greatest Dispatch. I am informed, the Overseers of the Poor intend to call for a Second Levy this Week. I would therefore recommend to the Inhabitants to attend the Meeting, and enquire, how much of the First Levy has been collected, how much expended, and if any consider- able sums remain unpaid ; to know why the Collectors have not received it, as it appears to be necessary the former Levy should be collected as close as possible, before another is granted, especially as the Collectors are paid a very considerable Salary to collect the rates. I do not wish to encourage any Measures to give the Officers more Trouble than the Welfare of the Inhabitants requires ; but when the expenses are so very great, to be universally complained of, it then becomes necessary to invite the Inhabitants to take such steps as may, if possible, reduce the Payments, and put every person that pays upon as equal a Footing as possible. " The Expenses of the Parish have increased, are increasing, and ought to be diminished." — Birmingham, May 6, 1782. An Inhabitant. N.B. There are more Houses unrated to the Poor in Pjirmingham, than there are Houses in the Town of Manchester. In May the town was rejoicing at the victory of Admiral Rodney over the French, off the islands of Dominica and Guadaloupe, in the West Indies : — May 27, 1782. — On Monday last, in consequence of the Arrival of the News of the Signal Victory obtained by Admiral Rodney, in the West-Indies, over the Fleet of France, commanded by the Comte de Grasse, the Bells rang incessantly that whole Day and part of the preceding Evening. At Night a general Illumination prevailed throughout the Town ; and in many of the Streets, the great joy of the Inhabitants was particularly testified by the additional blaze of large Bonfires. Wolverhampton, Stour- bridge, Dudley, &c., and several of tlic neighbouring Towns, likewise lighted uj) their Windows upon this most joyful occasion. On the same day that we read this celebration of a " most joyful occasion," we have a record of a very different kind of work : — May 27, 1782. — A Subscription, we hear, is set on Foot, in this Town and Neighbour- hood, towards the finishing of Moseley Chapel. It is sincerely wished that, by a laudable Contribution, the Work may be completed in a short Time, there having been no Divine Service at that Place for the Four Years ]iast. Here is an entry of a work which never got beyond the region of good intentions : — PUBLIC LIFE AND F.VENTS. 3 1 I June 17, 1782. — We are informed that at a General Meeting of the Proprietors of the Birmingham Canal Navigation on Friday last, the 14th Instant, it was resolved unani- mously, in consequence of the Powers they are invested with by the present Act of Parliament, immediately to extend their Canal to Ueritend, the proper Levels for that purpose having been already taken. In this year was organised a plan to provide a corps of Volunteers. A meeting was held and rules were adopted. The corps was called the Birmingham Independent Volunteers. The following selections from the rules are interesting : — August 12, 1782. — n. That, as the Principles on which the Birmingham Independent Volunteer Corps associate place the Members on a perfect Equality each wth the other, no distinction whatever shall be admitted, but such as may be absolutely necessary for the Purposes of good Order and Discipline, except Field Officers, who shall be chosen by the Majority of the Coqis, and be Gentlemen of Family and Property, who shall always be upon the Committee, and entitled to a Vote on every occasion. III. That every Member shall provide for himself a Steel-mounted Hanger, a sufficient proved Fusee to the Standard, provided with Bayonet and Cartouch Box ; the Fusee having a Black Sling, black Cross Belt ; upon the Pouch shall be a Circular Ornament of yellow Metal, containing the Arms of Birmingham, and upon the top of the Plate, on the cross Belt, the Initials B.I.V. Cyphered, and, below, the Initials of the Owner, with or ■without his Crest. IV. The Uniform to be a Military Blue, lapelled with the same, gilt Buttons, Buff Cashmere Waistcoat and Breeches, white Stockings, cocked Hat, gold Button and Loop, black Cockade and black gaiters, all whicli he shall provide for himself. The peace of the town was threatened in October by a party of Colliers. The judicious steps taken by the authorities were successful in averting such a calamity. The report of this event affords a curious picture of the times : — October 21, 1782. — On Thursday a Party of Colliers, on their Way for this Town, came through Wednesbury, where they made a stand in a Part called High-Bullen, and were immediately waited upon by some of the Maltsters and principal Gentlemen of the Town. Being asked what their Intentions were by going together in that manner? they answered, to reduce the Price of Flour and Malt, as it was not in their Power to maintain themselves and Families whilst it was bought at such an exorbitant Price. The Maltsters promised to reduce the Price of Malt, providing they would go Peacefully out of the Town, which they directly did, accompanied by the Gentlemen of the Place, when Malt was immediately lowered from seven to six shillings the Bushel. — They arrived here about four o'clock in the Afternoon, and were met in the Bull-Ring by one of the Officers of the Town, who desired to speak with their Leader, who immediately api)eared. He demande4 of him, what he and his Party meant in coming into the Town in that hostile Manner ? and was answered, They did not come with the intention of committing any Depredations, but to regulate the Prices of Malt, Flour, Butter, Cheese, &c. — The Gentleman promised them, if they would immediately go out of the Town peaceably, and commit no Outrage, 312 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. that he would do every Thing in his power to have the Prices of the different articles they complained of properly regulated, and lowered as much as the times would admit of; which they agreed to, on his signing a Paper that he would faithfully fulfil his promise. — He then conducted them a little way out of the Town. — In the mean Time, the Gentlemen of the Association, under the Command of Captain Beecroft, with the Military were drawn up in the Square, and sent a Message to the Officers of the Town, that they were ready to march to their Assistance. — They returned them a polite answer ; and to convince these daring Invaders that there was a then sufficient Force in this Place, if the Civil Power had required more vigorous Measures to disjjcrse them, they readily con- curred in coming forward. — They accordingly paraded the different Streets, with Drums beating, &c., making a very respectable appearance. At a very numerous and respectable Meeting of the Officers, and other Inhabitants of the Town, held last Saturday, at the Castle Inn, to take into Consideration the Prices of the several under-mentioned Articles, many of the principal Retailers thereof having also attended ; — it was unanimously resolved to recommend to them to sell Household Bread, 8J Pounds for is. — Malt, per Bushel, 5s. 6d. — Cheese per Pound, if whole 3jd., if cut 3id., Old, 4d. At the said Meeting a Number of the Principal Inhabitants, to the Amount of one Hundred and forty, stept forward (which reflects great Honour upon them, for their spirited Conduct), and were properly qualified by the Magistrates of the Toum, to act upon all Emergencies when called upon. We have frequently had to notice the generous efforts which the well-to-do people of this town alwajs made to relieve the distress of their less fortunate fellow townsmen. In his song on the Birmingham Overseers, Freeth tells us that no place was more renowned for its " Decent care of the poor." The present year was remarkable for great distress, and with their wonted energy and benevolence the inhabitants commenced the work of relief On November 18, we read in the Gazette : — We have the Pleasure to inform the Inhabitants of this Town, that several humane and public-spirited Gentlemen have set on Foot a Subscription for raising a Sum of Money, to purchase Flour, Malt, Sec, and dispose of it again, at a reduced Price, to the industrious poor Inhabitants. — A Meeting is appointed to be held at the Shakespear's Tavern To- morrow afternoon at Three o'Clock, to carry this Laudable Scheme further into Execution ; when it is hoped, that the Gentlemen of this Place will manifest the same humane and liberal Spirit on this, as they have formerly done on similar occasions. This meeting was held, and adjourned until the 26th. Its object and result are stated in the following notice : — December 2, 1782. — Tuesday last a meeting was held at the Shakespeare Tavern, pursuant to Advertisement in this Paper, to take into Consideration the probable Dis- tresses that may be prevented, during the Winter, among the lower Class of People, by a timely Purchase of those Articles which are likely to become scarce or extremely dear, when a liberal Subscription was entered into, effectually to carry so beneficent a Purpose into Execution ; and as the Meeting was not so numerous as might reasonably be PUBLIC LIFE AND EVENTS. 313 expected, in so considerable and opulent a Town, several Gentlemen undertook the cause of the Poor, by a Personal Application, and have already collected upwards of Eight Hundred and six Pounds. On December 23 the editor was " happy to inform the public that by the liberal subscriptions raised in this town, the poor house-keepers will be enabled for sixteen weeks ensuing to purchase nearly six pounds weight of bread for sixpence." That is at one-third less than its retail price. In less than three weeks over ^1,300 were subscribed. The bakers who thought it worth their while to supply the Committee appointed to relieve the Distresses of the Poor with Household Bread, in Nine-penny Loaves, were desired to send written Proposals, to be left at the Shakespear Tavern, by a specified time, and were informed that the weight of the loaf must be mentioned in the proposal. The subscribers to the fund were also requested to send a written List of the Poor Objects they mean to recommend, for the first Fourteen Days, to the Committee. The following was the Form of Ticket : — A Nine-penny Loaf for Sixpence. I recommend Jonathan Johnson, of Duk^s Court, Princess-street, who says he is not recommended by any other Subscriber. Timothy Jones. This distress led to a general consideration of the condition of the poor of the town, and on the last day of the year, 1782, the following pamphlet was published : — The present Situation of the Town of Birmingham respecting the Poor considered ; with a Proposal for Building a New Workhouse, .\ddressed to the Inhabitants, By the Overseers of the Poor. Printed by Pearson and Rollason. ^p° Persons desirous of perusing the above may be supplied by sending to the Work- house. The practical character of the people will be seen in the fact that a public meeting was almost immediately held on the subject, of which the following is the report : — Public Office. — Dale-End, January 14, 1783.— At a Meeting held here this Day, pursuant to Notice given in the Churches, and also by Advertisement in this Paper, for the Purpose of consulting with the Overseers of the Poor on the Propriety of building a new Workhouse, it was resolved ncm. (on. — That it appears necessary to erect a New Workhouse, for the better Reception and Employment of the Poor of this Parish. Resolved, That a Petition be presented to Parliament, for Leave to bring in a Bill to enable the Overseers to borrow a sufficient Sum for that Purpose. T I 314 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Resolved, That a Committee be appointed to assist the Overseers in preparing the said Bill ; and that when it is so prepared, it be laid before a future Town's Meeting, to be called for that Purpose. A Committee was then appointed, with a Power of adding to it, as they shall see necessar)'. Resolved, That no Time be lost in procuring Plans and Estimates that the Building may be forwarded with all Speed ; and that application be made to the Lady of the Manor and the Freeholders for a Lease of as much waste Land as may be necessary for that Purpose. Resolved, That in the proposed Bill a Clause be inserted, to appoint and impower the Committee to assist the Overseers in future; and that the Overseers as they go out of Office be added to the Committee, in order to supply the Vacancies that may fall out. Ordered, That the Proceedings of this Meeting be advertised in both the Birmingham Newspapers. Birmingham had as yet made no efforts to become a borough. She seems to have been contented with being absorbed in the county representation, and had no desire for parliamentary honours. This, however, would come when the " time was ripe." It is curious to notice that the first allusion to the subject which we meet with in the Gazette comes from a stranger. On January 13, 1783, this prelimi- nary, but scarcely-regarded note of the greatest contest in which Birmingham was destined to be engaged was published : — Extract of a Letter from a Gentleman at St. Edmund's Bury to a Friend in this Town : — dated January 9, 1783. "What are you about, that I do not see any Account of your having met to petition Parliament for a Representation ? You will see a Bury Petition in the Papers by the Time you get this, or before. If such a place as Birmingham, of abo\-e 40,000 Inhabitants, and so often justly noticed in the House as having high Claims to a Representation, should basely desert their own and the common Cause, at this Juncture, I think they will prove themselves some of the worst enemies of Freedom, and the greatest Promoters of Arbitrary Government in the Kingdom. Birmingham, Manchester, &c., having been so much noticed, will now prove themselves, either some of the most useful Friends to Human Rights, or, very great F.nemies to them indeed ; for should you be quiet, it will be made a bad use of against any Alteration." The trade and commercial activity of this period was very great. The Soho was in the height of its prosperity, and such men as Boulton, Galton, Garbet, Villers, Turner, and other captains of industry were engaged in those experiments which have altered the entire aspect of trade, and led to results scarcely anticipated by the most enthusiastic and sanguine amongst them. The following extracts explain them- selves : — June 9, 1783. — Brass-Maker's Petition. — The Committee appointed by a Town's Meeting, held at the Hotel on the 17 th Day of February last, to conduct the intended I'LULIC LH-i; AND EVENTS. 315 Opposition to the Brass-maker's petition, for the Repeal of the present Laws prohibiting the exportation of Brass ; do hereby appoint a General Meeting of the Merchants and Manufacturers of this Town, who are interested in this Business, at the Hotel, This Dav, PREciSKLY at Three o'Clock in the Afternoon, in order to receive their report, and to determine on the Propriety of a Petition to Parliament, against the intended Repeal Bill. June 23, 1783. — The Brass Exportation Bill (after the Petitions against which were read, and Counsel heard,) was read a second Time in the House of Commons last Friday. June 14, 1783. — The Merchants and Manufacturers of this Town, are desired to meet To-morrow, at the Hotel, at Four o'Clock in the Afternoon, to receive the Report of the Committee, who were appointed to take the Charge of preventing a Repeal of the Laws which prohibit the exportation of Brass, and to take into Consideration other Tilings o{ great Iin/ortaiia- to the Trade of the Town and Neighbourhood of Birmingham. The new poor Act was obtained, and on July 14 the inhabitants were summoned to elect the Guardians : — Notice is hereby given, That a Meeting of the Inhabitants of the said Parish, who shall be qualified as the said Act directs, will be held for the Purpose of electing such One Hundred and Eight Persons to be Guardians of the Poor of the said Parish of Birmingham, for putting the said Act in Execution, at the Place called the Public Office, situate in Dale End, in Birmingham aforesaid, at Nine o'Clock in the Morning of Tuesday the isth Day of July Instant, being the Third Tuesday after the passing of the said Act, as by the said Act is directed. This period was unfortunately an age of enclosures. Looking over the Journals of the House of Commons of this time we are astonished at the entries of acts, or of applications for acts of enclosure. This desire had spread to Birmingham. Efforts had been previously made to enclose Sutton Coldfield, Handsworth, and other neighbouring places. On July 21, 1783, the subject was brought nearer home. On that day we find this announcement : — A Proposal having been made to the Ladies of the Manor of Birmingham for enclosing Bir.mingham He.\th : — Notice is hereby given, That a Meeting is appointed to be held at the Hotel in Birmingham, on Tuesday the 29th Day of July Instant, at Twelve o'clock in the Forenoon, to Consider of such Proposals, and of proper Terms to carry the same into Execution ; at which Time and Place all Persons concerned are desired to attend. Wn.LiAM Hunt, Agent for the Ladies of the Manor of Birmingham. The Commercial part of the Community had now begam to see the importance of organization. A meeting was held on the 15th of July, at which a committee was appointed to prepare " Proposals for the Establishment and Regulations of a Goural Coinmcrcial Committee, in order to lay the same before the Town, at a future Meeting." The 3l6 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. second meeting was called for the 12 th of August, and the objects proposed by the committee will be gathered from the resolutions which were passed : — Birmingham Hotel, Aug. 12, 17S3 — At a Town's Meeting held here, this Day, pursuant to the public Request of the Committee appointed to i)repare proposals for the Establishment and Regulation of a General Commercial Committee, Sam. Garbeit, Esy. in the Chair. The following Resolutions passed unanimously, viz. :— Resolved, That the Sketch produced by the Committee appointed at a public Meeting on the 15th of July last to prepare proposals for the Establisment of a General Commercial Committee has the unanimous Approbation of this Meeting. Resolved, that it is the Sense of this Meeting that it is highly expedient to establish a standing General Commercial Committee for the purjjose of watching over and conduct- ing the public Interest of this Town and Neighbourhood. Resolved, That a Number of Persons, not less than Si.xty, nor more than One Hundred, be now chosen for the Purpose of forming this Committee, who, from their Election, shall be considered as a public Body established for the Purposes above- mentioned, and that all future Applications to Parliament, or to Administrations for public purposes, be intrusted to them. Resolved, That this Committee shall not decide upon any Proposals that may be made to them, but at a Meeting called by public Advertisement in the Birmingham News- papers, to be signed at least by five of their Body, in which the Business intended for the consideration of such Meeting shall be expressly mentioned ; except in cases of real Emergency, admitted to be such by seven Members of the Committee, who shall in that Case be empowered to sign an Order to the Secretary for immediately summoning the whole Committee to a special Meeting. Resolved, That at all Meetings, whether public or special, seven Members shall form a board, and be empowered to Act in the Name of the Whole ; but no meeting shall be held for any Business whatever without the Whole of the Committee being regularly summoned to it. Resolved, That the Committee shall keep an e.xact Register of all their Proceedings in a Book set apart for that Purpose, to which every Member of the Committee shall have free Access, and which shall be produced at the Public Meeting whenever the Committee shall find it necessar>' to call the Town together. Resohed, That if any of the Gentlemen nominated shall decline to Act, the Committee shall have power to elect others in their stead ; and whenever the Number of the Committee be reduced to Fifty, by Deaths or Removals, the surviving Members are hereby authorised to fill up the Vacancies to a Number not less than Sixty, nor more than One Hundred. Resolved, That it is understood the Committee are to make Bye Laws for their own Government and Regulation in future. And Resolved, That it be and hereby is e.xpressly enjoined upon tlicm to correspond with any Commercial Committees, that are or may be established in any other Commercial Cities or Towns in the Kingdom,— and in particular that they receive and encourage a Coincidence and Connexion with the Towns of Wolverhampton, Walsall, and Dudley and their Neighbourhood. PUBLIC LIFE AND EVENTS j I 7 Resolved, That the list of Names now produced by the Committee and filled up by this Meeting, to the number of One Hundred Persons, be adopted ; and that the Gentlemen therein nominated be, and hereby are, duly elected Members of the General Commercial Committee. Resolved, That the Proceedings of this public Meeting be inserted in both the Birmingham Newspapers. Resolved, That the Thanks of this Meeting be given to the Chairman for the very Able and Candid Manner in which he has conducted the important Business of the Day. (Signed) Sam. Garbett. Although not a borough returning a member to Parhament, we have repeated proof that the Birmingham men of old, like their descendants now, took great interest in politics. We shall see hereafter the intense interest with which they celebrated the famous Revolution of 1688, and we all know how terribly their passions were inflamed on the subject of the still more famous French Revolution of i 789. The existing Par- liament was about to be dissolved, and the Birmingham people met to pronounce on the subject of the next representatives for the County : — December 22, 1783. — Whereas the Dissolution of the present Parliament appears to be a Measure fully concluded upon, the principal Inhabitants of the Town are desired to meet at the Hotel, To-Morrow, the 23rd Instant, at Three o'clock in the Afternoon, to consider of proper Measures for maintaining the present Harmony, and testifying, upon this Occasion, the grateful Attachment of the Town towards our present worthy repre- sentatives. William Ward, High Bailif. Birmingham, December 22, 1783. The "present worthy representatives," were Sir Robert Lawley, and Sir George Shuckburgh, Barts. The same paper which contains this advertisement, also contains the conclusions of a Committee appointed to consider the question of how to deal with poor children. This is what was devised : — December 22, 1783. — Whereas, by the Report of the Committee appointed to examine into the number and state of the Infant Poor, it appears, That there are now in the Workhouse 65 Bovs and 108 GrRi.s, between the Ages of Seven and Fifteen Years, healthy and fit to be jjlaced out .\pprentice ; and the present Committee of Guardians, thinking it expedient that such Bovs and Girls should be placed out accordingly, on the Eighth Day of December instant came to a Resolution to carry the same into execution in the following Mode, viz. : — That the Names of all the Inhabitants of this Town and Parish, who Rent Ten Pounds per Annum, or upwards, and of such others who shall be thought of sufficient ability by the Magistrates and Guardians, shall be written upon separate Pieces of Paper, and put Promiscuously into a Box to be kept for that purpose ; and that as often as it shall be necessary to place out Apprentice any poor Children belonging to the said Parish, so many Names of Inhabitants as there shall be Children to Place out, shall be o 1 8 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. drawn from the Box ; and that the Persons, whose Names shall be so drawn, shall, if the Magistrates and Guardians think them fitting, be compelled* to take such Children as Apprentices, or to find a Substitute, to be approved of by tlie said Magistrates and Guardians. That the Inhabitant whose Name shall be first drawn shall have the first Choice of a Child, and so on. Priority of Ballot to constitute Priority of Choice ; but that no Inhabitant who shall Voluntarily take .Apprentice any Child from the Parish shall he compelled to take one by Ballot. A new mail was added thi.s year to the ever-increasing means of intercommunication. Birmingham, December 29, 1 783. — The Postmasters General have ordered a Mail to be dis])atched from Birmingham, after the fifth of January next, through Bromsgrove, and Droitwitch to Worcester, every Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday in the Morning early, and to return at night. The Letters for these Places and the Cross-Road to be put into the Office before Ten o'Clock the preceding Night. Letters from Worcester will be received through Kidderminster as usual on Monday Night.s. The Postage that way Three-pence, but through Bromsgrove only Two-jience. Here is a curious illustration of the spirit of the times. We shall frequently meet this foreign emissary, and see the trouble he gave the manufacturers, and the vain efforts they made to catch him : — February 2, 1784. — To the liirmingham Manufacturers. — As many Kmissaries from ,\l)road are at this Time actually amongst you, as well as in other Parts of the Kingdom, with Views to entice your ^Vorkmen, and to rob you of your newest and most important Inventions, it is hoped that by this timely Caution, tlieir .\ttempts may be Fnistrated. The Commercial Committee were e.xceedingly busy during this year. Here is a report of a meeting held in February : — Binningham, Monday, February i6th, 1784. — On Tuesday Morning last a Meeting of the principal Inhabitants of the Town, called by the Commercial Committee, was held at the Hotel, for the Purpose of considering of an Address to his Majesty. S. Garbett, Esq., being solicited to take the Chair, the Business of the Day was opened by the following Motion, viz., " That the Sense of this Meeting be taken, respecting the Propriety of an Address ;" which being seconded, it was resolved, after a Debate of some Length, by a Majority of 98 to 29, " Thai it was proper to address the King." — In Consequence of this Resolution, a Committee of seven Gentlemen were immediately appointed to withdraw and prepare an Address, which, upon their Return, being read by the Chainnan, was, after a Trifling Alteration had been made in the Title, adopted by the Meeting. The Numbers, when the Question was put, who approved of the Address being loi. — In dis- a])])robation of it 4. — After die Thanks of the Meeting were voted to the Commercial Committee, an Adjournment took place, in order to allow Time for a fair and proper Transcript of the Address for Signature. The Meeting was resumed in the After- noon, when the Thanks of it were unanimously given to the Chairman, for his Candour and Imparti.T.lity in conducting the Business of the Day. The Address remained at • We wonder what the ratepayers of the present d.iy woulil think of this comjiulstjry method of a])prenticin{; poor children ! The liberty of the subject was not the primary consideration of this very practical committee. PUBLIC LIFE AND EVENTS. 319 the Hotel, for the Signatures of the Inhabitants, until Saturday Evening, when it was sent to London, to be presented to his Majesty, by Sir Robert Lawley and Sir George Shuckburgh, Barts., Knights of the Shire, who have both expressed a great Readiness to carry up the same to the Throne. Nor did they refrain from politics. A meeting was called for April the second, to " consider what measures may be proper for them to adopt, in consequence of the Dissolution of Parliament." This adver- tisement is signed by the Executive Committee, whose names are worth preserving. They are as follows : — Edward Palmer Samuel Glover George Humphreys Henry Perkins Samuel Garbett John Rickards William Welch William Russell John Startin John Startin Thomas Ingram William Turner The meeting thus called was adjourned until the 6th, but there is no report of the business done, and the resolutions which they passed. Perhaps this was unnecessary, as the county returned their old members, who on the 7th return their thanks for this renewal of the confidence of the electors. In these days everything taxable was taxed. A rhymester of the time, however, ventured to propose a new ta.x : — Lines proposing a New Tax. 'Tis something hard, that Ribbons, Hats, and Gauze, Should be an object in our Country's cause ; Trifles, methinks, not worth a Stateman's care. The simple ornaments that Ladies wear. Sure not on them they wou'd a Tax impose. The thought is horrid, say our modem Beaux — A lucky thought \ — 'faith I've on it hit, Cou'd I've a word or tsvo with Mr. Pitt — The wealthy Bachelor's the only thing The fittest person to support the King ; He lives at large, and wallowing in his pelf. Eats, drinks, and feels for nothing but himself. The extent to which taxation was applied, and the kind of articles which came under the grip of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, can scarcely be imagined in these free-trade days. On August the second our active Commercial Committee call a meeting for the third to receive "an Account of some Particulars which have occurred in London, relative to the taxing of Coal, Bricks, Candles, and Paper, and to a Bill brought before Parliament by manufacturers of plated wares in Sheffield." 320 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. On the same day we have " A Cmition. — On the regulation of the gold coin in 1774 many guineas deficient in weight were sent to America, as prompt payment. Several of these are travelling back again, and will make light gold more plentiful than it has been for some time past. There are also a number of counterfeit guineas in circulation, worth no more than ten pence each ; they are all in imita- tion of the coinage of the present year. It would, therefore, be prudent to weigh all of that date." The Commercial Committee — the predecessor of our Chambers of Commerce — was especially active in the year 1785. On January 25 a meeting was held " to take into consideration many things of great importance to the manufacturers of this town and neighbourhood, upon which it is apprehended there is a necessity of immediately applying to the administration. And also to consider upon the expediency of encreasing the number of the Committee." This first meeting was adjourned until February the first. In the meantime they took a step which perhaps affords us one of the most remarkable contrasts with our present mode of looking on such a subject that could be quoted. It was a crime to " seduce " any workman or employer to leave this country to work in foreign countries. How vividly the difference of the times is brought before us by such an advertisement as this : — January 31, 1785. — A Reward. — The Commercial Committee do hereby offer a Reward of Fifty Guineas for such Intelligence as will convict any Person of having attempted to seduce a Manufacturer to leave this Town or Neighbourhood, to go to work in foreign Countries. The Reward to be paid on Conviction of the Offender. And the Committee have also determined to apply to the King's Ministers to out-law such British Subjects who do now, or may in future, work at their Trade in foreign States to the Prejudice of the Manufacturers of this Country. The result of the deliberations of the meetings held on January 25, and February i, is given in the following report : — February 7, 1785. — Commercial, February 3, 1785. — The Commercial Committee did, at two public meetings, on Tuesday the 25th of last Month, and on Tuesday the ist instant. Unanimously order the following entry on their Journal, and desired the same might be inserted in such newspajjers as their Committee of Correspondence might think projier ; and that copies might be sent to the Knights of the Shire for the Counties of AVarwick and Stafford, and to the other Noblemen and Members of Parliament, viz. : — This Committee, having with anxiety obser\ed the various methods devised to raise a public revenue in such a manner as materially to impede the improvement and extent of PUBLIC LIFE AND EVENTS. 321 manufactures designed both for home consumption and foreign markets ; it is therefore, with great pleasure that they observe, and do entirely concur in, the sentiments expressed in the resolutions published by the very respectable quarterly meeting of iron masters and others concerned in the making of iron in Great Britain, and of the manufacturers of iron in the several counties of Salop, Worcester, Stafford, and Warwick, held at Stourbridge in the county of Worcester, on the 7th of last month, viz. : — "That it is highly expedient for those who have the good of their country at heart, to express their sentiments freely on those commercial subjects on which its population and riches most essentially depend." " That the population and riches of this kingdom essentially depend on its manufac- tures, and taxes laid upon them are impolitic." " That property acquired by trade and manufactures is a fit object of taxation ; but not the manufactures themselves." In concurrence with these sentiments, this Committee are unanimously of opinion, I. That manufactures and commerce should only be considered as a means of acquiring that real property which is the proper object of taxation. 2. That property, while exposed to the extreme uncertainty which it is necessarily subject to, while engaged in manufacture and commerce, cannot be justly deemed sub- stantial until it is withdrawn from those dangers. 3. That every tax on manufactures, or on the raw materials employed in them (whether imported from abroad or the produce of our own counlr)') is impolitic, as it tends to depress or crush the ardour of invention, and those adventurous attempts after improve- ment and new discovery to which many of the British manufactures owe that superiority which they have attained. The operation of such taxes has been extremely prejudicial to many of our manufactures; some of which they have greatly injured, and in other cases have frustrated important plans for new branches of manufactures. 4. That, in general, every excise law is irreconcileable with the freedom and secrecy every manufacturer has a natural right to demand, in his own workshops, and in tlie exercise of his business, and they subject him to numerous inconveniences, are an encouragement to smugglers, while they oppress the fair trader ; and that by the frequency of taking oaths, which it is the deponents' interest to falsify, they lessen the reverence for that sacred ceremony, and tend to sap the foundations of moral honesty. 5. That it is the opinion of this meeting. That a spirit of rivalling and supplanting our manufactures is now operating in various parts of Europe, to a degree truly alarming ; and that our present laws are found ineffectual for preventing our ingenious tools being exported, and our most expert and valuable workmen and artificers from being inveigled away, to other countries, where raw materials and other necessaries for manufactures are exempted from duty. 6. That it is the opinion of this meeting. That the present times open a new era in the commercial world, and that many circumstances render it necessary not only to remove all taxes upon manufactures, but likewise to hold out every possible encouragement to commercial people to continue to hazard their property in trade. 7. That the impediments, difficulties, and various prohibitions our commerce meets with in almost every quarter of the globe, requires the early notice of the Administration, and that the public interest will very materially suffer, if speedy and effectual attention is not granted ; and as it is not probable that the gentlemen who devised the taxes were acquainted with these difficulties, or were sensible of the encouragement given to manu- u I 32 2 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. factures in foreign countries, or with the inducements that are continually offered (and with some success) to entice artists to leave this kingdom — it is therefore Resolved, That in order, as far as in us lies, to counteract the opinion, which has long prevailed, that manufactures are proper objects of taxation, it is become necessary to correspond with the Commercial Committees and eminent Merchants and Manufacturers in different parts of the kingdom, in order to represent such particulars to Government, respecting exports to foreign countries, and to the manufactures which are established there, as may be thought most effectual for the protection of British Manufactures in general ; and also to represent that mines of coal, iron, copper, tin, lead, calamine and clay, together with manufactures very much contribute to the rank this country bears among nations ; and that it is essential for persons who are most intimately acquainted with all tlie connexions relative thereto, and most immediately interested in the prosperity of mines, manufactures and commerce, to form some mode of corres])onding in order to remonstrate against injudicious taxes upon any article of export, and thereby to afford such information to Ministry as may be of great importance to our commerce with foreigners. This resolution is recommended to the Committee of Correspondence, and also that they may take an opportunity of declaring in the most explicit temis that we would cheerfully pay any taxes upon our expenditure ; but let them earnestly pray that we may not be impeded in the means by which we honestly and industriously enrich ourselves and our country and promote population. Samuel Garbeit, Chairman. Another meeting was called for the 8th of the same month. This time the principal traders of the town and neighbourhood, as well as the merchants and manufacturers, met to express their sentiments upon commercial questions between this kingdom and Ireland. They were also called to deliberate upon otherl matters of great importance to this manufacturing country. Delegates were appointed at this meeting, and another was held on the i8th, at which this petition was adopted. It was presented to the House of Commons by Sir Robert Lawley, Bart., one of the members for this count)'. "To the Honourable the Comriions of Great Britain in Parliament assembled. The humble Petition of the Commercial Committee and other Merchants and Manufac- turers of the Town of Birmingham — Sheweth, " That your Petitioners observe, by the votes of this Honourable House, that there are now under consideration certain Resolutions of the House of Lords and Commons of Ireland, which they understand are intended to form the basis of a lasting treaty of com- merce between Great Britain and that kingdom. " That your Petitioners humbly conceive that, if a treaty should be made on the terms held forth in those resolutions, it would prove highly detrimental to the Trade and Manu- factures of Great Britain in general, and to those of this town and neighbourhood in particular. "That unless some great alterations be made in the Revenue Laws of Great Britain and Ireland, Ireland may, more effectually than any other country, rival the manufacturers PUBLIC LIFE AND EVENTS. 323 of this kingdom ; and, that the duties which are laid in Ireland upon some of our manu- factures operate as a bounty, and induce workmen to leave this kingdom and settle there ; and, that they have no doubt, but this emigration will much increase from this town and neighbourhood if the resolutions of the Irish ParUament should be confirmed in Great Britain, without essential alterations. " That the apprehensions of your Petitioners would in some degreee be removed, were all articles which are the natural growth, product, or manufacture of either country, to be imported into the other duty free, or, if a duty should be thought necessary were it to be laid in such a manner as to affect ad valorem, all articles which are the natural growth, product, or manufacture of either country, when imported into the other. " That your Petitioners apprehend that part of the sixth resolution of the Parliament of Ireland, which states ' that, in order to give permanency to the settlement now intended to be established, it is necessary no prohibition, or new, or additional duties should here- after be imposed in either kingdom, on the importation of any article of the growth, product, or manufacture of the other,' would, if adopted here, be effectual in answering this purpose. Was a clause to be inserted to abolish all duties now payable on the importation of articles, the natural growth, product, or manufacture of one country into the other, but without a clause to this purport, they apprehend this resolution to be totally inadmissible, because articles which are the natural growth, product or manufacture of this country, are charged with heavy duties when imported into Ireland ; while linen, which is the principal manufacture of Ireland, is imported into this country duty free. " That your Petitioners apprehend that the duties on the importation of articles from foreign states, and on bar iron in particular, should be the same in both countries ; and as the duty on bar iron imported into this kingdom cannot be reduced without great injury to the making of it at home, which it is the particular interests of this country to encourage, that the duty on this article, as well as on all others, when imported into Ireland, should be equal to the duties in this kingdom. " That your Petitioners have long hoped for a favourable opportunity to intreat this Hon. House to apjjoint a Committee to take the state of the Hardware Trade into con- sideration, as an object of national importance ; and it is, dierefore, with great concern that they observe it is proposed that, in all futiu-e treaties with foreign states, an effectual preference shall be afforded to Irish Manufacturers, because linen may be bought by England much cheaper from other countries, and not only to be paid for by the labour of our people, but also occasion other commercial advantages to this country. " That, upon the whole, your Petitioners being convinced of the many difficulties in which a commercial arrangement with Ireland is involved, and of the very great importance it must be of to both countries to have it settled on such a well digested plan, as may tend to increase the wealth, population, and happiness of both kingdoms, think it essentially necessary that more time should be allowed for mature consideration ; and though they have the highest opinion of the integrity and ability of the Minister who introduced this business, they conceive it to be their duty humbly to pray that the com- mercial treaty between this kingdom and Ireland may be left open till the next session of parliament ; or that this Honourable House will grant such other relief as to its wisdom shall seem meet." This active committee called another meeting for the first of April, " to receive the Report of their Delegate, now in London, and to con- 324 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. sider whether and in what Mode it may be advisable to write to the Knights of the Shire, in Support of the Petition already presented to Parliament, and to deliberate upon what public Notice it may be proper for the Meeting to take of any Taxes which affect Manu- facturers ; and how far it may be particularly expedient at this Time to represent to the King's Ministers the Difficulties which attend their Trade with Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, and Russia." The objectionable measures passed the Commons, and were passed on to the Lords, but the Committee did not relax in their labours. At a meeting held June 7 a petition to the House of Lords was adopted. The following paper, containing the substance of this petition, was delivered to each Peer : — It is humbly represented. That if a compact should be made between Great Britain and Ireland upon the Terms proposed by the resolutions of the House of Commons, it would prove highly detrimental to the trade and manufactures of Great Britain in general, and of this town and neighbourhood in particular. That some of the revenue laws act as a great bounty to cause manufacturers to remove from Britain to Ireland, and have already had that effect in the Glass Trade : and unless material alterations are speedily adopted many people who manufacture other articles for exportation will probably emigrate from this neighbourhood. That it is apprehended that the duties on all articles used for manufactures when imported from foreign states into Great Britain, and into Ireland, should be precisely the same ; and that in particular, as the duty upon bar iron imported into this kingdom cannot be reduced without great injury to the making of it at home, which it is very much the interest of this country to encourage, that the duty on that article when imported into Ireland, should be equal to the duties paid upon it in this kingdom. That the Birmingham Commercial Committee have long hoped for a favourable opi)ortunity to entreat his Majesty's Ministers to take the state of the hardware trade into consideration, as an object of national importance; and, therefore, it is mth great concern obser\-ed that it is proposed, as an unalterable condition, that the importation of articles from foreign countries should be regulated upon such terms as shall effectually favour the importation of linen from Ireland, although the same may be bought much cheaper from other countries, and may not only be bartered for by the labour of our people, but may also occasion other commercial advantages to this kingdom. That from observations made by the Merchants and Manufacturers of this place, in the course of their transactions, there is reason to believe it is impossible for human prudence to foresee or obviate the many important and peq:)lexing circumstances which may arise, in consequence of any unalterable regulations that can be settled for commercial con- tingencies ; and it is humbly apprehended that the only expedient which can firmly and lastingly unite the interest of the two kingdoms in commercial matters, is a complete union of the two states. PUBLIC LIFE AND EVENTS. 325 That if the resolutions of the House of Commons, relative to a lasting treaty of com- merce between Great Britain and Ireland, should pass into a law, contrary to the general sentiments of the manufacturing part of the nation, and of those who upon experimental knowledge of trade are most likely to foresee the effects, there is great reason to apprehend the consequence will be injurious to our commerce, and fatal to our internal peace. Up to this time the mails had been conveyed by post-bags on horse- back. The early numbers of the Gazette are adorned with a rude wood engraving of a wooden looking boy, and a more w^ooden looking horse, with the letter bags flapping his sides. The boy is blowing the emble- matical trumpet, and the horse is sweeping along his feet above the ground, and clouds of dust behind. This state of things was about to pass away, and mail coaches displace the mail lads. On Monday, July 4, 1785, we read this notice of the coming change : — We hear that the new regulations for conveying more expeditiously the mails will begin the latter end of this month, or beginning of next, and that mail carriages are preparing to convey the mails from London through Oxford, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Shrews- bury, and along the new road through Oswestry, Llangollen, Corwen, and Llanrwst, to Holyhead ; which road, by avoiding the delay and danger of Conway Ferry, and being the shortest and best, wll enable the proprietors of the Coaches to deliver the mail at Holy- head, with greater expedition, and more certainty, than can be done on any other road. On August 22, the editor is "happy to inform the public that we understand the London mail will be brought to this town by the coach, for the first time, to-morrow." The epigrammatic muse of the period was inspired with this : — Mail Coaches, an Epigram. The Mails from ambling now are found With double speed to skim the ground ; Through thick and thin they drive Gee Ho ; And Palmer's* new established mode. Holds with the ancient proverb good, " 'Tis Money makes the Mare to go." Robberies had increased to such an extent that in this year the inhabitants formed night patrols for the protection of their persons and property. An association for the prosecution of felons, swindlers, &c., was established ; and all this work was done by the people themselves, and the expenses raised by voluntarj' subscription. Although not yet blessed with a Corporation, local self-government was well-understood • This was the famous Major Palmer who cleviseTnents from which the Dissenters are excluded, by the Corporation and Test Acts, are not Rights indiscriminately open to the Claim of every Citizen, but Trusts to be conferred at the Discretion of the Crown, for the Service of the State, or of Bodies Corporate, for the Management of their particular Concerns. 4. That the Legislature has a Right to confine public Employments to Persons professing the Established Religion of the Countrj', if it shall appear e.xpedient for the public Good. 5. That the Provisions which the Wisdom of Legislature has thought fit to make, by the Corporation and Test Acts, for the Security of the Church and State, have been found sufficient to answer the Purpose, and that it is highly exjjedient to continue them in force. 6. That the Protestant Dissenters, during the Mild and Auspicious Reign of his present Majesty, have been completely e.xempted from every Restraint upon Religious Liberty. 7. That the Thanks of this Meeting be given to Sir Robert Lawley and Sir George Shuckburgh, Baronets, the Representatives of this County, and the other Members of the House of Commons who o])posed the two last .Attempts of the Dissenters to obtain a Repeal of the Corporation and Test Acts. 344 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. 8. That the Thanks of this Meeting be given to the Right Honourable the Earl of Aylesford, for the Zeal he had shewn in support of the Constitution, in Church and State, for his acceptance of the Chair, and his truly proper Conduct therein. 9. That the Thanks of this Meeting be given to the Earl of Denbigh, the Earl of Plymouth, the Earl of Warwick, and Lord Willoughby de Broke, for their Attendance on this Occasion. 10. That the Thanks of this Meeting be given to Mr. Digby, for the very handsome manner in which he brought forward, and supported, the above Resolutions. 11. That the Thanks of this Meeting be given to the Mayor, Aldermen, and Inhabitants of Stratford-upon Avon, for the readiness which they have shewn to unite with this Meeting in the sujjport of tlie Constitution. 1 2. That Copies of these Resolutions be sent by the Chairman to Sir Robert Lawk-y and Sir George Shuckburgh, our Representatives, and also published in the l-ondoii, Birmingham, and other Country Papers. Aylesford, Chairman. The ratepayers were earnestly working on the police question. Meeting after meeting was held ; a night patrol was established, which seems to have worked efficiently and well. This, however, did not satisfy them. They determined to apply to Parliament for a bill for the better government of the town. Our next extract gives us an insight into their mode of procedure, and the difficulties with which they had to contend : — February 8, 1790. — Public Police. — At a Meeting of the Committee on this Business, held at the Public Office, in Dale End, on Friday, the 29th of January, 1790, \Vm. Russell, Esq., in the Chair ; the fourth Proposition adopted at the Town-meeting on the 8th of December last being read, which obliged Keepers of Lodging-houses to take out Licenses, — Resolved, — That as many of those houses are known to harbour both lewd Women and Men of the vilest characters, at the same time that they take in out-Apprentices, who thereby meet an early Introduction to the Habits of Vice and become instructed in every Species of Profligacy, it is necessary to consider well on the Means most likely to remedy this Evil. And in order to this it was suggested, that Houses erected at the Public Expense for the Reception of Out-Apprentices, and superintended by Guardians to be chosen for that Purpose, might be expedient ; but as it appeared the Subject had not been considered with that Attention which an Evil of this Magnitude evidently required, it was agreed to adjourn the Determination of the Question to a future Day. In the mean Time it is recommended to every Member of the Committee to confer with his Neighbours on the Subject, and to come prepared with all the information he can procure, at the next Meeting of this Committee. A Misunderstanding having pre\-ailed in the Town with respect to the Mode of conducting the intended Application to Parliament, — Resolved,— That the Public be informed, in the next Town Paper, that the Heads of the Bill, when prepared, will, before it goes to Parliament, be laid before the general Police Committee, to which every respectable Inhabitant will be publicly invited. PUBLIC LIFE AND EVENTS. 345 Resolved, — To adjourn to Wednesday, the loth of February, at ten o'clock in the Morning precisely, at the Public Office. On the 22nd of February, the following analysis of the proposed Act was published : — Heads of a Bill intended to be applied for this present Session of Parliament, for the better Regulation and Improvement of the Town of Birmingham. The Commissioners for carr)'ing into Execution the former Acts, as well as the present proposed Act, to be chosen by the Inhabitants once in three Years, by Ballot, in the same Manner as the Guardians of the Poor : — Any seven of them to act in all cases, and the Commissioners to elect annually five of their own Body to act as Justices, as far only as relates to this Act, with Liberty for any Person who may think himself aggrieved to appeal to the Quarter Sessions. Any Inhabitants, whether rated or not, to be admitted as Evidence in all Cases. The Commissioners to have Power to purchase and remove the Welsh Cross, and Joseph Knight, the Glover's House, and the House adjoining ; also the Houses occupied by — Bullock, and — Lawson ; all the Houses in the occupation of Messrs. Clarke and Ashmore, Edward Waldron, — Allen, and — Atkins, with the back Houses and Buildings adjoining to Spiceal-street, and all the Shambles, with the Dwelling-houses belonging thereto, and the Houses called the Roundabout Houses, the Swan Alley at the upper End of Worcester-street, leading into New-street, the lower End of Worcester-street leading into Edgbaston-street, and the lower parts of Moor-street, and Digbeth. In order to defray the additional E.xpense of extending and improving a General Watch, and for executing the otiier important Regulations intended to be entrusted to the Commissioners under the proposed Act, they shall have Power to increase the present Rates by an additional Assessment of Si-xpence in the Pound upon all Houses under ;^io per Annum, Ninepence in the Pound upon all Houses from ;^io to jC2o, and One Shilling in the Pound upon all Houses above ;^20 per Annum, and no Person whomsoever to be excused from the Rate without the Consent of the Commissioners. The Commissioners to have Power to borrow any sum not exceeding ^^20,000. The Commissioners to have Power to pave with flag Stones the Foot-Paths of any Street, whenever two thirds of the Inhabitants of such Street, as to Value of Rent, shall make Application to the Commissioners for that Purpose, such Paving to be done at the Expense of the Landlords or Owners of the Houses and Premises adjoining such Foot-Paths, and the Landlords to have the Power to charge an Increase of Rent of ;^5 per cent, per Annum on the Money laid out. The Commissioners to ha\-e power to improve every Opportunity of setting back any House or other Building that now projects beyond the regular Line of any Street or other Range of Building, whenever such House or Building shall be taken down to be re-built ; Satisfaction to be made to the Owner. In all new Streets, and the present unpaved Streets, the Builders or Owners of Houses, and the Owners of Lands adjoining such Streets, whenever three-fourths of any such Street shall be built, to be obliged to pave the Square of their Houses or I-and into the Middle of such Street, under the Direction of the Commissioners, and all such new Streets when pa\-ed to be exempt from paying Highway Levies for five years from that period. A Proviso, that when Owners of Land adjoining such Streets have only Life Estates in such Land, their Executors may compel the next succeeding Owner to reimbruse the expense. z I 346 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Previous to any Street being built upon, proper Notice to be given to the Commissioners, who shall appoint a Surveyor to adjust and settle the Level of the said Street, which shall be conformed to by every Person who shall erect any Building within the Limits of the said Street. All Streets, both new and old, to be subject to the Regulation of the Commissioners, as to the future Pavement of them, and as to their Level also ; though it is not intended that the Commissioners shall interfere with the Appointment of the Overseers of the Highways, or with the Collection of the Highway Levies, but only direct in what Manner the Money shall be expended, as far as relates to the Town. All Bulks, Bulk Sashes, and Projections, erected prior to the first Act obtained by the Commissioners, to be subject to the same Powers as those erected subsequent to the passing of the said Act, half the Expense of removing such Bulks, Bulk Sashes, &c., to be paid by the Commissioners, provided such half shall not, in any case, exceed the sum of Fifty Shillings. No Coach or Chaise without Horse to stand in any Street, no Stage Waggon or Stage Cart to load or unload in any Street, except they take up or set down a Loading at the House or Warehouse of a Merchant, Manufacturer, or Shopkeeper, unconnected with any such Stage Waggon or Stage Cart. Chaining Waggons, Carts, Coaches, Chaises, or other Carriages, to be considered a legal Seizure. To regulate the Manner of all Waggons, Carts, and all other Carriages, loading and unloading, and of passing along the Streets. Manure not to be suffered to remain in the Streets after ten o'clock in the Morning. The Owners of Hackney Coaches to be put under Regulations similar to those in London. All Coals to be sold by the Weight of One Hundred and Twenty Pounds to the Hundred, under a Penalty of Ten Shillings. The Boundaries of the Town to be ascertained from Time to Time by the Commis- sioners, and Lamps to extend, and the Rates to be collected to the Extent of such Boundaries. On this bill, we read a fortnight later : — March 8, 1790. — Some apprehension having been entertained by many respectable inhabitants, that the bill in agitation " For the better regulation and improvement of this town," might be too hastily carried through the House of Commons, several gentlemen were on Saturday morning invited to meet a joint deputation of the Commissioners of Lamps and Scavengers, and the Police Committee, to confer upon the subject ; when the business was discussed with great candour, and it was agreed that the bill should be laid before the town, which we doubt not will give general satisfaction. The bill for the better government of the town was read a first time in the House of Commons, and on March 8, the Commissioners announce that previous to its being read a second time " printed copies of the Bill will be distributed among the Inhabitants three Weeks antecedent to a Town's Meeting being called, for the Approbation or Disapprobation of the Inhabitants, to the further Prosecution of the said Bill." Here is an example of the official pomp and splendour of those days : — PUBLIC LIFE AND EVENTS. 347 March 29, 1790. — On Monday last Henry Clay, Esq., the High Sheriflf of this county, proceeded from his house in New Hall Street, in this lovm, to attend the Judge, Mr. Baron Thompson, during the Assize at Warwick, the commission for which was opened on Tuesday. Few gentlemen have made so brilliant an appearance, or been so numer- ously attended in the high office which he holds in the county, as Mr. Clay. He was accompanied by the Magistrates, neighbouring gentry, and principal inhabitants of the town, in their carriages, and on horseback. His javelin men and servants were numerous, and were clothed in rich liveries of white faced with red, silver epaulettes, buttons, and capes ; his postilions were in jackets of scarlet and silver, with black caps and silver tassels. The whole formed a most splendid train of nearly half a mile in length ; and we may venture to say, from the concourse from all parts, that the procession was beheld and cheered by upwards of forty thousand spectators. We have been favoured by a friend with the following lines on the day : The day was delightful, and brilliant the train. And thousands went tripping way ; 'Twas harmony all, and may harmony reign. Nor Discord her Banners display. In Europe's Grand Toyshop, with lovers of trade, The scene what great pleasure must crown. Deserved respect to the Arts has been paid. And honour it does to the Town. The Aged and Young — fondly mi.x'd in the throng. And gaz'd with an.xiety keen ; 'Twas a crowded Spring Fair — and like mercantile ware, All Sorts and all Sizes were seen. Our next extract contains a bit of very interesting information : — April 19, 1790. — Copper Mining and Smelting. — A Company is now establishing for the Purpose of raising Copper Ore, and an Offer is made of Mineral Grounds for that Purpose, where the Probability of Success is considerable. An unlimited Sum is proposed to be subscribed by Manufacturers and Consumers of Copper and Brass, in Shares of .;^ioo each ; and so much of each share only is proposed to be advanced as the Con- ductors of this Undertaking may find necessary. The Subscribers to form themselves into a Company on a plan similar to that of the Bimiingham Metal Company, under the Firm of the Birmiiigham Mining and Copper Company. It is probable this Plan may prove very beneficial to the Birmingham Manufacturers, by preventing as much as possible the Monopoly and arbitrary Price of such essential Articles as Copper and Brass. General Proposals, and a List of the present Subscribers, are left with the Printer. Another undertaking of considerable importance was announced on April 26 of this year : — We have the pleasure to say, that several Cientlemen in this town are associating them- selves to carry into effect a scheme for the better supi)lying of our market with Fish, at prices considerably reduced. The public-spirited projectors of tliis scheme are deservedly entitled to the thanks of every well-wisher to the prosperity of the place. 348 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. The year 1 790 was marked by a quarrel and division in tlic useful Commercial Committee. It arose from tlie usual cause, the expen- diture of the funds. We have previously seen tliat a deputation was appointed by the Committee to oppose the bill brought into Parliament for permission to e.xport brass. There were gentlemen who thought that the e.\penses of this opposition should be paid out of the funds, and others who thought not. A meeting was held on the nth of May to consider this question, and also to consider — A Bill which the Company of Goldsmiths in London have brought into Parlianieiit. Letters which have been received from John Palmer, Esq., Surveyor, antl Comptroller of the General Post Office. To examine what Measures have been used to establish such a mode of trying the quality of Sword Blades, as may effectually secure Swords of the most jjerfect quality for the Kmg's Troops, and to consider what further measures may be necessary, in order to obtain for the manufacturers of this Town, the Reputation of making swords that may be relied on. The attempts that are in contemplation to obtain a free Exportation of Button Shanks, Button Sliells, Button Moulds, or any Part of our Wares, in an unfinished State, or any Tools, or Machines used in our Manufactures, and to rc])cal the Provisions made to prevent our Artificers leaving the Kingdom. This^meeting was probably a stormy one, it was certainly a long one, and had to be adjourned until the 18th. The importance attached to these meetings is evident from the careful report which was published of the proceedings. A more interesting document of its kind has rarely been published : — Birmingham Hotel, May 18, 1790. — At a meeting of the Commercial Committee, in conseijuence of the following Advertisement in both the New.spapers, and Cards sent to the Members : — "Commercial Committee, Birmingham, May 12, 1790.— The Meeting of the Com- mercial Committee is adjourned to Tuesday the 18th inst., at five o'clock in the Evening, at the Hotel, to proceed further in the Consideration of the Charges exhibited by Mr. Woolley againgst Mr. Garbett, their Chainnan, and to deteiTnine whether tlie Addition lately made to the Committee was not contrary to the original resolutions : — W. Villers William Chance Joseph Green Thomas Green Edward Homer William Walker Alexander Walker Robert Coales John Guest Jona Grundy John Bingham WiUiam Hawkins Thomas Grundy Present : Matthew Boulton George Russell *Harry Hunt James Watt John Ryland *Thomas Green William Russell William Ryland Thomas Gill PUBLIC LIFE AND EVENTS. 349 Edward Palmer Samuel Ryland James Yates Henry Perkins James Alston James Goddington George Humphreys Samuel Garbett Sampson Freeth *James WooUey Francis Garbett B. Blythe *Robert Coalcs William Turner Jos. Jukes *\ViIliam Villers James Bingham Joseph Smith *Jos. Gibbs Thomas Willmore Robert Smith *Thomas Grundy John Scale John Hurd *William Walker John Bingham James Benton Wm. Humphreys *Jos. Raybone The Committee being informed, by Mr. Villers, that Mr. Garbett, their Chairman, had refused to deliver to him the Book containing the Minutes of their Meetings, although he had been in the Chair at the last Meeting ; but had wrote to Mr. Villers that he kept it as necessary for his defence, yet that it was open for his (Mr. Villers's) Inspection, or the Inspection of any other Person, whatever, on the part of Mr. AVoolley : And it being represented by Mr. Garbett that Mr. \'il!ers had refused him a Copy of the Resolution of the last Meeting, by which he, as their Chairman, was acquitted of the first charge brought against him by Mr. WooUey ; it was Resolved, that in the opinion of this meeting that Mr. Garbett should continue to keep the Minute Book of this Committee until the present disputes respecting Sword Blades are finally closed, as he hath uniformly allowed any Member of the Committee access to it. Mr. Garbett then asked Mr. Villers, whether, if he was chosen Chairman of this Meeting, he would, the next morning, allow Mr. Garbett access to the Minutes of the Meeting ; and Mr. Villers not giving a satisfactory answer, Matthew Boulton, Esquire, was requested to take the Chair ; when he read the following minute of the last Meeting, which Mr. Villers had refused Mr. Garbett a Copy of, viz. : — " It appears to this Committee, that it via.s essentially necessary for the Good of the Trade, and Satisfaction of the General Officers, that the Agreement made by Mr. WooUey should not be complied with, until the other 400 Blades from Germany arrived, and for which Mr. Garbett received the Thanks of the Committee two years ago." Mr. Garbett then read a letter from Sir Robert Lawley, Bart, acquainting him that he had applied to the Treasury, in Consequence of the Desire of the last Meeting of this Committee, respecting the Bill which the London Goldsmiths have now before Parliament, and that he had received from Mr. Rose an obliging answer about the same, and about Sword Blades. A grateful sense was then e.\presed of Sir Robert Lawley's constant attention to the interest of this Town. Mr. Garbett then proceeded to answer the second Charge, when Mr. WooUey acquainted the Committee he had somewhat further to say on the first Charge, which the Committee refused to hear, as Mr. Garbett had been acquitted of that Charge at the preceding Meeting. Mr. WooUey then desired to prove his second Charge, but Mr. Garbett admitting that he had sent Mr. Gill's Pamphlet to the Members for this County, and that Mr. WooUey had long before that time told him that Mr. Gill's own Servant was the Examiner of his master's and Mr. J. WooUey's Swords ; The Committee desired Mr. Garbett to proceed, when Messrs. Villers, Coales, WooUey, Jos. Gibbs, William Walker, Tho. Grundy, and Joseph Rabone left the room. The Committee, after hearing Mr. Garbett's defence to the second Charge, 350 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Resolved, — That Mr. Garbett acted Judiciously for the Common Interests of the Trade, at the time when the comparative Trials between the Birmingham and German Blades were coming on, in sending an Account of a Proof of Swords at the India House to Sir Robert Lawley and Sir Geoge Shuckburgh, that those Gentlemen might unquestionably see, and be prepared to show on good Autliority, that Birmingham Blades had excelled those of Germany. Mr. Garbett then proceeded to defend himself against Mr. Woolley's third charge, ujion which the five following Resolutions were unanimously made, viz. : — • Resolved, — That Mr. Garbett acted very properly in attending the Board of General Officers, with his Son, as Members of this Committee. Resolved, — That Mr. Garbett did, in every Instance which appears to this Committee, assert that good Swords would be made at Birmingham, if a proper Price was given for them, and a proper Proof established to prevent Insufficiency. Resolved, — That it does not appear to this Committee that Mr. Garbett ever represented that Mr. Woolley could not make Swords perfectly fit for Sers-ice. Resolved, — That it appears to this Committee that the Manufacturers had sufficient Opportunity of speaking for themselves before the Board of General Officers, and ot justifying their own Cause. Resolved, — That upon hearing Mr. Garbett's defence against Mr. Woolley's third Charge, there does not appear to this Committee any ground for such Charge. Mr. Garbett then proceeded to defend himself against Mr. Woolley's 4th, 5tli, 6th, 7th, and Sth Charges, when the following six Resolutions were unanimously made thereon : — Resolved, — That as this Committee had declared, fifteen Months after the Trial of Swords at the India House by Col. Windus, " That their great Object was to establish such a Mode of Trial as would effectually secure Swords of the most perfect Quality, and that Troops might more safely rely on, than upon any that were ever made before ; " and as a Board of General Officers had recommended to the King an additional Proof to that which had been used at the India House in 1786, and had recommended that no Swords should be received without undergoing that additional Proof, in the Presence of five or more Colonels or Field Officers, it was highly commendable in Mr. Garbett to desire the Lord Advocate to acquaint Mr. Dundas, and tlie Directors of the India Conijiany, with the Representation which the General Officers had made to the King. Resolved, — That it appears to this Committee that Mr. Harvey and Mr. (iill admitted that bad Swords had been made at Birmingham, and that both they and Mr. Woolley were desirous an effectual Proof should be established. Resolved, — That it appears to this Committee, that Mr. Stevenson, the Gendeman who is emjiloyed by the India Company as their Inspector of Small Ann.s, has wrote to Mr. Garbett, the 5th and 12th of May, 1789, that he laments the uncertainty of the Proof of Swords hitherto devised, and that he will cheerfully concur with Messrs. BouJton and Watt in recommending such Modes of Trial as they may prefer to the present. Resolved, — That it doth not appear to this Committee, that it was necessary for Mr. Garbett to make any apology to the India Company, or to Mr. Stevenson, tlieir Inspector of Small Arms, that Gentleman coinciding in Opinion with Mr. Garbett respecting the Proof of Sword Blades. Resolved, — That it doth not ajipear to this Committee, that the Board of Controul ever required the India Comjiany to make En([uiry about the Quality of any Swords ; nor doth it appear that the Board of Controul or the Lord Advocate knew anything about PUBLIC LIFE AND EVENTS. 351 Mr. Woolley's making Swords for the India Company, or that Mr. Woolley's Swords did undergo, and always had done, such Trials as to their fitness as was necessary for the Safety of the Troops who were to use them. Resolved, — That it doth not appear to this Committee, that it was manifested in the most unequivocal Manner to Mr. Garbett, by the Lord Advocate (or in any Manner whatever), that Mr. Garbett's Representations were unfounded. It was then resolved unanimously, — That, as Mr. Woolley left this Meeting before Mr. Garbett had made his defence to the second Charge, it appears to this Meeting that he thereby abandoned the Prosecution of the remaining Charges ; but the Committee nevertheless thought it Justice to Mr. Garbett to permit him to go on with his Defence to the several Articles, that he might be relieved from the heavy Imputations of Partiality they contain, which, in the opinion of this Meeting, he has completely effected, and has shewn that he has been actuated by no ill-will towards Mr. Woolley nor unjust Partiality for others ; but has done his duty for the protection and support of the Birmingham Manufacturers of Sword Blades, for which he deserves the thanks of this Committee. Resolved, — That the Thanks of this Committee be given to Mr. Garbett for the essential service he has rendered to the Birmingham Manufacturers of Swords and to the Community at large, by the assiduous and exemplary Discharge of his Duty as Chairman of the Commercial Committee, and that he be earnestly requested to continue his Exertions in that important Station. Resolved, — That the Thanks of this Meeting be also given to Mr. Francis Garbett, for his Attendance at the Board of General Officers, along with his Father, Mr. Garbett. It being past ten o'clock, Gentlemen were requested to answer to their names, when there appeared present every Gentleman, as entered above, except those marked with a Star. It was then unanimously Resolved, — That these Resolutions be printed in the public Papers, with the Names of the Persons who approved them. The last fifteen Resolutions passed unanimously ; but when the Meeting was closing, Mr. John Bingham desired it might not be understood that he approved of any Vote against Mr. Woolley, upon which the Chairman desired to know if there was any other Member that disapproved of any of the Minutes, as now was the time to speak, and to which no answer was given. Matthew Boulton, Chairman. Audi alterant partem vs, svm.'^X^ ]Vi'=,'VLZ&. The supporters of Mr. Gar- bett have had their say ; and his opposers were not satisfied. They entered the Hsts, and this is the counter statement : — Birmingham, May 28, 1790. — We, whose Names are hereunto subscribed, Members of the Commercial Commiitee, in this Town, considering our Conduct at the Meeting held on the i8th of this Month misrepresented in an Advertisement, signed "Matthew Boulton," and published in Aris's Birmingham Gazette and Swinney's Chronicle of this Week, feel it incumbent upon us to lay before the Public our Opinion of the Proceedings on that Business, together with our Reasons both for leaving the Room, and for objecting to the Resolutions which were passed. First, — We cannot admit either the Wisdom or the Justice of resolving, that the Book which contains the Minutes of the Committee should remain in Mr. Garbett's Hands during tlie Consideration of the Charges exhibited by Mr. Woolley against him, because 352 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. it implies this Absurdity, viz., That the Person accused is the most proper to keep in his Possession everything that might tend to prove the Charges brought against him ; and that the Person whom the Committee had unanimously appointed from among themselves, with the Approbation of both Parties, to preside at that Time, was not fit to be entrusted therewith. Secondly, — We by no Means consider the Chairman acquitted of any of the Charges brought against him ; but on the contrary conceive that, so far as Mr. Woolley was per- mitted to substantiate those Charges, they were fully proved ; which we will instance in the first Charge, where Mr. Woolley says, that Mr. Garbett was the Cause of the Birmingham Sword Cutlers violating an Agreement made between them and the German Importers of Swords ; in answer whereto, Mr. Garbett did not attemjjt to deny the Fact, but to justify it; wherein, however, we think he failed, because the Engagement did not go to fix a Day of Trial, but only to prevent Collusion and to shew that the Birmingham Cutlers were ready and desirous of coming to Trial, by obliging themselves to make, within a limited Time, a certain Number of Sword Blades to a Pattern which was given them, that they might be [jroduced when called upon for Trial ; and we cannot admit that the Thanks of the Committee to Mr. Garbett, two years ago, will bear the Construction which is put upon it in the Resolution upon the first Charge, being fully convinced that it did not, nor could respect the violating of the Agreement in Question, that Business not having been at all gone into till the adjourned Meeting, " that it was essentially necessary for the good of the Trade, and Satisfaction of the General Officers," that the agreement should be broken; nor can we think that it is good for any Trade that the Commercial Committee, or their Chairman, should interfere with the private Concerns of Individuals, and thereby prevent those Individuals from fulfilling the Engagements which they have made. Thirdly. With respect to the second Charge, Part whereof Mr. Garbett also admitted, viz., that he had sent Mr. Gill's Pamphlet to the Members, although he denied that it contained gross Untruths and notorious Misrepresentations, Mr. Woolley having proved one Untruth therein, by the testimony of a very credible and respectable Person, we think there was reason to conclude that he would have proved others had he been permitted so to do ; and as the Fact of distributing the Pamphlet, if it contained nothing but Truth, carried no Criminality in it, and if it contained Falsehoods the dispersing it was highly Criminal, so it was of absolute Necessity that the Proofs should be pro- duced ; we therefore are confident that it was the Duty of the Committee to hear every- thing which Mr. Woolley could produce in support thereof, and that the determination of the Committee not to suffer Mr. Woolley to proceed, but to call on Mr. Garbett immediately for his Defence, was highly improper, partial, and unjust, and that such con- duct in the Majority will fully justify us in the minds of all upright and impartial men for quitting the Room ; because it appears to us to be the first principle of Justice to hear all that can be advanced on both Sides, and that it is the highest Act of Injustice to prevent either the Complainant from substantiating his Proofs, or the Defendant from controvert- ing the Facts ; and we judge it to be absurd in the extreme to decide on a Question after hearing the arguments on one side only ; we do therefore consider every Resolution, subsequent to this which we so pointedly rejjrobate, as falling under the Censure of Partial Decision. Happy in the approbation of our own minds, and not doubting but we shall receive that of all impartial men, we regard neither the Number nor the Greatness of Opponents, PUBLIC LIFE AND EVENTS. 353 resolved ever to defend the Cause of injured Probity against Persecution and Oppression ; and considering ourselves, as Members of the Commercial Committee, entrusted by our Townsmen with the important concern of watching over their Interests and preserving their Liberties from every kind of Kncroathment, wc have, under that Impression, in this Instance exerted, and will on all occasions continue to exert, our Influence in preventing any Body of Men, however respectable, from interfering with the private concerns of Individuals, convinced that such Interference must be attended with the most pernicious consequences to the Commerce and Manufacture of this Place. We should be wanting in justice to Mr. WooUey if we did not take this opportunity of returning him our Thanks, for the Part he has taken in this Business, being fully convinced that he has been actuated by no motives but such as are consistent with the Character of a Man of the strictest Integrity and Honour ; and we trust an impartial Public will do him the justice to believe that he has not been governed so much by an Attention to his private Interests, as by an ardent desire to prevent others from suffering hereafter the Inconveniences and difficulties which he has experienced. VV. Villers Joseph Gibbs Joseph Rabone Rob. Coales Wm. Walker Thomas Green Harry Hunt We, the undersigned, do also unite in commending the Propriety and Spirit of Mr. Villers's Conduct, in refusing to take the Chair, after the Indignity which had been offered him. Rob. Coales John Bingham James WooUey Harry Hunt Joseph Gibbs Thomas Green Joseph Rabone Wm. Walker I do hereby testify my entire Concurrence with every Part of the Preceding, except only that which is contained in the second Article. Thomas Grundy. The monopoly of Copper was troubling the manufacturers at this time, and they were appealed to in the following brief, but sensible letter : — May 17, 1790. — To the Manuflicturers of Birmingham and its Neighbourhood. — At this eventful Period it is highly necessary, as Manufacturers, that you should think of extending yovir Views, and see the necessity of concentrating your Powers, so as to exert them in a collective Capacity for the general Good. The present Monopoly of Copper is of an alarming Nature, and calls aloud for your united Exertions to counteract its destructive Influence ; therefore, whatever is suggested as a Means to that end deserves your Attention. The Mining and Smelting Scheme, now offered to your Notice, though a Lottery, yet, in the present Instance, is of such a Nature, as every Principle of Liberty and of Interest should stimulate you to support in proportion to your Abilities. The present high price of Copper, and the Danger of its being still advanced, added to the Certainty of having a Sale for whatever you may ]irocure, ought to be considerable Inducements to you to embark in an Undertaking of this kind. Speculations in Canals, tliough ever so fortunate, A3 354 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. are not to be compared to the very great Advantages which would result to this Place from a successful Mining Adventure ; it would prove the happy means of emancipating yourself from the Shackles of Monopoly, a system which ought to be universally exploded. It would confer that Independence, in respect to so essential an article as Copper is to your Manufacturers, that you all ardently wish for — it would act as a new Invention in Mechanics, which by facilitating your different Operations enables you to sell your Articles upon such Terms, in foreign Markets, as to astonish your Competitors. These, and many other Reasons might be urged to shew at least the Propriety of investigating the proposed Plan and its Tendency. Let me intreat of you to be vigorous in your Efforts to free yourselves from the Tyranny of all Monopolists ; and let those who wish to cramp your Industry and your Ingenuity see that your Courage is equal to your Generosity, and that nothing can call that Courage so much into action, as unmerited Oppression. A Friend to the Manufacturers of Birmingham. Everything paid duty in those days ; everything was taxed, from the light of heaven to the powder on the hair and the gloves on your hands. Nothing escaped the lynx-eyed Chancellor of the Exchequer ; and the terrible French war had stomach for it all. All the money that could be obtained by extraordinary taxes and extraordinary loans was swallowed in that maelstrom of murder and mischief. One of the consequences of this universal system of taxation was the perpetual disturbance of trade. The glove trade was one of these. Persons were selling them without "stamps annexed, agreeable to Act of Parliament." A meeting of the trade was held on this subject on April 28, and no fewer than forty dealers agree that they will not sell either gloves or mitts without the stamp. The following official notice is appended to the advertisement giving the result of this trade meeting : — The Public are hereby informed that it is enacted, if any person buy any Gloves or Mitts, not having the Ticket affixed thereto, agreeable to the Act of Parliament, any Person selling the same and informing against the Purchaser, the Purchaser is liable to pay a Penalty of Twenty Pounds. Joseph Clark, Receiver General of his Majesty's Stamp Duties in Birmingham. Our next extract contains the first notice of an important undertaking: — September 6, 1790. — Notice is hereby given, that Application will be made to Parliament in the next Session, for an Act to enlarge the Powers of an Act made in the twenty-eighth Year of the Reign of his present Majesty, entitled "An Act for rebuilding the bridge over the River Rea, at the Town of Birmingham, called Deritend Bridge, and widening the Avenues thereto ; and for widening and varying the Course of the said River, near the said Bridge, and making a Weir, and other necessary Works, to prevent the lower Part of the Town being overflooded." PUBLIC LIFE AND EVENTS. 355 The Birmingham people were ever active in works of charity ; and the year 1790 was signaHzed by the formation of a Humane Society. The fact is thus briefly recorded : — September 6, 1790. — On Tuesday last several Gentlemen of this town, met at the Hotel for the benevolent purjiose of establishing a Humane Society, similar to that in London, for the recovery of persons apparently dead by drowning ; and as subscription books are now opened, we doubt not every friend to humanity will contribute to support an institution which may be the means of saving many unfortunate persons from premature graves. The advertisement gives us a fuller account of the establishment of this new charity ; — Birmingham Hotel, August 31st, 1790. — President : Dr. Parrott, in the Chair; Dr. Gilby, Dr. Pearson, Mr. Sampson Lloyd, Mr. Charles Lloyd, Mr. Peter Capper, Mr. Tomlinson, Mr. John Ryland, Mr. James Taylor, Mr. G. Shipton, Mr. James Woolley, M. Theodore Price, and Mr. Villers. Resolved, — That a Society be established under the Title of the Birmingham Humane Society, for the recovery of Persons apparently dead from Drowning, or Suffocation by any other cause. That an annual subscription of Half-a-Guinea each be immediately entered into, for the Support of this Institution, and that Benefactions be also thankfully received. That Books be opened for Subscriptions and Benefactions at the Banks of Messrs. Taylor and Lloyds, Robert Coales, Esq., and Messrs. Goodall, Dickenson, and Goodall, and at Mr. Pearson's, Printer, in the High Street. That Rules and Orders, for carrying this benevolent Design into execution, be prepared by the Gentlemen present, to be laid before a General Meeting of Subscribers and other Friends to this Establishment, who are requested to attend at the Hotel, on Wednesday, the 15th of September, at Five o'Clock in the Evening, when a President, Committee, and proper Officers will be appointed. That the above Resolutions be inserted in both the Birmingham Papers. F. Parrott. A public meeting of the subscribers was held on September 22, when the following rules and orders were adopted : — Birmingham Humane Society. — September 22, 1790. — The great Success which has attended the Establishment of Societies in different Parts of the Kingdom, for the recovery of Persons apparently dead from Drowning, or Suffocation from any other Cause, have induced many Gentlemen to enter into a similar Society in this Towti ; a General Meeting of the Subscribers, agreeable to Public Advertisement, was this Day held at the Hotel, Mr. Villers in the Chair, when the following Rules and Orders were unanimously agreed to, viz.: — I. That for the proper Regulation of the Society, a President, a Vice-President, Treasurers, and Secretary be appointed annually. II. That for the year ensuing. Sir Robert Lawley, Bart., be President III. Joseph Carles, Esq., Vice-President IV. Messrs. Taylor and Lloyds, Treasurers. V. Mr. Tomlinson, Secretary. VI. That every Subscriber of 10s. 6d. per Annum be a Director during payment 356 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. VII. That every Benefactor of ^5 5s. at any one Time, be a Director for Life. VIII. That a Committee be .Annually chosen for the general conduct of the Business. IX. That the Physicians and Surgeons of the Hospital, Dr. Pearson The Rev. Dr. C. Curtis Messrs. J. Ryland II Parrott Messrs. C. Lloyd » G. Shipton 11 Camiichael n P. Capper n J as. Keir The Rev. Dr. Spencer n J. Taylor n Jas. Watt II Priestley n S. Galton, jun. u W. Villers be the Committee for the Year ensuing ; but that it be nevertheless open to every Subscriber. X. That a General Meeting of Subscribers be held at the Hotel, on the last Tuesday in August in every Year. XI. That the Committee meet once a Month, and that their first Meeting be on Monday, the nth of October, at Five o'Clock in the Evening, at the Hotel. XII. That the Assistance of every Medical Gentleman in the Town be requested in all Cases that are the Objects of this Institution. XIII. That proper houses be appointed near to the Canal and other Waters, in and about the Town, under the Direction of the Committee, for the Reception of Objects; at each of which a proper number of Drags and the necessary apparatus for Recovery shall be deposited. XIV. That notwithstanding the Appointment of particular Houses, the established Reward shall be given to the Occupier of every other House who shall lake in Bodies and assist in the Application of Means for their Recovery. XV. That the follo\\'ing Reward be given, viz. : — To the Person who first gives Information at any receiving House, or to a Medical Assistant, of a body being drowned or otherwise suftbcated, 2s. 6d. To those who assist in getting a Body out of the Water, and afterwards for using for four Hours successively the Means prescribed for Recovery, j£i is. which shall be equally divided amongst them. To every Housekeeper who shall receive a Body, and furnish necessary Accom- modation, ;^i IS. ; and such Housekeeper shall be secured by the Society from any Charge of Burial in unsuccessful Cases. In all successful cases an additional Reward of ^i is., to be equally divided amongst the Assistants. To every medical Gentleman by whose Means a Person apparently dead shall be recovered, A Silver Medal. W. Villers, Chairman. The Chairman having left the Chair the Thanks of the Meeting were unanimously given him. Directions for the Recovery of Persons apparently dead are delivered Gratis, with the Birmingham Gazette, through the Town, and it is requested that all Publicans will have them pasted on a Board, and hung up in their Public Rooms, and that Housekeepers in general will also have them fixed up in some conspicuous Part of their Houses, and Manufacturers in their Shops. This Society continued its useful and humane labours until the year 1803, when it was added to the General Hospital. PUBLIC LIFE AND EVENTS. 357 There was a Liberal Society in existence at this period, but we know nothing of its objects and aims. An advertisement appeared on September 20, 1 790, stating that the half-yearly meeting of this Society will be held on the 22nd, at the Shakespear Tavern, and that dinner will be on the table at three o'clock. No report is published of this meeting, and it is most probable that the events of 1 79 1 put an end to the existence of the Society. One of the most active public men of the time was Joseph Carles. As early as 1787, an effort was made to provide some public recog- nition of his services, and in 1 790 the subject was again taken up. The following advertisement gives the details : — Birmingham, October 15, 1790. — In compliance with the Solicitation of several respectable inhabitants of this Town, I insert the following Advertisement, viz : — Whereas, many hundreds of principal inhabitants of Birmingham did, in September, 1787, sign a Letter to Sir Robert Lawley and Sir George Shuckburgh, Baronets, the Knights of this Shire, to the following Tenor, viz. : — " To Sir Robert Lawley and Sir George Shuckburgh, Barts, Knights of the Shire for the County of Warwick. " Gentlemen, — This to\vn and neighbourhood hath for many years been under great obligations to Joseph Carles, Esq., as a very active Magistrate, and we lament that we have no means of testifying our gratitude in a manner that could be acceptable to him, as an adequate Compensation for the Expense he is at, not only in attending to the common Parish and County Business of the populous Parts of Warwickshire and Staffordshire, but by acquitting himself ably in those Arduous Exertions which the very numerous and daring acts of Felony in both Counties so frequently call for. We beg you will do us the honour to believe we are extremely sensible of the Impropriety of importuning your Attention to any object that is not of public Importance ; but we think it our indis- pensable Duty to intreat you to solicit his Majesty's Minister to give Mr. Carles some Testimony and Acknowledgment for his valuable Services, which it may be honourable for him to accept as a Gentleman, and which would be a handsome Compensation to him for the Expense which is unavoidably brought upon him by daily Applications to administer Justice, and frequently in very critical cases." And there being some reasons to believe that his Majesty's Ministers are inclined to grant that Reiiuest if a proper Opportunity should occur ; and as, in consequence of the Death of a General Receiver for this County, Applications are making to obtain that Post for other Gentlemen, a Meeting of principal Inhabitants of this Town and Neighbourhood is requested at Ten o'Clock, at the Hotel, To-morrow Morning (Tuesday, the 19th instant) in order to take the Public Opinion, whether the King's Ministers should be applied to on tliis Occasion. Joseph Guest, High Bailitf. This is a pleasant anecdote of a once popular man : — 358 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. November, 1790. — The liberality of Captain Lanley, now raising an Independent Company in this town and neighbourhood, appeared very conspicuous on Tuesday evening. A recruit who had enlisted, and who afterwards repented, requested to pay the smart. But the Captain on being informed that the recruit was a married man and had a young family, not only refused to accept the money, but gave him his discharge, and made his wife a liandsome present. A proof thai humanity and fine feelings are a>er attendants on the true Alilitary character. The next extract affords us some information on tlie subject of the steel trade : — ■ Birmingham, November 4, 1790. — Copy of Resolutions entered into by a number of respectable Manufacturers in the Steel Trade, assembled at the Shakespeare Tavern. Resolved i, — That Manufacturers in the Steel Trade have sustained many Incon- veniences, and the Trade much Injury, arising principally from serving foreign Merchants with unfinished Articles and separate Parts, to be finished Abroad. Resolved 2, — That this has caused a great Demand for and an Advance in tlie Price of appendant Articles, all of which might have been obviated by an amicable Communi- cation of the Manufacturers in general. Resolved 3, — That by instituting a Society other Abuses may be prevented and Regulations adopted to tlie Advantage and good being of the Trade at large. Resolved 4, — That a general Invitation be given to the Steel-workers of Birmingham and its Neighbourhood to enter into an amicable Society, for the purpose of endeavouring to prevent the Continuance of this ruinous Practice. Resolved 5, — That it be recommended to the Society to restrict its Members from serving Merchants, Factors, Traders, Dealers, and Chapmen, with any Steel Articles, finished or unfinished, which are in themselves incompleat, or such as are intended as Component parts of a finished Piece of Steel-work. Resolved 6. — That to prevent any unfair Practice that might be affected, either by Masters or Servants, that it be recommended, for the mutual Unity and Cement of the Society, that no Servant shall be employed without an application being first made to, or an -Aciiuital received from his, her, or their former Master or Masters. Resolved 7, — That it be recommended to the Society to inform the Manufacturers of small Articles and appendant Parts of Steel work that such of tiieni as .shall hereafter serve Merchants, Factors, or other Traders abroad, with the above-mentioned Articles, that they will not be countenanced by any Member of the Society. Resolved 8, — That it be also recommended to the Society that, immediately on their Establishment, a respectable Committee be appointed to wait on the Merchants and Factors of this Town and Neighbourhood, to desire their assistance in discountenancing and preventing the continuance of a Practice which must operate also to their Injury, and may ultimately tend to the Destruction of the Steel Trade in this Country. Resolved 9, — That the Thanks of this Meeting be given to Matthew Boulton, Esq., for his countenance and support. Resolved 10, — That the Thanks of this Meeting be given to the Gentlemen of Wolver- hampton for their promised Concurrence. Resolved 11, — That 500 copies be printed and distributed. PUBLIC LIFE AND E\^NTS. 359 Resolved 12, — That a General Meeting of the Steel-workers be convened at the Shakespeare Tavern, on Thursday, the nth instant, at seven o'Clock in the Evening, to consider and finally determine upon the best Mode of Agreement. Resolved 13.— That the Thanks of this Comiiany be given to Mr. Amphlett, for his impartial conduct in the Chair. A meeting was held on November 24, to " receive a report from the gentlemen deputed at a former meeting, held on the 19th of last month, to lay before the Minister, by means of the members for the county, the great and daily obligations which the county are under to Joseph Carles, Esq., and that they may also be informed of the opposition made to the application of the Town." The report of this meeting was published on the 29th of the same month : — At a numerous and respectable Meeting of principal Inhabitants of the Town and Neighbourhood, called by public Advertisement, to receive the Report of the Gentlemen deputed at a former Meeting (held on the 19th of last month) to lay before the Minister, by means of the Members for the County, the great and daily obligations which the County is under to Joseph Carles, Esq., and to be informed of the Opposition made to the Application of the Town : Mr. ViLLERS in the Chair : Mr. Garbett having read to the Meeting copies of some Letters he had wrote to Sir Robert Lawley and Sir George Shuckburgh, Barts., and Letters that he had received from those Gentlemen ; and Copies of Letters he wrote to the Right Hon. William Pitt, the 13th and 17th of October, and to Mr. Rose the 13th, 17th, and 21st of October, and 7 th of this month : Resolved, That the Chairman is desired to present the Thanks of the Meeting to Mr. Garbett, for the manner in which he hath represented the Sense of the Town, and particularly in his Letter to Mr. Rose, the 7th of this month; and that Mr. Garbett be desired to continue his Attention to the Subject. Resolved, That the Meeting be adjourned, subject to the Call of the High Bailifi". Resolved, That the Thanks of the Meeting be presented to the High Bailiff for calling the Meeting, and for his obliging conduct in the Chair. William Villers, Chairman. The town on the whole seems to have been well governed by its High Bailiff and two constables. From the numerous quotations made it will have been evident that they attended very carefully to their many and responsible duties. Our next extract is a further illustration of this fact : — November 29, 1790.— The High Bailiff of the Town and Manor of Birmingham, gives this Public Notice to all Persons who sell Provisions of any Kind, whether in Shops or the open Market, as well as to all Publicians, and Dealers in Wines or Spirits, within the said Town and Manor, that he shall attend very minutely to the Weights and Measures used by them ; and is resolved not only to destroy all such as upon Examination at their respective Houses, Shops, Stalls, or Standings, he shall find deficient, but also to expose in 360 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. the public Papers of the Town and Neighbourhood, the Names of the Persons in whose Possession they are found. — And whereas it is notorious that many persons within the said Town and Manor, who sell Vegetables and Fruit by heaped Measure, have their Bushels, Pecks, and Gallons narrower in circumference than the Law and Custom of the Manor require ; and therefore, although such Measures may contain as much stricken Measure as the Standard, they do not hold so much heaped ; such Persons are hereby required immediately to procure other Measures of the Dimensions prescribed, viz. : — Inches. Inches. The Bushel i8| diameter 8 deep within Half Bushel 15 " 6i n Peck loj M 6 I! Gallon 8i m 5 „ Half Gallon 7 « 3J m and none will be permitted to be used within the said Town or Manor that are of any other Dimensions ; Directions being given to the Person who examines and marks them not to admit any others. And, that no one may be surprised with unlawful Weights and Measures in his Possession when the }iiGH B.mliff examines them at their respective Shops, &c., which he intends very speedily to do ; they may in the mean time take those which they now use any Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, during the remainder of this Year, between the Hours of Nine and One, to the Public Office in Dale End, where proper persons will attend to compare them with the standards. The Retailers of Coals are also to take Notice that as it has always been the Custom of this Manor for Coals to be sold by the long Hundred, or 120 lbs, they are hereby required to have Weights conformable thereto. W. Villers, High Bailiff. N.B. — Intimation having been given, that great Inconveniences arise from Hay not being brought to open Market in this Town, and that the Place u.sed for the Horse Fair would be very convenient for Waggons and Carts to stand in, with Hay for Sale : if any Farmers will inform the High Bailiff that they are disposed to bring Hay in Loads, to that or some other proper Place for Sale, on some one or more Days in the Week, he will give public notice thereof, and encourage such a market to the utmost of his Power. The desirable object was pursued with the usual energy ; and on January 17, 1791, the High Bailiff published the following advertise- ment : — Birmingham, January 15, 1794. — The High Bailiff having consulted many respectable Persons on the Measure of establishing a Market for Hay and Straw in this Town, and finding them unanimously desirous that it should be effected, which induces him more zealously to exert every Means in his Power for that Purpose, requests a Meeting of all the principal Inhabitants, and particularly of all such as are well wishers to the Scheme and would support it, at the Public Office in Dale End, on Monday the 31st of this Month, at Ten o'clock in the Morning, to fix upon a place which may be best adapted for the holding such Market, to detemiine what Day in each Week will be most proper for the same, and to consider what further steps may be necessary for fully effecting the end desired. W. Villers, High Bailiff. N.B. — If the Meeting should be too numerous for the Room at the Public Office, it will be adjourned from thence to the Great Room at the Hotel. PUBLIC LIFE AND EVENTS. 36 1 The meeting was held, and as will be seen by a copy of the resolutions passed, it was agreed to establish a weekly market for hay, that it should be held (as it still is), on Tuesday, and that " Ann's-street, commonly called Mount Pleasant, is the best place for holding such Market." It was held there until the year 1817, when it was removed to Smithfield. Birmingham, January 31, 1791. — At a numerous and very respectable meeting of the principal Inhabitants of this Town, held this day, at the Public Office, to take into Consideration the best means for establishing a Market for Hay and Straw ; Mr. Villers in the Chair ; it was unanimously Resolved, I. That the Establishment of a weekly Market for Hay and Straw, in this Town, will be of great Public Utility. n. That this Meeting will encourage and support such a Market to the utmost of their power. in. That Ann's-street, commonly called Mount Pleasant, is the best place for holding such Market. IV. That such Market bo held on Tuesday every Week, from Seven in the Morning to Two in the Afternoon. V. That all Hay brought to the said Market, except it be such as never has been put together in a Rirk, be made up in Trusses of 561b. weight each, and that every Hundred Weigiit of Wheat Straw shall consist either of four Battens, weighing 281b. each, or eight Battens, weighing 141b. each, or ylb each, at the option of the Farmer who brings it for sale. VI. That the High Bailiff be requested to make the above-mentioned Resolutions effective by such means as he may judge proper. VII. That the Thanks of this Meeting be given to the High Bailiff. In conformity, therefore, with the Request of so respectable a Meeting, the High Bailiff' gives this Public Notice to all Persons who have Hay and Straw to sell, as well as to all such as shall at any time be in want of those Articles, That the first Day for holding a Market for Hay and Straw in this Town, will be on Tuesday the 15th of February, between the hours of Seven in tlie Morning and Two in the Afternoon, and that it be held in Ann's Street, commonly called Mount Pleasant, where he will attend in Person, with jiroper Assistants, to direct the said Market, and give Instructions for jiroperly placing the Waggons and Carts which come loaded for sale, so as that both the Sellers and Buyers may be accommodated as much as is possible, and that the Public at large may not be interrupted in passing at the same time with any other Carriages. And in order to obviate any inconveniencies which may arise from Hay or Straw being unsold at the End of the Market, a proper Place will be sought for, to which such Loads may be taken and safely deposited till sold. William Villers. The first Hay Market was held at Mount Pleasant, on Tuesday, February 15, 1 791. A brief report is given of the business done : — l'\'bruary 21, 1791. — Our first Hay Market, on Tuesday last, was so well attended by Purchasers that several loads of Hay were sold as soon as they arrived ; and it was found B 2 362 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. unnecessary to take the horses from the waggons ; indeed, there were purchasers for more than double the quantity brought, and we have no doubt that this Market, which will be continued every Tuesday, will prove very advantageous both to the buyer and seller. The Prices were from 45 s. to 58s. per ton. Several Persons wished to have bought Straw, and we hope that the next week some loads of that article vfiW be brought to Market. We think it proper to observe, that the Hay which came in cart-loads or small waggons was most in demand, and that all the business was done between 9 and 1 2 o'clock. The activity of the inhabitants at this time receives a further illustra- tion in their efforts to establish new markets. At the meeting held to consider the question of the hay market, it was represented that an offer had been made " to supply the town with fish, on better terms, and in better condition than it is now supplied with that article." The subject was at once taken up, and it was resolved " That inquiry be made into the mode pursued at Sheffield, and that the High Bailiff be desired to call a meeting of the inhabitants on Friday the nth inst. [February] at the Hotel, to take the same into consideration." The meeting was held on the 14th, and led to the following results : — February 14, 1791. — At a very respectable Meeting of principal inhabitants, this Day, held at the Hotel, agreeable to public Advertisement, to take into Consideration an Offer which has been made of supplying the Town with Fish, on better Terms and in better Condition, than it is now supplied with that Article ; // was utianbnously Resolved, — That the procuring a better supply of Fish for this Market is extremely desirable. That a Committee be appointed to make further enquiry respecting the Applications which have been made, to receive Proposals, and to digest a Plan to be laid before the To\vn at a future Meeting, as well as to obtain Subscriptions for the support of the Scheme ; and that Five be competent to Act. That a Subscription be immediately entered into, that no less than three Guineas be admitted as a Subscription, and that no Subscriber be pledged for more than the sum he subscribes. That these Resolutions be published four Times in each of the Birmingham Papers. Whereupon the Gentlemen present immediately subscribed, which is to be open, never- theless, to every Subscriber, and the first meeting thereof appointed to be held at the Swan, in Bull-street, on Friday next, the i8th of this month, at one o'Clock, when and where .such persons as have any Offers to make on the Business are desired to attend. A List of Subscribers is left at Mr. Pearson's and at Mr. Swinney's, where those Persons who wish to become such will please to apply. W. Villers. We must now retrace our steps a little, and return to November, 1 790, at which period the practice of selling illegally covered buttons was rather prevalent. The ensuing extract affords us some information on the tricks of trade in the old time, and also of how much the government intermeddled with trade affairs ; — PUBLIC LIFE AND EVENTS. 363 November 29, 1790. — Buttons Illegally Covered. — A Caution against making or wearing of Buttons illegally covered. The Public are respectfully informed that many Thousands of industrious Men, Women, and Children are become almost destitute of Employment, by the general Use now made of Buttons unlawfully covered, and which from our Example is also become the prevailing fashion abroad : And though the Wearers in particular are daily subject to repeated Forfeiture, it is not intended to promote or give Countenance to any Informations for Offences previous to the 25th of December next, after which Time more effectual Measures for that Purpose will be pursued if found necessary. That Persons therefore may not be taken unawares, the Manufacturers and Dealers in Twist, Metal, and other Buttons, give this Public Notice of their Intentions to enforce the Laws in this Respect against Offenders. By an Act the eighth of Queen Ann, " any Taylor or other Person convicted of making, covering, selling, using, or setting on to a Garment any Buttons covered with Cloth, or other Stuff, of which Garments are made, shall Forfeit Five Pounds for every Dozen of such Buttons, or in Proportion for any lesser Quantity." And by an Act of the Seventh of George the First, " any Weaver of such unlawful Buttons is liable to the Penalty of Forty Shillings per Dozen, and in Proportion for any lesser Quantity." These Acts apply to all Buttons in general, whether with Shanks or without, and the Penalties therein mentioned are recoverable upon Conviction before one or more Justices of the Peace in the Neighbourhood where (and vnth'm one month after) tlie offence has been committed, and one Half thereof goes to the Informer. The next extract refers to a subject, which, in after days, produced a great struggle between the people and the Government — the selHng of unstamped almanacks. Persons are still living who have suffered imprisonment for this offence. Their firmness, however, procured a change in the law : — On Thursday last Hannah Jackson, of Moat-lane, was convicted before the Magistrates of this place, of selling unstamped almanacks, entitled " Paddy's Watch that never stands still, for 1 791," and the reward of 40s. was paid by the Printer of this Paper to the Person who gave the information that convicted her. The same reward is again offered to any person who shall apprehend or convict any other seller, or the printers of such illegal almanacks; and the persons so convicted are subject to a penalty of ;£'io., and to an imprisonment of three months in the house of Correction. As several quires of these illegal Almanacks were found in Jackson's house, wet from the press, it is supposed the printer lives in this town or its vicinity. The next quotation refers to the parish Church ; and it is clear that difference of opinion was very strong, when the proposition put by the High Bailiff was rejected by a large majority, in consequence of which he retired : — January 31, 1791. — Saint Martin's Church Birmingham. — At a very numerous and respectable Meeting held here this Morning, convened by Letter from tlie Church- Wardens 364 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. of this Parish, directed to the Proprietors of Sittings in the said Church, requesting them to meet to take into Consideration, and to determine on the Propriety of an Application to Parliament for a small Levy upon each Sitting, that a permanent Provision might be made for the Lecturer; and the Question upon that Occasion being put by William ViLLERS, Esq., the Chairman, and negatived by a great Majority, Mr. Villers retired, and Mr. WiLLiAJi Simpson was unanimously voted to the Chair ; and the following Resolu- tions were then put and carried. Resolved tianitie coittradicente, That a Committee of Twenty-one Gentlemen be appointed to examine into the State of the Subscription to the Lecturer of Saint Martin's Parish ; to take into Consideration proper Plans to be adopted for increasing the same (if found necessary), and for the more easy collecting of such Subscriptions. Resolved, That the following Gentlemen be appointed a Committee for the above Purpose, viz.. The Church-Wardens for the Time being, Edward Palmer, Esq., William Villers, Esq., William Simpson, Thomas Hadley, William Hicks, Hum])hry Vale, Bernard S. Heaton, Thomas Gem, Charles Twigg, Joseph Chattaway, Edward Harris, Samuel Gem, Samuel Withers, Thomas Cheston, Thomas Cooper (High Street), Joseph Batteson, Samuel Glover, Thomas Green (New Street), and Thomas Bellamy, Sen. Resolved, That these Resolutions be inserted in the next Birmingham Gazette, and signed by Mr. Simpson, the Chairman. Resolved, That the Thanks of this Meeting be given to the Chairman. William Simpson, Chairman. A Meeting was held in February, 1791, to consider the desirability of constructing a Canal from Birmingham to Worcester. It was stated in the survey which had been made, " that there is coal contiguous to the present Birmingham Canal for a supply for 700 years, upon double the present consumption." Mr. Parker was in the chair, and two resolutions were passed, one declaring the statement satisfactor)' ; the other that "an application should be made to Parliament for a canal from Birmincjham to Worcester." Vested interests, however, were very sensitive about the proposal, and an opposition was organized. A correspondent, " not an inhabitant," points out the folly of such proceedings. February 14, 1790. — Intended Canal to Worcester. — That any well-informed and real Friend to Birmingham should oppose a Scheme so pregnant \vith Advantage to the Town as a Barge Canal to Worcester, must appear to a disinterested Observer very extra- ordinary. Would not the E.xecution of this Plan give die Town almost every advantage of a Sea-Port, and pour into it the Produce of all Countries, at the easiest and cheapest Rate ; and at the same Time take off its Manufactured Produce by the readiest and cheapest Conveyance? Would not the Execution of this Plan be a great Narional Improvement, of which the Town of Birmingham, from its local Situation and established Commerce, would have the first and best Chance of reaping the Advantage ? The pre- tence of exhausting the Country of Coal is a mere Bugbear, that must vanish upon PUBLIC LIFE AND EVENTS. ^6 3 Examination ; the Part exhausted in all past Ages, down to the present Time, bears a very small Proportion to the known Coal Country', being less than one thirtieth Part of it ; to say nothing of the Certainty of finding Coal in other Situations. If the Canal to Fazeley has raised the Price of Coal, such Advance must be merely temporar)' ; as no sooner is the Market well-stocked, by opening fresh Works, than the Article will find its Equilibrium. Btrmingham, from its Advantage in Point of Situation, must always have the command of the Coal Trade ; and the Bowels of the Earth furnish inexhaustible Quantities of this valuable and necessary Article, which will always find its Way to Market, so long as the Price mil pay for raising it, and a small Profit to the Proprietor, which has not hitherto been the Case. It is surprising that a narrow and groundless Jealousy on this Head, so contrary to the liberal Spirit of an enlightened Age and Country, should at all interrupt a Scheme which would be the noblest improvement ever attempted in this Town and Neighbourhood ; which, by extending the Conveniences of Traffic and Commerce, would necessarily extend the Trade, and increase the Riches and Consequence of this Country. Nor AN Inhabitant of Birmingham. In spite of opposition, however, the bill passed through both houses of Parliament, and received the Royal assent on June lo, 1791. The local laureate of the time thus celebrated the event : — August I, 1 79 1. Song on obtaitiing the Birmingham and Worcester Canal Bill. Come now begin delving, the Bill is obtain'd, The contest was hard, but a conquest is gain'd j Let no time be lost, and to get business done. Set thousands to work, that work dowTi the fun. With speed the desirable work to compleat. The hope how alluring — the spirit how great ? By Severn we soon, I've no doubt on my mind, With old father Thames shall an intercourse find. By int'rested motives tho' people are led, With many the ground who from fancy may tread ; 'Twill prejudice stifle, and malice strike dumb When the seat of the Arts shall a sea port become. Redditch, where the sons of the Needle reside, Who commerce revere, and make friendship their pride The prospect enraptures — and Bromsgrove no less, Has cause at the \-ictory joy to express. In Europe's great Toy-Shop, how pleasing 'twill be. Well freighted the trows, and the barges to see ; The country 'twill charm, and new life give to trade. When the seat of the Arts shall a sea port be made. With pearmains and pippins 'twill gladden the throng, Full loaded the boats to see floating along ; And fruit that is fine, and good hops for our ale, Like Wednesbury pit-coal, will always find sale. 366 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. So much does the rage for Canals seem to grow, That vessels accustom'd to Bristol to go, Will soon be deserting Sabrina's fair tide, For shallows and shoals sailors wish to avoid. As freedom I prize, and my Country respect, I trust not a soul to my toast \vill object ; " Success to the Plough, not forgetting the Spade, Health, plenty, and peace, Navigation and Trade." The Seat of the Arts, July 4, 1791. J. F. In March of this year there was a dispute in the brush trade. The masters made this general apology : — - Birmingham, March 2nd, 1791. — The Brush Makers of this Town think it necessary to make a general Apology to their numerous Customers, for not being able fully to execute their kind Orders with the same Dispatch as heretofore, on account of the great Scarcity of Workmen in the Trade. All due Encouragement will be given to Journeymen that will apply from other places, and also to a Number of Boys as Apprentices ; such as can be well recommended, of honest Parents, may apply to Jn. Woodcock John Holt Daniel Grove Jn. Baswell Wm. Hodgetts Benj. Walton Tho. Robinson It was not until August that the men appealed to the public, and in that month the following statement was published : — August 15, 1 79 1. — From the Journeymen Brush-makers to the Public. The Journey- man Brush-makers of Birmingham thinking some Advertisements which have lately appeared in the public Papers, have a Tendency to give an unjust Idea of the present Situation of the Trade, respectfully take the liberty to state the Circumstances which have given Rise to the Advertisements alluded to. The Brush Trade of Birmingham has never employed more than forty-three Journey- men at any Period ; indeed, when so many were in the Town their Situation was rendered very uncomfortable, and a Prospect of continued Employment very precarious. This induced some of them to lea\e the Town in search of Situations that promised more Certaint)'. The Wages paid to Journe>Tnen Brush-makers are remarkably low ; and now less than what is paid in many neighbouring Places. Provisions, and also every other Necessary of Life, being advanced one half in the Price within a few years, and no Advance having taken Place in their Wages, made them consider their Situations as peculiarly hard. They, therefore, in the beginning of last Spring, solicited their Employers to make a small Addition to the Price of some .Articles, which they agreed to. Some of them, however, after this Agreement (though the Advance did not amount to one-tenth part of what they advanced the Articles to the Public) frequently expressed themselves dissatis- fied. And in the month of June last, an Advertisement appeared in the Birmingham Papers to the following Purpose, " Wanted, a Journeyman Brush-maker, and five or six Apprentices," &c. The Men in this Gentleman's Employ, knowing this to be in direct Contradiction to the established Custom of the Trade, and having Reason to think this PUBLIC LIFE AND EVENTS. 367 extraordinary Measure was taken wth a view to reduce their Prices, informed him, " that if he persisted in his determination they would quit his Service." After some Consider- ation, he made the following Proposal to them, viz., " That if six of them would be bound to serve him for one year, he would allow three of them the Work of an Apprentice each for six months ; and the others a Sum of Money equal thereto." This was accepted by them, on Condition that he should not take more than these three Apprentices, nor Employ any illegal Journeymen : this Proviso he agreed to, and legal Articles were executed, and are now in force between the Parties. Notwithstanding this solemn Engagement, there is every reason to believe that this Gentleman is principally concerned in a large Manufac- tory now establishing, where several Apprentices are already taken, and more Persons upon Trial. The Person who is at this time establishing this large Manufactory, after informing the Public that he has declined his Wholesale Trade to the Person above alluded to, adds that " he has taken a large Warehouse and Shops, for the Purpose of introducing a considerable number of hands into the Trade," &c., and requests his Friends to address their Retail Orders to himself and Co. It will appear somewhat strange to every Reader, that a Person who, by the Labour of a few Hands, has been able to supply both his AVholesale and Retail Trade, and yet it should require a Company of Persons to superintend only this same Retail Trade. At the Expiration of the Servitude of these considerable Number of Apprentices, they must, as well as the present Journeymen, experience the Difficulties attendant upon a Trade being so far overstocked with Workmen. Benjamin Boothby, John Stock. Illegally covered buttons were still sold despite the penalties. On March 21, we read that "a tradesman in London was fined last week nearly £26 on two informations for selling " these articles ; and in April this additional caution was published : — April 4th, 1 791. Covered Buttons. Notwithstanding the Advertisements which have been inserted in this and several other Papers, cautioning all Persons against making, selling, setting on, using, binding, or wearing Buttons or Button-holes, made of or bound with Cloth or Stuffs, wherewith Clothes are usually made, it is with regret observed, that Persons still continue to wear Buttons so covered, in Defiance of the several Statutes passed respecting the same ; and the Committee appointed by the Manufacturers of Buttons in this Town for putting the said Acts in force, having determined to prosecute the Wearers of such illegally covered Buttons, as the most effectual step that can be devised for putting an End to the Evil, Notice is hereby given, that such Prosecutions will be immediately commenced against such Wearers (however respectable they may be) for Recovery of the Penalties incurred by the Violation of the said Acts. Therefore if any Person or Persons will give information against any such Wearer or Wearers, so that such Wearer or Wearers shall be convicted thereof, he or they shall upon such Conviction be handsomely rewarded. That no Person may plead Ignorance of the several .Acts of Parliament, Extracts therefrom are subjoined. Thomas Gem, Solicitor to the Committee. 368 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. It is not often that a town asks for a tax. We have seen this marvel in our own day, when the burgesses adopted the Free Libraries and Museums Act, and willingly taxed themselves for books. In 1791, our fathers also met and suggested a tax ; but then it was a tax on dogs. The report of this meeting appears on March 2 i : — On Tuesday, at a numerous and respectable meeting of the principal merchants and inhabitants of this town, it was suggested that a tax upon dogs would be highly beneficial, and the Chairman was desired to recommend to the Committee, appointed at a former meeting, to prepare heads of a bill for the better regulating the poor in this parish, to have a clause inserted for that purjiose. Many farmers in the parishes of Edgbaston and Harbourne have, for some time past, been considerable sufferers by several of their sheep and lambs being worried and killed by dogs in the night. This affords another strong argument in favour of the wished-for tax. We have already noticed the steps taken by the leaders of public opinion in these days to express their appreciation of the services of Mr. J. Carles, whose name has been frequently before us. This gentle- man thus acknowledges the kindness of his fellow-townsmen : — April II, 1 791. — To the respectable Inhabitants of Birmingham and its Neighbour- hood. — The various public Testimonies you have given of your sense of my Conduct as a Mac'istrate, is amongst the most flattering Circumstances of my Life ; and I beg you will do me the Honour to believe that the voluntary Respresentations, which I under- stand you have for some Years made to the Knights of the Shire respecting my Services, I shall ever very gtatefully remember ; and rejoice in all Opportunities of showing that, I am, your faithful Servant, BrowTi's Green, April 9, 1791- J- Carles. I am indebted to my friend Mr. J. Rabone, jun., for the following information in reference to the early Swedenborgians. He says, " The first building ever erected for the Swedenborgians in England, or indeed in any part of the world, was in Birmingham. The Chapel in New Hall Street, now known as Zion Chapel, was built by them for their own use, and was consecrated and opened on the 19th of June, 1791. The officiating ministers were the Rev. James Hindmarsh, of London, and the Rev. Joseph Proud, and they each wore, on account of its symbolic meaning, ' an inner purple silken vest, and also an outer garment of fine white linen, having a golden girdle round the breast.' Their leading doctrines were stated to be a belief in ' the sole and exclusive divinity of Jesus Christ ; the plenary inspiration of the Scriptures ; and goodness of life.' Dr. Priestley, who was on terms PUBLIC LIFE AND EVENTS. 369 of intimacy with Mr. Proud and several of the leading members of the congregation, was present at the consecration services ; and he after- wards published his Letters to the Members of the New yerusalem Chirch, in opposition to some of their views. It is know that 'the Dr. was just on the point of sending the Letters to the printer's when the rioters besieged his house, and they were destroyed with the rest of his papers.' He afterwards however re-wrote them in London, and Mr. Hindmarsh published his Letters to Dr. Priestley, in reply to those ' celebrated productions ' as he was pleased to designate them. Wood- fall, in his Diary, September, 1791, says, 'it is somewhat remarkable that the general dislike to Dr. Priestley is not so much in consequence of any innovation he may wish in the State, as on account of his religious creed of believing in 07ie supreme and eternal God.' Within one month of its opening, the new church narrowly escaped the fate of the Old and New Meeting Houses. During the Riots of July the mob proceeded to New Hall Street, and were about to commence their work of destruction upon the building, but owing to the presence of mind of the minister, the Rev. Joseph Proud, who lived at the house adjoining, now No. 35, Newhall Street, they were turned from their purpose. A collection had been made in the church on the preceding day, and Mr. Proud, standing on the elevated steps at the front of his house, threw the money among the crowd, informing them, in a brief but energetic address, that the minister and worshippers were neither Unitarians nor inimical to the Government. A shout was raised, 'the New Jerusalem for ever!' and the mob passed on without doing any injur)'. On another occasion, towards the close of the year 1792, a hand grenade was thrown through one of the windows into the building, but with the exception of the partial destruction of a large and very costly cut and gilded glass font, and the destruction of several of the pews, no other damage was sustained. On September 21, the Liberal Society held their half-yearly meeting, and had a dinner at the Shakespeare Tavern. There is no report of their proceedings. The Jews' Synagogue used to be in that very questionable part of the town at the back of Peck Lane, known as the Frogger)'. The New Street Railway Station occupies the site of both of these once infamous C 2 370 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. localities, and their names are, happily, all that remain of them. A new Synagogue had been built, and this brief notice is all we have of its dedication : — September 26, 1791. — On Friday last, the ceremony of dedicating the newly-erected Jews' Synagogue, in this Town, was performed by Mr. Phillips, Mr. Yates, and Mr. Levy, who sung the appointed Psalms and Songs in the Sacred Language with great judgement and melody. The laudable effort to supply the town with fish was practically begun in this month. On the 1 7th we read : — The scheme for supplying this town with fish, at a cheaper rate than we are accustomed to have it, commenced last week ; on Tuesday, and on Saturday morniiig a quantity of each sort of fish arrived in very fine condition. It found an instant sale, and the supply was not equal to the demand. Cod was sold at 4d. the pound, and other fish proportionably low. Ashted Chapel was opened on the 9th of October ; and we have the following account of the event : — October 17, 1791. — At the opening of Ashted Chapel, on Sunday, the 9th instant, several select pieces of sacred music were performed. Mr. Clark did great justice to the organ, which proved a most excellent one. Mr. Saville also e.xerted his uncommon powers and exquisite taste. Mr. Birch was much admired, and the band in general (which was very full) had great merit, and gave the performance every possible support. Notwithstanding the weather was extremely unfavourable, the chapel was crowded with a very genteel congregation, who united in the highest tribute of applause to the taste and spirit of Mr. Brooke, the proprietor, and to the abilities of Mr. Smith, the minister, who preached a very suitable and elegant sennon on the occasion, which was delivered with energy and effect Such are the attractions of this place of worship, that there is no doubt but it will ensure a genteel and numerous attendance ; and, it is to be hoped, will amply re-imburse Mr. Brooke the very heavy expense he has been put to in its completion. This is supplemented next week by this curious paragraph : — October 24th, 1791. — We do not recollect to have witnessed a more general and polite attendance at the opening of a public place of worship, than has been given to Ashted Chapel. Notwithstanding the extreme unfavourableness of the weather, the very crowded congregations, and the number of kneelings already engaged, evince the attrac- tions which are united in the elegance of that building, the ability of the Clergyman, and admirable effect of an excellent Vocal Band (in accompaniment with the Organ), and which we understand will be increased with a considerable addition of voices. The next four extracts all relate to that very important subject to Birmingham — the metal trades. There had been a considerable advance in the price of brass, copper and tin, and a correspondent sends the following list of queries : — October 17, 1791- — To the Printer of Aris's Birmingham Gazette. — Mr. Pearson, — PUBLIC LIFE AND EVENTS. 371 In your extensively circulating and very useful Paper, I shall be obliged by your giving a Place to the following Queries, which are respectfully submitted to the Consideration of the Metal Button-makers in Birmingham by J. H. In consequence of the former, and a recent Advance of Five Pounds per Ton on Brass, as well as the Rise of Tin, Spelter, Brass Wire, &c., is it not highly reasonable, nay absolutely necessary, that some step should be taken to relieve the Manufacturers of \Vhite Metal Buttons, who are thereby very much injured ? 2. What is best to be done to effect that, so as not, at the same Time, to injure the Merchants ? 3. Would it be prudent for a few of the leading Men, such as Messrs. Dimcombe, Gibbs, Ruston, Hammond, Timmins, &c., to call a general Meeting of Manufacturers? 4. Can any better plan be devised, or one more likely to be more generally acceded to, than an Agreement to lessen the Discount five per Cent. ? 5. Will the foreign Market or home Trade be injured by this, or a similar Alteration ? 6. Is it at all probable, that a reduction of the Discount would create any serious Competition abroad, in manufacturing the .Article of hard White Metal Buttons ? Next week this short note appeared : — Birmingham, October 24, 1791. — Mr. Pearson, — It would give great satisfaction to many of the Manufacturers of this Place, if some Person, conversant in the Copper Trade, would favour them (through the Medium of your Paper) with the Reason for the late Advance in the Price of Copper. A Manxjfacturer. Next we have this thoughtful letter on the subject : — November 7, 1791. — To the Manufacturers of Birmingham, who are Consumers of Brass. — The AVriter here begs to submit to your serious Consideration a few plain Facts which cannot, he presumes, be the less interesting to you all because they are self evident and uncontrovertible. The Price of Brass, every Consumer is too sensibly convinced, has risen within the last 18 Months Ten Pounds per Ton, and a very respectable Proprietor of Copper Works has hinted that there is every Probability of a still further Advance ; in this case the Manufacturer has no possible Redress, without materially deranging his Business by making an .-Vlteration in his Discount ; this, at all Times, proves vexatious to the Merchants, and injurious to the Manufacturers. If, however, by an Union of Sentiment and Interest among the principal Consumers, a Plan could be devised (and such a one ajjpears perfectly practicable) to keep the Market of this necessary article ])crmanent, it must be allowed on all Hands to be a most desirable Circumstance ; the Writer hereof, therefore, earnestly suggests it to the Consideration of those interested how far .in Extension of the Brass Works already est.iblished in this Town may be eligible and publicly beneficial, or whether the Establishment of a new Work, on a more extensive Scale than either of the present, so as to have for its Object the making of a Quantity of Brass (including the Produce of the Works now in Use) equal to the Consumption of the whole Town, be not a more desirable Plan to adopt in the present Instance. As the Process of making Brass has long ceased to be a Mystery, all Objections on that head are completely obviated, and if these Hints meet the Approbation of tlie Consumers, it is submitted to them to decide upon the Propriety of a General Meeting to further these important Purposes. One more letter concludes this scries. The questions asked by the Manufacturer of brass were not answered in 1791 : — 372 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. November 14, 1791. — To the Printer o{ xha Birmiiis/iam Gazette.— Mr. Pearson,— It is with Pleasure I see in your Paper on Monday last an Address to the Manufacturers of Birmingham, on the Subject of Brass. Oppression will ever prompt to Resistance ; but it becomes necessary to trace the Grievance to its Source, wliicli will he found not to originate with the Makers of Brass. Within the last eighteen Months Copper has advanced in the same Proportion, and that being the Basis of Brass, it would be satisfactory to see an Answer to the Query in the former Paper of the 31st of October, under the Signature of a Manufacturer, respecting the Cause of the Advance of Price in that Article. A Consu.mkk ov Bras.s. The ne.xt notice gives iis the exact position of the Cattle market, and also alludes to practices which we should think were dangerous as well as inconvenient : — November 28, 1791-. — Public Notice. — .Ml Persons who shall in future expose neat Cattle for Sale in this Town, are hereby reipiired to confine themselves to the Market Place, which by the Street Acts is directed to be held between the Public Office in Dale End, and the End of Chapel-street, and not elsewhere; and every Person exposing to Sale neat or other Cattle in any other Part of the said Town, are subject to a Penalty of ss. for every such neat or other Cattle so exposed as aforesaid. And whereas great Inconvenience having been sustained by the Public, and particularly by Ladies, in con.se- quence of Bakers and others riding along the Footpaths, it was at the last Meeting of the Commissioners resolved, that the following Clause in the Act of Parliament should be inserted, cautioning all Persons against committing such Offences in future. It is enacted, " That if any Person or Persons shall roll any Cask, wheel or drive any Wheelbarrow, or wilfully ride, drive, or lead, or cause to be rode, driven, or led any Horse or other Cattle on any of the Footways within the said Town, other than in Cases of absolute Necessity, such Person or Persons shall forfeit and pay for every such Offence the Sum of Two Shillings and Si.Npence." And the public are hereby informed that proper Persons are appointed to lodge Informations against Offenders for the Recovery of the Penalties inflicted by the above mentioned Acts. By Order of the Commission, William SMrra, Clerk. h'rom the next advertisement we learn that it was, up to this date, the practice not to hold markets during the Christmas holidays. It is strange that a ciustom which must have been e.xceedingly inconvenient should have contiimed so long : — December 19, 1791- — Markets in the Christmas Holidays. — The High Bailiff (at the recpiest of .several principal Fanners, Mcalmen, and Others, who attend the Birmingham Market on a 'I'hursday) hereby informs the Public, that in future the Markets will be held as regular during the Christmas Holidays as at other times ; judging this will be an Accommodation to the Public, whose interest it is his Duty and Wish to promote. He takes this Opportunity of thanking the Persons who have addressed him by Letters without Signatures, concerning Peojile who are suspected of selling by short Weights and Measures ; he assures them he will attend to the Business they call his Attention to, and PUBLIC LIFE AND EVENTS. 373 at all Times thinks himself obliged to every Person who will take the Trouble of informing him of any Persons guilty of improper Practices in vending marketable articles. Birmingham, December i6, 1791. Tho. Archer. Great consternation was caused at this time among the thousands employed in one of our important staple trades. A change of fashion threatened to banish the far-famed buckle. The manufacturers and artisans were naturally alarmed, and the practice of tying shoes was declared to be " unmanly, absurd, and ridiculous." The people thought, as they have often thought since, that the countenance of royalty might change a decree of fate. The buckle was doomed, although on May 3 of this year we read " the manly buckle," says a correspondent, " has nearly exterminated the most ridiculous of all ridiculous fashions, the effeminate shoestring, except amongst a very few incorrigible petit maitres, against whom the shafts of ridicule are pointed in vain, ' For sure no meaning puzzles more than Wit.' " But men whose daily bread depends upon a certain trade may be pardoned if they do not look upon the subject in a calm and philosophic manner, and may be praised if they try manfully to defer the evil day as long as possible. This is what our fathers did, and here is a report of an old deputation : — December 26, 1791. — Buckle Manufactory. — On Wednesday last, several respectable manufacturers, deputed by the Trade in general from this Town, Walsall, and Wolverhampton, waited upon his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, at Carlton- house, and were introduced to an audience by Mr. Sheridan. The purport of their attendance on the Prince was conveyed in a petition setting forth the distressed situation of thousands in the different branches in the above trade, from tlie fashion now and for some time back so prevalent of wearing Shoe-strings instead of Buckles. His Royal Highness, after considering the petition very attentively, replied to the deputation in a manner most gracious and condescending, and expressing himself in terms of the greatest kindness and sympathy towards the sufferers by the decline of so important an article of manufacture, promised his utmost assistance to them by his example and influence, and assured them that the mode of tying the shoes should not be adopted by any person in his Royal Highness' household. His Royal Highness the Duke of York has, with the utmost affability, promised to co-operate witli his Royal Brother in this most beneficial measure. We hear that the Buckle-makers of London and Westminster are preparing Petitions to the Throne, beseeching the King, as the father of his people, to interfere in preventing so useful and industrious a class of his subjects becoming a prey to want and indigence, through the prevalence of a fashion at once unmanly, absurd, and ridiculous. On the same day the following editorial notice appeared : — 374 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. December 26, 1791. — When Government laid an additional duty upon all Newspapers, it will be remembered by our Readers that the new regulation was attended with restrictions which tended very much to curtail the profits of the Proprietors. On this account, added to the great increase in tlic price of paper, and capital required, all the London prints found it absolutely necessary to raise their price to Four-pence, and have declared that no good ami really iiuhpeiidait Newspaper could be published for Three-pence half-penny. The Publishers of the Country papers, however, desirous of not adding, if it could be avoided, to the cost of their customers, did not make the advance ; but the experience of upwards of tvvo years has convinced the majority of them that, in publishing their papers at Three-pence half-penny, they have suflfered material loss. Some of them, therefore, have given notice that at the commencement of the new year they must indemnify themselves by an advance upon the price of their Advertisements ; others have thought it more eligible to follow the example of the London Prints, and raise the price of their paper; which mode being the least partial in its operation, the Printer of the Birmingliam Gazette adopts, and respectfully acquaints his friends that his next Gazette will be published at Four-pence. Trusting, in the present instance, to that candour and generosity which he has always experienced from the Public, the Printer is persuaded his readers will be aware of the justness and reasonableness of the moderate advance he is compelled to make, when they consider that almost all the London prints (without being subject to any charge for circulation, loss by, or luages of ncK'smcn, or carriage of stamps) are vended in the country at Four- pence Halfpenny ; and that there is not a paper in the kingdom which contains so much matter, or is attended in its publication with such heavy expense, as the Birmingham Gazette. And thus closes the annals of the public events of ten years, which may be pronounced among the most important and fruitful in the history of the town. § 3. Kl)l'C.\TION AND LITERATURE. This decade was especially distinguished by its literary activity. The controversies, political, social, and religious, which produced so much excitement, and led to such disastrous results, kept the printing press perpetually at work. Dr. Priestley's prolific pen was engaged in all branches of literature except poetry. His pamphlets and volumes followed each other with extraordinary rapidity. Many of them provoked replies ; and a paper war, in which of course, the clergy were the principal combatants, was waged with considerable fury and much letterpress. Most of the.se productions have little interest for us now. Time, and a truer appreciation of religious freedom, and the right of not mere tolera- EDUCATION AND LITERATURE. 375 tion, but equality in spiritual affairs, have produced a different state of things ; and the tracts of that period of bigotry and narrowness are left to moulder on the shelves of our libraries, only to be consulted by the student or omnivorous reader whom not even the dulness, virulence, and uncharitableness of the religious controversies of the end of the eighteenth century can deter. A reference to a catalogue of Birmingham books, will show how numerous were the works written and published in this town between 1781 and 1791. The first extract we have to quote relates to the fine arts. A once famous picture was exhibited in January, 1782, and on February 18, this advertisement was published : — - The Picture representing the Fainting of the late ilhistrious Earl of Chatham in the House of Peers, having met with the Approbation of People of the first Taste and Judgment in this Town, it will continue to be exhibited this Week, and no longer, at the Assembly Room in the Hotel. A fact so awful and interesting as the one represented in this Picture, cannot fail to excite the attention of the Public. Upwards of Fifty Portraits are contained in it, consisting of the Peers in their Robes, the Right Rev. the Bishops, and the Great Officers of the State. In the back Ground is introduced the Throne, with a distant View of the Spanish Armada ; the whole fomiing a Scene equally grand and elegant. As the Exhibition of this Picture will positively close this Week, in order to gratify the Curiosity of every ingenious Mechanic, they will be admitted for 6d. each : Ladies and Gentlemen is. Catalogues Gratis. Science was not altogether neglected, but although lectures were few and far between, when a course was given it was generally a long one. Thus, on June 10, a course of thirteen lectures on Chemistry was announced as follows : — To be opened at Cook's Coffee-house, Cherry-street, Birmingham, on Wednesday next, the 1 2th June, at Six in the Evening, A Course of Thirteen Lectures upon General Chemistry ; including the Theory and Experiments agreeable to the latest Discoveries. — Subscribers pay One Guinea for the Course, and may send Substitutes. — Non-Subscribers pay 2S. 6d. for every Lecture they attend. There is no report of the lectures, nor do we know if they were successful or not. On April 21, 1783, a rather remarkable poem was published, entitled Local Remarks, in which some of the characteristics of the town are noticed ; and there are clear evidences that the writer was a man with his eyes open and his wits about him. The lines printed in italics are as true of our own time as they doubtless were in that of the writer : — 376 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. April 21, 1783. Local Remarks : A Poem. Hail Birmingliam for Artists so renown'd, Whose modern Fame doth through the World resound The useful Article and pleasing Toy, Its fertile Geniuses alike employ ; Which to complete they do no Labour spare, That Merchants through the World may send their Ware, And Orders bring to carry on the Trade, Which here is on such spacious Basis laid, That all alike whatever they devise, (Un-charter cramp'd) may freely exercise ; But Idleness will find no Sanction here, For men of Business they all revere ; And when hereafter Men rehearse its Fame, They'll speak a Tavlou* and a Boulton's Name, Who here the most ingenious Artists drew. And did the most extensive Plans pursue ; Regardless of whatever might impede, They pushed with Ardour 'till they could succeed : When others seeing what they did ac(iuire. By their example, burnt with equal Fire ; Which in the Arts have such Improvements made, And to the Town brought such extensive Trade, To find employ for all that hither come. Who think it well to leave their Native Home. Then, as such Blessings may attend the Scheme, 'Tis strange that Men the Motive should misdeem, Or strive to quash what (fully understood) So pregnant does appear with public Good ; But Mm there are who erer will impede All public Matters which they do not lead; A Plea, to which some Men of Sense appeal For their not acting in the public Weal, And is the cause of Parish Policy Being so justly marked with Infamy ; But as Imijrovcmcnts now are taking Place, A little time may wipe off the Disgrace ; Then who on it may after choose to write. The Subject will (no doubt) give much delight. As belonging to the fine arts as well as to the manufactures of the town we may quote here the following advertisement. Copies of this • This is the gentleman mentioned with such enthusiasm by Mutton, lie says, "Part of the riches, extension, and improvement of Binningham are owing to the late John Taylor, Esq., who possessed the singular power of perceiving things as they really were. The spring, and consequence of action ; whom we may justly Jam the Shakspear or the iVra'toii of Ids day. He rose from minute beginnings, to shine in the commercial hemisphere, as they in the poetical and philosophical. — History of Birmingham, pp. 73-74. EDUCATION AND LITERATURE. ITJ medal are extant, and we learn that it is a highly creditable example of this beautiful work : — August 4, 1783. — Medal of Dr. Priestley. — This Day is published, in Gold, Silver, and Bronze, taken from the Life and Executed by J. G. Hancock, Birmingham, an Elegant and Striking Medal of Dr. Priestley. The Reverse of which represents some of the Doctor's newly invented experimental Machinery. Sold by John Thornton, near St. Bartholomew's Chapel ; Messrs. Richards, High Street ; Piercy and Jones, Printers and Booksellers, in Dale End ; and Mr. Phipson, New-Street, Birmingham ; by whom Merchants, Factors, and others, may be supplied with any Quantity on the Shortest Notice. Some idea of the scientific knowledge of the time may be formed from this account of an " Uncommon Phenomenon" whose appearance disturbed the propriety of the town and the country generally in August, 1783 : — August 25, 1783. — The uncommon Phenomenon which appeared in the Heavens about Nine o'clock on Monday last, was observed by several Persons in this Town and Neighbourliood. We have likewise accounts of it from all the Adjacent Counties, and particularly from a Gentleman who contemplated it in all its Radiance and Awfulness from Stourport Bridge. Its appearance seems to have been universal throughout the Kingdom, though greatly different in Fomi and Magnitude, and variously represented by each Person according as it was noticed by him from the point of view where he was situated. It passed over this Town in a horizontal direction of N. to S. having a Diameter of about 12 inches or more, and reflected a Light exceeding the full Moon's in her greatest splendour. Its Motion was nearly equal to the Swiftness of the flying of a Bird, and it left behind a Trail of luminous Globes which gradually disappeared. To some it seemed to fall to the Ground, while others represent it as vanishing at once in the Air. We have endeavoured to collect some account of the Nature and Cause of this extraordinary Meteor ; and the foUomng seems to be the most probable. In the first place it was caused by inflammable Air, of which a great Abundance is discharged from stagnate Pools, and as this Air is lighter than our Atmospheric Air, hence, like a Cork in ^^'ater, it rises to the upper part of our Atmosphere in a combined State, and Lightning being much more frequent in the upper Parts of our Atmosphere than nearer the Earth's Surface, a Flash of Lightning would set Fire to this Inflammable Air, then it would bum for a considerable Time, and Action and Re-action being equal and contrary, the Fire blazing from this inflammable Air would cause such a Re-action in the Air as to give it Motion, and so it would continue burning, moving, and casting a long Tail of Fire behind as it went, till all the Inflammable Air was burnt away, and then we should lose Sight of it, like a shooting Star (as they are very vulgarly and erroneously stated) for both these phenomena arise from the ver)' same cause ; the only diflference being that one is on a much smaller scale than the other. Mr. Booth delivered his instructive and entertaining course of Lectures on Natural and Experimental Philosophy, Astronomy, &c., in the Autumn of this year. T,yS A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. The following brief account of an invention will be interesting to the ofun trade : — May 24, 1784. — An ingenious Artist in this Town (an eminent Compass-maker) has lately invented a Magazine Gun, that will discharge 45 Balls separately in two Minutes and a Half; each Ball would kill an Ox at 40 Yards Distance. It is only charged once, and Aim is taken with more Certainty than with tlie common Fowling Piece. In July a day of general thanksgiving was appointed, although it might be difficult to find a sufficient cause for rejoicing. Birmingham, however, with the rest of England did rejoice. John Freeth (under his pseudonym Free) contributed to the mirth on that occasion. The " ingenious mechanic " alluded to in the introduction to the poet's song was Mr. Tutin, the inventor of the Tutanian button."' August 2, 1784. — The following, amongst other songs upon the occasion, was sung before a numerous company on the Thanksgiving day, by that well known songster of the times, J. Free ; at the same time many constitutional toasts were given in honour of the day, by that ingenious mechanic of whom it has been so justly said he " Makes a song and forms a buckle Whilst a pipe's between his lips." Sons of Trade, for mirth prepare, Banish sadness, banish care, With your fires who ne'er look'd back, (Courage tho' they scorn'd to lack) When they found affairs go wrong. Quarrels ending, thus they sung, " Drink and set your hearts at rest, " Of a bad bargain make the best" War, at best, makes evils flow. Public debts and taxes grow, And commotions will create. When ambition sways the State : Since for what's been sent in vain, 'Tis but folly to complain. " Drink and set your hearts at rest, " Of a bad bargain make the best" Tune — Come ye party jingling swains. Now no more to distant lands, Britain hastes her hostile bands ; Pleasing sounds abroad are spread. Commerce rears her drooping head, And to crown the peasant's toil. All around does plenty smile. Freeth celebrated this invention by a song, which will be mentioned in the chapter on that poet. EDUCATION AND LITERATURE. 379 Whilst her blessing Peace imparts, Hear the music of the arts ; Harmony that never ceases, Lathes and hammers, stamps and presses, All their various powers display, Concert joining through the day. Builders now your plans extend, To your projects there's no end ; Noble make the town api)ear, Large and lofty mansions rear ; Birmingham's immense increase. Best will tell the fruits of peace. Through the land may gladness reign, And Hibemia join the strain ; In our ports for every wind Kind that blows, may Britons find Vessels with their sails unfurl'd, Trade and Peace with all the world. In November, Mr. Pitt, " by particular desire," gave his second course of scientific lectures, embracing Optics, Pneumatics, Gravitation, the Air Pump, Pendulums, the expansion and cohesion of Metals, and similar interesting subjects. Birmingham also produced a little original music. The announce- ments of this kind are exceedingly few. We have only met with two during this decade. December 6, 1784. Church Music This Day is published. Eight Anthems, in Score, for three and four voices, adapted to the Use of Country Choirs. Composed by James Kempson, of Birmingham, by whom they are ready to be delivered, at his House, No. 51, Great Charles-street. Price to Subscribers 5^., which Subscription will be continued open to Christmas next, after which there will be an Advance. *^* This will not be continued. On June 6, 1785, this important literary announcement was made : — It is proposed to publish some Original Essays, in the manner of the Spectator, by a set of Gentlemen of this Town and its Neighbourhood. The first Number (which is intended as a Specimen) will be printed on Saturday next. Price Two-pence ; and those Persons who are desirous to encourage the Undertaking are respectfully informed that the Printers hereof will receive any Letters or Papers calculated for this Work, which is designed for general Advantage, and will be entitled The Tutoh In 1787 another circulating Library' was opened : — March 19, 1787. — Literature. — M. and S. Olds respectfully inform their Friends and the Public that they have opened a Circulating Library No. 13, Suffolk-street, Birmingham, 380 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. consisting of a variety of Books, in History, Voyages, Novels, Romances, Adventures, Poetry, Plays, &c., which will be lent to read on the following Terms : — Twelve Shillings per Year ; Seven Shillings the Half Year ; Four Shillings per Quarter ; Six-pence per ^Veek ; or at Two-pence per Volume ; and should their Endeavours meet the Sujjport and Patronage of the Ladies and Gentlemen in or near Birmingham, they will annually make Additions to their Collection, so as to make it a general Repository of useful and enter- taining Literature. N.B. Stationery and Perfumery of all Sorts. One of the forms which the local literature took at this period was that of mortuary verses. These are quite common, and some of them arc very curious : — VERSES on the late Mr. TOMLINSON. By an Old Friend. To mitigate the sorrows of the heart. To ease the mind of every anxious care, To rouse the noble passions, or impart The lenient hand of comfort to despair. To fling the pointed gibe, or raise the joke, With " mirth and laughter," truly, all thy own. To charm the rcitty and the wise provoke Was never Wight so able and so prone. Oft times when grief deprest thy lively fort. Some lab'ring wit would strive to sink thee lower ; As apt you'd check him with a fine retort, And, tow'ring, " set the table in a roar." When cheerful melody and song went round, How apt thy spirits would to these accord ; Or when you pressed on scientific ground. What sweet instruction did thy words aflbrd. When old Britannia's sons her pow'r withstood, Contemn'd her mandates, and revil'd her laws. How greatly would'st thou, with a rapid flood Of eloquence, command applause ! For sprightly sense, and patriotic zeal. And generous ardour ever to maintain, Thy private friendship, and the public weal, " I shall not look upon thy like again." Birmingham, Dec, 1784. j\Ir. Tomlinson was one of the earliest surgeons of the General Hospital. " He was appointed four months after the opening, upon the resignation of Mr. Ward. He may, therefore, be fairly ranked among the first-appointed surgeons. It is a well recognized tradition, EDUCATION AND LITERATURE. 38 1 in professional circles in Birmingham, that Mr. Tomlinson was one of the most expert operators of the time."" One often wonders who the worthies were who were thought deserv- ing of such immortality. For instance, in March, 1 788, died a certain Job Hart, and the universal Freeth paid a tribute to this "truly facetious " man. " But where are his gibes now ? his gambols ? his songs ? his flashes of wit that were wont to set the table in a roar?" Alas ! nothing is known of him but what we learn in these few lines by his old friend : — April 7, 1788. On the death of the truly facetious Mr. Job Hart. Death, who to all must give the fatal stroke, Has struck the Hart, that once teas heart of oak. For many years whose animating powers, Kept constantly alive the evening hours. Prince of convivial mirth, with friendship stored. Fountain of humour at the social Board ; The heart to gladden would his fancy rove, And could the muscles of a Stoic move. By what so freely from his bosom flovv'd, As all he pleased, by all 'twill be allow'd ; Take him when cool, or take him when half mellow, For ready Wit, he has not left his Fellow. F. A few more mortuary verses of this decade may be quoted here. We have previously mentioned the lectures on Heads delivered by Mr. Alexander Stevens — he was called " celebrated " in his own time, though probably but few persons have heard of him since. He died in September, 1784, and these lines were his eulogium and his epitaph : — On the death of the celebrated G. Alexander Stevens. Poor Stevens, alas ! thy Head is laid low. Who all Heads has lectur'd upon ; The tribute though just is small to bestow, To say an Original's gone. On the 20th of April, 1785, died Mr. Reynolds, an attorney, of this town, and the following impromptu accompanied the announcement of his death : — His term-lime is ended, his last brief is read. And the great debt of nature he early has paid. • The Biimingham General HospiuU, and the Triennial Musieal Festival By [J. T. Bunce.] p. 51, 382 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Who was the " truly humourous James Cooke ? " We only know that he lived and died, and found a friend to write these commendatory lines. If they are only half true, all we can say is that we should have had much pleasure in knowing James Cooke : — January 23, 1786. On the death of the truly humourous Mr. James Cooke. Of mortals dispos'd now and then to get mellow, For true comic humour there's not left a fellow ; Diversion his fancy was won't to divide, And oft times with pleasure he sought the brook side. At sun-set with fondness would lap up his twine, And then trip as fondly to Comus's shrine ; His face was the index of jocular mirth, Which always to laughter was sure to give birth ; With the cares of the world very seldom held strife, And lived — tridy lived all the days of his Life. Miss Poynton, the blind poetess of Lichfield, has been quoted from before. She married a Birmingham tradesman, named Pickering, and on the recovery of King George the Third, in April, 1789, the loyal lady indited these lines" : — April 20, 1789. Song on the King's Eecovery, By Mrs. P. Pickering, late Miss Poynton. To my aid, O ye Muses, with cheerfulness throng, While I sing of great tieorge who can best grace my song ; By his people no monarch was e'er held so dear, For his people must love, whom all nations revere. Chorus — Since our Sovereign just Heav'n has rais'd, let us pray, Long live our good King, and Jehovah obey ! How oft did his subjects, with tears and with sighs, Invoke the great Sovereign of earth, sea, and skies. Their much belov'd Monarch again to restore ; The request he has granted — what can be wished more, Chorus — But that health, rosy health, may on him daily smile, And long may he live to grace this fair isle. With what transport the Queen, her great Consort must hear Converse on each topic, with intellect clear ! And how bless'd now this land, since again he can sway The sceptre of reason ! — then let us all pray, Chorus — That Heav'n may on him its choicest gifts show'r, Unrivall'd in goodness, unrivall'd in pow'r. * A copy was lately sold in London to the British Museum Library EDUCATION AND LITERATURE. 383 Let all ranks of people in gratitude join, To the great King of Kings, and Physician divine ; Who has to this kingdom such mercies now shown, Restoring the King, and confirming the Throne. Chorus — Let each loyal Briton join chorus and sing Long life to Queen Charlotte and George our great King. She was paid back in kind. The following lines inform us of the lamentable condition of the gifted, but unfortunate lady : — May 17, 1789. Lines addressed to Mrs. P. Pickering, Neta Street, (late Miss Poynton) a Poetess of Nature, who has been blind ever sittce she jvas Twelve Years old. To thee the tribute of my thanks be paid. Sweet Philomela ! warbling in the shade ! To thee the rolling seasons ne'er disclose The vernal cowslip nor the summer rose ; From thee the moon withdraws her silver light ; To thee the burning blaze of noon is night. Yet has great nature, tenderly unkind. Thy vision darken'd, but illumed thy mind. Fancy, the dear enchantress, still supplies Suns of her own, and brighter, purer skies. Pitying, she taught thy sprightly harp to play ■» f Forbid, great God ! thy glorious works to see, She lifts her sightless eyeballs up to thee ; To thee she listens, cheerfully resign'd. Father of light and life protect the blind ! A Friend to modest Merit. Although -blind, she was not idle ; but assiduously cultivated the ability which she possessed. A second volume of poems from her pen was thus announced : — June 22, 1789. — Mrs. Pickering, of New-street, Birmingham (late Miss Povnton, of the City of Lichfield), begs Leave to acquaint her numerous Friends and the Public in general, particularly the Ladies and Gentlemen of Birmingham, that she intends speedily to publish, by Subscription, a neat Pocket Volume of Poems, price Five Shillings ; containing a great Variety of grave and gay Subjects, never yet published, so interspersed as to relieve each other ; and inasmuch as the Author sustained many Losses in the Year 1770, through unavoidable Contingencies, she hopes each Person will be so kind as to Pay Two Shillings and Sixpence on subscribing, and the remainder on the Pelivery of the Book ; and as she has from twelve Years of Age been deprived of that inestimable Blessing, Sight, she flatters herself the candid Reader will not expect her Works to be embellished with learned Quotations : her Thoughts will wear no other Dress than that of simple Nature, since to her alone she stands indebted. Full many an artless but mellifluous lay, To cheer life's Darkling Pilgrim on her way. 384 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Ye Critics, then, with Candour read my lays, And nobly pity her you cannot praise, For since the little Knowledge I have gain'd Has been from Nature, simple Nature drain'd. Let Charity's fair Veil, ye Critics, cover Those Imperfections Judgment may discover. N.B. — Subscriptions taken in by the Author, at Mr. Pickering's, Saddler, New-street, Birmingham, and by Pearson and RoUason, and Mr. Swinney, Printers. This curious volume was edited by Mr. Joseph Weston, of SoHhull. The poetic contributions, or " effusions," as they were more properly called, of the Editor, and Mr. John Morfitt, occupy considerably more space than those by Mrs. Pickering. Of the poems of the unfortunate lady, the specimens already given will satisfy the reader. Of Mr. Morfitt and his literary labours we shall have to say more in a succeed- ing chapter. The following verses, entitled an " Elegy on Reading George Barnwell," will suffice as a specimen both of manner and matter of Mr. Weston : — Elegy on Rcadittg George Barnwell. No more let buskin'd heroes sweep the stage. Nor purple tyrants swell the solemn shew, While the mind shudders at their frantic rage, But feels no pity for the pomp of woe. Ye scenes of terror chill no more my heart ; Let humbler woes employ the tragic pen : More useful lessons humbler woes impart ; For few are Monarchs, but we all are Men. When youth and beauty unsuspecting fall, The dupes of cunning, and of guilt the prey, The tear humane obeys the tender call, And artless pity sighs her soul away. Yes, generous breasts ! 'tis virtue then to grieve ; Heav'nly the drops that fall on yonder bier : One pitying sigh severest breasts may heave. And stern-ey'd justice drop one pitying tear. Poor ruin'd Barnwell ! much I mourn thy fate, By fiery youth and female arts undone ; Great was thy crime, and thy temptation great : I mourn thy fate, and tremble for my own. Youth of the brightest hopes and firmest truth. What could thy mind to horrid murder move ? Thou once wast spotless, and thy early youth Was dear to virtue, Barnwell, dear to love. EDUCATION AND LITERATURE. 385 Home to my heart thy fatal faiHngs come ; How can I stand the syren pleasure's call ? The youth who mourns thy ignominious doom, Like thee has passions, and like thee may fall. Full well the weakness of the heart I know, When youth impels it, and when beauty warms ; Beauty whose magic glances can bestow On vice such graces, and on ruin charms. With thee, Maria, will I drop the tear ; And what hard heart shall bid our sorrows cease ? Shall -we not join a felon's lips in pray'r, And bid a murd'rer's ashes sleep in peace. A very important step in education was made this year. On October 4, 1790, we read that "the Governors of King Edward's Free School, in this town, have very laudably opened an evening school in their rooms in Shut-lane, for the instruction of forty boys in writing and accompts ; another school is also opened at Mr. Peel's, in Great Charles-street, for twenty boys." It will be seen by this that the idea of having evening schools in connection with the Free Grammar School is not a modern one. Such schools existed in 1 790, and it is to be regretted that they were ever discontinued. We now come to the record of a noble work of art — the stained glass window in St. Paul's Chapel. On January 10, 1791, the follow- ing paragraph appeared : — We have a pleasure in announcing to the public the completion of that masterly performance of a window in stained Glass, intended for the Altar-piece of St. Paul's chapel, in this town, designed by B. West, Esq., and executed by Mr. Francis Egginton, for the sum of 400 Guineas ; a consideration by no means adequate to its value. To defray the expense of which, a subscription was commenced four years ago, and about the sum of 250 Guineas was then subscribed. The window only awaits the necessary preparation, which will be ready the beginning of April next. In the mean time, further subscriptions will be solicited ; and it is hoped that all encouragers of the arts will be inclined to patronise a perforaiance which must stamp the highest credit on the eminent ability of the Artists, and reflect a lasting honour on the town of Birmingham. Two important events are recorded in the next extract — the opening of the window, and the new organ : — March 28, 1791. — It is with great pleasure we can now with certainty announce to the Patrons of the Arts, and to the public in general, that the much admired window of stained glass, representing the Conversion of St. Paul (executed by Mr. Francis Egginton, 386 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. of Handsworth, near this place), and intended for St. Paul's Chapel, will he opened in the ensuing Easter Week, on which occasion select pieces of sacred music will be performed on Wednesday and Thursday mornings. It is also in contemplation to have two Grand Miscellaneous Concerts at the Theatre in the evenings of the same days, and we are authorised to say that the committee, appointed to conduct this musical celebrity, are determined to spare neither pains nor expense to render it highly acceptable to the public. Amongst other principal vocal performers already engaged, are Signora Storace, Mrs. Second, and Mr. Saville ; and among the instrumental are Messrs. General and Charles Ashley, Clark, Harris, Mahon, Bird, Rudge, and Birch. An organ, made by one of the most eminent builders, for the use of St. Paul's Chapel, will likewise be opened on the above Festival. Everyone will regret to learn that this performance was unsuccessful. In May this notice appeared : — The painted window in St. Paul's Chapel, may be seen at any Time by applying to Mr. Cobbe, the Clerk, near the Sign of the Britannia, St. Paul's-square. As the late Musical Performances, intended to defray the Expenses incurred by this Undertaking, were unproductive, it is hoped that those Gentlemen who are desirous of encouraging the Arts and patronizing Merit will generously come forward, unsoUcited, and leave their Subscriprions with the Printers ; there being at this time more than 200 Guineas wanting to complete the Committee's Engagement with the Artist, and to defray the other unavoidable Expences. Mr. Egginton returned thanks for the patronage bestowed upon his work : — Birmingham, May 2, 1791. — Mr. Egginton begs leave to return his most sincere thanks to those Gentlemen who have so generously patronised the Altar-piece in Saint Paul's Chapel ; and assures them that he receives much Happiness from the Approbation which they have been pleased to express of his attempts to merit their Encouragement ; and has only to hope that the Public in general will candidly allow the Difficulties attendant on the Execution of his Work to apologize for its Imperfections. A Society for Free Debate was established in 1789, but the only record of its existence which I have been able to discover is a card of admission for October 15, 1792, which is amongst the rich collection of Birmingham Memorials in the Old Library. It is a very prettily engraved card, and printed in two colours. The following is a copy of its contents : — In veri investigatiom versamur. Society for Free Debate. Instituted in Birmingham, /7 Th' industrious Artisan's o'er-laboured Day, J- Permit one Wish to mingle with her Lay ; ) That Peace with choicest Gifts may bless this Plain, Where Industry and Arts unrivalled reign. Here is another eulogy on one of the many now forgotten celebrities : — To Miss Stageldoir, on seeing her in the Dance called the Butterfly ; and afterwards in the Character 0/ Willi AM, in Rosina. Adorn'd with every attractive Grace, When we behold you first advance. The Loves directed every Pace, And led you through the mazy Dance : Thus, when in Woman's gay Attire, Sweet Stageldoir, you tread the Stage, Each Swain with Instant Love you fire, And every beautious Nymjih with Rage. But wlicn in \Villiam's humble Guise We view your unaffected Ease, And simpleness delight our Eyes, ' And all your rustic Graces please, Each Bosom different Passions move ; Some magic Charm around us plays, — The Female Heart begins to love And all the Men with Envy gaze. Birmingham, July 7, 1783. Viator. The last night of the season of 1783 was for the benefit of Mrs. Robinson, when the Miser was performed. It appears that this lady had previously made an unsuccessful appeal to the public, a fact to which she thus alludes in the advertisement containing her second appeal : — Mrs. Robinson's Benefit (happening unfortunately to be the first) failed to answer the Expectation of her Friends ; the Managers have therefore most politely given her a second Opportunity. This " opportunity " was a favourable one, as we gather from the following rather gushing expressions of her thanks : — September 15, 1783. — Mrs. Robinson presents her humble Respects to that uncom- monly brilliant and crowded Audience, whose Appearance on Monday Night in her Favour must ever be regarded by her as a Mark of the most flattering Approbation, and as a Proof of the most exalted Benevolence. AMUSEMENTS. 39 1 To those many — very many Friends, whose kind Intentions were frustrated by their being, unfortunately, too late to secure Places in the Theatre, her warmest acknowledg- ments are also due. To the Politeness and Liberality of the Managers she considers herself as peculiarly indebted. The only Alloy to such heart-felt Satisfaction is — the Consciousness that no Language which slic can adopt — and, indeed, no Language in the World — can do Justice to her Feelings on this Occasion; but she hopes that, when she has the Honour and Felicity of appearing again before her indulgent and ever-to-be-revered Patrons, the still happier Exertions of maturer Judgment may afford more substantial Evidence of her Gratitude for such unmerited Goodness than it is in the Power of Professions to afford, however ardent or however sincere. In June, 1784, a performance was given for an object which would not be out of place now. Managers might in this case follow the precedent thus set them with advantage. Annual Night for Ornamenting the Theatre, (By their Majesties' Servants) At the Theatre in New Street, Birmingham, This present Monday, June 28, 1784, Will be Presented, A Comedy, called. The Miser. Lovegold (the Miser) by Mr. Yates, (Being his first Appearance this Season.) In looking over these old theatrical advertisements we are more than ever struck with the words of Shakspere when alluding to the ephemeral nature of life, he compares it to " A poor player. Who struts and frets his hour upon the stage. And then is heard no more." How many of our readers have ever heard of the following lady ? And yet in her day she was a woman of some note. July 26, 1784. — Mrs. Whitfield presents her humble respects to the ladies and gentle- men of Birmingham, having had the honour of appearing before them for four years, and never having before troubled them, she hopes it will not be thought presumptive in her soliciting their patronage on Wednesday next, which is appointed for her benefit ; and as she has upon various occasions experienced their indulgence and urbanity, she now hopes for an opportunity to acknowledge their support. Mrs. AVhitfield thinks it incum- bent on her to declare she would not have thought of obtruding her name on the public for a night, but that she was in possession of two new pieces which she meant to produce, but Mr. Colman has positively refused to let them be done ; this she was not aware of till it was too late to give up her night. She begs leave to inform them the play of Oroonoko, as it now stands corrected and pnmed of every exceptionable ])assage, by David Garrick, Esq., is one of the most afiecting and moral dramatic pieces on tlie stage. 392 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Mr. Southern, by every critic of taste and judgment, was declared the most pathetic writer of his time ; his play of Isabella, in which Mrs. Siddons has made so great a figure, is an extant and convincing proof of his genius ; yet, notwithstanding his intimacy with the Tragic Muse, his powers in Comedy were equally commanding, which, according to the fashion of that day, he has most happily blended in the present play; the story is founded on a well known fact. The Farce of The Uevil to Pay, written by the late Henry Fielding, of facetious memory, author of Tom Jones, &c., &c., is too well known to need a comment. Mr. Hull seems to have been the laureate of the theatre. On the 1st of September of this year the following Epilogue, written by him, was spoken by " Mr. Powell, at his benefit." With my Napkin and Book, double ami'd I appear, To pay my best thanks to all visitors here. As Merc'ry of old, in celestial Abodes, Took Charge of the Feasts and the Wines of the Gods, Spread the Cloth, set the Glasses, was all Things in One, And at ev'ry Guest's bidding would skip, fly, and run. Yet sometimes, beside the Castalian Spring, Would deal in soft Numbers, quote Verses, and sing ; So a like Kind of complicate Duty is mine, I now ser\ e up Sentiments — now serve up Wine. I am not quite so thin as the feather'd Cyllenius, Nor so able to fly — nor, by much, so ingenious ; Yet in Zeal, ev'n with him, wll I Challenge a Part ; I've no Wings on my Feet — Mine are all in my Heart — Prompt to answer alike ev'ry Customer's Wishes, Here, in Shifting the Scene — There, in shifting the Dishes. Methinks, tho' I hear a Voluptuary say. Who feels more Delight in a Dish than a Play, " In your Sentiments, Fowler, I find no enjoyment, " I'd rather encourage your other Employment ; " Damn your Poets and Plays !— and here ! — set before me " A Plate of your high-seasoned rich Calipee ! — " Your Shakespeare ! — what point did he shew his great sense on " That's worth our Remembrance ? — O yes — he lov'd Ven'son ; " Of that he has left us a story behind ; " And in that, and that only, I'm quite of his Mind." Yet others we meet with, more polished and sage. Who can relish the Bottle or relish the Page ; Of Humour convivial and Judgment refined. Feasting sometimes the Palate, and sometimes the Mind. Against Ven'son, or Turtle, obtruding no Reason, Yet think Shakespeare and Handel are always in Season. AMUSEMENTS. 393 'Tis mine then to study the Taste of each Guest, And, in either Employment to please, do my best ; And whether I offer a Page or a plate-full — I'll be ever attentive and ever be grateful. Here was a bontie-bcnufie for the curious ! — November 15, 1784. — New and extraordinary Exhibition at the Assembly Eoom in the Square, Birmingham. This, and each Evening during our short stay, will be exhibited a Variety of Performances, as is at present unrivalled in any Part of Europe ; singular, pleasing, amazing and entertaining. The Exhibition of Bees surpasses belief, which nothing but ocular demonstration can convince. The Performances in Winter make it more curious. The Scientific Dog from Sadler's Wells, occasioned such Bursts of Plaudits which excelled any Exhibition of the Kind. This docile Animal answers the Description given by the famous Philosopher, Pythagoras, whose Instinct is scarce to be distinguished from the Reason of Man. Tight Rope Dancing and lofty Tumbling by two eminent Performers from the Theatre Royal, Dublin. Likewise a wonderful Mechanical Figure, large as Life, from Italy, allowed by the Connoisseurs in Mechanism to surpass anything of the Kind in Europe or elsewhere. N.B. To enumerate Particulars would be too tedious to insert; let it suffice, tliat the Proprietors pledge their Honour to the Public for the due Performance of what is here inserted. The Doors to be opened at Six, and the Performance to begin exactly at Seven o'clock. — Boxes Two Shillings, Pit One Shilling ; Gallery Six-pence. The town was not only favoured by the presence of the "learned dog ;" a " pig of knowledge " was also exhibited at the same time. We learn this fact from the following lines : — November 22, 1784. Extempore lines on seeing the Pig of Ktunuledge. Since old Noah's days, if traditions we trace. Many wonders appear of the quadruped race ! The fam'd learned dog, who his letters could tell, Was the dog of his day that was known to excel : Many others to please and amaze stand confest ! But the pig for sagaeity rivals the best. People write about the degradation of the modern drama, and com- plain of sensationalism, burlesque, and other not quite " legitimate " usurpations of the stage. In the days that are no more, dancing dogs were sometimes the attraction. A troupe of these clever quadrupeds performed here in 1 785. Birmingham, Monday, February 21. — The celebrated Dancing Dogs which crowded the theatre at Sadler's-Wells, in London, so much last year, are arrived in this town, and will exhibit their astonishing performances to-night at the New Street Theatre, after the entertainments of rope and wire dancing, tumbling, and other feats of activity by the famous Little Devil and the rest of the company firom Sadler's Wells. — A good band F 3 394 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. of music is engaged. The theatre has been properly aired, and from the great expence which has been incurred, and the excellence of the performers, the exhibition, it is expected, will be of a superior kind to any similar thing which has been seen in this town. Nor were entertainments of another kind wanted. Those days had their Maccabes, and similar monologists. Here is the announcement of one of them : — April i8, 1785. — For Three Nights only. — On Wednesday next, April 20th, will be delivered the celebrated Satyric, Humourous, and Entertaining Dissertation upon Faces ; lately brought out, and repeatedly performed at the Theatres Royal in Chester and at Liverpool, during the Oratorio Week, with universal applause. Written, and to be delivered by Mr. Cowdroy. Part I. — An occasional Exordium ; the Face of an Alderman ; the Face of a Poet ; the Face of a Nabob ; the two faces of a Lawyer ; the two Faces of his Client, with the striking Effects of a Law-suit on his Figure and Countenance; the two Faces of a Bum Bailiff; the Face of a Country Parish Clerk ; the emblematical Figure of an exotic Dancing-master ; the two faces of a Music master, and the striking Effects of a Discord on his Muscles ; and with a whimsical Instance of tlie Power of Music over the Hearts of a Group of Taylors 1 In Part i. a view of Mount Parnassus; also a whimsical Dialogue between an Alderman and a Poet. End of the First Part, the Contrast, or National Degeneracy exemplified in the Figures of a wounded British Sailor, a Frenchman, and two modem Macaronies. Part 2. The Face of the late Hyder-Aly ; the Face of a Highwayman ; the two Faces of a Lottery Office keeper (before and after the Drawing) with his Motto ; the Face of a Naturalist ; the Face of an Astronomer ; the two Faces of a modern Politician ; the face of a learned Pedant, with his Speech as President of a Debating Society ; the two Faces of an unlearned Pedant ; the Face of a Man a week before, and three weeks after Marriage ; the Married Man's Coat of Arms ; the Faces of two Politicians contrasted ; a Dialogue between three English Characters, a Debtor, a Porter, and an old Soldier, on the Subject of an Invasion ; the two Faces of a Senator (in and out of Place) with the powerful Influence of a Pension on his Lips. The three Faces of a Tabernacle Teacher : His Street or Public Countenance ; his Parlour, or Home Countenance, and his Spiritual or Conventicle Countenance ; with a modern Tabernacle Harangue, in which he will give a Characteristic Lick at Air Balloons ! or the Fashionable Rage of Dancing in the Clouds. The Faces, Figures, &c. entirely new, and painted by that admired Artist, Mr. G. Wilkenson, whose professional Abilities are sufficiently evinced in his Productions at the Theatre Royal, Drury-lane, London, and at the Theatre of Sir Watkin Williams Wynne, Bart. — Admittance 2s. — Tickets to be had at Pearson and Rollason's, Printers. The doors to be opened at Seven, and to begin at half-past. Note. The Place of Performance will be timely mentioned in the Hand Bills.* In 1786 Birmingham was honoured by the performances of La Bella Espagnola, and the " inimitable Little Devil." The advertisement of their coming is followed by this paragraph : — * This Bill is also given in Brooke's Liverpool from 1775 to 1800. AMUSEMENTS. 395 March 27, 1786. — The lovers of feats of activity have now an opportunity of gratifying their taste in the completest manner. The astonishing performances of the Little Devil and La Bella Espagnola, at the New-street Theatre, are beyond description. The company consists of the choicest performers from Sadler's Wells, and their various novel amusements will not, perhaps, ever be seen to such great perfection in this town. Envy and malice will not let the good name of even a Little Devil alone. The one who visited Birmingham this year was declared not to be the real one, and a curious paragraph gives this contradiction to the rumour : — April 3, 1786. — A malicious report having prevailed, that the Litde Devnl at the New- street Theatre is not the real one ; he takes this opportunity of assuring the Public that he is the true and only Little Devil, and that there is no other Devil in the kingdom like him ! Here is a report of one of the many cock-fights which disgraced the period : — April loth, 17S6. — On Friday last ended the main of cocks fought at Woore, between James Bayley, of Stapley, Esq., (John Boyer, feeder) and the Gentlemen of Cheadle, (Obadiah Keats, feeder). The main consisted of 24 battles, 13 of which were won by the former, and 1 1 by the latter. Boyer won 1 2 bye battles and Keats four. On June the 3rd we learn that the original philosophical speaking fieure, at this time the wonder and astonishment of the world, is to be seen at the Bell Inn, Dale End. Our next extracts furnish us with a great expectation on Bell Ring- ing, which has long been highly popular in Birmingham, and the report of how it was realised : — October i6th, 1786. — It is expected that ne.\t Monday's Festivity amongst the sons of Change-ringing, will, if possible, far exceed any of the former anniversaries at this place ; for, exclusive both of the gentlemen of this town, and from other parts, who honour St. Martin's Society with their company, it will this year be augmented by a complete band of that ancient and respectable Society of College Youths from London, who intend being partakers of the unanimity and concord which is always known to prevail at this annual meeting. The admirers of ringing will have an opportunity of hearing the last mentioned gentlemen display their abilities on the bells at St. Martin's, which, from their well-known judgment and experience, will certainly be in a most masterly manner. October 30th, 1786. — Monday last being the Anniversary of Saint Martin's Youths, they were honoured by a very large and respectable company, part of which consisted of the College Youths from London, who began at St. Martin's the performance of their favourite and manly exercise about ten o'clock in the morning ; but after ringing in the most masterly manner for one hour and twenty minutes, the clapper of the great bell unluckily broke, and it was nearly three hours before it could be repaired, when the Society witli their usual spirit recommenced their exercise, and went off for a peal of 396 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Treble Bob, twelve in ; but so great a part of the day had been spent in repairing the clapper, that after ringing upwards of four hours, the darkness of the evening obliged them to conclude, when about seven minutes more of daylight would have enabled them to have completed a peal which was universally allowed by the best judges in the art to exceed everything ever heard on these bells. A riding academy and amphitheatre was opened in Livery Street, well known as Swann's."' Here is a brief description of the place : — March 26, 1787. — A correspondent remarks, that amidst the many works of extra- ordinary skill and ability with which this seat of art abounds, the lofty and capacious Riding School, now erecting in Livery street, is not the least worthy the public attention. He means no fulsome compliment to the architect, for his name is unknown to this writer ; but he ventures to assert that the whole in design, construction, and execution, cannot but do him the highest honour ; for that a building of such magnitude should be supported without a single pillar of any kind, is no mean proof of judgment and capacity. — The dimensions of this extended pile of building are 112 feet long and 58 broad, and the whole is upheld by large beams of timber running parallel to each of them, and strapped together with iron. This year was also distinguished by the appearance of a youthful prodigy called " The Musical Child," whose performances are said to have caused much " astonishment to several numerous and polite audiences." But a still greater treat was afforded to playgoers by the appearance of the great John Kemble for a limited engagement, during which he played Richard the Third, Othello, Hamlet, and other Shakesperian characters, but of the success of this wonderful player not a word is said, nor is there the slightest notice of his performances except in the advertisements ! During his stay, however, the following notice appeared, not, it will be seen, referring to him : — July 2nd, 1787. — In consequence of the Gallery Tickets having been forged, none will in future be issued, and nothing but Money taken at the Gallery Door. Young Astley visited Birmingham this year, and was preceded by a series of notices which must have kept up the expectations of the public to the highest point. On October 8 we are told that the town, " in the course of a few days, will have in it one of the first horsemen in all the world. Young Astley." This is followed on the 15th by another puff preliminary : — " When Young Astley arrives in Birmingham, he intends to complete his Riding School as soon as possible ; it is said that ^500 will be expended for accommodating the public to see this equestrian hero." * This \v.-is afterwards Livery-street Chapel, and the site is now occupied by the Printing Offices of Messrs. Billing, Son & Co. AMUSEMENTS. 397 We rcOTet to learn that throuofh a shameful act of wanton malice the town and the profession were near losing the Little Devil and La Bella Espagnola : — November 5th, 17S7. — The Little Devil and La Bella Espagnola, who are confessedly unrivall'd in their profession, were near making their exit in a very disagreeable way, on Friday Evening, at the Theatre in this Town. Some evil-minded person in the pit having diabolically cut the tight-rope in several places, which certainly endangered the limbs (if not the lives of the performers). It was, however, happily perceived time enough to prevent any misfortune, though it deprived the audience for that night of some part of the agreeable and wonderful performance. We hope the managers will, in future, appoint some faithful person to detect the perpetrators of such cruelly wanton acts, and spare no expence in punishing them. The public and the faculty are at the date of writing this"" invited to witness the feats of a " man with an iron jaw." Our ancestors of 1 788 had a like phenomenon to e.xcite their wonder and astonishment. They had not only a stone lifter, but a stone-eater ! — June 9, 1788. — Shakespeare Tavern, New-street, Birmingham. — Stone Eating. — The present is allowed to be the Age of Wonders and Improvements in the Arts ! Nor does the History of Nature afford so extraordinary a Eelation as that of a Man's eating and subsisting on Pebbles, Flints, Tobacco Pipes, or mineral Excrescences. But so it is ! and the Gentlemen and Ladies of Birmingham have now the opportunity of witnessing the extraordinary Fact ! by seeing one of the most extraordinary Phenomena of the Age. The wonderful Stone-E.\ter appears not to suffer the least Inconvenience from so ponderous and, to all other Persons in the A\orld, so indigestible a Meal, which he repeats from Eleven till Twelve this Day at Noon, and also from Four in the Afternoon till Eight in the Evening, every Day in the Week, and positively no longer. Admittance each Time One Shilling. N.B. — The Original Stone Eater is obliged to be in London on the loth of August next. Nor was it reserved for the " wondrous nineteenth century to furnish a female Hamlet." On Monday, August 3, 1789, was performed at the Theatre, in New Street, a " Tragedy called Hamlet, the part of Hamlet (for that night only) by Mrs. Taylor." The lady, deeming that such a thing might somewhat surprise the play-goers of the day, enters into a defence of her conduct, and names the great precedent of Mrs. Siddons. On the same day as her advertisement was published we find this puff objurgatory : — August 3, 1789. — However new and extraordinary it may appear for a female to undertake the character of Hamlet, it should be remembered it is not without an excellent precedent in the present state of the Stage. That admirable actress, Mrs. Siddons, • March, 1867. 398 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. has appeared in it, both at Liverpool and Manchester, to the great delight of crowded Audiences, and with great reputation to herself. There is then no wonder that Mrs. Taylor should avail herself of such an example ; nor can there be any doubt but that her well known taste and judgment will afford universal satisfaction. She adds the perform- ance of the Child of Nature to the arduous character of Hamlet, in which she was original at Manchester, and which she repeatedly performed there to full houses with general satisfaction. The writer hereof hopes therefore that these two exhibitions united will attract such an elegant and numerous audience as Mrs. Taylor's merit, both in public and private life, may, without presumption, seem to deserve. The " gods " of those days must have been a rude and turbulent set. We remember when very violent scenes were enacted in the upper regions of the Theatre Royal, affording an instructive contrast with the quiet and orderly conduct which now characterises the occupiers of those lofty seats. But the most uproarious acts which we have witnessed there in our youth did not prepare our minds for such shameful and disgraceful proceedings as those recorded in the following notice : — New-Street Theatre, August 25, 1788. — A Reward will be jjaid by the Manager of this Theatre to any Person who will discover the Ruffians who have thrown, and hereafter shall throw Bottles, Plates, Apples, &c., at the Actors, and upon the Stage during and after the time of Performance. It is hoped every one who is Witness of such daring Insults to the Public, will lend their Assistance in bringing Offenders to Justice who commit such wanton Outrages against that Peace and Order which is necessary to be observed in all Places of Public Amusement. The Reward \vi\\ be immediately paid by Mr. Saunderson at the Theatre, to whom Information is requested to be sent. Our next extracts introduce us to a new entertainment. The lines we have italicised reveal a curious state of society in which it was necessary to make such an announcement. What were the early per- formances, when, on their reproduction, by the entreaty of ladies and gentlemen, " objectionable parts " had to be omitted ? December 14, 1789. — Messrs. Carey and Kean having had Occasion to call at Birmingham in their Way to Ireland, have been desired by some of the most distinguished Characters in the Neighbourhood to open their Evening Lounge, at Mr. Cresshull's Assembly Room. Their System consists chiefly of a great Number of Theatrical and Senatorial Imitations ; the Theatrical ones, Vocal and Rhetorical, interspersed with favourite Passages of Poetical Description : some few real Characters in Life, which stand very prominent in the World, will be whimsically delineated : and Messrs. Carey and Kean hope, that at this dull and morbid Season of the Year, that their Regimen will prove a proper Exhiliration to the Human Spirits. They purpose to present their Entertainment for three Evenings only, to light the Room with wax, to have AMUSEMENTS. 399 good Fires, and to begin at Seven o'clock this present Monday, the 14th of December. Admittance Two Shillings. December 21, 1789. — In Mr. Cresshull's Assembly Room, Messrs. Carey and Kean meant to have declined a Repetition of their Evening Lounge, had they not been entreated by many Ladies and Gentlemen to present it once more to the Public, which will be this present Monday Evening, the 21st instant; when, for that Evening, will be recited, the Matchless Maid of Morpeth, a celebrated Legendary Tale ; and all objectionable Parts of the Entertainment will be omitted. Particulars will be mentioned in the Handbills. There will be good Fires, and will begin precisely at Seven o'Clock. On May i8 this preliminary paragraph appeared: — "We hear that the Proprietor of the wonderful Philosophical Fire Works will exhibit them for four Nights, in the New-street Theatre, in this town. This much-admired novel e.xhibition forms one of the most surprising and splendid spectacles that can be imagined." On the 25th of May, we have this account of the strangely-named pyrotechnic display : — The Philosophical Fire Works, to be exhibited at the New-street Theatre on Friday next, have an advantage over all other works of the kind, in being perfectly free from any disagreeable smell and not occasioning the smallest danger. The astonishing and delightful displays they afford, exceed description, and have been the wonder and admiration of every observer here and in foreign countries. The Royal Academy of Sciences in France have, in a memorial published for the King's satisfaction, spoken of them in the highest terms. This is followed by a more detailed advertisement : — May 25, 1789. — By Signor Genetti. — At the New-street Theatre, on Friday next, the 29th of May instant, will be displayed, the grand Exhibition of the newly-invented Philosophical Fireworks, (Produced from Inflammable Air), being the invention of the late ingenious Mr. Diller, and performed by Mr. Pitt and Mr. Adams (Pupils of the late Mr. Diller), who experienced so much of the Public's Patronage during its Exhibition at the Lyceum, London ; which comprise the following Pieces : — A fixed Flower. — A Sun turning round, varying in Figure. — A Star varying. — A Triangle. — A Dragon pursuing a Serpent. — A Star of Knighthood. — A Flame proper for Light-houses, to the Splendour and Brilliancy of which the Rays of 100 Patent Lamps, collected in the same focus would be much inferior. — A central Piece, that undergoes 120 Changes of figure, and produces several Thousand Flames. — The Prince of Wales's Arms and Feathers, and an Aerostatic Branch, &c. The E.xhibition appears to have been successful, for on the first of June we read : — High as expectation had been raised, it was more than completely answered at the exhibition of the Philosophical Fire Works, and Concert, in the New-street Theatre, on Friday last. The beauty and vividness of the various colours of fire could not be exceeded, the variety of forms which the works assumed and represented astonished every beholder, and raised the highest ideas of the mechanical and philosophical talents of that man who invented the complex machinery which produces such delightful eflects. 400 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. If at all equal to the description, the performances mentioned in the next paragraph, must have been worth seeing : — Birmingham, Jan. 25, 1790. — The Family of the Hamiltons, who have been so long countenanced in Chester, Manchester, and Liverpool, when even the London Comedians were in that Town, have opened their Comic Extracts at Mr. CresshuU's Assembly Room, in the Square. By accounts received from a distant Correspondent, we may expect a finer Field of Theatric Amusements than have been exhibited here by any single Family. He observes, " To say nothing of the Merits of Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton, who have been long trained to the Manoeuvres of the Stage, for they, like several itinerant Comedians, may be found striking performers, but in junction with their Daughters, their beautiful assemblage of juvenile Actresses, is scarcely to be found ; as the soft musical Pathetic of Miss Hamilton, the retentive aspiring Genius of Miss M. Hamilton, and the energetic Originality of Miss C. Hamilton engages the silent observer; her Lingo, Captain Flash, Touchstone, Scrub, and Motley, are pure Excellences ; her diminutive Figure, justness of Speech and Action, must force the cold, the involuntary smile. It may be said of her, as is told of poetic Geniuses, that Poeta nascitur iioii Jit, the Poet is not made but born ; and this infantine Performer seems evidently born for the Stage." The Hamiltons played at Mr. CresshuU's Assembly Room in the Square, and " by permission " theatrical representations were given. During their stay they played such pieces as G. Coleman's Nature will Prevail, Scenes from Cymon, the then popular farce of Miss in Her Teens, scenes from the School for Scandal, the Waterman, the Miser and the Irish Widow. They also introduced a new piece, called the Milliners, or Female Revenge. Their performances elicited this eulosfistic criticism : — February 22, 1790. — Our Town has for these few weeks past been presented with several of the most pleasing Entertainments, both in the Vocal and Dramatic Line. In our last Paper but two, we ventured to predict the Satisfaction which the Public were likely to derive from the inimitable Eftbrts of the Children of Mr. Hamilton, and we are happy to find that those who have last Week visited the Assembly Room in the Square, will say they have not been disappointed, but that their expectations have been fully and completely gratified. At the same time, also " by permission," the performances mentioned in the next advertisement were added to the amusements of the people : — February 8, 1790. — By Permission. — At the Red Lion Great Room, in Digbeth, this and every Evening, during a short Stay in this Town, will be presented a great Variety of new and pleasing Entertainments, by Sieur Richard's Company of Performers from London. Sieur Richards will perform various Philosophical and Mathematical deceptions never before exhibited but by himself. He will likewise perform several Tricks with a Watch, viz. : — He will ask any Gentleman in the Room the Hour of the Night, when being informed, and supposing the gentleman meant to deceive him, he will, at the farther End of the Room, command the Works of his Watch out of his Pocket (leaving the Cases) when it will appear AMUSEMENTS. 4OI to the Satisfaction of the Audience that his Suspicions were well founded. He mentions these Deceptions particular, but will perform above 100 others, equally surprising. A Hornpipe, by Master Blight. Also a Concert of Vocal and Instrumental Music, accompanied by the noted Sieur RosignoUe, jun., who will imitate all Kinds of Birds with his Throat. To which will be added the much admired Les Ombres Chinoises, or the Broken Bridge. Doors to be opened at six, and begin precisely at seven o'clock. Pit, One Shilling. Gallery, Sixpence. The holiday and sight seekers of Whitsun-fair were this year attracted by a Hving fairy. Language, it seems, was too weak to describe the graces of this extraordinary creature and her companion. Tom Thumb and his wife have had their predecessors ; and these were in Birmingham in 1 790 : — May 24, 1790. — To be seen in Birmingham, during the Fair. However striking a curiosity may be, there is generally some difficulty in engaging the attention of the public, but even this is not the case with that graceful Couple in Miniature, Mr. Thomas Allen and Lady Morgan, the celebrated Windsor Fairy, who is now in the Thirty-second Year of her age, and only Eighteen Pounds weight. The curious of all degrees may resort to see them, being sensible that prodigies equal to these never made their appearance among us before, and the most penetrating have frankly declared, that neither the tongue of the most florid orator, or pen of the most ingenious writer, can describe the beauty and elegance of those phcenomena of nature, and that all description must fall infinitely short of giving that satisfaction which may be obtained on a judicious inspection. N.B. — Ladies and Gentlemen waited on at their own houses if required. Anecdote of their Majesties on the first introduction of Lady Morgan, when her benevolent Majesty recommended her to the royal protection. When George the Third with pleasure view'd Each native symmetry endu'd, And no one gift unseen ; * # # When thus with kind complacent look, Reply'd his far-fam'd Queen : " Father of hearts, whose royal care " Bids ev'ry breast thy glory share, " Sur^'ey that polish'd mould ; " Around that small, yet wondrous form, " Let Povcrty's^afflicting storm, " Never its rage unfold ; " But as she owns the greatest King, " Let her in future gladness sing, " And feel thy bounteous sway." He smil'd consent with placid eye, Bid ev'ry trace of sorrow fly, And cheer'd her cares away. • There is evidently a line missing here, which the reader can supply as fancy dictates. G 3 402 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. These phenomena were followed by one of a different order : — July 26th, 1790. — A Living Ventriloquist. — The Inhabitants of this Town and Neighbourhood may now be gratified in seeing Mr. Burns, the surprising Ventriloquist, who is just arrived from London, and may be seen at Mr. Westley's late Shop, opposite the Castle Inn, in the High-street, in this Town. He possesses the Faculty of speaking inwardly, without moving his Lips, Tongue, &c., and the Voice seems to proceed from every other Quarter of the Room than that in which he is. Mr. Burns converses and sings Songs as a Ventriloquist, and these can be by no Confederacy, that Deception which is practised by proprietors of Speaking Figures. If the Curious miss this Oppor- tunity of seeing such a Phenomenon, another may perhaps never again present itself to them. Admittance, Ladies and Gentlemen, is. ; Tradesmen, 6d. ; Working People and Servants, 3d. The next quotation affords us another Picture of the amusement of the gallery audiences at the Theatre : — August 2nd, 1790. — New-Street Theatre, Birmingham. — As many Complaints have been made to the Manager against some Person or Persons unknown, for having wantonly thrown Bottles, Stones, Peas, &c., into the Pit and on to the Stage ; This is to caution such Persons in future, not to be guilty of the like again, or they will be prosecuted with the utmost Severity ; and a Reward of One Guinea will be given, by applying to Mr. Sanderson, at the Theatre, to any Person or Persons giving Infor- mation so as to convict any Offender or Offenders guilty of the like Wantonness for the future. The " Grand Amphitheatre" in Livery Street was sold this year, and the advertisement of the sale gives us a good description of that place of entertainment : — August 30th, 1790. — Amphitheatre. — To be Let, or Sold by Private Contract, all that newly-erected and spacious Grand Amphitheatre, with the three Dressing Rooms and Offices, Boxes, Pit, Gallery, Circus, Stage, Orchestra, Scenen', and other Appurtenances thereto belonging, situated in Livery Street, Birmingham, which contains in Length 140 Feet, and 54 Feet in Breadth, and is capable of containing near 2000 Persons within one entire space ; the same is holden under a Lease (with other Premises) in which upwatds of 56 Years are yet unexpired, and is subject to a Ground Rent of 20/. The Building is in every Respect firm and substantial, and there can be no Doubt of its proving an Advantageous Bargain to a Purchaser. For further Particulars, and to treat for the same, either upon Lease or Sale, apply to Mr. James HoUyoake, near Bromsgrove, or to Mr. Richard Chambers, Attorney at Law, Deritend Bridge, near Birmingham. Letters (Post paid) will meet with proper Attention. \* This Advertisement will not be continued. The Unitarian meeting houses were destroyed by the riots in 1791, and for a time the congregation met in one part of the Amphitheatre. Another part was tenanted by a juvenile company of actors, or amateurs, we cannot learn which. The following curious incident is related as occurring in December, 1791, " The wall which separates AMUSEMENTS. 403 the Union Meeting from the Theatre occupied by the juvenile com- pany, at Birmingham, does not reach to the roof, so that they can hear each other distinctly. It was somewhat curious, that about a fortnight since, both parties met accidentally to rehearse at the same time — the choir and part of the congregation, to prepare for a charity sermon, and the comedians, to rehearse the tragedy of Douglas; and while one of the buskin was bellowing, " Thou'rt all a lie, and false as hell," the pious assembly, on the other side of the wall were almost rending the air with " Hallelujah, Hallelujah !" Our next brief paragraph takes us to one of the most common and most barbarous of the amusements of our ancestors. Perhaps nothing illustrates more completely the change which has taken place, and the advancement which the people have made, that the fact that almost on the spot where this cruel sport was indulged in, stands one of our branch Free Libraries : — September 6, 1790.— On Tuesday evening a bull that was being baited near Gosta- Green broke loose from the stake, and though he threw many people down and ran into a house in Aston-street, where there was a poor woman and child, very fortunately no serious injury was done to any one. The Theatre advertisements contain some verj' curious announce- ments, which vividly bring before us the changes which the years have wrought in their progress. For instance, in the advertisement of January 14, 1791, announcing the Winter Amusements at the Theatre, New Street, we read, "The Theatre will be illuminated with wax." And again : — Mr. Osborne respectfully informs the Ladies and Gentlemen of the Town and Neigh- bourhood, that the Theatre is now wanned with Stoves, which the Proprietors have been at the Expence of erecting, whereby it is rendered as warm and comfortable as a sitting- room. Ladies and gentlemen " are desired to send their servants early to keep the places in the boxes which have been taken," the sovereign public of those days evidently not recognising the right of any one to have an unoccupied seat. In this year a gentleman amateur, with all an amateur's belief in his own powers, essayed the character of Hamlet. If the following notice is not coloured by partiality, it was a pity such an amateur should not have become a professional : — 404 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. January 31, 1791. — Most highly gratified was every lover of the drama, at our Theatre, on Wednesday night, by the respectable Gentleman who undertook the part of Hamlet ; and the crowded and fashionable audience were soon convinced that the true-bred Gentleman only could exhibit on the stage the ease, the elegance and dignity of the accomplished Prince. We shall not assume the arduous task of pointing out all the beauties of his perfonnance ; suffice it for us to unite in the general opinion that we never saw so just an exhibition of the character of Hamlet, nor such feeling and discriminating powers in representing (without any of the usual theatrical rant) the various emotions of the agitated and unhappy heir to Denmark. On June 6, the players of the day read this welcome announcement : " On Wednesday next, our Theatre opens ; and that charming comic actress, Jordan, appears in the character of the Country Girl." Of the performance we have this notice : — June 13, 1791. — Mrs. Jordan, the celebrated actress, made her first appearance here on Wednesday night, in the character of the Country Girl ; till that time she was only known in this town by her extended fame, and the report of those persons who had seen her upon the London stage, which, however lavish it might have been in her praise, we may truly say has but done justice to the wonderful comic talents which she then exhibited to a most fashionable and crowded audience. The best test of her uncommon abilities is that which holds good in all professions, namely, the great income it secures to her; the sums of money she receives from her salary and benefit at Drury-lane, and her engagements in the Country, amounting, as it is supposed, to upwards of three thousand pounds annually. Our theatrical collection for the decade closes with a disappointment and an apology : — Birmingham, September 12, 1791. — To the Public, As Mr. Yates has been prevented obliging his Friends with the Play of the Miser, which was desired and intended for this Evening, he thinks it his Duty to acquit himself of any seeming Want of Respect due to a Generous and Liberal Public. He was ready and willing to perform his Part, but there were not a sufficient Number of other Performers to get up the Play with that Propriety he could wish, most of them being gone either to London or Chester. Mr. Yates therefore trusts no Part of the Disappointment will be imputed to him ; and, with a grateful heart, he begs the public Acceptance of his most sincere thanks for that kind Indulgence and Liberality he has experienced this Summer, and he hopes whatever Errors may have happened during this Season will be corrected in future. § 5. MANNERS, CUSTOMS, ETC. A very few extracts will furnish us with all that need be said in this section. We have scarcely any change to note in these the most permanent characteristics of humanity. The first quotation MANNERS, CUSTOMS, ETC. 4O5 which we make refers to a race now almost extinct, but then of great importance : — July I, 1782. — The Spirit of Opposition amongst the Sons of the Whip was never greater than at the present Time, the Coaches this last Week having run from London to this Town in fourteen Hours. A Correspondent begs of us to desire those Tradesmen who have lately become Adventurers in the lucrative Employment of Coach-driving to Caution their Guard (whatever Coach may be near them) against firing his Blunderbuss any more in that wanton Bravado and daring Manner which he did on Friday Morning last, in Nettlebed Lane, near Nettlebed Wood, Oxfordshire. The following extract shows to what a fearful evil the votaries of one of the fashions of the day were subjected. The horrors of the chignon gregarines were nothing to it : — September 8, 1783. — The following singular Circumstance a Correspondent sends us as a Fact, and desires its Insertion, as a Caution to the whole Corps of Frizeurs, against their using any unction but such as has been well prepared. A gentleman sometime since, during Divine Sen'ice in one of our Churches, perceived several Maggots upon his Cloaths, and he soon discovered that they fell from his full-dressed Peruke, which however had not been worn for some weeks past. As they were not unobserved by his Neighbours he was under the disagreeable Necessity of retiring from his Devotions and quitting the Church. — Upon examination he found that the Cause of their extraordinary appearance and Production must alone be attributed to the bad Pomatum, or rather the Ointment, or some other Matter which was improperly made use of in its Stead, in the Dressing of his Wig. Here is a model matrimonial advertisement : — October 11, 1784. — .A. Good Husband Wanted. — A Country young Women, with good Health and a tolerable person, brought up in an honest and plain AV'ay, about Twenty Years of Age, and whose Father she thinks will give her ^^500 down, if she marries with his Consent, offers herself for a Wife to any sober, good-tempered, well-looking young Man, between Twenty and Thirty, who is settled in a good Trade in Birmingham, or that Neighbourhood, in which she promises to give every Assistance in her Power. Direct for Miss M. E., Post-paid (for no other Letters will be received), to be left at the Printers, with real Names, and explain Particulars ; and if, from the Enquiries a Friend will privately make for her, she is so fortunate as to meet with an offer she shall like, she will soon find a Way to be introduced to the young Man, and if he then likes her, and will marry, he shall have an obedient and good Wife. N.B. — My Father says Trade is belter than the Farming Business.— Secrecy may be depended on. Here is the record of a wonderful event : — November 29, 1784. — Last week an honest taylor, not an hundred miles from this town, with two companions, went to a neighbouring village, where they so merrily enjoyed a few hours, that when they quitted the hospiuble roof to return home the former could not discern the village church. " However," says he, " if I cannot see the church, I plainly can the stile, which is enough for me, knowing thereby I am in the right road." So saying he bestrode what he thought was the stile, which instantly rose up and disappeared with its rider, to the great amusement of his companions, who courageously pursued the stile to 4o6 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. give assistance to their friend Snip. Just as they came to the spot the taylor had been kicked off, and without staying to examine the workmanship of his wooden horse, he no sooner set his foot on terra firma than off he flew ; hedges and ditches, bogs and stagnant pools in vain opposed his rapid progress, for he arrived at home in a very short time safe and sound ; his countenance (like the jovial hunter's) was flushed with that agreeable glow which nought but exercise in open air can give, and as his cloaths were much torn and rent and covered with dirt, it is very evident he ought not to be called a lazy sportsman. His two companions loitered a few minutes to examine the stile, and, without spectacles, could plainly distinguish it to be a cow. As it lay across the footpath no wonder the taylor, in the dark, mistook it for a stile, considering his situation, and the great resemblance they bear to each other. Whipping at a cart's tail was one of the common punishments of the time. Such events are, however, seldom recorded, unless some unusual circumstance attended the execution of the sentence, as in the following instance : — April 10, 1786. — We insert the following as a caution upon any similar occasion. During the punishment of the offenders on Thursday last, who, agreeably to their sentence at the Assizes, were publicly whipped in this town, a woman who attempted to interrupt the Ofiicers in the e.xerution of their duty, by endeavouring to raise a riot, was immediately apprehended, and is now confined in our Dungeon for the said offence. We give our readers one specimen of the poetic advertisements of the time : — Birmingham, September 25, 1786. Advertisement. Fine Teas, China-ware, and Glass of the best, Coffee, Chocolate, and Cocoa that will stand the Test, Stone Blue, Poland Starch, and Rice Caroline, New Mustard Flour, best, second, and fine. All kinds of Spices, neat as imported, Moist, Powder, and Lump Sugars, properly sorted ; Turkey Figs, new Currants, and Raisins o'th'Sun, Also Malagas, Prunes, and curious French Plumb : Blacking Balls, the best of any in Town, W. P. for to i)lay at, Laugh and Lie Down ; With many more Articles, I wish you to know. May be bought of T. Farror on Terms very Low. His Warehouse in Bull Ring is No. Thirty-eight, And Shop to sell Retail is in Temple Street. Auctioneering performed, we* take Leave for to mention : To insuret your Property I beg your Attention. Servants were a trouble in those days as they have been since, and we suppose will be to the end of time. The inserter of the following advertisement was clearly a bit of a wag: — *In Tartnership with W. Goode, No II, New Street. + .Vj^eni to the rhttunix Fire Office, Lombard Street, London. MANNERS, CUSTOMS, ETC. 407 September 25th, 1 786. — Servant Women of all Work wanted immediately, in Birmingham. Any industrious Person of good Character, that can cook plain Victuals, keep a House clean, and do it without being continually drove to it (as there is no Mistress to order her) may attend to this Advertisement. There is only a little Boy and a Gentlemen in Family, and the Child goes to School. An honest, sober, pleasant tempered Woman, who answers the above Description, and is clean in her Person, will be preferred, and will be informed by the Printers of this Paper where to apply. Wages from Five Pounds a Year to any Sum they ?nay merit. All the heavy Linen and Shirts are washed out. None from the Register- offices need apply. Of all the methods of raising money for a charitable object, one of the most curious is that of begging from people on whom one had per- formed the awful operation of extracting a tooth. To attempt to draw money from the purse after teeth had been drawn from the head was certainly to perform the work of benevolence under difficulties. Yet such a plan was once tried in Birmingham, and was successful ! As witness the record : — December 4th, 1786. — We are glad to hear Mr. Clark, the respectable dentist, has been so much employed in his profession all last week ; since his benevolence will soon accomplish its purpose, that of saving a poor family from ruin, in consequence of a law- suit, the costs of which amount to upwards of ^^19, and which Mr. Clark has generously undertaken to collect from the liberality of those who apply to him to have their teeth drawn. Notice to correspondents are very few in the old papers. Here are two which appear in one day : — December nth, 1786. — The quantity of poetry which we have received this week, upon the death of friends, &c., we must decline inserting ; and as the publications of such articles is incompatible with the plan of this paper, we hope our friends will not in future load us with the unnecessary expence of postage on such subjects. Philanthropist cannot suppose we can insert such a charge as his from an anonymous correspondent. A disgraceful practice of the redoubtable members of the old P. R. is exposed in the following extract. We believe the custom here pro- tested against has not entirely disappeared from that very honourable fraternity : — May 14th, 1787. — As sham fights have been so frequent of late, which entice a number of useful hands from the different manufactures, to the great injury of the town, we are induced to insert an account of a battle which happened about a fortnight ago, and came on to be heard at the Court of Requests on Friday last, in which a plaintiff sued for i/. 19s. nd., being part of 50s. lost at a battle. The debt being denied, the Court enquired into the nature of the claim, when it appeared as follows : — The defendant, who \vas himself an adept in fighting, had procured two disciples of the fist to fight a sham battle, that profit might be drawn from the imwary. But as disgrace always 408 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. attends the vanquished, a dispute arose between the combatants which should be winner. One of them being much the tallest could not consent to be beaten, and the pride of the lesser could not submit without an additional guinea. A Sidesman was enlisted for each, who was to share the booty ; about ten guineas were won by those in the secret from those out. All the parties were present. The Court remonstrated against so rascally a practice, and expressed their regret that none of the parties had been beaten enough ; that they degraded tlie character of men, and were destructive to the harmony of Society. The money fraudulently won ought to be returned ; and the plaintiff was as much entitled to the whole sum as to that for which he sued ; that if the defendant would promise to pay the other ten shillings, they would make an order for the sum demanded in as easy payments as he should desire ; but if he refuse, they would make an immediate order for the whole, and instantly commit him to prison until it was paid. The defendant willingly acquiesced in the proposal, promising never again to be concerned in so vile a practice ; and observed with sorrow, that " his case was hard, for he was obliged to give a guinea of his winnings to one of the Sidesmen, a noted bruiser then in court." The Commissioners replied, they should not be satisfied with lopping off the branches of an evil, but endeavour to pluck it up by the roots ; that if he choose to bring the Sidesman, the Court would not only assist him in recovering his guinea, but any other person who had been taken in by the knowing ones. On March 23, 1789, a Peter Rabalio, of 18, Edgbaston Street, weather-glass maker, advertises a lottery for the disposal of his goods. There are to be 104 tickets at Half-a-Guinea each. We are told, with a coolness which shows the advertiser's great faith in the credulity of the people, that " The Clock alone is worth considerably more than the Price of the Tickets." He adds as an excuse for, or a justification of his proceedings, these words in small caps : — " Necessitas et Honestas compellunt me." Peter Rabalio was not an Englishman. Our ne.xt records a shameful hoax practiced on one John Dudley: — March g, 1789. — Twenty Guineas Reward. — Whereas John Dudley, living with Messrs. Heaton and Duperoy, Birmingham, received on Friday last, a Letter bearing the Oxford Post-mark, containing the following Lines : — " Our dear Mother now lays dangerously ill. I need say no more to bring you and Samuel here immediately ; my Heart is nearly broke ; God bless you both. Adieu. Signed, A. Dudley. February 23, 1789. — ^VVhich Lines caused the said John Dudley and his brother to ride post upwards of sixty Miles : — A Reward of Twenty Guineas will be given to any Person who shall discover the writer thereof to be paid on Conviction. Apply to Mr. Dudley, Windlebury, near Bicester, 0.\on ; or to John Dudley, at Messrs. Heaton and Duperoy's, Birmingham. Wife selling was rather a common habit in those days. The reports of the sale of these wretched women were rarely given ; but this admonitory paragraph shows that the practice was of frequent occurrence : — SUNDAY SCHOOLS. 4O9 March i, 1790. — As instances of the sale of wives have of late frequently occurred among the lower class of people, who consider such sales lawful, we think it right to inform them that, by a determination of the courts of law in a former reign, they were declared illegal and void, and considered (a light in which religion must view them) as mere pretences to sanction the crime of adultery. Slow as true and genuine improvement is amongst the people, we certainly have made some well-ascertained progress in morals and social habits, since such an incident as that related above was a rather common event. We have not entirely freed ourselves even from this stain on the social life of the people, and wife beating is now of daily occurrence, and is, of the two, perhaps, a worse crime than that of wife selling. SUNDAY SCHOOLS. The first Sunday School in England was founded by Mr. Robert Raikes, of Gloucester, in the year 1781. In a remarkable letter, which will be quoted shortly, he narrates to a correspondent the cause which led him to undertake this philanthropic labour. The good seed thus quietly sown soon yielded a rich harvest, and Sunday Schools were established year after year, not only in our large towns, but in the Agricultural Districts. Birmingham was, we rejoice to say, very early in following the example. There is, at least, reason to doubt whether the first Sunday School at Gloucester was opened in the end of 1 78 1 or the beginning of 1782. However this may be, it is quite certain that a meeting was held in this town, early in 1 784, to consider the advisability of raising subscriptions, and forming a society for the purpose of founding and supporting Sunday Schools. The clergy- men of the Church of England were very active in this work in Birmingham, and to the Revs. C. Curtis and J. Riland belongs the honour of having taken the initiative in this matter. The first meeting was held on the 7th of July, 1784, and on the Sunday ne.xt to M ichaelmas Day in the same year twelve schools for boys, and twelve for girls were opened in different districts of the town. With the characteristic energy of the inhabitants, in less than three months after the subject had been introduced, schools capable of accommodating at least seven hundred and twenty children of both sexes, together with 4IO A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. the necessary teachers, had been provided. We now proceed to give the history of this important undertaking : — July 5, 1784. Sunday Schools. The Utility of these Seminaries for the Instruction of the lower Class of People, and for a due Observance of the Sabbath, being proved in different Parts of England : — A Well-Wisher to such a laudable Institution requests the Inhabitants of Birmingham to meet on that Business at the Hotel, on Wednesday Morning, the 7th inst., at Ten o'Clock precisely. This meeting was held, but neither the name of the Chairman nor of the gentlemen who called the meeting are given. It was, however, resolved that such an Institution be set on foot, and that an annual subscription be immediately opened for that purpose. The sum of ;^32 was subscribed at the meeting, and a number of Rules were adopted to be laid before a general meeting, to be held on the 27th, and subject to such alterations as might then be determined on. Rules and Orders for Sunday Schools. I. — That the Management and Direction of these Seminaries be vested in a Com- mittee, chosen from the Subscribers at large. II. — That the Town be divided into Twelve Parts ; and that Two Schools (the one for Males and the other for Females) be formed in each Part. III. — That Two Subscribers, by Rotation, visit the Schools in each District ; and that they make their Report, written down in a Book provided for that Purpose. IV. — That the Committee meet every First Monday in the Month, at , for the Purpose of auditing the Accounts, giving Orders about the Teachers, and reforming Abuses. V. — That the Committee order and regulate the particular Hours for the Scholars attending on the Sabbath Day. VI. — That no Children be admitted who are under Six Years of Age ; and that none be excluded because of riper Age, but rather have the preference to those that are younger. VII. — That all Persons employed in the Manufactories shall have the Preference as to Admission. VIII. — That nothing whatever be taught in the Schools but what is suited immediately to the Design of the Sabbath Day, and preserving young Persons from Idleness, Immorality, and Ignorance. IX. — That the Committee provide proper Books for the Use of the Scholars ; and that they grant such Rewards to the Diligent and Orderly as to them may seem useful and of general Advantage. X. — That the Scholars in each District, with their respective Teachers, go to Church or Chapel both Morning and Afternoon. XI. — That the Committee have a Power to fix a Salary for the different Teachers, SUNDAY SCHOOLS. 4II XII. — That the Names of the Scholars be called over each Time of their being in the School, in the particular parts of the Day ; the Absentees be enquired after, returned, or excluded. XIII. — That the Scholars be catechised in the School or the Church, some one Part of the Day, by a Clergyman, or some other appointed by him ; the Schools being always open to the Clergy of the Town. XIV. — That all the Subscribers, in the respective Districts, who visit the Schools, and also all the Church and Chapel Wardens, with their respective Sidesmen, be requested to pay what -Attention they can to the Streets and Environs of the Town, in Order to prevent People idling about, and playing on the Lord's Day. XV. — That a Copy of the Rules, so far as they relate to the Teachers and Scholars, be hung up in each School, and read aloud every Month. Resolved, — That such Persons who are inclined to subscribe to this Charity, be requested to give in their Names to any of the above gentlemen who attended the Meeting. It is but an act of gratitude which we owe the benevolent men who began this good work, to reproduce the names of those who attended the first meeting and gave the first subscriptions. They were the Revs. Charles Curtis, John Riland, Thomas Price, John Clutton, Charles Lewis Shipley, and John Turner ; Messrs. W. Bedford, W. Villers, T. Simcox, S. Hammond, E. Johnstone, M.D., G. Simcox, T. Price, R. Lloyd, G. Wright, W. Smith, T. Cooper, T. Green, T. Bellamy, C. Norton, J. Allison, I. Westley, T. Lutwyche, W. Holden, and T. Hood. With the report of this meeting is printed a letter from the Leeds Intelligemer on the subject of Sunday Schools in that town. It is as follows : — To the Printers. — Gentlemen, — As several Enquiries have been made by different Townships into the State of the Sunday Schools at Leeds, with a view to establish some- thing similar in different parts of this Kingdom, I beg leave to inform the Public, through the Channel of your Paper, in what manner this Institution was begun here and in what State it now is. The Town is divided into eight Parts for the purpose of collecting the .\ssessments, &c. A Paper was written upon the sad Consequences which flowed from the Liberty which all sorts of young People have in this Kingdom of abusing the Sabbath-Day, and upon the Advantages which might arise from Sunday Schools. This Paper was carried about in one of the Divisions by two Shopkeepers, and Subscriptions solicited of all who wished to encourage the Attempt. The richer Inhabiunts freely subscribed. Masters and Schools were then sought for, and Notice given to the poorer Inhabitants, and the Sunday following, about two Hundred Children were assembled belonging to the Division. — The ne.xt week the same Steps were pursued in a second Division, and the same success attended them ; and so on till Schools were established for all the Town. As circumstances require variations take place. At present there are Twenty-eight Schools, Forty-nine masters, and about Two Thousand Scholars. The Subscri|)tions pay everything, and the Purse is a Common one, only there is in each Division a Treasurer, 412 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. who receives and pays all in it, ami who, if he have too much for liis rciiuirenients, assists others who have less. Schools, Rooms, and Masters are hired according to the Value or Merits of each. Wood is purchased in Battins, for Seats, Writing Desks, &c. A Joiner employed at so much per day to make them. Books are also provided by the Subscrip- tions and Benefactions, excepting only some Presents from private Persons. The Schools begin at One o'clock. At Half-past the names are called over. P-ach master has a list of his own Scholars. The Scholars read, or if they can read well, they learn to write, till three o'clock. The Masters then lead ]iart of the School, in order to the three Churches, and return with them in the same manner. The Rest go down at Si.\ o't lock to Evening Prayers in turn. — Some of the Children say the Catechism at Church. — Tliey next go one at a time or two to get a little refreshment, and return immediately. At half-past five the names are called over again, and those who are absent marked again. Towards I-A-ening the Masters sometimes read a little in the Bible or other Book to tliem. Then sing part of a Psalm, and conclude with a form of Prayer, composed and printed for the Purjio-se. As they read or write, the Masters endeavour to show them the wickedness of Sabbath- breaking, Lying, Cheating, Gambling, &c., and to inform them of the duties of Religion and Morality. Five of the Clergy visit the Schools at their pleasure, anvn from the Institution, if this request of the Committee is complied with. An Account of the Moneys received and expended : Dr. Balance as per Statement to Michelmas, 1786. . . . Sundry Benefac- tions and Sub- scriptions to Michaelmas, 1787. . . . £ s. d. 1-82 21 I 1-411 ^1^493 6 5 Cr. £ s. d. Teachers' Salaries 424 17 o Books 840 Stationery 19124 Secretary 880 Sundries 2100 Use of the Public Office ... 1311 Balance in the Hands of the Treasurer 28 1 1 2 ;£'493 6 5 By the above Report and Statement of Accounts, the Committee trusts that the Subscribers and Friends to the Schools will find that their generous Contributions have been applied with Prudence agreeable to their good intentions, and as the same prudent Application will be made of future Benefactions, and the same, if not greater. Advantages 420 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. will in all Probability be derived from the Schools, it is hoped that the present Subscribers to this Charity will continue to it their Countenance and encouragement, and others also be induced to follow their laudable example. Resolved, — That the thanks of this Meeting be given to the Chairman. C. Curtis, Chairman. Partly in consequence of rescinding the resolution which allowed the Sunday School Children to attend their own places of worship, and partly from their desire to give a larger secular education, the Unitarians established in 1787 a Sunday School in connection with, but independent of, their own chapel. No sectarian doctrines were taught ; and for the (quality of the instruction given, this school soon became, and continues to be, one of the most successful in the town. It is probable that the establishment of this school is one of the difficulties mentioned in the next report of the Sunday Schools Committee. On the completion of the fifth year since their foundation, the following report was laid before the public : — Sunday Schools. Birmingham, 2nd October, 1789. — The fifth Year being now completed since the com- mencement of this very laudable and useful Institution, the Committee think it their Duty to lay before the Public a Report of the present State of the Schools in this Town. They have much Pleasure in observing that the important Ends originally proposed by this Institution are, in a very extensive Degree, answered on the Scholars in general ; and, considering the Impediments which have arisen from the Negligence of many of their Parents, the Attendance has been as full and regular as could well have been expected. Discouragements will arise in the Prosecution of every Design for the Public good ; but they earnestly hope, that through the unremitting Attention of the respective Visitors, aided by the liberal Support and Influence of the Subscribers, those Difficulties which have hitherto impeded the more general Utility of Sunday Schools in Birmingham will gradually be removed. The Committee are happy in expressing their Gratitude to the Subscribers at large for the very generous Support this Institution has already received from their Bounty, and they trust the Experience of its growing Utility to the Poor of the rising Generation will operate as a sufficient Motive for the Continuance of the Bounty in future. The Committee would be wanting in Duty did they not express the high Sense they entertain of the Diligence and Attention of the Visitors, by whose Exertions the Interests of this Charity have been so essentially promoted. It is earnestly retjuested by the Committee, that the Subscribers at large would exert themselves in enquiring after such Objects as they shall deem proper for Admission ; and that they would, at the same Time, direct their Parents to accompany them to the Public Office, where the Committee meet regularly once a Fortnight, on the Tuesday Evening, for that Purpose. The State of the Finances will enable the Committee to extend the Rewards of Diligence this Year, by the Gift of Bibles and other Books which may be considered proper for the Improvement of the Children. The Rev. Mr. E. Burne, Chairman. REVOLUTION COMMEMORATION. 421 The Committee of Sunday Schools in account with Robert Coales. Dr. 1789. £ s. d. To Teachers' Salaries 361 11 3 12 5 8 10 8 o II 10 o o o 6 Books., 5 Stationery 8 Secretary 8 Sundries o Public Office 2 Balance in hand 115 ^501 12 10 Cr. 1788. Sept. 27. By Balance ,, Subscriptions. £ s. d. 69 6 i\ 432 6 4j ^501 12 10 1789, Sept. 30. By Balance in hand 115 o 6 J. DoLEY, Secretary. Thus, step by step, the good work progressed. The 1,800 children taught in Sunday schools in 1788 have increased to 26,600 in 1867, for whose reception there are 62 schools, and a staff of zealous, voluntary, and unpaid teachers, exceeding 2,500 in number, who give up Sunday after Sunday to rescue the children of the poor from the slough of ignorance and sin. " Verily, they have their reward." REVOLUTION COMMEMORATION. The " Glorious Revolution of 16S8 " was an event of which English- men may well be proud. It was the final overthrow of the Stuarts and their Bourbon rule in this country, and the commencement of a new era in the history of English libert)-. It is true that the seed then sown was a long time growing, and still longer in bearing fruit. We had to pass through the long and sterile reigns of the four Georges, during which politics were, for the most part, a mere battle between Whig and Tory, for place, power, and pence. During the reign of the Third of that name, Orangeism was in especial favour, and, by the almost coincidence of date, the glorious Revolution and the deliverance from the Gunpowder Plot were celebrated together. The loyalists of Birmingham were not behind the rest of the nation, and on October 27, 1 788, this advertisement was published : — Revolution Commemoration. As many of the principal Inhabitants of Birmingham, have determined to com- memorate the Glorious Revolution of 1688, by Dining together on the Fourth of 42 2 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. November, this Notice is given, that the Company of any Friend to our happy Constitu- tion would be acceptable : and it is desired that such Gentlemen of this Town and Neighbourhood, who intend to favour the Celebration by their Attendance, would please to send their names to the Bar of the Hotel as soon as possible. Dinner will be on the Table at 3 o'clock. Stewards H. Clay, Esq., High-Bailiff. Mr. S. CoLMORE, Low-BailitT. Edward Carver, Esq. William Kettle, Esq. On the 3rd of November a short paragraph was published giving the following information on the forthcoming commemoration : — We learn from various parts of the kingdom, that great preparations are making to celebrate the 4th and 5th inst. with uncommon festivity. At York, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham, Derby, Hull, Sheffield, and Norwich, the inhabitants have, by public advertisements, declared their intention of commemorating these auspicious days. Our dinner upon this occasion, on Tuesday, we perceive from the names already given in, will be most numerously and respectably attended. The Ball will be at the Hotel on Wednesday evening, and the gentlemen who chuse to attend it are particularly desired to leave their names at the Bar of the Hotel before twelve o'Clock on the preceding day. We are happy to declare that in consequence of the objections which almost universally prevail against illuminations, the Committee of the Centennial Meeting in this place, to-morrow, have determined not to illiuniiiate the Hotel w/iere they are to assemble; and we hope there are none who had intended to light up their windows, but who are such friends to unanimity as to desist from their resolution. The authorities also issued the following notice : — November 3, 1788. — Revolution Jubilee and Gunpowder Plot. — The Officers of the Town respectfully inform the Public that no Illuminations, Bonfires, or Fireworks, will take place on the Celebration of the above Days, on Tuesday and Wednesday next, and hereby give Notice that proper People will be stationed in different Parts of the Town to apprehend all Persons letting off Serpents, Rockets, &c. ; and such as are found offending will be prosecuted to the utmost Rigour of the Law. The report of this commemoration is the fullest we have yet met with of any local event, except that of the Debate on the Theatre Bill. This is the record of how Birmingham celebrated the anniversary of the glorious Revolution of 1688, one hundred years after it occurred, and almost eighty years ago : — On Tuesday and Wednesday last that happy era of civil liberty, the Revolution of 1688, was celebrated in this place w^th the greatest concord and festivity. The morning of Tuesday was ushered in by the ringing of bells and other demonstrations of joy ; and at three o'clock the assembly of Gentlemen, who had met to commemorate the day by dining together at the Hotel, was more numerous and respectable than any ever known in the town. It consisted of the High Sheriff and the Members for the County, of REVOLUTION COMMEMORATION. 423 the Magistrates and principal persons of the town and neighbourhood, and of persons of every persuasion. The majority of the company was dressed in blue coats, with orange capes, having on beautiful emblematical buttons, manufactured by ingenious gentlemen of the town. They likewise wore, pendent on an orange ribbon, elegant silver medals, which were struck upon the occasion. Of these medals a quantity of a different metal were distributed among the populace. Our High Bailiff, Henry Clay, Esq., presided at the dinner, which did credit to the Masters of the Hotel ; and after the cloth was drawn the following toasts were given : — The King, and a speedy and perfect restoration of his health — The Glorious Revolu- tion, and the immortal memory of the Great King William the Third — Old England and its Constitution — Queen and Royal Family — The Prince of Wales, and perpetuity to the Brunswick line — May the unanimity of this commemoration seal the extinction of parties — May posterity revere the jirinciples of 1688, without being compelled to assert them— The universal propagation of liberty and benevolence — The memory of those who effected the Glorious Revolution, and may it never be forgotten by their descendants — May the principles of the Glorious Revolution never want supporters — May the King enjoy his rights and the people their liberties — The wooden walls of Old England — May the com- merce of Old England increase, her navy flourish, her representatives be honest, and the people free — The friends of freedom throughout the World — The town and trade of Birmingham, and may commerce ever support and be supported by freedom — Mr. Howard, and the friends of Humanity throughout the World — Unanimity among all the sons of freedom — The man who dares be honest in the worst of times, &c., &c After the King's health had been drank, the music played and the song of God save tlie King was sung by a performer in the Orchestra, who was joined in chorus by every voice in the room, and early in the afternoon the following Ode, composed by a gentleman of the town, and set to music by Mr. Clarke, was performed under his direction. Recit.\tive, Accompanied. O Glorious scene ! In fifteen hundred eighty-eight A Virgin Queen, With manly fortitude replete, Eliza ! whose immortal name. Stands foremost on the roll of fame, When the Armada, pride of Spain, Beneath which groan'd the trembling main. Appeared in view of .-Mbion's coast, She, fearless of the mighty host, .Air. The vaunting foe to meet, Dispatch'd her nimble fleet. Which long the fight maintain'd. And blooming laurels gain'd ; Till Drake and Howard on them bravely bore, And dash'd them howling round her rocky shore. 424 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Regit., Accompanied. The second James \Vho bore in Britain regal sway, Our annals shames, For freedom then expiring lay, Religion liid her sacred head, And Law, by Jeffries frighted, fled. Despotic pow'r, her front uprear'd And nought but Freedom's plaints was heard : But when arriv'd the great Nassau, The friend of Liberty and Law ; Air. With generous rage inspir'd. With love of freedom fired, Our brave forefathers join'd The friend of human kind And hail'd him Europe s Saviour and their own. Then hurl'd the trembling tyrant from his throne. Regit., Accompanied. The Storms of State Succeeded happiness unmix'd, And Britain's fate Was on a solid basis fi.x'd. Duet. Now Commerce with her pleasing train, Of Arts and Sciences here obtain A lasting seat, the Muses here To Fame and Freedom ever dear. Chorus. This glorious revolution Confirm'd our Constitution, And by a right divine Fix'd here the Brunswick Like ; Till time shall end may they reign o'er the free, And our great grandsons keep this Jubilee. Several songs written upon the occasion followed, the evening was spent with the greatest mirth, good humour, and harmony, and a great part of the company did not quit the room till between three and four o'clock the next morning. At the Free-masons' and other taverns, different companies likewise met, to com- memorate the day ; and at night the principal streets of the town were illuminated. The transparencies and ornamental lights at the Hotel were very beautiful ; over the door was a transparent portrait of King William ; in the window on the right a large transparency inscribed, "Sacred to the Immortal Memory of the Great and Glorious King William III. The Asserter of Liberty, and the Deliverer of Nations. The Preserver of Britain, and the Terror of France." In the window on the other side, " To the Immortal Memory of the THE BALLOON MANIA. 425 Great and Glorious King William III. He was Great without Pride, Valiant without Violence, Victorious without Ostentation, and Cautious without Fear." Over the portrait was a brilliant crown, and the initials G.R. were beautifully deciphered with variegated lamps. On Wednesday night a ball was given to the Ladies at the Hotel ; the company was numerous and brilliant. The ladies were mostly in fancy dresses decorated with ribbands of blue and orange, and the gentlemen again appeared in their uniforms and medals ; the latter of which were also worn by most of the ladies. Previous to the ball, the Ode was again performed in the room by a full band. The arrangement and conduct of this Jubilee throughout reflects honour upon the Stewards and Committee. There was not the least rioting in the streets, or accident of any consequence from the fireworks ; all was orderly and peaceable, and every person who partook of the entertainment, perfectly satisfied and happy. Here is a little side-light of the great commemoration : — November 10, 1788. — On Wednesday (being the 5th of November) the officers of the town assembled and supped at the Shakespear Tavern, and spent the evening with much conviviality. They drank the following toasts : — The King^Church and Constitution as established by the Revolution — The Queen and Royal Family — The present Ministry — Commerce and Navigation of Great Britain — Members for the County of Warwick — Baron of Birmingham — Success and unanimity to the trade and town of Birmingham. The affair terminated in the formation of an Annual Revolution Union Club; which, however, did little more than assist in celebrating the Jubilee : — Revolution Jubilee. November 10, 1788. — \\. a meeting of the Committee, on Saturday the 8th of November, it was Resolved, — That the Subscription paper to the Annual Revolution Union Club do remain open for three months only, in the hands of the present Stewards. That the Committee consider it their indispensable Duty to make public Acknowledgment to their Neighbours of every Class, for their very regular and peaceable Behaviour on tlie Jubilee Nights. That this Committee, on Behalf of themselves and the general Body of Subscribers, return their best Thanks to the Stewards for their obliging and unwearied attentions upon the occasion, and for the Judicious manner in which the whole was conducted. Henry Clay, Esq., Chairman. THE BALLOON MANL\. This decade was distinguished by the commencement of aerial navigation ; which rapidly grew into a popular mania. The first ascent made in England was by Signor Lunardi, who ascended from Moor- fields, London, on September 15, 1784. He was followed by Blanchard and Jeffries, who, in i 785, made their celebrated journey from Dover to Calais. All the country rung with this achievement. Nothing was spoken of but air balloons, and " argosies of magic sails." It became K 2 426 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. the absorbing topic of the day, and Birmingham early participated in the enthusiasm. On the 9th of February, 17S4, Mr. Sadler ascended from Oxford. The balloon rose at half-past one, and fell about four on the same day, at Stanted, in Kent, upwards of 79 miles distance from Oxford. " Mr. Sadler, we (Aris's Gazette) understand is constructing another balloon, which, when completed, will Measure 54 feet in circumference, and contain 22,842 gallons. It is to be filled with air extracted from burnt wood, a method entirely new, and whicli has hitherto been unattempted in this kingdom." In November of the same year the Birmingham people are informed that "The balloon with which Mr. Sadler, of Oxford, lately ascended, will next week, with the whole of the apparatus, be brought to this Town and cxiiibited in the Theatre, and two gentlemen will, in a short time afterwards, ascend with it from this place." This editorial paragraph was followed by an advertisement : — ^ROSTATION. Birmingham, November 25, 1784. — Mr. Sadler, of Oxford, presents his compliments to the Ladies and Gendemen of Birmingham, and its neighbourhood, and respectfully informs them that the Grand Balloon, with which he attended the twelfth of this instant, at Oxford, is now suspended at the New Theatre, and will be exhibited for public inspection, together with the car and the whole of the apparatus, every day, from ten in the morning till eight in the evening (when himself and his brother, will personally attend), previous to its ascending from a convenient place in the vicinity of this town. Persons desirous of gratifying their curiosity by examining this splendid machine, are requested to attend as early as possible, or they will have no opportunity of seeing it here after it has ascended. — Admittance One Shilling each. The balloon came and was exhibited. If the following impromptu is to be accepted literally, the exhibition was very successful, and the price of admission satisfactorily low : — r December 6, 1784. IMPROMPTU. On Seei/ig Mr. Sadler's Balloon. The Stately Balloon, that's an Englishman's boast ! (Whilst crowds to the Pantheon drive), With amazement I view ! — but One Sliilling the cost, I would not have missed it for Jive. Mr. Harper was the aeronaut who was to ascend in Mr. Sadler's balloon. On December 13, this notice appeared : — "We hear that Mr. Harper, whose intention it was to ascend with his Balloon the week before Christmas, has, at the desire of many Ladies and Gentlemen, deferred his jerial tour tiU the Holidays." THE BALLOON MANIA. 427 The excitement increased. The balloon was removed from the Theatre to the Tennis Court, in Coleshill Street, and a day was named for the ascent. These particulars are given in the following advertisement : — December 20, 1784. — Mr. Harper respectfully informs the Public, that the exhibition of his Balloon closed on Saturday last for a few days ; that he will unavoidably be at a very great Expense in fitting up the Tennis Court, and filling the Globe ; he therefore wishes those Ladies and Gentlemen who wish to encourage him, and intend honouring him with their company on the day of his Ascending, the 29th instant, will apply as early as possible for Tickets. N.B. A very strong Platform is erecting by an experienced workman, where Ladies and Gentlemen will be perfectly secure, and have the whole command of the Process ; and great care will be taken that they meet with no obstruction in coming to the Tennis- Court. The first attempt was a failure, and, as was only too frequently the case on such occasions, the mob created a disturbance. It was only by a bit of good luck that the balloon escaped destruction. January 3, 1785. — In consequence of repeated advertisements in the papers announcing Mr. Harper's intention of ascending from this place in Mr. Sadler's Balloon, strangers of ever)' denomination, in carriages, upon horses, and on foot, crowded into this town from all parts of the Country ; and on Wednesday morning incredible numbers poured in from break of day till eleven o'clock (the hour fixed for the balloon's ascending). The bells were rung at Nine, which was the signal by which Mr. Harper informed the public it was his intention to ascend that day, and that the balloon was filling ; but unfortunately through a failure in the process, it was found impossible to launch the machine that morning. As soon as this was known to the surrounding multitude, they assailed the scaffolding erected for the accommodation of those who had paid for seeing the balloon filled, at first throwing sticks and stones over it, and at length proceeding to pull it down, which they partly eflfected, notwithstanding the spirited exertions of the constables, and officers, and other gendemen of the town, some of whom were much hurt. Four of the rioters were taken into custody ; one had his skull fractured, but we are happy to say no lives were lost. The balloon was luckily conveyed away before the mob had got into the Tennis Court, othenvise it would certainly have been destroyed. Tuesday next is the day fi.xed upon for the second trial, which we doubt not but will succeed, from the united endeavours of the several scientific gende- men who have undertaken to assist Mr. Harper. As soon as the balloon is filled that day, the bells of St. Philip's Church will ring, and an honr afterwards Mr. Harper purposes to take his ?erial tour. In consequence of the disturbance that happened on Wednesday, four men were lodged in the dungeon for assaults, and damage done to the platform, &c., in the Tennis- Court, and one man for assaulting Mr. Freeth, the constable; but the Magistrates, unwilling that these alone should suffer for the faults that many others were concerned in, have discharged them, upon their making proper concessions for their offences. 428 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. We hope the extreme lenity shown to the above Men will prevent similar disturbances upon the day when the Balloon is to ascend ; and have authority from the Afagistrates to inform the public, that all persons guilty of the like offences will be punished according to law. The first ascent was made on Tuesday, January 4. The following is the report of this notable event :— January 10, 1785.- — On Tuesday morning last in consequence of the ringing of the bells in St. Philip's Church, the signal by which Mr. Harper informed tlie public that the Balloon was nearly filled ; and that it was his intention, notwithstanding the fog and rain which was continually falling, to ascend that day : one of the most numerous concourse of people of every denomination, of strangers and inhabitants, on foot and in carriages, which has at any time, perhaps, been collected in this town, assembled at the Tennis-court, and thronged all the adjacent p.arts. Dr. Withering, Mr. Southern, and other scientific gentlemen had kindly undertaken to superintend the filling of the machine, wliich was completed by 1 2 o'clock ; and about a quarter of an hour afterwards Mr. Hari)er with great resolution and composure, seated himself in the car, amidst the acclamations of the spectatons. Two ladies, after presenting him with a pair of flags, launched the balloon, which slowly rising over the scaffolding of the platform, exhibited one of the most pleasing and sublime spectacles. After it had rose for a few seconds, it suddenly descended almost upon the heads of the multitude that occupied the ground behind the Tennis-court ; but Mr. Harper throwing out some ballast, instantly re-ascended with tlie greatest rapidity, and bearing away in the direction of N. by N.W. was (owing to the hazy and foggy weather) out of sight in about a minute and a half In the first six minutes after his ascension, the rain fell very heavily, but in four minutes more he had shot above the cloud, and with a clear sun shining upon him, he passed through the purest ether, making such observations as his philosophical friends had suggested. The barometer at the time of his ascent stood at twenty-eight inches and three-eighths, which indicated a degree of raining of the atmosphere not frequently known, which, together with the larger quantity of water that had accumulated upon the balloon and its surrounding net, very considerably diminished the power of the ascent of the machine. The cold was by no means so intense as might naturally have been expected, as the thermometer at no time was lower tlian twenty-eight degrees on Fahrenheit's scale ; at his ascent it stood at forty : He gradually ascended for the space of thirty minutes, at which time it is computed, he was elevated four thousand three hundred feet above the earth. The course of Mr. Harper's voyage was directly over Staffordshire, and at Trentham, the seat of Earl Gower, he had descended so low as to make himself heard by a person in the Park, whom he hailed with his speaking trumpet, and enquired of him liow far it was to Birmingham. " Forty miles, master," says the honest countryman, " but you are going the wrong road." At length, about two o'clock, the air of the balloon being much expended, he finally descended at Milstone Green, near Newcastle-under-Lyen, fifty miles from this place, having performed his long voyage in the short space of only one hour and twenty-eight minutes. Mr. Harper when he descended, did not suppose he was many miles from Birmingham, and therefore had not thrown out much of his ballast ; he meant to have arose again, after enquiring what progress he had made : but on account of the wind and weather, he says, he found it impracticable to proceed. It happened very THE BALLOON MANIA. 429 unfortunately, that about a mile from the place at which he alighted, several bottles of air, which he had collected in difterent heights of the atmosphere, for Dr. Priestley's philosophical experiments, were broken by his striking a tree; and the car, with his instruments, were almost totally| demolished by the hedges and trees, through which he was for a long way dragged at the time the balloon was descending, till he was at length relieved by a friendly blacksmith, who caught his hand and assisted him in alighting. Mr. Harper, with his balloon, went post to Lichfield that same evening, and the ne.xt morning arrived here, when ht was drawn by the populace (who took his horses from the carriage) in triumph through the streets, attended by several gentlemen and ladies in carriages and on horseback, with blue cockades, colours, &c., &:c. A subscription is begun for the second atrial voyage Mr. Harper purposes to take from hence, and as an indemnification for the great expence he has incurred for the gratification of the public ; and we hope the contributions will be sufficiently liberal to prevent his being a sufferer, and make him ample amends for his losses and disappointments. Mr. Harper became the hero of the day. As we have seen from the above report, he was drawn in triumph through the town. The ladies were especially enthusiastic in their admiration, and one gushing creature, named Emma (we wish that her surname had been given), thus apostrophised the " favoured youth " in verse : — July 10, 1785. — To the Printers. — Gentlemen, — By inserting the following Address to Mr. Harper, on his late /Erial Expedition, in your weekly paper, you will oblige, A Constant Reader. Hail ! favour'd youth, Britannia's future boast. The Muse's favourite theme, — The Fair-one's toast. Whose towering spirit, fearless, mo\'d along Heaven's wide expanse — to please a gazing throng ; While to retard thy flight, and aid thy fears, Aurora frown'd — then soften'd into tears. Yet, tho' bright Sol bestow'd no cheering smile, To raise this second Phoenix of our isle. Still shall each liberal mind its tribute pour, And the rich Hive* exhaust its ample store ; While Genius, Science, Arts and Taste combined. Shall, round thy brow, the well-earn'd trophy bind. Not Philip's son,+ in his triumphal Car^ Tho' vantjuish'd monarchs hail'd him God of War, Could greater glory, greater triumph prove. The Fair thy captives, and their fetters Love, Hail ! then, distinguished youth ! Britannia's boast, .•\pollo's darling, and the reigning toast. * Alluding to the -Arms of liirniingliam. t Alexander the Great. Emma. 430 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Another versifyer thus alludes to the event : — January lo, 1785. — Aura Popularis : or The Air-Balloon. On the late effects of Mr. Harper's Balloon ; addressed to the Premier, Mr. Fox, &c., &c., &c. If it be true as learned Fellows Of Colleges and such folks tell us, " Effects are equal to their cause," How light is popular applause ! Lighter than air, since smoke can raise A mob's displeasure or its praise ; Its praise, like smoke, too, vanishes as soon, 'Tis all a bubble, or an Air-Balloon. Ex FuMO Lux. A poem in two Cantos, called the Ballooniad was published. The first edition was rapidly e,\hausted, and the publication of the second was announced in these rather " inflated" terms. January 31, 1785. — To afford those Ladies and Gentlemen who, on Account of the rapid Sale of the first Edition, might probably lose the much wnshed-for opportunity of perusing so truly sublime, grand, and beautiful a work ; This Day is published, Price 3d., the second Edition of The Ballooniad, In two Cantos, The first containing an Account of the Circumstances attending the unsuccessful .•\ttenipt of the justly celebrated .Erial Adventurer at Birmingham ; the second describing his Ascent, his Interview with the Man of the Moon, and other Particulars. Sold by all Booksellers in Town and Country. On the same day this very curious paragraph appeared : — January 31, 1785. — A correspondent, in tenderness to the pregnant and prolific muse of the very sublime and elegant Author of the Ballooniad, wishes to lend an helping hand to prevent the dreadful consequence of an abortion in her next hour of perilous labour, by informing him that Strap is not a feature of Mr. Harper's profession, which was not of the honourable order of Puffs ; but begging he will substitute the more distinguishing appellation of Ragman : Mr. Harper having served an apprenticeship to Mr. Hayward, Linen Draper, 0.\ford-street, London. A second ascent was to have been made on Monday, January 31, but it did not come oft' until Tuesday, the ist of February. The circumstances are narrated in the following passage : — Monday last being the day Mr. Harper purposed to take his second serial flight, and of which he had apprized the public by advertisements, a greater number of carriages filled with strangers than has perhaps been known to have assembled at any time in this town arrived early in the morning, and the concourse of people from all the neighbouring places was astonishingly great. Unfortunately, though the sky was extremely clear, and the day in ever)' other respect as fine as could be wished, the wind was so very high and boisterous, that it was found impracticable to fill the balloon, and Mr. Harper was unavoidably obliged, to the great disappointment of the multitude assembled upon the occasion, to postpone his ascent until the next day, which, proving more calm, the process of filling the machine commenced,_under the direction of Mr. Southern (who THE BALLOON MANIA. 431 superintended that business on the day of Mr. Harper's last ascent) assisted by Mr. Argand, the gentleman who had the conduct of tilling the balloons of Messrs. Montgolfier, Chorles and Roberts, and Blanchard in France. At twelve o'clock Mr. Harper was seated in the car, the gentlemen who attended deeming the machine sufficiently inflated ; but they found it impossible, from the pressure and intrusion of the company (which had all along impeded the operations) to ascertain with any degree of certainty, the power of the balloon's ascent, and the quantity of ballast with which it should be charged. Under this and other disadvantageous circumstances it was launched, and driven with some violence against the high wall of the Tennis-Court, which, however, it cleared, and was descending, when Mr. Harper throwing out some ballast, it was carried with rapidity in an horizontal direction, by a brisk wind, against a garret window in an adjacent yard. In this situation it continued some time, and a large rent having been made in the machine, which was much agitated by the wind, the company at the window seized Mr. Harper's arm, and forcibly took him out of the car. An attempt was now made to bring back the balloon to the Tennis-Court, to repair the damage it had received, and a man entered the car to keep the machine down, to which also a cord was affixed for that purpose ; but by some accident the cord was soon broken, and the balloon, ascending with the man in the car, was carried over the street and several back houses into a garden, where the populace pursued it, and taking all the ballast out of it, they finally let off the machine, which, bearing away in a S.S.E. direction, flew with great velocity, and was in a few minutes out of sight. No accounts have yet been received where it fell. The light-fingered fraternity were busy on this occasion ; and the doings of one sharper are worth quoting. The writer says : — The pockets of several Gentlemen were picked on Tuesday last, at the time the Balloon ■was being let off. One of the pickpockets, who had robbed an old man of his purse, being pursued, was apprehended, and is now in our dungeon. The same evening a young man, who pretended he had come a long way to see the Balloon, went to the Three Tuns in Colmore-street, and desired a lodging for the night, as he could not possibly return home. This house is kept by an old man and woman, who permitted him to have a bed for the night. Soon after he retired, the maid-servant was sent up stairs for his candle, which he refused to give her, saying he would put it out himself The family went to bed without having any suspicion of the stranger, who, about one o'clock in the morning, came to the old man and woman's chamber door, desiring that they would get out of the house as fast as they could, for that his candle, whitli lie had neglected to put out, had set fire to the bed, and that the house would soon be in flames. The old man instantly unlocked his door, and came with his wife to the top of the stairs, where they were stopped by the villian and an accomplice he had let in, who presented pistols to them, and demanded all they had. The old man struggled some time with one of them, and they cnielly beat both him and his wife. They then robbed the house of about 50 shillings in half-pence, and of gold and silver to the amount of about seven pounds, and made off without being discovered. One of them left behind him his shoes, buckles, and hat. The villian who first came to the house was dressed in a dark drab grey coat, dark under coat, and yellow sh.ig rough waistcoat. He h.id his hair tied, was pale faced, and his features were small. In another paragraph, which was also published on Februar)- 7, wc have these additional particulars : — 432 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Birmingham, Febniary 2, 1785. — The Misfortune that attended Mr. Harper's Balloon, on Tuesday last, was owing to the obstinate Proceedings of certain Persons, whose presuming Ignorance prevailed on him not to have the Balloon filled, nor the Cord fixed to the Car, as he had agreed to do by the .\dvice of Mr. Charles Jarvis on Saturday last, who pointed out the Danger of the Wall, and who had almost the whole of the Trouble and Care in preparing the Balloon witli the Apparatus on Tuesday last, and also on the 4th of January, the Day of Mr. Harper's first Ascent, though it was not mentioned before ; but he was not concerned in, nor near the Process when the Blunder was made, on the twenty-ninth Day of December last. Mr. Jarvis wished to have the Balloon Half-an-Hour longer on the Receiver of the Cistern, as there was Time enough, and from which another Balloon that size might have been filled if rciiuircd ; and he had procured a Cord forty yards long for the Purpose of guiding it above the Buildings, in order to prevent its being driven against the Wall of the Court, which is upwards of 34 Feet high, as well as to ascertain the proper quantity of Ballast with which it ought to have been charged, and to afford as much pleasure as possible to the Populace. But Mr. Harper was persuaded that the Elasticity of the air would take him nearly perpendicular, and that the Sun's Rays would expand his Gas and nearly fill the Balloon. There is no Doubt but the great Disappoint- ment which the numerous genteel Spectators experienced on the Occasion was entirely owing to the Want of this Cord, which Mr. Jarvis earnestly re(iuested (a few .Minutes before the Ascent) might be fixed to the Car, but was refused ; and whose Advice Mr. Harper most severely regrets not having taken. Mr. Jarvis has not received the least Satisfaction whatever for his trouble. The Balloon dropped at Chippenham, in Wiltshire, about 14 miles from Bath, where it was found by the country people, who suspended it in a barn, and exhibited to strangers at one jjcnny admittance. Of course siicli a mania could not be e.xcited without producing evil results. Fire balloons became the common and popular amusement of the boys of the time, to the great danger of property, especially hay stacks and farm produce. Accordingly the authorities had to prohibit them; and on b'ebruary 28, the following notice was published : — Birmingham, February 26. 17.S5. — Whereas it has been a common Practice of sending up Fire Balloons in various Parts of the Town for some time past, and Information having been given that several /Vccidents of setting Fire to Out-buildings, Inn-yards, &c., have been nearly taking Place, to the great Danger and Destriu tion of Property as well as Safety of the Town, at the Request of the Magistrates and many respectable Inhabitants, the Ofticers do hereby give this public notice, that they are determined to punish, with the utmost Rigour of the Law, all Persons who shall be found ofi'ending in the like Manner, in future. Anil in order to detect such Offenders, do hereby offer a handsome Reward to those Persons who will give Information thereof to the Constables. This advertisement was repeated several times, and to one, which was inserted on May 2, this paragraph was added : — And whereas, last Week, a Balloon fell near a large Quantity of Hay and was nearly setting Fire thereto, One Guinea Reward will be given to any Person or Persons giving Information of Offenders in future, by applying to the Constables, Mr. Charles Freeth and Mr. Clowes. BALLOON MANIA. 433 On May i6 we read this rather curious advertisement : — Air Balloon. Birmingham, May i5, 1785. — The Incomparable Gold and Silver Air Balloon, which Mr. Dicker ascended \vith from Bristol, April 19, 1785, and went Twenty-nine Miles in Thirty Minutes, is now exhibiting every Day in the Theatre, King Street, from Ten o'clock in the Morning till Eight in the Evening. This Balloon is the smallest that ever ascended with a Man, being only 21 Feet Diameter and 63 Feet in Circumference ; it is made entirely of Gold Beaters' Skin, and the only one ever made of these Materials to ascend with a Man ; it is gilt all over, and ornamented with Stars, Festoons, &c. Admittance for Ladies and Gentlemen One Shilling; Children and Servants, Six Pence. If the Inhabitants of this Town are desirous of seeing the Balloon ascend with a Person, the Proprietor begs Leave to inform them that upon a Subscription being raised to reimburse the very heavy Expences attending such an Enterprise, the Money to be deposited in a Banker's Hands, for the Purpose of paying the same immediately after the Accomplishment of his Design, or on any Failure on his Part for it to be returned to the several Subscribers, he on these Conditions engages for either himself or Mr. Dicker to ascend in some open and convenient Place near this Town. On the 23rd of the same month another advertisement was published, by which it appears that this " incomparable balloon " was the property of Mr. Cracknell, a native of Birmingham. The fun had evidently decreased, for Mr. Cracknell appeals to the public in the tone of a disappointed man. His hopes had been blighted, and he could not help expressing his mortification, which he does as follows : — Air Balloon. Birmingham, May 23, 1785. — ^\^^en Mr. Cracknell, the Proprietor of the incomparable Balloon, now exhibiting every day in the Theatre, King-street, first proposed ascending with his Balloon in this Town, or its neighbourhood, he doubted not but that a Subscrip- tion, sufficient at least to defray the Expenses of his Expedition, would readily have been compleated ; but Experience has proved the Fallacy of his Hopes, and he cannot help expressing the Mortification he feels in finding his Expectations so much disappointed : However he here returns his sincere Thanks to those few who have already patronized him, and assures the Public, that nothing would give him greater Pleasure than to ascend here, in his native Place, in order to convince them that an Englishman can gratify their curiosity by various evolutions in the Air, equal, if not superior to Blanchard, or any other Foreigner whatever. He therefore humbly hopes that the generous and impartial Public will immediately come forth, and give him such Countenance and Support as will reimburse the very heavy expences attending his hazardous Enterprise. Subscriptions at Five Shillings, are received by Messrs. Pearson and Rollason, T. Sketchley, in Moor-street, G. Cracknell, the Bell, on the Worcester Road, and at the Theatre in King-street The Exhibition at the Theatre will finally close on Saturday night next N.B. Seeing an Advertisement in the Thursday's Paper, that Mr. Blanchard intends coming down with his Balloon here, in order to ascend, Mr. Cracknell hereby assures the Public that (should he come) he will ascend at the same Place and Time as he shall, in order that the Public may judge which has the most merit L 3 434 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. The satirist had his word to say on the atrial epidemic which was then afflicting the town, and he said it thus : — December 26, 1785. Taste A-la-Mode. Wou'd you be reckon'd, Sir, a Man of Skill, Make Air Balloons — erect a Ro'iing Mill ; These are the Arts engage the present day. Should Fashion change they both must soon decay : What Whims will then succeed 'tis hard to say. Lysander. And so, for a time, the balloon mania passed away to give place to other fancies less lofty in their aspirations, but perhaps not less useful in their results : — BIRMINGHAM AND THE SLAVE TRADE. Every Birmingham man will rejoice to learn that this town took an active part in the noblest philanthropic labour of the age — the Abolition of the Slave Trade. The efforts of Granville Sharp, of Wilberforce, of Clarkson, and their worthy compeers were ably seconded in this town by such worthies as Dr. Priestley, the Rev. C. Curtis, the Rev. Spencer Madan, the Rev. J. Riland, Matthew Boulton, Charles Lloyd, Samuel Garbett, William Russell, and others. Clarkson came to Birmingham in 17S7, and in his History of the Abolition of the Slave Trade, we find this brief record of his visit : — " From Keddleston I turned off to Birmingham, being desirous of visiting Bristol on my way to London, to see if anything new had occurred since I was there. I was introduced by letter, at Birmingham, to Sampson and Charles Lloyd, the brothers of John Lloyd, belonging to our committee, and members of the religious society of Quakers. I was highly gratified in finding that these, in conjunction with Mr. Russell, had been attempting to awaken the attention of the inhabitants to this great subject, and that in consequence of their laudable eftbrts, a spirit was beginning to shew itself there, as at Manchester, in favour of the Abolition of the Slave Trade. The kind manner in which these received me, and the deep interest which they appeared to take in our cause, led me to an esteem for them, which by means of subsequent visits, grew into a solid friendship."* * History of the Slave Trade, vol. I. p. 426. BIRMINGHAM AND THE SLAVE TRADE. 435 The opponents of the trade in this town set to work with earnest- ness, and followed up Mr. Clarkson's visit with renewed activity. In the beginning of the next year we find the following announcement : — January 7, 1788. — It must give great Pleasure to those who rejoice in the Happiness of their Fellow creatures, to be informed that the Slave Trade, and Treatment of the Negroes in our West India Islands, are likely to become the Subjects of Parliamentary Investigation soon after the Recess. The Slave Trade has long been a Disgrace to Europe, and is a violation of the Christian Law of doing to others as we would they should do unto us ; for we certainly can have no better right to force the poor Negroes from their native Country into Slavery, than they can have to force us from our native Country into Slavery ; and it will redound to the Honour of Britons to stand foremost in the Care of those oppressed People. A Society was formed in London, sometime ago, with a view to draw the Attention of the Nation to the inconceivable Miseries which the Africans sustain, in consequence of the Slave Trade; and their Labours have been attended with great Success. Many liberal Men contributed to defray the necessary Expences, and these Subscriptions have lately extended into the Country. There was a Meeting at Birmingham on the 27th of November, when it was instantly determined to send one Hundred Guineas to the Society in London, to for\vard their humane Views ; it appears that Two Hundred Guineas have been sent from Manchester. We hear that both the Universities have the Subject under Consideration, and that several Places are taking Measures, in Hopes of obtaining from Parliament some immediate relief for the severe Sufferings of the present Slaves, and ultimately the Abolition of the inhuman traffic. It cannot be doubted that the Towns where this Paper circulates will do honour to their Country by manifesting benevolent Sentiments on the Occasion. The following are the Committee chosen here to correspond with the Committee of the Society in London, and other Committees, and take such further Steps as they may think proper. The Rev. Charles Curtis, Rector of St. Martin's. The Rev. Spencer Madan, Rector of St. Philip's. On February 4, Dr. Priestley published a sermon which he had delivered on the 23rd of the preceding month. He took for his text the words from the Acts of the Apostles, "And hath made of one Blood all Nations of Men to dwell on all the face of the earth. It was an eloquent and forcible discourse, and must have found favour even with those who, on religious subjects, had such bitter differences with the Unitarian Divine. This was succeeded by a public meeting on the subject, of which we have this report : — Slave Trade. Birmingham, January 28, 1788. — M a numerous and respectable Meeting of Inhabi- tants of this Town and Neighbourhood at the Hotel (in consequence of public Advertise- ment) to consider a Petition to Parliament for the Abolition of Slavery, the following Resolutions were proposed by different Gentlemen, and unanimously agreed to, viz : — 43^ A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. First, That the practice of going to Africa to purchase Men to sell for Slaves should be publicly execrated. Second, That, as Englishmen and Christians, it behoves us to exert our best Endeavours to abolish Slavery. Third, That it is the Duty of this Meeting to petition Parliament to take into Consideration the inhuman Practice of purchasing harmless Men, Women, and Children, to sell in British Dominions for Slaves, and to restrain the Cruelties that are inflicted upon them, and earnestly to solicit Relief for our Fellow-creatures. A Committee was then desired to withdraw and prepare a Petition to the Tenor of the above Resolutions, which they did, and the same was unanimously approved. Resolved, That the Tribute of Thanks so properly forwarded in an early Stage of the Business to the Gentlemen associated in London for promoting the Abolition of Slavery, be now repeated in Behalf of the Town, together with an Assurance that it is a sensible Pleasure to us to render this public Testimony of the high Satisfaction and Approbation with which we regard the Zeal, Diligence, and Perseverance they have manifested in this Generous Cause — a Cause wherein Humanity is so much interested and so much honoured. The Thanks of the Meeting were also presented to the Committee and Chairman, for their very laudable Conduct in this Business, and they were requested to publish these Resolutions in some of the Newspapers. Samuel Garbett, Chairman. The following is a copy of the petition adopted at the meeting : — February ii, 1788. To the Honourable the Commons of Great Britain, in Parliament Assembled. — The Petition of the undersigned Inhabitants of the Town and neighbourhood of Birmingham, Humbly Sheweth, That the practice of enslaving any part of mankind is seldom, if ever, justifiable. That, nevertheless, such a practice subsists in a very extensive degree, even among the members of this free nation, by forcing the natives of Africa into Slavery, for the cultivation of the British West-Indian Islands. That, added to the primary injustice of such a conduct, frequent instances of needless severities, and arbitrary cruelties, are undoubtedly exhibited, rendering that heavy yoke of slavery still more oppressive to its victims, and still more disgraceful to its abettors. That, as inhabitants of a manufacturing town and neighbourhood, your petitioners have the commercial interests of this kingdom very deeply at heart ; but cannot conceal their detestation of any commerce which always originates in violence, and too often terminates in cruelty. That, as Englishmen ever anxious to support the cause of Freedom, they would wish, in the present instance, to give example to the neighbouring powers of Europe, by proclaiming Liberty to the Captive, and by opening the prison to them that are bound. That, as Christians, they are further persuaded that the Slave Trade is repugnant to the principles of Christianty and a disgrace to a Christian Country. That your Petitioners, at the same Time, would not presume to suggest any express mode of parliamentary interference on this occasion ; but humbly represent their most earnest prayers, that, in the clemency, as well as wisdom of Parliament, some means may be found for the immediate relief and future Protection of their injured fellow-creatures. BIRMINGHAM AND THE SLAVE TRADE. 437 the Enslaved Africans ; nor can your Petirioners suppress their very anxious hopes that a total Abolition of such inhuman traffic may ultimately receive the sanction of this Assembly ; an Assembly (they are confident) not more the Assertor of Constitutional Liberty, than the Friend of Universal Justice. This work, like every other good one in this world, had its opponents. We know how long self-interest contested the battle, and to what expense the abolitionists were driven before they completed their labour of love. This opposition found a voice and an exponent in this town. A pamphlet was published, entitled " A proposal for the Consideration of those who interest themselves in the Abolition or Prevention of the Slave Trade." The strictures of this writer may be gathered from a reply to them which appeared on February 1 1 : — To t/ie Printers of the Birmingham Gazettee. February nth, 1788. — Gentlemen, Many of your Readers have probably seen a Pamphlet entitled "A Proposal for the Consideration of those who interest themselves in the Abolition or Prevention of the Slave Trade," as some of them may possibly be induced, by the very respectable character of the reputed author, to adopt his sentiments without due investigation ; I wish them to consider whether even the following short observa- tions do not show that his good intentions have, in this instance, blinded his judgment The author (page 8) states that the end in view is the happiness of the Negroes. This, Gentlemen, is undoubtedly an object extremely desired by the friends of the .\bolition ; but the primary end at which they aim is to free this nation from the guilt of an iniquitous and unchristian traffic. They are of opinion that a part of this guilt will rest upon the head of every man who does not avail himself of the present favourable conjuncture, and contribute his utmost endeavours to jnit a stop to a commerce founded on injustice. That this description must apply to the Slave Trade under every regulation cannot be denied. If our Merchants are permitted to purchase Sla\es on the Coast of Africa, it is impossible that any regulations can restrain them from purchasing the innocent. Numbers will still be kidnapped by their countrymen; numbers will still be seized by the despotic hand of the native prince, taken prisoners in unjust wars, and condemned for trifling or pretended crimes. With such iniquity the trade is inseparably connected. This being the case, I am certain the author will not contend that any beneficial consequences resulting from the traffic, no, not even the introduction of Christianity among the Africans, ought to be purchased on such terms. If it might, the Dey of Algiers would be justified in enslaving us, in hopes of promoting our salvation by making us sound Mussulmen. No, Gentlemen, the author himself, to his honour (page ;i), strenuously opposes the principle of doing evil that good may come. If he had considered the whole of his subject in that point of view, he would not have afforded me the opportunity of writing these remarks. With respect to the plan conuined in the pamphlet, though I cannot profess myself convinced of its practicability, or to the solidity of the whole of the reasoning by which it is supported, it is unnecessary for me to consider it in detail. For the reasons which I have given, the principle of it is inadmissable. I heartily join with the author in the humane wish that the interposition of Parliament may procure efiectual relief for the Negroes in the West-Indies, and tliat equiuble means 438 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. may speedily be devised and put in practice for the introduction of the Christian faith into those countries which we have so long laid waste. I am, &c., Amicus. This letter was met by one which advocated the specious but impracticable plan of regulation : — Tu the Printers of the Birmingham Gaze'ite. February i8, 1788. — Gentlemen, Your Correspondent, Amicus, in his Strictures on a Pamphlet (advertised in your Paper, and entitled a Proposal, &c. on the Slave Trade) has observed that the author has proceeded upon a false Principle, in supposing that the End in View, with those who wish to abolish the Slave Trade, is the Happi.vess of the Negrok.s. On the contrary, I presume, that this not only is, but that in general tlie Advocates of .Abolition wish it to be thought, their principal Object. And a very noble one it is; far superior, in my opinion, to that which your Correspondent has attributed to them as their prlmarv End in View, a Desire to free this Nation from the Guilt of pursuing an iniquitous Traffic. But that .Amicus may be convinced that this is properly a secondary Object, I must beg him to consider why the Traffic is iniquitous, but because it makes the Negroes miserable? I must also Remark, that if he had perused the Pamphlet with .Attention, he would have found an answer to his other Objections, in the following Deductions viz. : — That the Protection of the Slaves in the West Indies, and Encouragement of their Population by Laws, would wonderfully diminish the Demand for Slaves ; that the unfair and cruel Methods of obtaining Slaves now practiced, would consequently be discouraged and cease. But as, in the inevitable Wars of Barbarous Nations, there will always be many Captives taken, who, if left in the Power of their Conquerors would be murdered, tortured, eat by Cannibals, &c., so, if our Planters, having purchased these, shall place them in a mild Servitude (for such the laws should make Slavery) they will then render them less unhappy than such Slaves would be if the Slave Trade were to be abolished. If, therefore, the Motive of Amicus for abolishing the Slave Trade be the fear of National Guilt, he may allay this Fear under the Plan of Regulation here proposed ; for surely there can be no guilt in rendering poor Wretches less unhappy than they would otherwise have been in their own country. I am, &c., Regulator. As well as holding meetings, passing resolutions, and adopting petitions, the Birmingham people, according to their wont, showed their earnestness by raising subscriptions. The spirit in which they worked will be seen by this extract : — Birmingham Hotel, April 9, 1789. — .At a Meeting convened by public .Advertisement, in consequence of the Resolution of Parliament to take the Abolition of the Slave Trade into Consideration, and of its being intimated by the London Committee that further Subscriptions were necessary, it was Resolved, That Mr. Charles Lloyd is authorized by this Meeting to remit One Hundred Guineas to the Committee instituted in London for the Purpose of efifecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade. BIRMINGHAM AND THE SLAVE TRADE. 439 Resolved, That the Chairman is requested to write to Sir Robert Lawley and Sir George Shuckburgh, Baronets, Members of Parliament for this County, expressing our anxious Hopes to see the Slave Trade abolished, and earnestly entreating their Attention to this great Cause of Humanity. Resolved, To adjourn to Friday, the 17th instant, at the Hotel, at Five o'Clock in the Afternoon. Samuel Garbett, Chairman. N.B — Subscriptions will be received by Messrs. Taylor and Lloyds, at the Bank. A correspondent under the signature A. Z. wrote a long and rather vituperative letter in defence of the shameful trade. This brief reply appeared on May 11, 1789 : — v To the Printers. Your correspondent, A. Z., in his introduction to the translation of the King of Spain's edict, reflects on the conduct of those who, he says, are madly endeavouring to abolish the Slave-trade. Does A. Z. recollect the Command of our Saviour, " Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so to them." What more right have we to force the poor Africans into slavery than they have to force us into slavery? If they had this power, and exercised it upon him, would .\. Z. consider those as madmen who pleaded for the common rights of mankind, and endeavoured to abolish such an abominable traffic. Fiat Justitia Ruat Ccelum. Another meeting was held on this subject at the Public Office, Dale End, on the 19th of May. This meeting was called at the request of several gentlemen by James Pickard and Thomas Green, our two constables, and the following is the record of the business transacted : — Birmingham Hotel, May 19, 1789. — At a very numerous Meeting, in consequence of the following Advertisement in the Birmingham Gazette : — "Birmingham, May 18, 1789. — We are desired by several Gentlemen to request the Attendance of the Inhabitants of the Town of Birmingham, at the Public Office, Dale End, To-morrow, the 19th instant, at Eleven o"Clock in the Forenoon, to take into consideration a Petition to Parliament, that the African Slave Trade (which is so greatly and extensively Beneficial to this Town and Neighbourhood) may not be abolished, but undergo such Regulations only as are Conducive to Humanity. Tames Pickard, 1 ,, , , „ i, ^ \ Constables." Thomas Green, I Upon meeting at the Public Office, it was observed that the Room was not sufficient to contain the great Number that would attend, it was therefore agreed to adjourn to the Hotel, When Mr. Garbett was chosen Chairman. The following Resolutions were made by a very great Majority : — Resolved, That the Resolutions, with the Petition of the town of Birmingham for the Abolition of the Slave Trade in January, 1788, unanimously resolved on at a Public Meeting called for that Purpose by three Advertisements in the public Papers, be now read. Which being done, it was then desired that the Constables give up the Names of 440 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. those Gentlemen under whose sanction they had called the Town together to refute all their former Proceedings in the Business before us, when the Names of eiglit of this Town, chiefly Manufacturers interested in the Trade, were delivered by Mr. James Pickard, one of the Constables. It was then Resolved, That no Opposition having been made to this Petition, either at the Time or since, though Notice has been repeatedly given in the House of Commons of a Motion being intended to be made for the Abolition of the Slave Trade, and the House having now discovered a Disposition to comiily with the numerous Petitions presented in favour of the oppressed Africans, it would be highly improper for the Town of Birmingham to present a Petition directly contrary to the former, which had received unanimous Approbation. Resolved, That the Thanks of this Meeting be given to William Wilbehforce, Esq., for the very able Manner in which he has introduced the Business of the Slave Trade into the House of Commons ; and that it is our earnest Wish that his intended Motion for an Abolition of this disgraceful Traffic may be crowned with Success. Resolved, That the Thanks of the Meeting are presented to the Chairman. Resolved, That these Resolutions should be printed in the Birmingham and some of the London Newspapers. S.^MUEL Garbett, Chairman. Gustavus Vasa, the African, visited Birmingham this year, and increased the indignation of the friends of the slave by the circulation of his narrative. He received, to use his own words, " great marks of kindness from the undermentioned gentlemen of this town, who have subscribed to my narrative, particularly to Messrs. Charles and Sampson Lloyd, and families, and Dr. Gilby." Then follow over thirty others, including such well-known philanthropists and famous Birmingham names as Dr. Johnstone, Taylor, Garbett, Galton, Russell, Riland, Boulton, Freer, and Dr. Priestley. The African thus expresses his acknowledgment : — I beg you to suffer me thus publicly to express my grateful acknowledgments for their Favours and for the Fellow-feeling they have discovered for my very poor and much oppressed countrymen ; these Acts of Kindness and Hospitality have filled me with a longing desire to see these worthy Friends on my own Estate in Africa, when the richest Produce of it should be devoted to their Entertainment ; they should there partake of the luxuriant Pine-apples and the well-flavoured virgin Palm Wine, and to heighten the Bliss, I would burn a certain kind of Tree, that would aftbrd us a Light as clear and brilliant as the Virtues of my Guests. I am Sir, your humble Servant, Gustavus Vasa, the African. The attention of Parliament was directed to this great evil, and some extraordinary debates took place on the Slave Trade in the House of Commons. It was expected that the discussions would be resumed early in the session, 1 79 1 , and the opponents of the shameful traffic in BIRMINGHAM AND THE SLAVE TRADE. 44I Birmingham prepared to co-operate with their Friends in Parliament. A meeting was held for this purpose in November, of which we have the following brief report : — Abolition of the Slave Trade. Birmingham Hotel, November, 1790. — .A.t a Meeting of the Committee, held here this Day, it appeared that the great Question respecting the abolition of the Slave Trade was likely to come before Parliament early in the ensuing Sessions ; and that in Addition to the Expenses already incurred (Accounts of which have appeared in the London and Birming- ham Papers) considerable sums would still be wanting to defray the Charges attending the Examination of Witnesses, and many other Contingencies : It was therefore thought proper to open another Subscription in this Town and Neighbourhood, in Support of the .Abolition ; a Cause which is so very interesting to our Feelings as Men, and to our Principles as Christians. Subscriptions will be received by Taylor and Lloyds, Bankers, in Birmingham ; and we hope this Intimation will render a personal application unnecesary. Charles Curtis E. Bum William Russell Spencer Madan Charles Lloyd Francis Perrott Joseph Priestley Samuel Garbett William Villers On the 4th of February, 1790, Mr. Wilberforce carried a motion in the House of Commons for appointing a committee to examine further witnesses on behalf of the abolition of the Slave Trade. A large number of witnesses were examined, and on the i8th of April, 1791, he introduced his motion for its abolition. There was a long and rather fierce discussion, and although the motion was supported by Pitt, Fox, Burke, Grey, Windham, Sheridan, in fact by almost all the statesmen in the house, it was lost on the division by a majority of seventy-five votes, the numbers being, for Mr. Wilberforce's motion, eighty-eight, against one hundred and sixty-three. Nothing daunted by this defeat, the friends of the slave continued their work with renewed energy. Thousands of people resolved to abstain from using West India sugar and rum. On the 4th of July another meeting was held in Birmingham, of which the following is the report : — Birmingham Hotel, July 4, 1791. — At a respectable General Meeting of Subscribers to promote the Abolition of the Slave Trade, Mr. Villers, in the Chair, Resolved, — That the Thanks of this Meeting be presented to the Committee in London (and it is our unanimous opinion that the Thanks of the Nation are also due to them) for their unremitted Attention to the glorious Cause in which they are engaged ; and that this meeting will most heartily co-operate with them in their further Endeavours to bring about an Event, wherein the Justice, Honour, and, we scruple not to say, the Interest of the Nation are involved, being fully persuaded that as Justice is per\'erted, and Honour is lost, so eveiy real Advantage must be destroyed by a Traffic in the Blood of men, H Z 442 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Resolved, — That the Thank of this Meeting be also respectfully given to William ^^'ilberforce, Esq., for the unwearied Zeal he has manifested in his Endeavours to wipe off the Stain brought on the Character of the Nation by so inhuman a Traffic, and to the Right Hon. VV. Pitt, the Right Hon. C. J. Fox, M. Montague, and W. Smith, Esqrs., as well as to all the other Members of the House of Commons, who united with them on that important Question ; testifying, at the same time, the high Esteem and Respect we cannot but entertain for all who nobly resolve never to desist from appealing to the Consciences of their Countrymen till that detestable Commerce be entirely abolished. Resolved, — That the thanks of this Meeting be given to the Rev. C. Curtis, the Rev. S. Madan, the Rev. Dr. Priestley, the Rev. J. Riland, W. Russell, Esq. S. Garbett, Esq., Fran. Parrot, M.D., and Mr. Charles Lloyd (the Committee appointed at a former Meeting) for their Attention to this Business ; and that they, together with the Rev. Thomas Price, E. Palmer, Esq., C. Capper, Esq., and Mr. Villers, be a Committee for carrying into effect the Resolutions of the Meeting. Resolved, — That these Resolutions signed by the Chairman be published in the Birmingham and such of the London Papers as the Committee judge proper. W. VlI.LERS. Two more years of agitation, lectures, meetings, and discussions followed. Innumerable pamphlets were published on the horrors of the Slave Trade, and volume succeeded volume in support of its abolition. Early in the session of 1794 Mr. Wilberforce obtained leave to bring in his bill again, which this time passed the House of Commons, but was rejected in the Lords. For thirteen years longer was this horrible traffic allowed to continue. For a time, vested interests were more potent than the voice of humanity and the claims of the Christian Religion, but in the end the latter prevailed, as they have ever yet done, and will do, to the end of time. In 1807 the bill for the abolition of this iniquitous traffic passed both Houses, and received the Royal assent. By this bill it was enacted " that no vessel should clear out for slaves from any port within the British dominions after the first of May, 1807, and that no slave should be landed in the colonies after the first of March, 1808."" The closing act of this great triumph of civilisation over barbarism must be told in the words of its historian, whose own untiring energ)', unconquerable zeal, and indefatigable labours did so much towards the attainment of the victory. " But though," says Clarkson, " the bill had now passed both Houses, there was an awful fear throughout the kingdom lest it should not receive the royal assent before the ministry was dissolved. * Clarkson's History of the Abolition of the Slave Trade, v. 2. p. 376. BIRMINGHAM AND THE SLAVE TRADE. 443 This event took place the next day, for on Wednesday, the twenty-fifth (of March), at half-past eleven in the morning, His Majesty's message was delivered to the different members of it, that they were then to wait upon him to deliver up the seals of their offices. It then appeared that a commission for the royal assent to this bill, among others, had been obtained. This commission was instantly opened by the Lord Chancellor (Erskine), who was accompanied by the Lords Holland and Auckland, and, as the clock struck twelve, just when the sun was in its meridian splendour to witness this august Act, this establishment of a Magna Charta for Africa in Britain, and to sanction it by its most vivid and glorious beams, it was completed. The ceremony being over, the seals of the respective offices were delivered up, so that the execution of this commission was the last act of the administration of Lord Grenville, an administration which, on account of its virtuous exertions in behalf of the oppressed African race, will pass to posterity, living through successive generations, in the love and gratitude of the most virtuous of mankind. " Thus ended one of the most glorious contests, after a continuance of twenty years, of any ever carried on in any age or country. A contest, not of brutal violence, but of reason. A contest between those who felt deeply for the happiness and the horrors of their fellow- creatures, and those who, through vicious custom and the impulse of avarice, had trampled under foot the sacred rights of their nature, and had even attempted to efface all title to the divine image from their minds."* Birmingham people may look back with pride upon the part which the town took in obtaining this "august Act." THE RATING OF SMALL TENEMENTS. In Woodfall's Diary, under the date October 28, 1790, we read that " The number of houses in Birmingham is computed at nearly 1 3,000, three-fourths of which are under .ai^io a year, consequently not liable to the payment of poor-rates. The inhabitants, therefore, mean to apply • Clarkson's History of the Abolition of the Slave Trade, b. 2. pp. 579-Si. 444 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. to Parliament for an Act to make houses rateable in the following proportions : 6d. in the £ for houses of ;^8 and upwards ; 4d. on those from £(i to £'] 19s. ; and 3d. on all under ^6." This attempt to rate small houses produced one of the sharpest parochial agitations tliat we have yet had to record. All the owners of this class of property, with William Hutton, the historian, at their head, offered an uncompromising opposition to the proposed bill. The battle was begun on October 4, when the following advertisement was published : — Birmingham, September 27, 1790. — The Poor's Rates in this Parish having of late encreascd in a very alarming Degree, and having become e.xtremely burdensome to the middle Class of Inhabitants, which is, in a great measure, occasioned by the immense Number of small Houses that have been built within the last thirty years, and which, being let under Ten Pounds per Year, pay nothing to the Rates : the Occupiers of such Houses being chiefly very poor persons with large Families, who come into the Town from other Parishes in the Neighbourhood, and would, if they were made Parishioners here, by having Levies collected from them, become much more expensive to the Parish than such increased Levy would be adequate to ; the Overseers of the Poor have taken the opinion of the principal Inhabitants individually on the proposed Measure of Obliging the Proprietors of Houses, under Ten Pounds per year, to pay some Rate to the Poor for those Houses, as the same is done in the Parish of St. Luke in London ; and finding they are almost unanimously of Opinion that an Act of Parliament should be solicited for that Purpose, have therefore requested the Assistance of some of the principal Payers to the Parish Rates, to propose a Plan and appoint a Day for a general Meeting of Inhabitants on that business only ; who having maturely considered the magnitude of the Evil, and being fully satisfied that no other Remedy will be sufficient, desire a general meeting of all such Inhabitants as pay to the Parish Rates, at the great room at the Hotel, on Wednesday, the 20th of October, at Ten o'Clock in the Morning, to determine on the following question, viz. : — " Shall Application be made, in the next Session of Parliament, for leave to bring in a Bill to oblige the Proprietors of small Houses, Shops, and other Buildings, to pay Parish Rates for those Houses, &c." And if this question is carried in the Affirmative, to appoint a Committee for the management of the Business. By Order, Thomas Harrison, Vestry Clerk. N.B. It is judged necessary to state, that out of 8,000 Houses built within the last thirty years, not more than 1,300 pay the Parish Rates. Hutton was not long in taking up arms. In the next number of the Gazette, October 11, the following clear and emphatic declaration of war appeared from his pen None of his letters upon this subject have been reprinted in the collected edition of his works. They are full of local interest, as well as illustrative of the character of our historian. RATING OF SMALL TENEMENTS. 445 It will be remembered with regret that he also opposed the Act for " Enlightening and Cleansing the Streets ;" and from the same selfish motives : — The Rates upon small Houses coiuidered. October ii, 1790. — The Question before the Town is, "That as the Poor's Expense is enormous, and, as there are 12,000 houses in Birmingham, and only 3,000 which pay- levies, whether the landlord, whose profits are prodigious, ought to be saddled by Act of Parliament with the levies of the remaining nine." Instead of pronouncing hastily upon this important point it merits a candid examination. We all know, if a certain sum must be raised, a man had rather it came out of his neighbours' pocket than his own ; consequently, he who is not a landlord of small houses is willing to throw the burden on him who is ; hence the majority will carry the question, just or unjust. Such a sclieme would be impolitic. No town in Britain has equalled Birmingham in the rapidity of its growth. This is owing to the increase of its manufactories, for they will ever rise and fall together ; both originate from the commercial spirit of the inhabitants. Whatever, therefore, tends to damp this rising flame will be found, in the end, destructive. The amazing increase of trade and of houses are not so much owing to the natives as to aliens, who are by far the greater number. If the stranger, then, is necessary for the support of these it would be impolitic to exclude him. Every penson who is to subsist by industry has a certain portion of labour to sell. There are thousands of places, within fifty miles round us, where such persons hawk this valuable commodity, but cannot procure a purchaser. Birmingham is a market everlastingly open for this kind of traffic, and the more free the market, the more it will abound with customers; hence the article is purchased at an easy rate. This is the support of our commerce. Apprentices make but a small part of our laborious hands. The desolate wanderer, the disbanded soldier, the broken tradesman, the discarded livery-man, the people of either sex and of every description, without money and without employment, find both in the shops. Here they become articled for a few years, at six, seven or eight shillings a week, while learning a trade. Here they establish themselves and their families; and the master, by purchasing their labour cheap, is enabled to carrj' the produce to a ready market. We ought rather to receive such with open arms than shut our doors against them. Although this ingress of people fills the town with paupers, which become a heavy burden upon the inhabitants, yet the profits of their labour, in the aggregate, is infinitely an over balance. As it is our interest to receive them, so it is equally our interest to furnish them with accommodations, therefore small houses are necessarj' ; and instead of mulcting the man who ventures his fortune upon so slender a basis, he merits the thanks of his neighbours. If a burden be unwillingly fastened to a man's back, he will use every means in his power to throw it off. The landlord, if ojijjressed by this barbarous tax, will try to throw it upon the tenants; this by augmenting the rent will tend to prohibit the approach of the stranger, and the stagnation of building will follow. Should the laborious inhabitants be discouraged, they will fly to the neighbouring parishes where there is no sucii burden, and carry with them the manufactures, to the prejudice of Birmingham, for the work and the workmen will ever go together. 446 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Besides, if a partial tax is laid upon one description of men only, it is doubtful whether they will not retaliate the ill treatment by filling the workhouse in weeding out the refuse of their tenants. No evil can arise from the great increase of buildings, except to the builder, for the greater the number, the greater the plenty, and the cheaper they will be set, which becomes an invitation to the alien. Such an imposition is cruel, for houses being less sought after, will be reduced in value, and often remain upon the owner's hands, who, instead of receiving rent, must pay levies; and nothing will make a person value an estate less than when he is obliged to pay for keeping it; nor anything sooner make him a pauper than to pay, without receiving, to maintain paupers. It will a!so sink that land which waits to be set upon building leases. If a man is burthened with what he has he will not be solicitous for more; thus it becomes prejudicial to the neighbouring estates. It is unjust. Neither law nor equity can charge one man with the concerns of another. Each must stand independent. A poor's levy is a debt due from an inhabitant to the parish in which a third person has no concern. The overseer has a right to collect it of that inhabitant, but not of any one else, and common justice directs that no wanton exercise of arbitrary power shall invade i)rivate right. Such an act must be incktcrminate. There will be avenues through which finesse can creep, against which the utmost sagacity of St Steven's, or e\en that of a crowded vestry, are unable to guard; hence will arise disputes, animosities, ill neighbourhood, and law- suits, to which all the profits may be inadequate. No partial tax can sit easy. How well the landlords' profit will bear the burden has not yet been proved. They can best solve diis question who count it. In some instances, I am well-informed, it does not exceed 5 per cent, in others the trouble exceeds the profit ! As I am possessed of only fourteen pounds a year of this moonshine property, mine is upon too small a scale to decide ; nor is the whole worth a contention. Perhaps, from the loss of rent, empty houses, and repairs, I lose about half But whatever be these monstrous . profits, which injustice marks out for plunder and envy longs to devour, they are the proprietor's cmm, and, as private property, they are sacred. It is a dangerous doctrine to take a man's money because he is rich. It is objected " tliat the landlord makes fifteen per cent, of his capital." Let me a.sk the objector, whether he would not make fifteen of his ? Besides, if the trade is so extremely lucrative, it is open for himself. An additional tax is unnecessary. The monej' already collected, properly applied, will more than cover every exigency. If a man, with an ample income, cannot make both ends meet, whether is it more pnident to supply him with as much as he can squander, or regulate his expenses? I have not the least animosity to any of the over- seers, nay so far from bearing them disrespect, I do not so much as know any one of them except Mr. Lewin, from his repeatedly calling for the Levies, and him I think as harmless, as a dove ; nothing personal, therefore can be drawn from the premises. The greatest evil that ever afflicted Birmingham, was that of constituting twelve overseers. That enormous number can no 'more conduct the business, than twelve pilots, at twelve helms, can a vessel. Six did mischief, but twelve increases it, like that number multiplied into itself Should anyone doubt the assertion, let him compare the last seven years with the seven preceding. A large number of men may be beneficial in a perfonnance of manual labour, but as the overseers neither work with the spade nor the hatchet, their number is not only useless, but detrimental. This business is chiefly conducted by the head, in which case the number cannot be too small ; but however small the necessary article, it has long been wanting. RATING OF SMALL TENEMENTS. 447 The town, groaning under the accumulated load of levies, sought relief, in 1788, by putting the labouring poor under the care of Mr. Robinson at a stipulated price, and Mr. Jukes promised his kind assistance in conducting the receipts and disbursements. The bargain was compleated, and a fair prospect opened of saving the town four thousand pouiuls a year, and the poor being equally supported. But this bright illumination, like a flash of lightning, instantly vanished, and left behind it a palpable darkness. " Astonished at the sudden alteration, I enquired the reason from one of the then overseers, who replied, " Mr. Robinson would get too much money." In conversing with another of the Lichfield-street Jury, half-tijisy, he told me, " that no man would be suffered to transact parochial business who did not believe in the Trinity," and asked my opinion of that long-disputed point. Unable to withhold a smile, I remarked as religion had long ceased to meddle in the vestry, it would be absurd to refer the Question to a perfect stranger; that when I turned Catholic and he turned Priest, I would make my confession. The real motive still lay hid, but under so flimsy a covering that the dimmest eye might see it. " If we adhere to the Agreement," says one officer to another, " we shall be reduced to servants. We may collect the levies, but not be suffered to finger them. Our authority and our consequence will vanish together ; and we, like the guardians, shall be reduced to cyphers. While we hold the purse, we hold the power ; we will part with neither." It was now as necessary to throw out an empty bubble to amuse the public, as an empty 'cask to the whale. The fabrication of shanks, toys, shirts, quilts, &c., were solicited of the inhabitants, and established as a manufactory in the Workhouse, which was to perform wonders. But, that the foundation of this promising fabric was rotten, and the component parts bundled together with a rope of sand, the increase of the levies sufficiently testified. The profits were like those of the race-horse who won fifty, but cost sixty to keep him. This phantom expiring, the rate upon small houses is now issued forth, which, like sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal, is to din the ear and stifle complaint; or, like charity, is to cover a multitude of sins; or a Betty Canning tale to amuse the world and hide the errors of Government ; or a sop to silence the many-headed Cerberus, while the benighted officers are ferried out of danger. Thus pride, the spring of action, destroyed a most beneficial system, cherished the blunders of the vestry, and the public are choused out of several thousands a year. September 30, 1 790. W. Hutton. The proposal met with another opponent in J. G. (John Green), who thus temperately states the case : — October 18, 1790.— "Shall Application be made the next Session of Parliament for leave to bring in a Bill to oblige the Proprietors of small Houses, Shops, and other Buildings, to pay the Parish Rates for those Houses, &c., &c." To the Inhabitants of Birmingham. Gentlemen, — The period is nearly arrived when this proposition will become the subject of your collective deliberation. Its having occupied so generally the .Attention of the Town, is a proof of its being considered of iinfortance, consequently demanding a careful investigation. To form a right judgment, it will be proper to consider, first, whether any alteration respecting the Parish Rates in Birmingham is necessary, and, if necessarj-, whether that proposed is consistent, on the one hand, with strict justice (as it applies to the individuals 448 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. it is likely to affect), and whether, on the other hand, it is compatible with the real advantage of the town. On each of these points much might be advanced. My design at present is only to contend that the proposed application is not necessary, reserving for the future those arguments that might be adduced in proof of its injustice and impolicy. Far be it from me to arrogate to myself any depth of Ici^al knowledge, or to speak on topics of that kind with a confidence suited only to gentlemen who rank in that learned profession. Yet, Sirs, so fully am I persuaded that their judgment would deem the laws as they now stand sufficient, that I make with pleasure an appeal to them. That a general conviction, however, on this head may take place, it will be necessary to be furnished with a variety of information and facts ; but as the investigation of those facts cannot possibly take place in a popular assembly, and as it is indispensably necessary such investigation should ])recede any decision on the cjuestion now depending, I submit to you. Sirs, whether it will not be strictly proper to move, immediately on the opening of the Business at the Town's meeting, that a committee be ajjpointed of fifteen respectable inhabitants, including in that number five of the parties whose property would be affected by the proposed alteration, the auditors of the accounts, and the rest of other respectable inhabitants. That such committee be requested to inspect the Overseers' accounts, and to point out whether any, and what, material part of the expences stated in those disbursements, might be avoided or lessened ; and whether by any better mode of assessing, or more diligent attention in collecting the rates now demandable, the annual receipts might not be considerably enlarged. That the said committee do also enquire into the usual mode of purchasing provisions, and all other articles, particularly whether in any, and in what instances, it has been the practice of any, and what overseers, during the time of their being such, to act as buyers for the poor, and as sellers at the same time of articles furnished by themselves. And further, that it be recommended to the said committee to particularly examine whether some and what proposal, was not made by Mr. Jukes for the purpose of saving a considerable yearly sum to this town, and to learn the reason for such proposal being rejected. Finally, that the said committee be requested, as soon after having obtained the information required as is practicable, to call a general, meeting of the town, and report the same at such meeting. This mode of proceeding is so invariably adopted in all similar cases, is in itself so equitable, and so extremely necessary that it would be doubting the understanding and insulting the justice of the town, to add a single argument to that which so particularly enforces itself. I am, &c., J. G. The " Bettj^ Canning" of Hutton's letter was not slow to respond to that gentleman's attack, and in her reply she .says some rather hard things of our old friend : — October 18, 1790. — Friend Hutton, The Parish of Birmingham is much indebted to thee for thy quaint conceits, droll observations, whimsical similitudes, and the witty old sayings of Solomon,* inserted in the newspapers of last week. The present, as well as all former overseers of the poor, cannot but thank thee for thy modest and friendly comments on their parochial management. * In the Farce called "The Quaker," RATING OF SMALL TENEMENTS. 449 The public have much to expect from a person of thy high character, eminence, liberality, and experience, in taking up the gauntlet. Already hast thou acted as perpetual high chancellor of the court of tender conscience, one of the honourable commissioners of lamps and scavengers, twice overseer of the poor, and high president of the kirk, F.A.S., all which offices thou didst fill with a dignity peculiar to thyself. If the intended scheme of incorporating this town should take place, we may presage the happy prospect of seeing thee any thy worthy friend fill the magisterial chair, surrounded by the guard with ragged pikes, and the imperial arms of Birmingham on thy carriage of state. Then, no doubt, all the enoiinities thou and he complains of will be rectified. What a pity that the management and direction of all the public concerns are not vested in the hands of two such Solomons. But " Pride, the spring of actions, destroys the most beneficial systems," totally preventing thee and thy worthy friend from fingering twelve thousand pounds of the town's cash. I thought thee and thy worthy friend were more sagacious philosophers than to suffer the town to see your uneasiness at your disappointment. Have patience, friend William, and all these things may be added unto thee. I think thou intimates something in thy letter about turning catholic priest : prithee don't : that appearance won't suit thee ; a jew rabbi would be more in character for thee. I wish to remind thee of the fable of the Ass in the Lion's skin, who, by his bra)'ing and terrible appearance, attempted to alarm the forest, but on close inspection was found to be nothing but an Ass, and derided accordingly. I have much to say to thee, but as thou art a rigid economist, may be thou wilt blame me for wasting so much time on thy account. I shall, therefore, for the present, content myself with the hope of seeing thee at the Town's Meeting on Wednesday next, when I propose telling thee more of my mind. Till then, farewell, I remain thy old friend, ( I should sign Betty Canning, but am) A. B. On the same day the proprietors of houses under ten pounds a year, who were desirous of "protecting their property against the attacks of the overseers " were invited to meet at the Shakespeare Tavern. A public meeting was held at the hotel on the 20th, at which a paper containing the case of the overseers was presented. It is a very important document, and gives us a great deal of information on the condition of the town at that time. It will be seen that it was resolved to make the application to Parliament. The meeting is described as the most numerous ever witnessed in the town The debate lasted upwards of two hours, and the resolutions were passed by a great majority. Birmingham, October 20, 1790. — .\t a most numerous and respectable Meeting of the Inhabitants of this To^vn, held this Day, at the Hotel, agreeable to public Advertise- ments, Mr. ViLLERS in the Chair, N 3 450 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. A Paper (whereof the following is a Copy) having been prepared by the Overseers and the Gentlemen whom they consulted on the Business, and put into the hands of the Chairman, the same was read by him, viz. : — "The present Meeting having been convened to determine whether an Application shall be made to Parliament at the ensuing Sessions for Leave to bring in a Bill to oblige the Proprietors of small Houses, Shops, and other Buildings, to pay the Parish Rates for the same ; the following facts, with the Observations and Arguments in support of the Measure grounded thereon, are submitted to Consideration. The Facts themselves, it is presumed, wnll not be controverted. Namely, I St. That the Parish Rates have lately increased in an alarming Degree, and are now become extremely burthensome ; the Rates for the Relief of the Poor only amounting annually to the sum of 13,000/. and upwards. 2nd. That the Rates, under the present System, are very unequally assessed, three Parts in four of the Houses of which the Town consists, and which are calculated to amount to 12,000 in the whole, not being at all rated; so that the whole Burthen falls upon, and is borne by, the Occupiers of the remaining fourth Part, which Burthen lies very heavy on those who rent Houses between 10/. and 20/. per Year, who have many of them great Difficulty, \vith all their Industry and CEconomy, to support themselves and their families under it. If these Premises are admitted, it seems expedient that some Method should be adopted to relieve the Inhabitants that are now rated from their present oppressive Payments ; and it is submitted that nothing can so effectually answer this Purpose as the Scheme, now under Consideration, of obliging the Proprietors of small Houses and other Buildings, under the annual Rent of 10/., to pay the Rates for the same, by which Means the whole Property will be (as it ought) rated equally, according to its Value, without an Increase to the Number of the Poor, which must be the Consequence of rating and receiving from the Occupiers ; and though it may at first Sight appear a little inequitable that the Landlord should pay a rate, which by the general Law is fixed upon the Tenant, yet, upon an Investigation, it will appear that the Proprietors of unrated Property will have no real cause of Complaint, and that, instead of opposing, it will be their Interest to join with their Fellow-townsmen in the intended Application to Parliament ; for it appears to be a Fact not disputed, that many Proprietors of small Houses set them at higher Rents because they are not rated, so that the Occupiers thereof, virtually and in Effect, contribute towards the Rates, though the same goes (instead of benefitting and increasing the Fund for the Maintenance of the Poor) wholly into the Pocket of the Landlord. If, therefore, such Proprietors are compelled to pay the Rates, it surely is no more than an Act of Justice and Propriety ; and with Respect to the smaller Houses which are not set at such advanced Rents, a Remedy will be always in the Hands of the respective Proprietors, who may raise the Rents in Proportion to such Rates. Although the Overseers, willing to make the statement in the Advertisement rather under than over the mark, compute tlie unassessed Houses at 9,000, it appears from a RATING OF SMALL TENEMENTS. 451 more strict investigation that there are 10,000, and that they are partly in the following proportions, viz. £ £ s. d. 500 from 9 to 9 19 per year. 500 II 8 II 8 19 2,000 II 7 M 7 19 3,000 ti 6 II 6 19 2,000 II 5 II S 19 2,000 under and up to 4 19 10,000 If, therefore, a Levy of 6d. in the Pound on such Houses as pay 8/. per year and upwards ; of 4d. on such as pay from 6/. to 7/. 19s. per year ; and of 3d. on all under 6/. per year, was collected from those 10,000 Houses, which do not now pay, each Levy from them would amount to 970/. and upwards, being very near as much as is produced from one of the present Levies; so, on this calculation, the present payers would be relieved from nearly, if not quite, one half of their present Burthen ; an argument surely of great \\'eight, and such as should induce the Proprietors of small Houses to consider that they themselves will be thus materially relieved by the Plan proposed. But if the proposed scheme should not take effect, there seems to be no alternative save that of remo\ing all such Persons as are likely to become burthensome; and then bringing forward a general Rate or Assessment of Houses and Buildings of every Description throughout the Parish ; and the Gentlemen who are Proprietors of small Houses, and who, from apparently interested motives, may be inclined to oppose the present Plan, will do well to consider how in that case the Town in general, and themselves as Individuals, will be affected. In the first Place, it must operate in Reduction of the Rents of unrated Houses and Buildings, most of which are being now set at higher Rents because they are, at present, exempt from the Payment of Rates, must, it is presumed, when rated, sink in their Rents in Proportion, or nearly to the Amount of tlie Rates which shall be laid upon them. In the next Place, it will necessarily add a great Increase to the Number of Poor, after every endeavour is made by Removal to prevent it, who will become settled in the Parish by Payment of Rates (an evil, which in the proposed Plan, will be avoided) and the additional Expences of such increased Poor (to which the Proprietors of small unrated Houses who are resident in Birmingham, and who constitute by far the greater part of such Proprietors, will be obliged to bear their part) will be productive of more Disadvantage to such Proprietors, by an increased Assessment upon the Property they now occupy and pay the Rates for, than they can experience by acquiescing in the proposed plan, as they wll suffer every Inconvenience and Loss which the plan proposed can bring upon them (without reaping the Advantages which it is calculated to produce to them) as well as the additional Loss occasioned by Removal of their Tenants, and by many of their Houses being unoccupied. If it should be suggested that the Scheme now in Contemplation savours of Hardship to the Occupiers of the smaller Houses, in depriving them of the Means of obtaining a Settiement by Payment of Rates, though they will in fact contribute thereto by an Increase in their Rents ; it is submitted that this is not an Object of present discussion. This will be properly left to the Wisdom and Justice of the Legislature, which will protect the Rights of Individuals as far as is fitdng and expedient. It may, however, be hoped 452 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. that the extensive Manufactures and Commerce of the Town of Birmingham will lay a particular Claim, under the present circumstances to the Protection and Indulgence of the Legislature more than a Place of less consequence hath a right to expect As to other Parishes, it is presumed, they can have no Cause of Complaint, because Birmingham employs in its Manufactures a great Number of their Poor, which cannot find EmpIo)Tnent at Home ; many of whom, as well as their Children, gain Settlements there, whilst very few of the Inhabitants of Birmingham leave their Situations to gain Settlements in other Parishes. It may upon the whole be concluded, that the Scheme now under consideration will be attended with great advantages to the Town in general, with little, or perhaps no Loss to the proprietors of the present small unrated Houses, and v.il\ be no real Hardship to the Occupiers of such small Houses. It is, therefore, hoped that Persons possessed of such Propertj' will meet the wishes of the other Inhabitants, and, instead of opposing, unanimously concur with them in the intended Application to Parliament, or (to avoid that Expence), that they vkill voluntarily agree to pay the Rates in question (either in the Proportions above stated, or such as shall appear most equitable to a Committee which may be appointed for that Purpose), as the Inhabitants of Liverpool, Leeds, and Manchester, under similar circumstances have lately done, and still continue to do." Whereupon the following resolutions were passed by a great majority, viz. : — Resolved i, — That Application be made the next Sessions of Parliament, for Leave to bring in a Bill to oblige the Proprietors of small Houses, Shops, and other Buildings, to pay Parish Rates for those Houses. Resolved 2, — That Joseph Carles, Esq., the Rev. Dr. Spencer, Matthew Boulton, Esq., Henry Clay, Esq., Messrs. S. Gallon, Junr., Charles Lloyd, W. \Vallis Mason, R. Conquest, W. Hunt, Joseph Guest, James Alstone, Joseph Gibbs, B. S. Heaton, Richard Jephcoate, S. Ryland, Thomas Robinson, Benjamin Parker, and W. Villers, together with the present Overseers, and the six who are just gone out of Office, be a Committee for the Conduct of this Business. Resolved 3, — That the Inhabitants of the Town who have any Observations to make on the Business, be requested to communicate from Time to Time such remarks as may appear to them of Importance, in writing, to the Committee, that such a Bill may be drawn up as shall meet the Sense of the majority of the Inhabitants. Resolved 4, — That the Resolutions of this Meeting, together with the arguments, &c., read by the Chairman, be published in the Birmingham Newspaper. Resolved 5, — That the Thanks of the Meeting be given to the Overseers, for bringing the matter forward. Resolved unanimously, — That the Thanks of the Meeting be given to the Chairman, for his manly, Uberal, and impartial conduct. No day having been fixed upon for the first meeting of the Committee, the Chairman thinks it a duty incumbent on him to appoint one for that Purjjose ; he therefore requests the Gentlemen named therein, to meet at the Public Office in Dale End, on Wednesday next, at Eleven o'Clock in the Morning. W. Villers, Chairman. RATING OF SMALL TENEMENTS. 453 The following is a report of a meeting of the opposition : — Shakespeare Tavern, New-street, Birmingham, Oct 27, 1790. — At a Meeting of the Proprietors of Houses in Birmingham, of less than ^^lo per Annum Rent, and others, held in this Place, for the Purpose of taking into consideration an Application intended to be made by the Overseers of the Poor of Birmingham and others, the next Sessions of Parliament, for Leave to bring in a Bill to oblige the Proprietors of small Houses, Shops, and other Buildings in Birmingham, to pay Parish Rates for the same, pursuant to the Resolutions of a Meeting of Inhabitants of Birmingham, held at the Hotel, on the 20th inst., and a circular Letter from the Vestry Clerk having been read, and which was as follows : Copy. „ Birmingham, Oct. 16, 1790. " Sir, — You are particularly requested to attended the General Town's Meeting, at the Hotel, on Wednesday Morning next, the 20th inst, at Ten o'clock precisely, in order to support the Measure proposed of obliging the Proprietors of small Houses to pay Levies for such Houses. Signed, " T. Harrison, Vestry Clerk." And the Proceedings of the said Meeting at the Hotel, as published in Aris's Birmingham Gazette of Monday last, being also read ; It was Resolved, L— That the said Meeting at the Hotel was not a fair and impartial Meeting, inasmuch as the Vestry Clerk's Letter is a particular invitation to those Persons who were known to be desirous of supporting the Measures previously adopted, and brought forward at said Meeting, without others having any Knowledge or Intimation of such Invitation. Resolved, II. — That the Paper read by Mr. Villers, the Chairman of said Meeting, at the Hotel, and the " Facts, with the Observ^ations and Arguments in support of the Measure grounded thereon," as stated in said Paper, contain a very fallacious Statement of the Business which ought to have been agitated at said Meeting, but the doing of which was prevented by the Rapidity with which the Chairman put the first Question after he had read said Paper. Resolved, III. — That it would be unjust to oblige the Proprietors of small Houses to pay Poor's Rates for their Tenants of such Houses, as thereby every Occupier of such Houses who is of Ability to pay Poor's Levies would be obliged to pay it through the Hands of his Landlord, without having that Benefit thereby which, by the common Rights of Man, the dictates of Humanity and Justice, and by the present existing Laws of his Country, he ought, namely, gaining a Settlement in the Parish. Resolved, IV. — That the General Laws being properly inforced with Candour and Liberality are adequate and sufficient for every Purpose. Resolved, V. — That the Threats thrown out respecting the removal of out Parishoners are cruel and illiberal, as we have their Labours without the Risque of their becoming Burthensome to the Parish, and that the Labours of the lower Order of the People is the Wealth of the Town. Resolved, VI. — That this Meeting doth protest against any Part of the Expences being paid out of the Public Levies, that may be occasioned by an application to Parliament by the Overseers and their Party, to oblige the Landlords or Owners of small Houses to pay Parish Rates for such Houses. 454 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Resolved, VII. — That the Motion offered by Mr. Green, at the said Meeting ought to have been received with Thanks; which Motion was in the following words, viz. — "That a Committee be appointed of fifteen respectable Inhabitants, including in that Number five of the Parties whose Property would be affected by the proposed Alteration, the Auditors of Accounts, and the rest of other respectable Inhabitants. That such Committee be requested to inspect the Overseers' Accounts, and to point out whether any, and what material Part of the Expenses stated in those Disbursements might be avoided or lessened, and whether by any better mode of assessing, or more diligent Attention in collecting the Rates 7WW demandable, the Annual Receipts might not be considerably enlarged. That the said Committee also enquire into the usual mode of Purchasing Provisions and all other Articles ; particularly, whether in any, and what, instances, it has been the Practice of any, and of what, Overseers, during the Term of their being such, to act as Buyers for the Poor and as sellers at the same Time, of articles furnished by themselves." Resolved, VIII. — That a sum of money be raised by voluntary Subscription of the Proprietors of such Houses and Buildings as are theObjects of the intended Act of Parliament, and of such others as chuse to subscribe, to defray the Expences of opposing the intended Application for the same Act, and that the money raised by such Subscription be deposited with Messrs. Goodall, Dickenson, and Co., Bankers, in Birmingham, to be received from them at such Times and in such Manner as a Committee for conducting this Undertaking shall direct Benjamin Parker, Solicitor for the Subscribers. As Hutton was the principal opponent of the proposed bill, and as he was, doubtless, the most noted man engaged in this controversy, he came in for a full share of the assaults for which this brief but sharp controversy was famous. The next letter addressed to him is a specimen of the " playful banter " of the time : — ■ November 8, 1790.— To William Hutton. — Bravo ! Friend Hutton, Bravo ! A second Daniel absolutely ! What an ingenious and learned man thou art ? The Public seemed quite satisfied with what thou hadst written before ; but I declare thy last publication in Friend Swinney's Paper, if possible, outdoes all thy former out doings; such refined Senriments, strong Reasonings, elegant Language, modest Opinions, and loving Con- clusion, cannot fail to make an indelible Impression on all who read it. Thy Candour is eminently conspicuous. Thou sayest " there exists an Error somewhere, and the Wisdom of Officers ought to find it out ;" the Overseers and the Public, perhaps, think they have, but thou confidently sayest No ; of course they are all in the wrong, and thy Wisdom, Friend Solomon, shines with more than meridian Splendour. That's a droll Idea, too, about taxing empty Houses ; thou oughtest to say, O be joyful, &c., " that empty Heads were not to be included." ^Vhat a shocking Thing it was that such blind Error and gross Darkness overshadowed the Town's MeeUng last year, which rejected, by a majority of 50 to 8, thy Friend Jukes and Robinson's Plan or Proposals for reducing the Levies to seven and under. The Scheme of those Worthies certainly demanded Notice, when a Saving of 5,000/. per annum was to be effected by the simple mode of G. Robinson's paying One Shilling per Head for all Paupers he employed above 8 years old, and Six-pence for those under that RATING OF SMALL TENEMENTS. 455 age. Some say that loo or 120 were to be mustered in the House, others say 80 only capable of labour; suppose we say 100 at is. each per Head, which is 260/. per year, how thy Friend was to make out the remainder 4,740/. is to me a mystery, except Friend George has the supernatural gift of making seven Barley Loaves and two small Fishes serve the whole Family on the Sabbath Day, and the Fragments for the Remainder of the Week; but I suppose that's a Cabinet Secret. It is shrewdly suspected that the loth Article of what is vulgarly called George Robinson's Proposals, is, in fact, what the Town is now about to adopt, viz., to assess all Buildings, and enforce Payment from all who do not receive, in order to reduce the Levies to Seven, so that the Employment of the Poor was only a cloak to conceal the Ways and Means of pocketing 500/. principal money, that was to be advanced, and 200/. per annum for nine years, exclusive of House Rent, Working Tools, Coals, and serving the House with Necessaries. Was't not thou, also. Friend William, in the Secret ? I don't always believe everything I hear ; I ventured to consult the Town's Book for Knowledge, and I found that Friend Robinson, like the busy Bee, had largely participated of the public Flowers, his Receipts for Malt, Cheese, &c., for twelve months, was only 467/. 15s. 6d., so that it is no wonder he should wish to fly again to the Honey Combs; but I crave Pardon, if his motives arise from pure Disinterestedness, and the laudable desire to prevent others from imposing on the Town. It seemeth a fixed Principle with thee and thy Colleagues to endeavour to change the Meaning of all public Business, by wide Digressions and false Representations, by fi.\ing gross Charges on the Conduct and Abilities of other Men, that your own actions may pass without Enquiry. Pray, may one be so bold as to ask, how thou and thy friends proposed managing, had the Town's Purse been put into your Possession ? as thou sayest " No Workhouse, but pay all the Paupers out of the House." Now thy friends say, build a large Workhouse, take all the Paupers in — no Out Pay — make all work. Eyes or no Eyes, able or not able — no Work no Meat This, I presume, is another Secret. Suffer me to advise thee and thy Friends to take the Beam out of your own Eyes, before ye presume to take the Mote out of others' Eyes. One Mend-fault is more respectable than twenty Find-faults. Writers who have pene- trated into the deepest Recesses of the human Heart, by long Study and Obser\ation on Men and Manners, say that the Cacoethes Scribendi,* is a Distemper in the human Frame, and curable only by that Treatment which Friend Proud knows so well how to administer to his Patients. Alexander Pope also sayeth, that " Great \\'its to Madness nearly are allied. But thin Partitions do their Bounds divide." But as thou art a Rara Avis in terra nigroque similluna Cygno, there will be no necessity to enlarge the Premises of Bilston, Henley, nor Moorfields, therefore thy Hint was needless. Fare thee well. I remain tliy old Friend, TlMOTHEUS FaIRPLAY. On the same day these two advertisements appeared : — November 8, 1790. — The Committee, appointed by the Proprietors of Houses in Bimiingham, under 10/. per annum, for conducting the Opposition to the intended Application to Parliament for an Act to oblige them to pay Poor's Rates for the same, * Itch of Scribbling. 45^ A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. request the Attendance of all such Proprietors, and also of the Land Owners, or their Agents, and all other Persons as may be affected by such intended Act of Parliament, at the Shakespeare Tavern, on Friday, the 12th Day of November instant, at three o'clock in the Afternoon, on very particular Business. November 8, 1790. — The Committee appointed to conduct the business of an Appli- cation to Parliament for Leave to bring in a Bill to oblige the Proprietors of small Houses, &c., to pay the Parish Rates for the same, request the Inhabitants of the Town, who have any Observations to make on that Business, to communicate, from Time to Time, such Remarks as may appear to them of Importance, in writing, to the Committee, at the Public Office in Dale End ; that such a Bill may be drawn up, as shall meet the Sense of the majority of the Inhabitants. Birmingham, October 27, 1790. W. Villers, Chairman. Hutton was not the man to give in. He had phick and abihty, and he thus returns to the contest : — The Rates upon small Houses in Birmingham considered. November 4, 1790. — No subject within my knowledge, was ever supported by weaker arguments than this Tax upon Landlords. One gentleman told me yesterday, " The town was over built, and as there were a vast number of empty houses, they ought to be taxed." For that very reason they ought not. Is not an empty house a sufficient tax upon the owner? "Enlarge the Workhouse, says another, and oblige all the dependents to come in, and then every evil will be cured." And then, my good friend, the whole of Lichfield Street would be too small for a Workhouse ; families in temporary sickness would be daily ruined, sold up, and brought into the house, when five shillings would have kept them out ; daily murders would be committed by the stench of the crowd ; disorder seen in perfection ; those out would be unable to support those in. The keys of a thousand houses would be cast into the landlord's hands, with the loss of rent and repairs, and then he might keep them. But I will instantly decline the thought, lest this paper, falling under the eye of the stranger, should induce him to think us a flock of Wild Geese ; or the people of Bilstoa, Henley and Moorfields, take the hint and enlarge their premises. We might, however, pass on with time, tolerably well, without any alteration but in the measures of the Overseers. While the inhabitants of Birmingham pay annually ^£'3 to the poor for every ;^io rent, and the inhabitants of other places pay but one, it proves there is an error somewhere. The wisdom of an officer ought to find that error out, and his prudence remove it. Her lands and her manufactures are in danger. No landlord act can cure the enormity. The town approving a Plan formed with Mr. George Robinson, to reduce the evil, deputed a Committee, of which I was one, to carry it into execution. Could I, then, with serenity, behold the most beneficial scheme that ever appeared in favour of the place, consumed in the flame of Pride ? No undertaking can be effective conducted by the Overseers : their situation will not allow it. Did Prudence ever guide a Mob? are they not a Vestry in Anarchy? a Jury without a foreman? a company of foot without a corporal? They find things in disorder, and leave them in worse. The Ins and the Outs succeed one another with such rapidity, that we cannot easily know them. . RATING OF SMALL TENEMENTS. 457 Six months after date we discharge half a dozen. Instead of the Overseers knowing how to conduct a plan, they have scarcely time to know each other. Every man, who knows anything of life, will agree, that an effort of consequence cannot be conducted except by a willing, able, and persevering hand. Can that hand be found in the above description ? The people who settle amongst us are of that class who subsist by industry. None are more beneficial. Should a hundred of these approach us, and fill various departments. Would their landlords be the only gainers ? Would not the profits of their labour be diffused through the manufacturer, the merchant, the taylor, baker, butcher, grocer, &c., &c. ? Nay, even the chandler reaps a favour from the sale of a farthing candle. Thus the whole hundred receive a benefit from each other. Should it happen that ten of these become incapacitated, ought they to be forced as a burden upon a few individuals or the whole ninety bear a part? This proves it is a partial act. But partiality is one of its least injurious qualities. I have reason to think many thousands of small houses in town are under mortgage. What then becomes of the mortgagee? Who can justify breaking down the fence which guards his property, and exposing it to ravine? This proves it an unjust invasion of private right. Many of the inhabitants, in advanced life, wholly depend for subsistence upon a few small houses, and find it a troublesome and slender dependance. This pitiable class of people are in a dreadful situation ; for if the act passes the tax will probably drive away their tenants ; and if it does not, the Overseers threaten to drive them, and leave their houses empty. This is a question of national magnitude, involving immense property. Every parish in the kingdom is concerned, and its consecjuences, 1 doubt not, will be seen by every member of the legislature. As no law of this kind exists, let me ask. Whether the House of Commons would introduce a dreadful precedent against themselves ? for many of the members are proprietors of small houses, and would be liable to pay. For with what face or conscience could a member grant away another man's property and withhold his own ? Others are Lords of Manors abounding with cottages and small tenements, over which the Overseer would instantly predominate. Others again have considerable interest in the Boroughs, and support their seats by letting their Burgess-tenures at easy rents. If I pursue this thought but one line farther we shall see even the Constitution itself totter. Let us not tear each other's vitals, by splitting into parties ; nor spend ^1^500 to be laughed at by the world. Let us restore that unanimity for which we have been famous. Relinquish the object, which, like the painted butterfly, is pursued with labour, and when caught is of no value. Let parochial economy preside, and let us equally contribute to the support of those objects by whose industry we grow rich. I shall only declare in this public manner that no reflection was ever designed against any individual. There is not an inhabitant of Birmingham to whom I am an enemy ; even the Overseers, as private men, 1 respect, but condemn their conduct as Officers. William Hutton. The Overseers, past and present, now came in a body, and challenged their opponents to a Town's Meeting : — Vestry Room, Birmingham Workhouse, November 12, 1790. To Wu.Li.vM HuTTON and Joseph Jukes. In Consequence of those Letters lately inserted in the Birmingham Newspapers, under your Signatures, We, the undersigned, last six and the present twelve Overseers of llie o 2 45 S A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Poor, think it an indispensable duty we owe to our Characters and the Parish at large, thus publicly to require you both to come openly before a Town's Meeting to substantiate any censurable Charge or Charges you have brought, or have to bring, against our Parochial Conduct, in order finally to relieve the Public from your censorious and illiberal Insinuatiotis and Aspersions, as well as to have a public opportunity of defending our Conduct and Character, as Overseers, against the assassin-like attacks of such self- conceited, disappointed, and ambitious Calumniators, and likewise to preserve the future peace of the Parish. We all request you will fix on an early Day, that we may call a general Town's Meeting, before whom it is our full determination to lay our Books and parochial conduct for their decision. T. Cooper, High Street. Thomas Cheston William Leonard John Clarke, Jun. John Lander William Bingley Thomas Potts Robert Butcher William Lewin John Cooke William Sergeant William Lea Matthew Redfem Edw. Barker Thomas Mander William Handasyd. Humphrey Vale Richard Brown " A proprietor of small houses," comes forward as a peace-maker, and tries to throw oil on the troubled waters : — To the Ijihabitants of Birmingham. November 15, 1790. — It would give us the sincerest pleasure, if we could be instrumental in removing those Differences which exist at this time in Birmingham, on Account of the proposed Plan of Augmenting the Poor's Rates, by subjecting the Landlords of the Houses under a Rent of ^10 per annum to the payment of this Tax. From a desire of preventing any Contest on this subject, and that Alienation of Mind which is the too frequent, if not the inseparable Companion of Controversy, we request the Attention of both Parties to the following Observations. And to begin with the Proprietors of small Houses under the Rent of ^^lo per annum, we recommend them to consider, that, I. It is very unjust that the Occupiers of 3,000 houses should bear the whole Burden of the Poor's Rates, whilst 9,000 Houses, which are equally liable to be assessed in the same Ratio, pay nothing towards that Fund. 2. That the Overseers are only withheld from rating these Houses, from the Fear of increasing the Demand on the Fund for the Poor, a Fear, which (in the Estimation of several intelligent Persons who have considered the subject) has been suffered to operate too much. 3. That should the Expence of the Poor be doubled by this assessment (which is not at all probable), and if we admit that the amount of the Levies would be doubled by this means (which is very probable), this additional Incumbrance would not be felt by the present payers, and consequently it must be a very desirable circumstance for them to hazard an Experiment, by which they cannot lose, but by which they may eventually be much benefitted. 4. If the principal Inhabitants and Overseers should not succeed in the Application to Parliament (on which the Town has in a great measure akeady decided), it is most probable RATING OF SMALL TENEMENTS. 459 (and, in the opinion of many respectable and intelligent Persons, exceedingly just and proper), thai they will determine upon assessing every House whatever in the same Ratio as the present Assessment, compelling all to pay, relieving such as would be aggrieved by carrying this Resolution into effect, and removing such who were not Parishioners, and were ineligible to be made so. Under these Considerations we appeal to you, whether it is prudent to oppose this Bill, which, should it succeed, will guard your Property from the same Ratio of Assessment with larger Houses ; at any rate, we think, upon dispassionate Reflection, you will see the Propriety of proposing a Compromise. And with respect to you. Gentlemen, who are desirous that an Act of Parliament should be solicited for the Purpose of assessing the Landlords, we submit to your Consideration, whether, 1. It will be eligible to preclude yourselves from assessing that Species of Property at the usual Ratio, which must for ever be the Case should an Act of Parliament be procured. 2. Whether, in order to heal Dissension and to prevent all future Animosity, it will not, upon the whole, be eligible to compromise this Business, especially as you proposed at the Town's Meeting, in the intended Bill to make such liberal concessions to the Proprietors of that species of Property. 3. Whether this Compromise, though it may not on the whole be so productive, yet as it will effectually secure you (as is the case in Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, and Leeds) from any increase in the number of the Poor, it may not on the whole be most advantageous; and 4. As the Expence of soliciting this Act will be certain, the Trouble considerable, and the Success Contingent, we think upon seriously reflecting upon tliese and other considerations which will occur, upon the whole it will be eligible for you to listen to liberal Terms of compromise. We are very sensible that the Committee appointed by the Town must produce the outline of a Bill for the Approbation of the Inhabitants ; but in the mean Time, should a fair Plan of compromise be offered to them, the Sense of the Town will be taken upon each of the Propositions, and the Compromise will most probably be adopted. We earnestly recommend this suggestion to your serious and dispassionate attention, and are, with all due Respect, A Proprietor of Small Houses, An Inhabitant. The Overseers, " past and present," are thus addressed by an "unbeknown," on the subject of this protest and challenge of the 12th. November 15, 1790. — To Messrs. Thomas Cooper, High Street, Thomas Cheston, Thomas Lander, Robert Butcher, William Serjeant, Edward Barker, Humphrey Vale, William Leonard, William Bingley, William Lewin, William Lea, Thomas Mander, Richard Brown, Bull Street, John Clarke, jun.. Paradise Street, Thomas Potts, John Cook, Matthew Redfem, and \\'illiam Handasyd, Overseers of tlie Poor of Birmingham, and also to William Villers their Chairman : Gentlemen, — In your Advertisement addressed to the Inhabitants of the Town, you request those who may have any Observations to offer on the Business concerning your intended Application to Parliament, that they would communicate the same in writing ; in consequence thereof, the following Remarks are at your Service. 460 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. As your Determination is to apply for Powers to oblige the Proprietors of Houses under £^10 a year to pay the Parish Rates, thereby to prevent the Tcnatit from gaining a settlement, and as you tell us that you have maturely considered the Magnitude of the evil of the present Assessment, and are fully convinced that no other Remedy can effectually remove it, it is but reasonable we should examine whether there be real necessity for such Application. It seems particularly partial to strike at the Existence of that kind of Property which is universally allowed to be the most precarious, the Rents of Houses being ever fluctuating and uncertain. It is scarcely necessary to remark the consequences to be expected from the Act. Nothing can be more unjust and cruel than to deny a Support in old Age, or even casual Sickness, to the Man that has exhausted his Health and Days in the Manufactories of the Place, whose Landlord has paid the Parish Rates for him. The Law as it stands, is, I believe firmly, sufficient for every Purpose for the Maintenance of the Poor. The question of a compromise — how Enghsh this is ! — is introduced, and a meeting is called to ascertain how it may best be brought about : — Birmingham PubHc Office, November 10, 1790. — The Public having been impressed with several Notions respecting the Clauses intended to be introduced into the Bill, for compel- ling Landlords of small Houses &c., to pay Rates for the same; the Committee think it proper to say that it is their Intention to propose that, in certain Cases, where the Landlord, has not received the Rent, he shall not be liable to the Rates ; and that the Occupiers of Houses for which the Rates are paid by the Landlord, shall, after having occupied such Houses for a certain number of Years, thereby acquire a Settlement. And it having been intimated that several Proprietors of small Houses are desirous of meeting this Committee with a Plan of Compromise, all such Persons are hereby informed that the Committee are ready to receive, and to give the most liberal Attention to, any Proposals which they may be disposed to make by Letter to the Chairman. W. ViLLERS, Chairman. On November 22 Mr. Hutton was in the field again; and thus defied his enemies : — To the Overseers.^Gentlemen, it was not till this day that I learnt from this Paper who my supposed Antagonists were ; when I saw a long list of names, a perfect phalanx, strung together in Armour, ready to destroy poor Jukes and Hutton — some of whom I have not the pleasure of knowing, and many of them I have a personal Regard for. But why do you join us together? We never were in Partnership. I will, if you please, stand single ; for as neither he, nor any one else, will see what I write before it is submitted to the World, he ought not to be responsible. This is an Advantage thrown into your Scale ; for when you have beaten me down you may try your hand upon him. Perhaps you will find him an able Antagonist in the Right. He has already run you out of breath, by hurrying your Account-Books to the Auditors, after they have slept in silent darkness a year. But why so angry? This looks as if you were conscious of holding the weakest side of the Argument. IMiy do you use the Word Assassin 1 It means an Actor in the Dark. As I always signed what I wrote, the word cannot apply. I shall, however, most cordially excuse all. Neither will I meddle with private Character ; my Design is not to abuse, but RATING OF SMALL TENEMENTS. 46 1 reform. I shall ever distinguish between the Man and the Officer. If you are wrong, why do not you amend? If right, why do you not tell me wherein I am wrong? "You require me to come openly before a Town's Meeting." I have been openly before the Town many Weeks. Your parochial Follies, Gentlemen, have dragged me upon the public Stage, and I shall tell the World what you have often declared yourselves, " That you are all in the wrong." We are to come, if the E.\pression will bear a meaning, " in order to relieve the Public." What are we to relieve it from ? We never embarrassed it. It is you who must relieve it, by reducing the Pride of Office. If I am ambitions, it is not for an Emolument or a Place ; I never expressed a Wish for either, but to save the Town four or five Levies a Year, and your Credit, while you refuse to save either. Had I wished an Office, your Fondness for Power prohibited all Access. When twelve Bantams guard a Muckhill, no Wonder they spar off every Approaches You forget that both Mr. Jukes and I, as Guardians, have the same Right in the Vestry as yourselves. What I said against you in the two Papers I have written, and which you mark with the Names of censorious, illiberal Aspersions, self conceited, calumnious, and assassin- like, amounts to this, " That a most admirable Plan was fixed upon by the Town, agreed to by Mr. George Robinson, to be superintended by Mr. Jukes, and watched over by seven of the first Characters among us. This was to reduce the Levies to eight, perhaps seven. But your Pride being unable to brook a competitor, broke the Agreement, by which the Town sustained an irreparable Loss ; and to hide this reprehensible Conduct you put forth a Bubble which added to that loss, and, to cover the whole, broached an Act, founded upon the most unjust Principles." This I said, and now ratify. I add, breaking that Agreement was all that I ever laid to your charge : nor need there any more, for this is the grand Hinge upon which a thousand Evils turn ; the Master-key which unlocks every Apartment of Mischief. I never blamed you for being twelve, you are not self-chosen ; neither have I for not carr}'ing any effective Scheme into Execution. I know it is not in your Power. Your over-grown Number and your fluctuating State as before described, will not allow it. But I severely censure you for not suffering another to do what you are unable to do yourselves ; for not delegating that Power to a small Number which your corpulent Body found impossible. The Tax upon small Houses, could you obtain it, would not relieve you more than two or three Years. It would be no more than a Plaster to ease the Pains in one Part of the Afflicted Body, but augment them in another. Neither is Money wanted. There are unnecessary Thousands annually raised already. YourConduct must submit to Control; and, however ill you may brook the Remark, I can assure you (without dogmatising or prophesying) it must be so in a short Time, or Ruin will ensue. You are descending the Hill with too much Rapidity to recover yourselves. ^Vhen a foundation is rotten, the Superstructure must be taken down ; it will not bear patching. By a hint in this Day's Paper, a Coalition seems advancing upon the Tapis ; at this I shall most ardently rejoice, for I love Peace, and will promote it with all my Powers. In this case I wU be the first to throw by that black and pointed Weajjon, the Pen. But if this happy Event should not take Place, I shall lay before the World, The History of Orcrseership. November 15, 1790. W, HirrroN. 462 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. As we have seen, Mr. Hutton was not single-handed in this contest. He had a powerful coadjutor in Mr. Jukes, whose letters are full of fire and force. On December 6, he thus replies to the Overseers, " past and present :" — To Messrs. T. Cooper, High Street, Thomas Cheston, John Lander, Robert Butcher, William Sergeant, Edward Barker, Humphrey Vale, William Leonard, William Bingley, William Lewin, William Lee, Thomas Mander, Richard Brown, John Clarke, jun., Thomas Potts, John Cook, Matthew Redfern, and William Handasyd, being Overseers of the Poor, and Committee-Men, in Birmingham, for conducting the Application to Parliament for Powers to oblige the Proprietors of Houses under 10/. per Year to pay the Parish Rates for the same, and thereby to prevent the Tenant from gaining a Settlement. Gentlemen, — Having seen your raving Advertisement (instead of a Reply to my Letter) in Aris's and Swinney's Papers, dated Vestry Room, Birmingham Workhouse, November 12, 1790, I am much pleased to see your Names annexed to it (as in November, 1789, I could not then bring the Overseers out of their strong Hold, the Parish Vestry ; they only said, We, the Overseers, &c.) I expected that Letter would make some impression on you. Law and Justice are in our Favour, and they have powerful Arguments. Possibly you might read it in haste ; you may now see it at your Leisure in either of the above Papers of the nth and 15th instant, and it is also reprinted and distributed in the Town. Your charge of my being an Assassin has not the least Foundation in truth. I have always signed my Name to every Letter I have written on this Business. I never thought that any of you had pocketed a Shilling, but was fearful the Money was wasted for want of better Management. Indeed, " my angry Sirs" believe me I am not disap- pointed, I foresaiv the enormous Expense and Load of Debt that has been brought on the Town, and which is daily increasing. As this Business is before the Public, I now call for your answer to my Letter of the 10th instant, through the same Channel, signed with your Names, to inform the Town wherein I have falsely represented your conduct as Parish Officers. I have not related one Charge against you but what I believe to be true, and now call upon eaek and every one of you to prove the contrary. You mention your Desire of your Books being brought before a Town's Meeting to be Examined. To examine into the Expenditure of Twenty Thousand Pounds at such Meeting must be clear to every Man that it is impossible for him to see to what purpose so large a Sum has been applied. First have them examined by the Auditors, and then let the Public see them, with their Report. 1 expect your immediate Reply, as probably I may have Occasion to address you again on this Subject. Birmingham, November 24. Joseph Jukes. At the same time that the question of rating small tenements was being discussed, the supporters of that bill also petitioned Parliament for a bill to amend the Guardian Act, The defenders of the landlords' interests and of the exemption of small houses from the payment of rates, sought to delay this measure; and in February, 1791, held a meeting, and passed resolutions on the subject : — RATING OF SMALL TENEMENTS. 463 Shakespeare Tavem, February 18, 1791. — At a Meeting of the Comraittee of Proprietors of Houses in Birmingham of less than lo/. per Annum, An Advertisement in Swinney's Paper of Thursday last, for convening a Meeting of the Inhabitants of Birmingham on Tuesday next, to consider of a Petition to Parliament for leave to bring in a Bill, either to amend the Guardian Act by adopting some of the Clauses in that lately obtained for regulating the Poor in the Town of Shrewsbury, ivith such others as may be thought necessary, or to repeal the same, and obtain an Act for the better manage- ment of the Poor in this Town, being read, // was Resolved, That, as a Bill is now pending in Parliament for an Alteration in the Poor's Laws, and as the Period between the Time advertised for such Meeting and the last of presenting such Petitions is too short properly to consider the tendency of the intended Application to Parliament from Birmingham, this Committee think it highly improper to Petition Parliament for any Alteration in the Guardian Act before the Effect of that Bill is known, and that this Resolution be published in next Monday's Paper. By Order of the Committee, Benja.min Parker, Solicitor. On the same day that the above appeared, the supporters of both bills issued the following advertisement : — February 21, 1791.^ — The CoMMiTTEEappointedat the General Meeting of Inhabitants, held at the Hotel, on the 20th of October last, for conducting the Business of an Applica- tion to Parliament to oblige the Proprietors of small Houses, Shops, and other Buildings to pay Parish Rates for the same, desire another General Meeting of the Inhabitants, at the same Place, To-morrow, the 22nd of this Month, at Eleven o'Clock in the Morning, to receive their Report, and to Consider of a Petition to Parliament for leave to bring in a Bill, either to amend the present Guardian Act, by adopting some of the Clauses in that lately obtained for regulating the Poor in the Town of Shrewsbury, with such others as may be thought necessary, or to repeal the same, and obtain a new Act for the better manage- ment of the Poor in this Town ; it being the Opinion of the Overseers and several of the Guardians, who have consulted together on the Business, that many Regulations are absolutely necessary which are not sufficiently provided for by the present Act. William Villers, Chairman. As will be seen, the meeting called by Mr. Villers resolved on immediate action. The committee appointed to prepare the " heads of a petition " includes some of our best-known Birmingham names : — Birmingham, February 22, 1791. — At a large and respectable meeting of the Inhabitants of this Town, held this Day, at the Hotel, agreeable to public Advertisements, Mr. W. Villers in the Chair, Resolved, — That a Petition be immediately presented to Parliament, for Leave to bring in a Bill to amend or repeal the Guardian Act. That Joseph Carles, Esq., Matthew Boulton, Esq., William Russell, Esq., Samuel Gallon, jun., Esq., Messrs. Charles Lloyd, William Wallis Mason, Samuel Baker, John Ryland, Samuel Ryland, Theodore Price, Humphrey Vale, Thomas Cheston, William Simpson, William Walker, William Villers, Thomas Robinson, Richard Jeficoate, and Benjamin Parker, be a Committee to prepare the Heads of a Bill, to be laid before the Town for their Approbation, previous to its being carried into tlic House. 464 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. That the Thanks of this Meeting be given to the Chairman. That the Thanks of this Meeting be also given to the Overseers, for the Liberality and Public Spirit which they have manifested upon this Occasion. William Villers. The overseers entered a protest against the letter of Mr. Parker ; and published the following statement of their collecting books : — Birmingham Workhouse, February 26, 1791. — Great Inconveniences having arisen to us as Overseers of the Poor, in our different Collections of the Levies, owing to a very illiberal Publication, signed Benjamin Parker, dated the 27th of January last, and which was industriously distributed by Joseph Jukes, and James Murray, to the Inhabitants of this Parish ; We do hereby declare that such Publication was without the Knowledge or Consent of the Auditors of Accounts, and is, upon mature Examination found to be erroneous, calcu- lated to excite Confusion and Discord, and unjustly to calumniate the Characters of a number of respectable Persons, to whom, in presence of several of the Auditors, Benjamin Parker promised to make a proper Concession, but when waited upon by the Vestry Clerk for that purpose, evasively excused himself. In order, therefore, to do away such false impressions from the minds of the Inhabitants as well as in justice to those Gentlemen involved therein, we affirm the under to be the exact statement of their respective collecting Books, which are all brought in, and closed some weeks since, though the late Double Levy, was granted but eight days before they went out of Office. Thos. Potts John Cook J. S. Clarke Wm. Handasyd Cr. £ s. d. By Voids and diff. . . 169 5 6 Ditto 149 7 6 Ditto 108 17 o Ditto 76 7 o Ditto 43 12 o Ditto 139 2 o Nett Receipts . . 7311 18 4 William Leonard Wm. Bingley Thos. Mander Wm. Lea Hum. Vale Matt . Redfern Wm. Lewin Rd. Brown Dr. £ s. d. To Bull-street quar. . 1503 19 6 i „ St. Paul's ditto . 1471 16 6 „ Suffolk-st. ditto . 1471 5 6 „ New-street ditto . 1382 9 4 „ Foreign ditto . 1273 19 „ Hill-street ditto . 894 19 6 ^7998 9 4 ;^7998 9 4 The above is a true Statement of the Accounts of the late Overseers' Collecting Books. Whether do they or any of their Predecessors owe the Parish one Shilling ? February 21, 1791. Thomas Harrlson, Vestry Clerk. Mr. Parker was not, however, easily silenced. He replied to the Overseers, and thus defended the course he had taken : — RATING OF SMALL TENEMENTS. 465 March 7, 1791. — I think it a Duty I owe to myself to take some Notice of a Paragraph inserted in this Paper last Monday, dated Birmingham Workhouse, February 26, 1791, and subscribed — Wia. Leonard Wra. Bingley Thos. Potts Thomas Mander Wm. Lea John Cook Hum. Vale Matt. Redfem J. S. Clarke Wm. Lewin Rd. Brown Wm. Handasyd A Meeting of the Inhabitants of Birmingham was lately convened for the Purpose of obtaining their Assent to an Application to Parliament for an Act to oblige Proprietors of Houses and Buildings under 10/. per annum to pay Poor's Rates for their Tenants. The Inhabitants attending the Meeting voted the Measure, and appointed a Committee, of which I was one. The Proprietors of small Houses, being justly alarmed at this Attack on their Property, subscribed a sum of Money to defray the Expenses of opposing the Measure, and I was appointed their Solicitor, and a Committee was appointed for conducting the Opposition ; in this situation I, of course, declined the honour of attending the Committee for conducting the Application to Parliament. It is a Custom in Birmingham, which has been established a few years, to appoint Auditors to examine the Accounts of Receipts and Expenditures of the Parish Money. The Auditors for the year 1790 advertised a Meeting of the Inhabitants, in the Birming- ham Papers, to be held at the Public Office on the 28th of December last, to hear the Report read, and appoint Auditors for the present year. The Meeting was held, the Report read, and other Auditors were appointed for the present year ; and I being one of them, the Book containing the Report read at that Meeting was put into my Hands. A few days afterwards, Mr. Jukes, one of the Auditors for the year 1790, called upon me and requested a Copy of the Report, which one of ray Clerks copied for him under my Directions. Mr. Jukes being one of those Auditors whose Report it was, and that Report having been read at a numerous and respectable Meeting of the Inhabitants, called by public Advertisement for that Purpose, I had not an Idea that I was acting improperly in furnishing him -with a Copy of it. Soon aftenvards Mr. Jukes produced the Copy of the Report at a Meeting of the Committee of Proprietors of small Houses, with a Preface, a Copy of which is below ; and it was then agreed by. the Committee that the Preface and Report should be printed and distributed among the Inhabitants for their information ; and I was directed by the Committee, as their Solicitor, to Subscribe my Name as such to the Preface, which I did. It is said by the Overseers, that the Publication was without the Knowledge of the Auditors, to whom I promised to make a proper Concession, but when waited upon by the Vestry Clerk, I evasively excused myself. The Overseers sent for me one evening, to the Workhouse, shortly after the Publication referred to, and I was asked by one of the present Auditors if it was published by them, or with their privity ? and in reply I told him, as tlie Truth is, that it was published by the Committee of Proprietors of Small Houses, whom the Overseers of the Poor wished to charge with the Poor's Rates instead of the Tenants. I was then asked if I had any Objection to informing the Public the Auditors had no part in the Publication ? and answered I had none. At this meeting it was agreed on all Hands that Mr. Jukes was entitled to a Copy of the Report, and might have had it on Application at the Vestry. 466 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Some Time after this the Vestry Clerk called upon me with a Note from the Overseers, desiring (if my Recollection is right, for I did not preserve the Note) that I would convene a Meeting of the Auditors, and Advertise that they did not publish the Report, for that they (the Overseers) would not lose Sight of it. I then told the Vestry Clerk that my time and Attention had been so much taken up in Business, with which they were well acquainted, that it had been morally impossible for me to call a Meeting of the late Auditors, but would do it as soon as I could ; and would, if they desired it, satisfy the Public that the Report was published by the Committee of small Houses. This is the Concession and Evasion 1 am charged with ! If the Auditors thought fit to have employed the Vestry Clerk to have called a Meeting, and given me Notice of it, I would have attended it; but every Inhabitant of Birmingham who is acquainted with the public business going forward in the Town, now, and for some time past, and prior to the Publication of the Auditor's Report, knows I have had very little Leisure. If the Complaint against me had been like the noxious publication, distributed in the Town, instead of being published in the News- paper, I should not have troubled the Public with any answer, as the inhabitants of Birmingham are acquainted with the Business, and sufficiently capable of judging without my troubling myself or them on the present occasion. Thus have I given a plain simple Narrative of the Transactions alluded to by the Publishers of the Paragraph, which has brought me forth to public Examination ; and the impartial Reader will judge how far the beautiful Epithets, abounding in the Publication of the 28th of Februarj' last, apply to me. If those Epithets attach to the Preface, that is the Act of the Committee. If to the Report, that is the Act of the Auditors. I neither stimulated nor countenanced the Publication in Question. To have done either would have been Arrogance in me; and to suppress or prevent it was not in my power. I did merely what my Situation as Solicitor, in Opposition to the Overseers and those acting with them, imposed upon me ; and no selfish Consideration shall ever induce me to shrink from my Duty in any Situation, when that Duty does not clash with my Ideas of moral Rectitude. Benjamin Parker. Snow Hill, Birmingham, March 2, 1791. The fcllowiug is a Copy of the Preface above referred to. Shakespear Tavern, January 27th, 1791. "The Committee appointed by Proprietors of Houses under ^10 a Year, against the unjustifiable Attack lately made by the Overseers of the Poor, to oblige them to pay the Parish Rates, and at the same time exclude their Tenants from gaining Settlements, think it a Duty they owe to all Persons interested therein, as well as to the Town at large, to publish the following Report of the Auditors, which was read at a very respectable Town's Meeting called for that purpose ; and also the Resolutions entered into at that Meeting. " The Committee embrace this opportunity of expressing their sincere Thanks to those Gentlemen who voluntarily stepped forth to oppose the said Attack; and likewise to the Auditors for their unwearied Application and Diligence in searching into the Overseer's Accounts for several Years back, and bringing them to public View ; by which Means the Payers to the Poor's Rate have now an Opportunity of observing in what Manner the Overseers have transacted the Business, and the Mode of making up their Accounts. RATING OF SMALL TENEMENTS. 467 "And the Committee conceive it would be a very material Advantage to the Inhabitants of Birmingham, if the same System was adopted here which is established at Shrewsbury (viz.) to take the Expenditure of the Parish Money wholly out of the Hands of the Overseers of the Poor and invest it in a Committee. The salutary Effects of this Mode at Shrewsbury are too well known to be controverted, and, if adopted in Birmingham, would save the Town many Thousands a Year. " By Order of the Committee, " Benjamin Parker, Solicitor." James Murray* also breaks a lance with the " powers that be," and explains his own share in the acts complained of : — Birmingham, March 5th, 1791. Messrs. W. Leonard, Tho. Mander, H. Vale, Wm. Lewin, W. Bingley, W. Lea, M. Redfem, R. Brown, T. Potts, J. Cook, J. S. Clarke, Wm. Handasyd, Overseers of the Poor of Birmingham, and Thomas Harrison, Vestry Clerk. Gentlemen, I was in Hopes that I had got thus far through Life without giving any Offence to my Neighbours, and it gives me Concern to find the contrary, by an Advertisement in Aris's Gazette, and Swinney's Paper, dated Birmingham Workhouse, February 26, 1791, and signed as above. You there state to the Town and the Public that I had industriously distributed a Publication, said by you to be "erroneous, and calculated to excite a Confusion, Discord, and unjustly to calumniate the Characters of a Number of respectable Persons." I have bestowed a deal of Time and some Trouble to prevent such direful Effects taking place amongst my Neighbours, and perhaps have been as successful in making Peace and settling jarring interests as any of the respectable twelve above mentioned. On returning from the Shakespear to a House where I spent the Evening, I was asked to take a parcel of Books, which I did, and inadvertently delivered them there, to the number of six or eight Pamphlets, /j the Truift,s.nd. the Transaction was acknowledged and explained to you a few Evenings after, at a Vestry Meeting held at the Workhouse, Mr. Mander in the Chair ; therefore I hope the Candour of the Public will judge how far I have been an industrious distributor of what? You twelve being a complete Jury, have brought the Pamphlet in guilty of all the above Enormities ; yet it is a Copy of the Auditors' Report, read publicly at a respectable Meeting of the Inhabitants of the Town, held for that and other Purposes. The Report of the Auditors remains now, by you to be proved erroneous, unless that you allow the Parish Books to be so. I told you at the Vestr)', that if your Accounts were just, it were no matter to Officers if they were posted on every Church Door from Berwick-on-Tweed to Portsmouth : if they were not just, or if the Publication of the Auditors' Report discovers anything improper, it is fit that the Town should know how their Money is spent I can see no crime in the * James Murray was a linen and woollen draper ; he resided in Moor-street, was a member of the Antiquarian Society of Scotland, and was most generally known by the name or title of "Cheap John." He emigrated to America, to which place his two sons and two daughters soon aftenvards followed him. He was also a member of the "Jacobin Club," or the "Twelve Apostles," who used to meet at Poet Freeth's, in Bell-street. His portrait is the first on the left h.-ind in Eckstein's famous Tontine Painting of the "Twelve," and was evidently "a good portly man, i'faith." These few facts anent him are derived from the Key to the "Tontine Painting," published by Mr. Underwood, in his "Buildings of Bir mingh a m , Past and Present, in 1S66. 468 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Publication of Parochial Accounts, and for the future I hope they always will, provided they were stated with Precision, and worded not to mislead ; for in Justice to the late Overseers, the Balance that may appear in their Hands by the Auditors' Reports, seems to me to be in the pockets of the Town, uncollected ; and to the present Overseers, so far from throwing any obstacle in their Way, I wish it were in my Power to lend them assistance in their painful and troublesome Office. I owe much to the Town of Birmingham ; its Interest and mine, as a Citizen, is the same, and, notwithstanding the Petulance of Overseers, I am ready, with the little share of Abilities that I have, to step forward for the public Good, which has ever been the Wish of their Obedient humble Servant, James Murray. Can you Twelve, in Conscience, say, that the Advertisement respecting me was free from malice and ill Design to injure me, my Family, and Connections in the eyes of the Town and the Public at large ? A very elaborate and exhaustive letter by Joseph Jukes brought the epistolary part of this controversy to a close. The information which it gives on parish affairs at the end of the eighteenth century makes the document very useful and interesting. We, therefore, present it entire : — March 14, 1791. William Leonard William Bingley Thomas Potts Thomas Mander William Lea John Cook Humphrey Vale Matthew Redfern J. S. Clarke William Lewin Richard Brown William Handasyd Overseers of the Poor. Sirs, — The Advertisement which you were pleased to issue forth from the heretofore Strong-hold, the Parish Vestry, dated the 25th of February, 1791, I confess rather excites my Mirth than my Resentment. The Auditors' Report of the 28th of December last, seems to have given a fatal Blow to the assumed Power and Significance which had so long accompanied the Office of Overseer; and we may shortly expect to see both the Office and the Importance thereof make their Exit. It would have been a happy Circumstance had they expired years ago; immense sums would have been saved to the Parish. At this Period, the principal Payers to the Poor's Rate, sufficiently understand the Business of Overseering; and perhaps you, Sirs, might have peacefully closed the Career of Office, had not your ill-judged Rashness urged you to call in question the Authenticity of the Auditors' Report. I now, therefore, challenge you to prove it to be erroneous (in any material Degree), notwithstanding you have boldly asserted that it is so " upon mature consideration." Be pleased to observe, that I have sufficient Documents in my Possession, which bear ample Testimony of the Truth of their Report ; and, admitting that their may be some little inaccuracies in stating it, those by no means invalidate its general Tenor, and may probably arise from the mode of Book-keeping practised by the Vestry Clerk, Thomas Harrison. Pray do have the Goodness to examine the Parish Books attentively, and RATING OF SMALL TENEMENTS. 469 point out to the Town wherein the Auditors have erred. \Vhat just Cause have you to be so much offended at the Publication of the Auditors' Report? It neither relates to you nor your Accounts. They have not yet been Audited. If any of your Predecessors conceive themselves aggrieved thereby, certainly they may plead their own Cause without your Assistance. But perhaps they have retained you as their advocate. How ridiculous does your conduct appear in forestalling the Business of the Auditors, and appointing Thomas Harrison, the Vestry Clerk, Inspector of and Voucher for their Accounts ! Upon what Foundation can you assert the Report in question to be an illiberal one ? Is it improper thai the Payers to the Poor's Rates should know how their Motuy has been applied ? Do you mean to infer that I have been an Instrument of exciting " Confusion or Discord" among the Inhabitants, or "unjustly to calumniate the Character of any Person ? " If you do, I must plainly tell you that you are guilty of great injustice to me ; for it is well known that all my exertions hitherto have been solely aimed at the ruinous and destructive System practised by the Overseers as a Body, and not at the Individual who might accidently compose a Part of it I shall now declare the Motive for publishing the Auditors' Report, viz.. The Committee appointed by Proprietors of Houses under Ten Pounds a year, against your late unjustifiable attack, being informed that great Numbers of the most respectable Payers to the Poor's Rates, as likewise the Proprietors of small Houses, &c., would have been glad to have heard the Auditors' Report which was read at the Public Office, at a Town's Meeting (called for that Purpose), on the 28th December last, they took the same into Consideration, and ordered one Thousand Copies to be printed and distributed among the Inhabitants, not wishing to send it through the Channel of the Newspapers. My good Sirs, does this merit those handsome Eulo^iums which you have been pleased to confer upon it from your renowned Safietuary in Lichfield-Street ? I shall now, without further preface, take the Liberty to insert the following Extract from the Auditors' Report, viz., " There seems to have been great Remisness in closing the collecting Books of the Overseers, a Number of them not having appeared before the Auditors until many Months after they should have been compleady settled. That the Town may judge of the Propriety of this Remark, the Auditors present the following Statement of the Overseers' Cash Accounts since Easter, 1785, when the Number of the Overseers was increased by Act of Parliament. " N.B. — The Auditors have transcribed a particular Statement of each of the Overseers' Accounts, as it respects the Payments they have made, after the fourteen Days subsequent to the Easter and Michaelmas, when their collecting Books ought to have been closed, and the Balance paid in. This Statement they have been ready to produce ; but as it is their Desire to avoid as much as possible the appearance of any Thing personal, they propose, unless called upon for that Statement, only to report generally to this Meeting that the Overseers who went out of Office, Michaelmas, 1785, and who should have closed their Accounts and paid their Balances the 13th of October following, were, on the Face of their Books, indebted to the Public, exclusive of the Voids and Deficiences, a clear Balance of ;^942 19s. od. "The Payments of the Overseers who went out of Office, Easter, 1786, are not regularly dated, so tliat their Balances unpaid cannot be ascertained. 470 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. " The Overseers, 1786, Michaelmas, their clear Balances unpaid, fourteen Days after their collecting Books should have been closed, amount lo . . . ^£282 6 ii Ditto, 1787, Easter . . 270 3 11 Ditto, 1787, Michaelmas 532 o o Ditto, 1788, Easter 523 9 7 Ditto, 1788, Michaelmas 680 13 3 Ditto, 1789, Easter 357 16 7 Ditto, 1789, Michaelmas ......... 487 15 it Ditto, 1790, Easter 553 '3 5 Ditto, 1790, Michaelmas, their Accounts are not yet closed, the Balances appear about . . . . . . . . . . .1410199 This Balance, however, is subject to a Deduction for the Balance of Voids, Deficiencies, and Additions upon the Accounts yet unclosed, which by a Calculation founded on a Reference to former Accounts, may Amount to about . . . . . . . . . . 391 9 i In that Case their clear Balance to be accounted for, fourteen Days after their collecting Books should be closed, would be about . . . 1019 10 8 " The Auditors conceive that the Overseers' Accounts continuing so long unsettled, and the Balances remaining in their hands, is illegal in itself, and an Injustice to the Public. That the Overseers have no right lo distrain for l^evies after they are out of Office, and that their omitting to take Summons in due Time is a Loss to the Town, increases Difficulties on those who succeed them, and it is a reprehensible Mode of conducting the Public Business which ought immediately to be discontinued. "With respect to the Bye Bills, it appears that the Debts incurred have not been regularly discharged, either at the Ends of the respective Bye Bills or the ends of the respective Quarters ; nor does it appear when the Overseers' Accounts are dosed, that the Debts incurred while they were in Office are paid. As no Accounts are entered in their Books until they are discharged, it is impossible, from the annual Account, to form any accurate Idea of the real annual Expense of the Poor. " The Auditors, therefore, state it as their unanimous Opinion, that each Overseer should discharge eveiy Expense incurred during his Bye Bill, and that the whole yearly Expense and Collections be fairly brought to Account and settled in fourteen Days after Easter, in conformity to the express Directions of the Law and the Resolutions of a Town's Meeting oi the. 12 th of January, 1790. "Another circumstance appears highly deserving the Attention of the Public (viz.), of Overseers, whilst they are in Office, serving the Workhouse with Articles in which they Deal. This is a Practice unbecoming in itself, liable to great abuse, and, in several instances, in late Acts of Parliament, prohibited by the Legislature. "The Auditors feel it a painful Task to state the preceding Facts respecting the Overseers' Accounts, but they conceive it to be their Duty not to come before the Town with vague and unsupported Observ'ations. " To these Facts, and not to Individuals, they wish to call the Attention of the Public ; and their Motive is, that such a Censure (without any Reference to Persons) may be passed upon the Practices as shall effectually put an End to a System unbecoming and illegal in itself, and unjust and oppresive in its Consequences." RATING OF SMALL TENEMENTS. 4j'I Had the Auditors recurred but a few Years further back to the Overseers' Accounts, they would have found that, prior to their increase from six to twelve, six Levies of 900/. each were one Year sufficient for the support of the Poor, and that the Overseers also regularly paid all their Tradesmen's Bills and closed their Accounts at the Appointment of new ones, and immediately paid their Balance of 138/. i6s. 8id. into the Hands of their Successors. But since their Number was augmented to twelve, the Town has been heavily oppressed by Levies, which now amount to the enormous sum of 1400/. monthly, notwithstanding which the Poor are not one jot better provided for than formerly. These circumstances are mentioned to show the miserable condition we are in, and the absolute Necessity there is of adopting a better Mode. The Meeting of the principal Inhabitants at the Hotel, on the 22nd of February last, seems to forebode much real Advantage to the Town. A Committee was then chosen to prepare the Heads of a Bill for the better Management of the Poor. The Chairman very candidly declared that no Clause should be inserted in the Bill to oblige the Proprietors of Houses under 10/. a Year to pay the Parish Rates for their Tenants ; but such only ftom the Shrewsbury Act that had evidendy proved useful there, and such others as the Committee might think proper for the General good of the Town, which Clauses should be laid before the Inhabitants for their Approbation previously to going to Parliament. These Proceed- ings must afford much Pleasure to every true Friend of the Town, of which description I am ever happy to subscribe myself Joseph Jukes. Birmingham, March 11, 1791. The next step is recorded in this notice : — ■ New Guardian Act. May 9, 1791. — The Committee appointed by the Town to prepare the Heads of a Bill for the better Regulation of the Poor, desire a Meeting of the Inhabitants at the Hotel, To-morrow Morning, the loth instant, at Ten o'Clock precisely, to consider the Clauses of the said Bill ; and as it will necessarily require a long Attendance, they have desired the High Bailiff to take the Chair exactly at the Time fixed, and to proceed immediately in reading the Clauses. With a View further to accelerate the Business of the Day, the Committee think proper to inform the Public, that they intend meeting at the Hotel this Morning, at Nine o'Clock, where they will be glad to receive such of their Neighbours as may have remarks to offer, or Amendments to propose, it being their Wish that every Objection may be deliberately attended to, and every Amendment fully adopted, previous to the public Meeting. Wm. ViLLERS, Chairman. The meeting was held ; the cause of justice triumphed. Small tene- ments were rated in spite of the small landlord influence. The New Guardian Act passed ; and so terminated this little epic of a parochial contest. The information contained in the various letters quoted ; the great interest of this episode in our local history ; and the part which William Hutton took in it, would be a sufficient justification — if any justification were needed — for the space which we have devoted to this resuscitation of a bit of Birmingham life nearly eighty years ago.'** * It is a curious fact, that Hutton, in his Autobiography, makes no allusion to this agitation or the part he played in it. 472 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. THE BIRMINGHAM RIOTS. We have now to relate briefly one of the most, if not the most disas- trous and disgraceful of the public events in the history of our hundred years. The story of the Birmingham Riots has often been told, and its main incidents are familar to the public. Dr. Priestley has written on the subject, and a month following the outbreak Hutton penned his naturally irritable record of the violent and shameful proceedings of the brutal and infuriated mob. A tract, giving an authentic account of the riots and the trials of the rioters, which is now rather scarce, was published in the same year. This tract is little more than a republication from the Gazette of the reports, advertisements, and letters which appeared on the subject in that paper. In the report of the riots the wording and arrangement is slightly altered in places, but substantially it is the same; although one or two very important paragraphs are omitted. Mr. William Hawkes Smith, in his little book, "Birmingham and its Vicinity, as a Manufacturing and Commercial District," gives a concise, but clear account of these four days of vulgar saturnalia. It will not therefore be necessary that we should reproduce here all the documents published on this exciting subject. We propose, therefore, to trace the cause, to note the beginning of the outbreak, to extract in full the Gazette report of the four days' violence, as the most graphic yet published, and to gather up the results in as brief a summary as possible. This book, indeed, would be sadly incomplete if it did not include a full record of the Birmingham Riots of July 14, 15, 16, and 17, 1791. However much we may be indignant at the bigotry which fostered and encouraged this outbreak, and at the ignorant violence which was its too ready instruments, there is nothing surprising in the event. The student of human nature and of human history knows that religious and political enthusiasm and fanaticism are ever the most potent instru- ments of mischief In the reign of George the Third, these terrible passions were at their height. The horrors of the French Revolution had literally made men mad in their hatred of reform, and all those who saw deeper than the bloody deeds which generations of tyranny and oppression had made possible, and believed in the good that would THE BIRMINGHAM RIOTS. 473 ultimately flow from this terrible upheaving, were looked upon as traitors to their country, as the friends of blood-thirsty violence, and the advocates of license as contra-distinguished from liberty. The whole country looked upon this very small minority as false to every principle of humanity, patriotism, religion, and truth. The govern- ment, inspired by the fiery zeal of Burke, were prepared to go to any extreme of vigour and persecution to prevent the spread of what were called French principles in England ; and the almost unanimous voice of the people was on their side Partial and terrified authority was on the side of terrified ignorance and brutality. Mr. W. Hawkes Smith has well said, " The necessity for that education which the wealthier classes have since, in their own defence, offered to the inferior orders of society, had then scarcely manifested itself. The project of the benevolent Raikes for giving Sunday instruction to the children of the poor, had been in operation only ten years, and was but slowly rising into notice, so that the mass of the working classes were in a state very well fitted to receive prejudices and delusions, if offered to them by those to whom they had been accustomed to look up with conventional reverence." Besides being animated with the same spirit which distinguished the nation at this period, there were circumstances which especially embittered the political relations of the two parties in Birmingham. Religious differences added their virulence to those of politics. For eleven years the celebrated Dr. Priestley had lived and laboured amongst us. During that time he pursued those scientific investiga- tions and experiments which have placed his name high on the list of our noblest benefactors, and won for it the admiration of the world. He had also engaged in those historical and philosophical enquiries which were as attractive to his truth-seeking mind as were his more positive and fruitful labours in the fields of science. To these works he added that of being: a zealous controversialist. During: the brief time he lived and laboured in Birmingham he was engaged in controversies of all kinds ; and these he conducted in a manner which must have been as gall and wormwood to his opponents. There was a tone of irony in his many letters and addresses which must have stung to the Q 2 474 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. quick the members and friends of the Church of England, and the lovers of things as they were. The temper of these men may be seen by the fierce, intemperate, and uncharitable tracts in which they assailed the Doctor and his teachings. Before the celebration of the anniversary of the French Revolution fanned the long pent up ire into an active flame, bitter feelings had been raised by years of such controversy as leads to anything but truth and Christian forbearance ; because on one side it is conducted with a narrowness and a bigotry which are deaf to everything but the voice of passion ; and on the other by an avowal of superiority and a pity for the blindness of opponents, which is especially irritating, and is, perhaps, as far from Christian charity as the other. How earnestly this controversy was engaged in will be seen by the number of tracts published in Birmingham in the eleven years that Dr. Priestley lived here. In estimating the causes which led to this shameful outbreak, we must not omit the fact that, whether they were so or not, the friends of the French Revolution were almost all represented as belonging to the actively-benevolent, but then persecuted and despised, sect of Socinians. It was, perhaps, the unpardonable fault of Dr. Priestley that he was a Minister, and one of the most earnest and laborious defenders of the doctrines and tenets of this body of Dissenters. The public mind had been kept in a high state of excitement by these controversies. In the tracts produced by the motion to exclude books of polemical divinity from the Old Library, founded in 1779, but to which Dr. Priestley, in 1782, gave "stability and method," there is a virulence which shows how strongly men's passions, and not their reason, guided them in this controversy. There is no word too hard to be applied to the great Unitarian divine. He is accused of the worst designs, and represented as influenced by the basest motives. Nor was the Doctor himself quite free from that zeal of controversy which impels a man to say and write words which may erroneously be perverted to mean the opposite to what their author intended. He believed in what he called the power of truth, but like so many other writers, of every sect and religion in the world, he meant by truth, his own interpretation of it. He, like his less gifted compeers, forgot the THE BIRMINGHAM RIOTS. 475 noble fable told by Milton, and having found one member of the Goddess, proclaimed that he had recovered the whole body. There is great excuse for this, for Dr. Priestley was one of the best abused men of a time when abuse compared with that of these " degenerate days " was as mud to snow. Every pulpit beat " the drum ecclesiastic" against this arch heretic. Pamphlet on pamphlet, tract on tract, and volume on volume were hurled against this mighty foe, and he was held up everywhere to the hatred of loyal people, and branded as an enemy to the institutions of the country of which he was a citizen. Nor was Dr. Priestley slow to engage in the fight. Controversy seems to have had an especial charm for his active mind. He evidently liked the charge, the onset, and the encounter. His beloved laboratory was not powerful enough to keep him from breaking a lance with these incessant assailants. The great powers of his mind were never more active than when engaged in controversy. Although devotedly attached to science and philosophy, he dearly loved an intellectual fight, and he was a bold and unsparing combatant. He had raised the enmity of the Church party in the town by the part he took in the agitation against the Test and Corporation Acts, and he was the mark aimed at by nearly all the defenders of those abominable laws. No words were too bad to apply to him, no motives too base to impute. Even the good Bishop Horsley called him a wilful liar, and harmless words of his were quoted in the House of Commons as proofs of the clearest sedition. The Doctor had written these remarkable sentences : " The present silent propagation of truth may be compared to those causes in nature which lie dormant for a time, but which, in proper circumstances, act with the greatest violence. We are, as it were, laying gunpowder, grain by grain, under the old building of error and superstition, which a single spark may hereafter inflame, so as to produce an instantaneous explosion, in consequence of which, that edifice, the erection of which has been the work of ages, may be overturned in a moment, and so effectually as that the same foundation can never be built upon again." We have had too many instances in our own time not to see how easily such words could be perverted so as to excite the fears of the timid, the zeal of the interested, and the violent antagonism of the ignorant and the bigoted. It was reported every^vhere that Dr. 476 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Priestley had said he " would not insure the ecclesiastical establishment of this country for twenty years," and that " he was laying grains of gunpowder which would blow up the fabric." In the first of his " Familiar Letters addressed to the Inhabitants of Birmingham," Dr. Priestley thus alludes to this misrepresentation : — "You have been told in a variety of publications that I have threatened to blow up the church, if not the state also, with gunpowder. "'^ ''^ * * Now, my good friends and neighbours, I am not actually a madman ; you know too much of me to believe this ; you see me walk about the streets very composedly, without molesting anybody, and always behaving civilly to those who behave civilly to me, and therefore I hope you will not think I have any such diabolical intention. In fact, all the gunpowder that I manufacture is contained in such pamphlets as this you are now read- ing, and though it may serve for wadding to a gun, it can do nothing else towards killing birds, or killing men. My gunpowder is nothing but arguments, which can have no force but what you yourselves shall be pleased to give them, from your own conviction of the reasonable- ness of what I lay before you." These arguments were more dreaded by the Powers that were than gunpowder itself, and the ignorant and deluded mob of those days were as " easily led by the nose as asses are." To them Dr. Priestley was a seditious Unitarian who desired to blow up Church and State with gunpowder. Our venerable and learned townsman, and late Recorder, Mr. M. D. Hill, in his admirable address delivered at the Midland Institute, on September 30th of the present year (1867), thus refers to the Riots : — Circumstances had in this town already exacerbated ill feeling to an extent beyond experience elsewhere ; and when the French Revolution arrived to heap fuel on the fire, it was scarcely possible that Birmingham should escape an explosion. It came ; the signal being a dinner given to commemorate the fall of the Bastile by the party favourable to the changes made in the constitution of the French Government. That meeting, which took place in July, 1791, was, I must think, a false step. In our own day all good citizens would revolt from making such an exploit, sullied as it was by a blood-thirsty violation of the terms of surrender, the ground of a convivial celebration, however they might reconcile themselves to the event for the sake of the principles which it confirmed and signalized. On the other hand, it would now be impossible for a sovereign of England to comment on the appalling ravages by fire and plunder which broke fortli in revenge for that dinner, in the tone adopted by George III. The King, writing to Mr. Secretary Dundas, in approval of dragoons having been sent to Birmingham to quell THE BIRMINGHAM RIOTS. 477 the tumult, thus continues : — " Though I cannot but feel better pleased that Priestley is the sufferer for the doctrines he and his party have instilled, and that the people see them in their true light, yet I cannot approve of their having employed such atrocious means of showing their discontent." If the King, who was at heart a just man, and a lover of science, had known that Priestley was utterly incapable of suggesting violence against person or property, and that the suffering to which his Majesty alluded was the destruction of that philosophical apparatus by which the great philosopher had made discoveries earning for him the title of the Founder of Modem Chemistry, not even the excitement which pervaded the whole country could have urged him to a declaration so much to be lamented. That Dr. Priestley recoiled from the employment of physical force, however righteously provoked, I can testify from the information of my father, one of a number of young men of Dr. Priestley's congregation who hastened to his house imploring him to let them defend it against the rage of the approaching mob, whose long remembered war cry, " Church and King," was already heard in the distance. This offer he at once declined, expressing his conviction "that it was his duty as a Christian Minister to submit to persecution." Such was the state of feeHng in the town when, in the Gazette pubHshed on July ii, this advertisement appeared : — Hotel, Birmingham, July 7, 1791. Commemoration of t/ie French Revolution. A number of Gentlemen intend dining together on the 14th instant, to commemorate the auspicious day which -witnessed the Emancipation of Twent)-six Millions of People from the yoke of Despotism, and restored the blessings of equal Government to a truly great and enlighted Nation, with whom it is our interest, as a commercial People, and our Duty as Friends to the General Rights of Mankind, to promote a free intercourse, as subservient to a permanent Friendship. Any Friend to Freedom, disposed to join this intended temperate Festivity, is desired to leave his Name at the Bar of the Hotel, where Tickets may be had at 5s. each, including a Bottle of Wine, but no person will be admitted without one. ,% Dinner will be on the Table at Three o'clock precisely. The tocsin of war was sounded in the same paper, for immediately under the above advertisement, and on its first, and not second, appear- ance, as stated in "an Authentic Account," we find this ominous announcement : — On Friday next will be published, Price ONE HALFPENNY, AN AUTHENTIC List of all those who Dine at the Hotel, in Temple Row, Birmingham, on Thursday, the 14th instant, in Commemoration of the French Revolution. Vivant Hex et Jicgina. An indiscreet friend, or a mischievous enemy, helped on the denoue- ment by privately circulating the following handbill. It is quite as probable that it was the work of a foolish and over-zealous Liberal as of a cunning and a strategic Tory. We have seen similar mistakes made 478 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. in later political agitations ; and as there is no absolute proof as to the authorship of this republican handbill we accept it as bond fide — as containing the real sentiments of the writer. It is as follows : — My Countrymen, The second year of Gallic Liberty is nearly expired. At the commencement of the third, on the 14th of this month, it is devoutly to be wished that every enemy to civil and religious desijotism would give his sanction to the majestic common cause by a public celebration of the anniversary. Remember that on the 14th of July the Bastille, that " High Altar and Castle of Despotism," fell. Remember the enthusiasm peculiar to the cause of Liberty, with which it was attacked. Remember that generous humanity that taught the oppressed, groaning under the weight of insulted rights, to save the lives of oppressors ! Extinguish the mean prejudices of nations ; and let your numbers be collected and sent as a free-will offering to the National Assembly. " But is it possible to forget that our own Parliament is venal ? Your Minister hypocritical ? Your clergy legal ojijjressors ? The Reigning Family extravagant ? The crown of a certain Great Personage becoming every day too weighty for the head that wears it ? Too weighty for the People who gave it ? Your Taxes partial and excessive ? Your Representation a cruel insult upon the sacred rights of Property, Religion, and Freedom ? " But, on the 14th of this month, prove to the political sycophants of the day, that you reverence the Olive Branch ; that you will sacrifice to public Tranquility, till the majority shall exclaim. The Peace of Slavery is worse than the war of Freedom. Of that moment let Tyrants beware." The truths mentioned in this handbill were such as no Tory would have ventured to propagate even as a political move. How the loyal party looked upon it is seen by a rejoinder which was issued on the nth. It is entitled An Incendiary Refuted. A Paper having been distributed in the town this morning, evidently calculated to weaken the attachment of the people to the present excellent fonn of government, and to excite tumults similar to those which have produced the most atiocious murders, anarchy, and distress in a neighbouring kingdom, it is thought proper to apprise the good and peaceable subjects of this place, that ro cry portion in that seditious handbill is tsa false and factious as the wretch who composed it. " The perfect enjoyment we now experience of every blessing, freedom, and protection a mild government can bestow, is the best refutation of the detestable calumnies of the handbill ; and whatever the modern republicans may imagine, oi' the rcgicidal propoundcrs of the rights of man design, let us convince them there is enough of loyalty in the majority of the inhabitants of this country to support and defend their King, and that we are not so destitute of common sense as not to prefer the ordei; liberty, happiness, and wealth, which is diffused through every portion of the British Empire, to the anarchy, the licentiousness, Xhz poverty, and the misery, which now overwhelm tlie degraded kingdom of France. Birmingham, Monday, July 11, 1791. THE BIRMINGHAM RIOTS. 479 The magistrates offered a reward of one hundred guineas to anyone who would discover either the writer, printer, publisher, or distributor, of the first quoted handbill, so that he or they might be convicted thereof The secret, however, was well kept, and all concerned escaped the tender mercies of the Sedition Law. The gentlemen who proposed to hold the celebration also published a statement of their views on the subject. In the Birmingham and Stafford Chronicle, on Thursday, the 14th, the morning of the commemoration, this advertisement appeared: — Birmingham Commemoration of the French Revolution. Several handbills having been circulated in the town, which can only be intended to create distrust concerning the intention of the meeting, to disturb its harmony, and influence the minds of the people, the gentlemen who proposed it think it necessary to declare their entire disapprobation of all such handbills, and their ignorance of tiie authors. Sensible themselves of a free government, they rejoice in the extension of Liberty to their Neighbours ; at the same time avowing, in the most explicit manner, their yf/-^ attachment to the Constitution of their own Country, as vested in the Three Estates of King, Lords, and Commons. Surely no Free-born Englishman can refrain from exulting in this addition to the general mass of human happiness ! It is the Cause of Humanity ! It is the Cause of the People. If this reiteration of principles produced any effect at all, it was only that of increasing the excitement. The Dinner was held, the toasts proposed, the company had separated, and the riots commenced. For four days the mob had unlimited license to burn and plunder to their hearts' content. That their was some guiding spirit in their lawless proceedings is evident from the fact that only the meeting houses and private dwellings of the Unitarians were attacked. The magistrates were impotent, and did nothing until Saturday, the i6th, when they published this notice : — Birmingham, July 16, 1791. — Friends and Fello7v-Country men, — It is earnestly requested that every True Friend to the Church of England, and to the Laws of his Country, will reflect how much a continuance of the Present Proceedings must injure that Church and that King they are intended to support ; and how highly Unlawful it is lO destroy the Rights and Property of any of our Neighbours. And all Tnie Friends to the Town and Trade of Birmingham, in particular, are Intrcated to Forbear immediately .'"rom all Riotous and Violent Proceedings ; dispersing and returning peaceably to their Trades and Callings, as the only Way to do Credit to themselves and their Cause, and to promote the Peace, Happiness, and Prosperity of this Great and Flourishing Town." Rather a strange appeal to a violent mob, engaged in the charming pursuits of burning and plundering the houses of their neighbours. On 480 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Sunday this was followed by an official document of a more urgent character : — Birmingham, Sunday, July 17, 1791. Important Information to the Friends of the Church and the King. Friends and Fellow Countrymen, — Being convinced you are unacquainted that the great Losses which are sustained by your burning and destroying the Houses of so many Individuals, will eventually fall upon the County at large, and not upon the Persons to whom they belonged, we feel it our duty to inform you, that the Damages already done, upon the best Computation that can be made, will amount to upwards of One Hundred Thousand Pounds, the] whole of which enormous Sum will be charged upon the respective Parishes, and paid out of the Rates. We, therefore, as your Friends, conjure you to immediately desist from the destruction of any more Houses ; otherwise the very proceed- ings which your zeal for shewing your attachment to the Church and King will inevitably be the means of most seriously injuring innumerable Families who are hearty supporters of Government, and bring on an Addition of Taxes which yourselves and the rest of the Friends of the Church will for years feel a very grievous Burthen. This we assume was the Case in London, when there were so many Houses and Public Buildings burnt and destroyed in tlie year 1780 ; and you may rely upon it will be so here on the present occasion. And we must observe to you that any further violent Proceedings will more offend your King and Country than secure the cause of Him and the Church. Fellow Countrymai, — As you love your King, regard his Law and Restore Peace. GOD SAVE THE KING. Aylesford Edward Carver Charles Curtis E. Finch John Brooke Spencer Madan Robert Lawley J. Carles Edward Palmer Robert Lawley, jun. B. Spencer W. Villers R. IMoland Henry Gresw. Lewis AV. Wallis Mason W. Digby To this extraordinary document the editor adds the following para- graph : — " The above very earnest entreaty and serious remonstrance of the Noble Earl, of the Magistrates, of the principal Gentlemen of the neighbourhood, of the two Rectors and Inhabitants of the Town, who are all so firmly attached to the King and the present Constitution both in Church and State, will, we trust, have their due effect; and that all Friends to the existing Government, every true Church and King's man, will retire to their respective Homes, and thereby set an example of that peace and order which is now become so essential to this Town and N eighbourhood. " The report of the riots did not appear in the Gazette until the 25th. As this is the best account published, we quote it here : — THE BIRMINGHAM RiOTS. 4S1 The Riots. Birmingham, July 25. — In compliance with the wishes of the Magistrates, we forbore to detail in our last the violent proceedings and depredations of a lawless mob, which assembled in this town on Thursday the 14th instant. On that day upwards of 80 gendemen met and dined at the Hotel, to commemorate the anniversary of the French Revolution. Dinner was served up at three o'clock, and between five and six, after several toasts had been drank and a few songs sung, the company separated and departed to their respective houses, Uufortunately, however, copies of a very seditious and criminal handbill having been left in a public house, and also sent to some neighbouring towns (for discovering the author, printer, or publisher of which, the Magistrates and other gentlemen offered a reward of one hundred guineas), the minds of the people were gready inflamed by it ; and the gentlemen who had concerted the anniversary dinner, aware that it might have an effect to disturb the harmony of the meeting, published an advertisement, disclaiming the least knowledge of the author of it, and their entire disapprobation of the inflammatory paper. Notwith- standing this, the populace assembled round the Hotel, and hissed and husded the gentlemen as they went to the dinner ; and about'eight o'clock at night they re-assembled in a large body, and, regardless of the interference of the Magistrates, forcibly entered the tavern and broke all the windows of it ; they then proceeded to the New Meeting House, which they set on fire, and in a ver>' short period reduced it to its shell. About the same time the Old Meeting House was attacked by another party. With iron crows and rails they tore down the pul])it, pews, galleries, &c., and conveyed them into the adjoining burying ground, where, after tlie roof and walls of the Meeting were battered down, they were burnt ; the leaders of the mob declaring no fire should be set to the place whilst standing, lest it should communicate to the next buildings, and in this, as well as in other instances, evincing a desire that those places only against which there rage was directed should suffer, and the town be saved from a general conflagration. The Meetings had not long been entered before the general cry was "to Dr. Priestley's I" and in a short time his house at Fair-hill (a mile and a half from the town) was attacked by the rioters with the most incredible fury. They began by breaking down the doors and windows, and throwing from every part of the house the furniture, library, &c. They mentioned the Doctor's name with vehement execrations,and expressed their disappointment at not having possessed themselves of his person, as he had, happily, made his escape just before they reached his house, though he had not had time to save any of his deeds or of his manuscripts. The loss of the latter the Doctor greatly deplores, as, he has observed, they were the result of laborious study of many years, and which he shall never be able to recompose. The shrubs, trees, &c., in the garden were all trampled down or torn up; but there was reason for some time to hope that the Elaboratory (a little distance from the house) would have been saved ; nor did it appear to have been noticed as long as the liquors in the cellar lasted ; of the spirituous part of which some of the rioters had drank so immoderately, that they seemed no longer to have existence ; while others had beer, rendered so extremely quarrelsome by the plentiful draughts they had taken of wine and ale, that no less than nine or ten different battles among themselves were at one time being fought in the adjoining field. The battles collected the greater part of the rioters around them, and the house (the floors of which were now all strewed over with torn manuscripts, books, &:c.), was, 482 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. as long as they lasted, almost entirely cleared of them ; wlien, however, they were over, the rioters returned to the premises ; the Elaboratory was then broken into, tlic most truly valuable and useful apparatus of philosophical instruments that (according to the Doctors declaration) perhaps any individual, in this or in any other country, was ever possessed of, was destroyed ; the whole building was soon after set on fire ; a man was killed by the failing of a cornice stone, and nothing of the house, offices, &c., now remains but the bare walls ; some cart loads of the books, however, were luckily saved.* On Friday morning, as they recovered from the fatigue and intoxication of the preceding night, different parties of the rioters entered the town, to the great consternation of all the inhabitants. The doors of every [ilace of confinement were thrown open, and they paraded through the streets, armed with bludgeons, loudly vociferating " Church and King ! " words which all the inhabitants now chalked upon their window shutters and doors for the security of their dwellings. In the course of the morning, the Earl of Aylesford (to whose indefatigable attention and exertions the town has been highly indebted at this alarming season) arrived at Dr. Priestley's ; he harangued what remained of the mob at Fairhill, and brought them from the scene of devastation into the town, where he again addressed them, and persuaded them to disjicrse, and retire to their homes and respective occupations. At the same time the Magistrates of the place, Mr. Moland, of Springfield, and tlie principal inhabitants, were with other parties of the rioters, in the New Church Yard, endeavouring, by the most conciliating language, to induce them to separate, and desist from further violence. All attempts, however, to check their proceedings and restore peace and order, proved fruit- less. About two o'clock the elegant mansion of Mr. John Riland (late Mr. Baskerville's) at Easy-hill, was attacked and, though the rioters were once or twice repulsed, it was not long before they possessed themselves of the house and set it on fire. Here many of them were so insensible of their danger that the flames caught them in the upper chambers, and others were in such a state of intoxication that they could not be drawn from, but perished in, the cellar. Three, most terribly scorched and bruised, were conveyed to the Hospital; seven ladies, so much disfigured that they could hardly be recognised, have been dug out of the ruins; and a man, on Monday (who had been immured in one of the vaults), worked his way out. He lived only to say, he knew by the groans that he heard that several had expired in a worse situation than — and he expired as they laid him upon the grass. Whilst the house of Mr. Riland was burning, the Magistrates, anxious to preserve the Town from further outrage until the military could arrive, adopted the measure of swearing in a number of the inhabitants as additional Constables. A party of them immediately proceeded to Mr. Riland's ; but after a conflict of some continuance, they were driven off by the enraged multitude, and obliged to retire without effecting any useful purpose. Information, about the same time, being received that the country residence of John Taylor, Esq., at Bordesley (about half a mile from the town) was attacked, another party of the gentlemen who had been sworn Constables, headed by Captain Carver, repaired thither; they found the rioters in the cellars, and drove them from the premises, of which they kept possession a sufficient length of time to remove most of Mr. Taylor's title deeds, writings, &c., and some small part of the furniture. Towards the evening, however, by the junction of those from Mr. Riland's and other parts, the rioters had acquired such an accession of strength that all * Of these cart loads of books, which are liere said to have been saved, only one is known to exist at present. This is a fragment of Dr. Priestley's iJiary, now in llie possession of Dr. J. H. Davis, of .Shellun. It was exhibited at the Priestley Commemoration, held at the Midland Institute, April 2, 1867. rJ ILv) g3 THE BIRMINGHAM RIOTS. 483 resistance here was ineffectual, and many of the Gentlemen were much beaten. Under these circumstances, Captain Carver made a last effort to save the house. He offered the rioters the immediate payment of one hundred guineas if they would not bum it. He was answered by the cry of no bribery, hustled immediately into the midst of them, and narrowly escaped their fury. When the night set in the flames appeared through the roof, and this beautiful and spacious mansion, with most of its superb furniture, stables, offices, and ricks, is reduced to its mere walls. This night the house of Mr. Hutton, in the High street, which had been assaulted once or twice during the day, was entered, and completely stripped of its contents; his large stock of paper, his son's very valuable library, and all his furniture, were destroyed or carried away. This depredation was committed chiefly by boys and prostitutes. A woman made an attempt to fire the House, but she was knocked down by the populace, who took the light from her, and, out of regard to the neighbouring buildings, would not suffer it to be applied. From Mr. Hutton's house in town, they proceeded early on Saturday morning to his country house at Washwood Heath, three miles hence, which, with its offices, they reduced to ashes. This morning, also, an attack was made upon Mr. George Humphry's house at Sparkbrook. The rioters were kept off for some time, but they at length entered it, ran- sacked it, but did not burn it. They then proceeded to the house of William Russel, Esq., at Showell Green, which they consumed; and such was the violence of the fire, that only a few walls remain. Mr. T. Hawkes, at Moseley Wake Green, was the next sufferer; his house was stripped of its windows, books, and furniture, which they either carried away or broke in pieces. The Rioters having, in the morning, sent notice to the Dowager Countess of Carhampton that, as her residence was the property of Mr. Taylor, they should certainly destroy it, and that she must, in a few hours, remove herself and goods ; that noble and worthy lady sent her furniture to a neighbouring house, and was herself conveyed by Sir Robert Lawley to Coleshill, where we believe she still remains: and in the evening Moseley Hall, a large and lately-built stone edifice, with its offices, stables, hay-stacks, &c. ; the house of Mr. Harwood in the neighbourhood; and the house of the Rev. Mr. Hobson, a dissenting minister, on the Moseley road, were all on fire at the same time. The terror and distress which pervaded the whole town on Saturday, while these dreadful scenes were acting, will be better conceived than described. The Magistrates had tried every means of persuasion to no effect ; large bills were stuck up requesting all persons to retire to their respective homes, to no purpose ; nothing certain was known respecting the approach of the military ; and numbers of the rioters, now joined by thieves and drunken prostitutes from every quarter, were, with blue cockades in their hats, in all parts of the Town, and in small bodies levying contributions on the inhabitants. There was scarcely a house-keeper that dared refuse them meat, drink, money, or whatever they demanded. The shops were mostly shut, business nearly at a stand, and every body employed in secreting or removing their valuables. Very happily, however, the body of the rioters, overcome with liquor and fatigue, lay all the night in the fields, round their conflagrations in the country, and did not come into the town. The first intelligence that was received of them on Sunday morning, was, that a party were gone to King's-wood, about seven miles off, where they burnt the Dissenting Meeting House and the dwelling-house for the Minister, and also the premises of Mr. Cox, a farmer, at Warstock. In the afternoon, accounts were also received that another party had assembled at Edgbaston Hall, the residence of Dr. Withering, which 484 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. place they visited the day before but left uninjured, after being regaled with the Doctor's liquor. They now, however, being instigated by abandoned women, notwithstanding the plentiful manner in which the liquor was dealt out to them, appeared determined to plunder the Hall ; some of the rooms were pillaged, and they were even preparing, it is thought to destroy the place, when information was received that troops were approaching Birmingham. No sooner had the rioters notice of this, than the major part of them sneaked off in diflerent directions, in bodies of ten, twelve, or more, together ; and the. few that at last remained were quickl)' driven off the premises by the neighbours. Our readers will easily judge what a relief this certain intelligence of the approach of the Military must have afforded the alarmed and agitated minds of the inhabitants of the town. Thousands went out to meet them, and, about ten o'clock, two troops of the 15th regiment of dragoons, attended by the magistrates, entered this place amidst the acclama- tions of the people, and illuminations of the streets through which the passed. They halted at the Swan Inn, where the fatigued and fainting state of both horses and men evinced the exertions they had made for our relief .-Xbout seven o'clock that morning the Minister's express had arrived with orders for them to march hither. At half-past ten o'clock they left Nottingham, and, though the greater part of their horses had been hastily fetched from grass, such was their zeal in the service that they arrived at Erdington, within four miles of town (after a journey of upwards of fifty-three miles), a little after seven o'clock. Captain Polhill, who commanded the troops on this occasion (and to whom, as well as to the other officers and men, we are happy thus publicly to acknowledge our obligations), brought them the first forty miles without ever resting. Such a forced march, it will be supposed, could not be performed without much injury to the horses ; and, one of them, a famous old horse that had been in the regiment eighteen years, died the next day. The arrival of the Military not only dissipated the apprehension of the inhabitants, but immediately restored tranquility to the town, in which their has been neither riot nor disturbance since. On Monday the streets, near the officer's quarters, were somewhat incommoded by the populace; but they were only peaceful spectators. As to the mob, what few remained of them had taken their route towards King's Norton, Bromsgrove, and Hales-Owen, where split into small parties, they were guilty of some pillage of the farm houses, and laid the peasantry under contributions ; and on Tuesday night, a body of them having assaulted Mr. Male's house, at Belle Vue, near the Leasowes, the Earl of Aylesford, with Justice Woodcock and a few of the light dragoons, hastened thither. The people of the neigh- bourhood had, however, before their arrival, overpowered the rioters, and ten of them were secured. Upon this his Lordship returned with the troops, and we believe that the lawless banditti, which had the two preceding days so much terrified the country, made their last appearance, in any numbers, here. We must not omit to mention that several other houses in the neighbourhood of the town, besides those we have noticed as being destroyed, were assaulted and pillaged during the tumults, but which were saved from complete destruction, either by the exertions and persuasions of the neighbours, or by the gift of money or liquor. Among those that partially suffered were the houses of Mr. T. Russell, near Moseley ; of Mr. Harry Hunt, at I-ady Wood; of the Rev. Mr. Coates at the Five Ways; and Mr. Smith's house (Hay Hall;. Mr. Jukes, having intimation that his house, near the Green Lanes, was to be attacked, very prudently, the night before, removed all his furniture, liquor, &c., THE BIRMINGHAM RIOTS. 485 took out his sashes and window frames, and conveyed whatever the rioters were likely to pull down to a place of security ; so that when they arrived, either supposing another party had been before them, or not chusing to waste their labour on a place that afforded no plunder, they left it untouched, and by this manoeuvre Mr. Jukes saved his habitation. On Wednesday three troops of the nth Regiment of Light Dragoons, and on Friday three troops of the 1st Regiment of Dragoon Guards, marched into the town. Colonel de Lancey arrived with an Aid de Camp, on Tuesday, from the King, to take command of the military ; and such was his Majesty's anxiety to provide for the security of this neigh- bourhood, that he had given orders for four thousand troops to march to our relief from different quarters. Tranquility, however, being now restored, the progress of the greater part of them will be stopped. Our Magistrates, the Rev. Dr. Spencer and Joseph Carles, Esq., have been unwearied in their official attentions during the whole of these tumultuous proceedings, and have been aided by the personal advice and attendance of the following Noblemen, Magis- trates, and Gentlemen, of this and the neighbouring counties : The Earl of Aylesford, the Earl of Plymouth, Captain Finch, Sir Robert Lawley, Mr. Cecil, Mr. Moland, Mr. Digby, Mr. Holbeche, Mr. Lewis, Mr. Dixon, Mr. Woodcock, &c. Several of the rioters are taken, and more are known ; and this day his Majesty's Justices will sit at the Swan Inn, to receive information respecting the riot. An eminent Counsel, with the Treasury Solicitor, and Mr. Justice Bond, are arrived from London, to assist them in their enquiries into the origin and cause of the late unfortunate transactions ; so that (according to the expressions of one of the King's Ministers) " some proper and dignified measure may be pursued in consequence thereof, to show the sense of Govern- ment, and prevent the like evils in future." As many exaggerated accounts have appeared in the London Papers of the amount of the damage done by the late riots, some gentlemen have made a conjectural calculation of the losses sustained, from which they have reason to hope the amount of the whole is not 50,000/. One of the rioters has been found in a field behind Mr. Eyland's house, dead, from excessive inebriety ; and we are sorry to hear that Dr. Withering's books, philo- sophical apparatus, and valuable collections in natural history, suffered much by the hasty removal that was obliged to be made of them after his first alarm. A report having been spread that the seat of Lord Beauchamp, at Ragley, was demolished by a mob, we are happy to contradict it ; though, as they were apprehensive of some riotous proceedings, it was thought prudent to deposit, for a short time, his Lord- ship's papers, books, &c., in Arrow Church. The Theatre, which, in consequence of the riots, has been shut since Wednesday se'nnight, opens this evening, and a Play and Entertainment will be performed for the benefit of an old inhabitant of this town ; from which, we trust, few respectable families will be absent. On the same date it was announced " That a Special Meeting of several of his Majesty's Justices of the Peace for the counties of W^arwick and Worcester, will be held at nine o'clock this morninir, at the Swan Inn, in Birmingham, to receive Information respecting the 486 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. late Riots ; and all Persons that have it in their Power to give any Evidence relative thereto, are desired then and there to give their attendance. Birmingham, July 25, 1791." Dr. Priestley at once left Birmingham for London, and on the 19th he addressed a calm, dignified, and manly letter to the " Inhabitants of the Town of Birmingham." This letter has been frequently published, as well as the intemperate reply of an inhabitant, which appeared in the ne.xt Gazette. The Dissenters of the town returned their "grateful acknowledgments to all those members of the Established Church, who, in any manner, exerted themselves during the late riots in defence of their persons and property, more particularly to those who, in the true spirit of Christianity, received into their houses, and under their protection, many families of Dissenters w-ho were obliged to leave their own Habitations; and also to all those who received and protected their goods. They trust that good Men of every Denomination will consider this Protection as highly honourable to the Humanity of those who gave it, and they think it to be more meritorious, as their generous Protectors did thereby expose themselves to Danger from a lawless mob, who wanted only Pretence for Depredation." William Hutton also pub- lished a letter, of which this is a copy : — Birmingham, July 23, 1791. — It is a material Relief to that Calamity under which I labour to find, since my Return, every ISIan my Friend, except the People who composed the Mob of Plunderers, or wished to join them. I shall ever express an Obligation to those who preserved any of my Property from Destruction ,• but it gives me gi-eat Concern that much of it has been destroyed through a Fear of restoring it, when I have already declared to the world that I would receive it with gratitude. My Friends will add to the Obligation under which they have laid me, by restoring the lost Property as little damaged as possible, particularly the Prints and Books, the value of which is upwards of a Thou- sand Pounds. Many of the Books are scarce, and in Sets ; the loss of one diminishes the Value of the Remainder, and is an Injury which Time, Assiduity, or Money, can never repair. There is also lost, Plate, a Gokl Watch, beaded Chain, with Gold Trinkets and Jewels to a considerable Amount, exclusive of Stock in Trade, Furniture, Apparel, House- hold Linen, &c. Should any suspected Articles be offered to Sale or Pawn, I shall be extremely obliged to those to whom they are offered to stop both Persons and Property till they give me Information. The Books, the Property of my Son, have generally the Arms on a Copper Plate, two Inches Sc^uare, pasted on the Inside of the Cover, with Thomas Hl-iton ; and, if torn oft", tlie Mark will remain. W. HurroN. A Proclamation was issued by the King on the 27th, offering a reward of ^100 for the discovery of the author of the "seditious" hand- THE BIRMINGHAM RIOTS. 487 bill ; and another offering the same reward each for the detection and conviction of those engaged in the riots. On August the first was pub- lished, price sixpence, " Loyalty and Humanity, or King and Church ; a Poem, wherein the Proceedings and Publications of Churchmen and Dissenters in Birmingham, from the 14th to the 29th of July, 1791, are noticed ; the Conduct of both Parties considered, the religious defenders of Church and King applauded, and their Instigators presented with a Laurel." This was printed and sold by J. Thomp.son, of Moor Street, and its motto was, "Amicus P/a/o, Scd Magis Amua Veritas." The following notice explains the feelings of relief with which the inhabitants looked upon their deliv^erance from this calamity ; and the report of the meeting shows how they displayed their gratitude on this occasion : — Birmingham, .'August 8, 1791. — The High-Bailiff, and many of his Friends, judging it proper that some pubhc Testimony should be given of the Obh'gations which the Town lies under to the Nobility and Gentlemen of the Neighbourhood, in the Commission of the Peace, who so strenuously exerted themselves in endeavouring to suppress the late Riots, as well as to the Officers and Soldiers who came so expeditiously from Nottingham, and thereby saved many houses from Destruction : He requests a meeting of the principal Inhabitants of the Town and Neighbourhood, at the Hotel, on Friday next, at Eleven o'clock in the morning, to take the same into consideration. We now give a copy of the resolutions passed at this meeting : — Birmingh.-im, .•\ugust 12, 1791.— .At a large and very respectable Meeting of the principal Inhabitants of this Town and Neighbourhood, held this Day at the Hotel, agree- able to public Advertisement, The High Bailiff in the Chair, The following Resolutions passed unanimously : — First, — That a Committee be appointed to prepare an humble .\ddress to His Majesty, expressive of the deep sense which the Inhabitants of this town and neighbour- hood entertain towards his Majesty's paternal care, manifested for their security during the late Riots. Secomily, — That the thanks of this Meeting be presented by the Chairman to Joseph Caries, Esq., and the Rev. Dr. Spencer, our acting Magistrates, for the Solicitude they exhibited on the first intimation given them of disturbances likely to take place in this Town on the 14th of July last; and fur their extreme vigilance and unwearied personal attention on that, and even,- subsequL-nt d.iy, till public Tranquility was happily restored. Thirdly, — That a handsome Piece of Plate, of the value of One Hundred Guineas, be presented to each of our worthy Magistrates, Joseph Carles, Esq., and the Rev. Dr. Spencer, as a grateful acknowledgment of their eminent ser\-ices repeatedly experienced by this Town and neighbourhood, an.l especially during the late Riots ; and that the Chair- man be desired to procure and present the same to tliem. 48S A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Fourthly, — That the Chairman be also requested to present the Thanks of this Meeting to the Right Honourable tiie Earl of Aylesford, the Hon. Captain Finch, and Richard Moland, Esii., for their very early attendance on the morning of the 15th of July last, and for their strenuous Exertions, in Conjunction with Joseph Carles, Esq., and the Rev. Dr. Spencer, to suppress the Riots, and fully to restore tlie Peace and Happiness of this Town and Neigbourhood. Fifthly, — That the Thanks of this Meeting bu likewise presented by the Chairman to the Right Hon. the Earl of Plymouth, Sir Robert Lawley, Bart., Robert Lawley, Est]., Henry Cecil, Es(|., the Rev. Joseph Cartwright, • Steward, Esq., Thomas Holbeach, Esq., Henry Greswold Lewis, Esq., Wriothesley Digby, Esq., and Walter Woodcock, Esq., for their Attendance and ready concurrence in every measure likely to effect the Re-estab- lishment of Peace and good order amongst us. Sixthly, — That the Chairman be requested to express the very high Sense which this Town entertains of the exemplary Conduct and Zeal manifested by Captain Polhill and the other Officers and Soldiers of the Detachment of die 15th Dragoons, in the extra- ordinary forced march made by them of 56 miles for our relief, on the 17th of July, as well as their great vigilance in resting upon their Arms the whole of that night, notwithstanding the excessive fatigue they had undergone in the day. Seventhly, — That the Chairman be rccpiested to procure three elegant dress Swords, of the manufacture of Mr. Gill, of liiis Place, and present the same to Captain Polhill, Cornet and Adjutant Hilton, and Corporal Seymour, in Acknowledgment of the Essential Services rendered by them to this Town on that Occasion ; and that the Sum of One Hundred Pounds be placed in the Hands of Captain Polhill, to be by him distributed amongst the non-commissioned Officers and Soldiers who formed the above detachment, in such a manner as he may think proper. Eighthly, — That a Subscription be immediately entered into by this Meeting for the above purposes, and the monies collected be deposited in the Hands of the Cliairman. Ninthly, — That the Thanks of this Meeting be also presented by the Chairman to Colonel Delaney, appointed by His Majesty to command the Troops sent for the Relief of this Town, for the very exemplary zeal with which he executed the important Trust reposed in him on that occasion, as well as to all the Officers and Soldiers under his command. Tenthly, — That the Thanks of this Meeting be also presented to Captain Archibald of the IMarines, Captain Hardy of the lyth Light Dragoons, Lieutenant Smith of the Marines, Captain Maxwell, and all the other Officers upon the Recruiting Service, with the Soldiers under their Command, for their great Exertions and personal Service on the late occasion. Eleventhly, — That the Thanks of this Meeting be given to Messrs. Wallis and Fearon, the present Constables, for their activ ity and diligence during the Riots. Twclfthh, — That the Committee, for the purpose of preparing an address to His Majesty and bringing to eflert the other Resolutions of this Meeting, be composed of the following gentlemen, viz : tlie Chaiiman, the Rev. Mr. Curtis, the Rev. Mr. Price, the Rev. Mr. Young, the Rev. Mr. James, the Rev. Mr. Burn, Dr. Gilby, Dr. Pearson, Mr. Peter Capper, Mr. Theodore l^rice, Mr. John Brooke, and Mr. William Wallis Mason. THE BIRMINGHAM RIOTS. 489. The Committee having accordingly withdrawn, and framed an address to His Majesty ; and on their return the same being read by the Chairman, Resolved, Thirteenthly, — That the Address is highly approved of by this Meeting ; and that Sir Robert Lawley, Bart., and Sir George Shuckburgh, Bart., Members for the County, be requested to present the same to his Majesty. Fourteenthly, — That the Thanks of this Meeting be given to the High Bailiff, for convening the Meeting, for his great Attention, and the very distinguished manner in which he hath filled the Chair. Fifteenthty, — That these Resolutions, signed by the Chairman, be published in the Birmingham, London, and such other Papers as he may think proper. WlLLIA\f ViLLERS. The Address to his Majesty lies at the Hotel for the Signature of the Inhabitants ; and the Subscription Paper is left at Mr. Pearson's, where those Gentlemen who wish to subscribe are requested to send their names. At this Meeting Mr. Gill " very generously requested that he might be allowed to present the Committee with the swords intended for the Officers; and Mr. Bisset also desired that he might be suffered to present to the Committee three gold medallions with suitable emblematic devices, intended likewise for the Officers, who came with such extraordinary' e.xpidition to our assistance." There can now be little doubt but that there was much truth in Dr. Priestley's assertion that the Riots were caused by the High Church Party. They had inflamed the passions of the populace to the highest pitch. The Unitarians, with their great leader, had been held up to the abhorrence of their fellow citizens. Their liberal views in politics, and their opposition to orthodoxy in religion, had been imputed to them as crimes of the most pernicious kind. The Church party imitated only too well the example and conduct of the Roman Catholic Church, in making dissent the worst of sins. The Unitarians, however, were the especial object of these attacks, and Dr. Priestley, who was foremost in the battle, received the greatest number of blows. Prose was not sufficiently potent to please his assailants, and verse, blank and other, was called in to point the abuse, to heighten its effect, and to inflame the mob. Some of these pieces have come down to us, and we quote a specimen or two. The first is called A PoETiCAi, Effusion,* On the Writings and Political Principles of Dr. Priestley. Presumptious man ! can thy electric flash Oppose the great artill'ry of the sky, * This bit of virulent .ibuse was written by Mr. J. Morfitt, a barrister, a scholar, and a gentleman. We shall have occasion to refer more fully to this author and his works in the second volume. The piece quoted above was published in Mrs. Pickering's volume of poems, together with several Church and King songs by the same writer. s 2 490 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. And mock the rolling thunder ? Can thy streams Of philosophic sulphur dim the blaze Of light celestial ? Dares thy earth-born rant Disturb the Seraph Choirs, that ceaseless sing Their loud Hossanas to the Tri-une-Ood ? Child of the dust, thy optics cannot bear Terrestrial glory ; the meridian sun Dazzles thy sense : and yet thou dar'st invade The dread recesses of the highest heavens, Dark with excess of light, and furious tear The Eternal Son from his Eternal Sire. Thou rebel reas'ner ! canst thou comprehend His lowest works ? The smallest blade of grass That drinks the dew, is mystery to thee ; And canst thou level, with unfalt'ring hand, Reason's dim telescope at things divine. Incomprehensibly sublime? Away To Bedlam's regimen, dark rooms, and straw ! How dar'st thou question the Almighty's word ! Can truth speak falsehood ? God himself decive ? With giant arm, that wars with truth and heav'n, The glorious pyramid of English law Thou gladly would'st reverse, and crush the Crown Beneath the people's overwhelming base. Vain thought ! Like Egj'pt's, the stupendous pile Shall stand, the lasting wonder of the world. In vain dost thou affect the tender bleat Of bleeding innocence : we see the wolf, Hungry and grim, that, should the shepherds sleep. Would leap the fence, and desolate the fold. No wonder thy audacious hands assail All earthly dignities, that dare invade Heaven's awful constitution ; wrest the crown Eternal from the Pow'r that gave the breath, Thus loudly to blaspheme, contemner vile Of what is sacred deem'd in earth and heav'n. Bridle thy dragon lips, nor let thy smoke Ascend for ever." " Troubled ocean," cease Thy factious foam, nor " cast up " endless " mire." Pure was the breeze that fans this " Seat of Arts," 'Ere tainted by thy breath. In ev'ry street The voice of labour sung away its cares ; The Church and Sectaries harmonious breath'd The genuine spirit of paternal love : But when thy puritanic scowl appear'd, THE BIRMINGHAM RIOTS. 49 1 The heav'ns grew dark, and thy famihar fiend Flam'd in the pulpit, thunder'd from the press, 'Till all was uproar, and just vengeance hurl'd Sedition's Temples smoking to the ground. Birmingham, 1791. The bitterness of this blank verse " effusion " was far exceeded by the one in rhyme. It is evidently written " ironical," but it expresses the opinion held by the vast majority of the people respecting this eminent man. Ode. Addressed to the ReT.'. Dr. Priestley. " Tantum Religio poluit saudere bonorum." — LucR. Priestley avaunt ! shrink from yon blaze, That faith and loyalty displays ; The brilliant deed I sing. To Aylesford I tune my lyre. Exult, and hail that patriot fire Lit up for Church and King. His sacred spirit Bonner shed, It fell on Horsley's mitred head ; Gave Burke the grace to turn To Heaven our new Elijah's cry, And vengeful WTath bursts from the sky, A Priest of Baal to bum. See " Friends and fellow Churchmen, join, SkiU'd in the royal art to coin — From thence such ardour rose ! Great gain — from Cassar's head imprest On copper — fir'd each grateful breast To blast his trait'rous foes. O'er all the land dull torpor crept Whilst, dro\vn'd in tears. Religion wept. And felt indignant shame ; Till courtly Birmingham awoke, And prov'd her zeal in fire and smoke — Sacheverel bless'd the flame. No more Dissenters shall combine To quaff up treason with their wine, And Gallia's freedom prize. The Church and Crown she basely awes, And madly spurns Britannia's laws, Tythes — Game Acts — and Excise. 492 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Perturbed Spirits rest — be sage, And learn to dread the Church's rage. Heard ye her trumpet sound ! Her Godly sons she can inspire And touch their hallow'd lips with fire, To breathe combustion round. Bigots you cry, with fury rise, , " Inflam'd by every spark that flies, From any hot Divine !" Then zeal its latent heat displays, As putrid waters catch the blaze, And from corruption shine. The slander's yours ;■ — be this our song, That Kings and Queens can do no wrong. Let fools for changes fight : All Revolutions we forswear, And breathe a fix'd— true Tory air. Which turns the red rose white. Let vaunting France vain emblems bear To deify Rousseau — Voltaire ! Nor dread th' avenging rod ; But with St. Edmund let us sing, " They who abjure both Pope and King, Can ne'er believe in God." It was believed that Church and King could be served by such weapons as these. The muse of the day was not over scrupulous in her language. In our next example of the riot poetry, also written by the prolific Mr. Morfitt, Priestley is called " faction's darling child ;" and the happy state of England is placed in contrast with the unhappy condition of revolutionary France. Church and King. While o'er the bleeding corpse of France Wild anarchy exulting stands, And female fiends around her dance, With fatal lamp cords in their hands ; CHORUS. We Britons still united sing, Old England's glory. Church and King. Poor France ! whom blessings cannot bless. By too much liberty undone ; Defect is better than excess ; For having all is having none. Let Britons, then, united sing. Old England's glory, Church and King. THE BIRMINGHAM RIOTS. 493 True freedom is a temp'rate treat, Not savage mirth nor frantic noise ; 'Tis the brisk pulse's vital heat, And not a fever that destroys. Let Britons, then, united sing, Old England's glory. Church and King. The Gallic lilies droop and die, Profan'd by many a patriot knave ; Her Clubs command, her Nobles fly. Her Church a martyr — King a slave. Let Britons, then, united sing, Old England's glory, Church and King. Yet Priestley, Faction's darling child, Enjoys this sanguinary scene. And celebrates, with transports wild. The wrongs, miscall'd the rights, of men. But Britons still united sing, Old England's glor>', Church and King. Thy puritanic spleen assuage, Polemic Priest ! restrain thine ire ! Nor vnth such idle,' idiot rage Against the Church thy pop-guns fire ! For Britons will united sing. Old England's glory, Church and King. Of trains of powder preach no more ; Vain is thy force, and vain thy guile ; To God and Kings their rights restore. Nor This blaspheme, nor Those revile ! For Britons will united sing. Old England's glor}^ Church and King. The mob that late disgrac'd our streets, 'Twas thy pernicious tenets rais'd ; And Ryland's — Taylor's — beauteous seats, Reproach'd thy doctrines as they blaz'd. Let Britons, then, united sing. Old England's glory, Church and King. While pillow'd on his people's breast. Our Sov'reign sleeps secure, serene. Unhappy Louis knows no rest. But mourns his more unhappy Queen. Let Britons, then, united sing. Old England's glory. Church and King. He finds his Palace a Bastile, Amidst the shouts of liberty ; 494 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. Doom'd every heartfelt pang to feel, For merely striving to be free. I.dt Britons, then, united sing, Old England's glory, Church and King. Go, democratic demons, go ! In France your horrid banquet keep ! Feast on degraded Prelates' woe. And drink the tears that Monarchs weep ! Wliile Britons still united sing, Old England's glory. Church and King. Our Church is built on truth's firm Rock, And mocks each sacrilegious hand ; In spite of each electric shock, The heav'n-defended steeples stand. While Britons true united sing, Old England's glory, Church and King. Old British sense and British fire Shall guard that freedom we possess ; Priestley may wTite, and Payne conspire, We wish no more and fear no less. \\'hile Britons still united sing. Old England's glory, Church and King. Birmingham, August, 1791. Verse was employed on the Liberal as well as on the Tory side. The Revolution had its laureates as well as the friends of order. The next poem is addressed to Liberty, and blanks are left in some of the lines, which we have attempted to supply ; these words are printed in brackets : — Ode to Liberty. Thy real friends, O Liberty ! Must gaze on France with ecstacy ; Must hold that day for ever dear, . Which closed a despot's proud career ; Must venerate that wondrous deed, Which millions from their shackles freed : Which shews the world's anointed things. How puny, when oppos'd, are kings ! And which, in terms all pow'rful, bids mankind Burst their degrading chains, and be what heav'n design'd. Yes, Liberty ! thy friends sincere, Must Gallia's dauntless sons revere ; And tho' again an envious crew. With tythe and benefice in view ; THE BIRMINGHAM RIOTS. 495 Who far and wide their slanders fling, And raise the cry of Church and King ! Tho' meetings blaze — tho' mansions fall — And one vast ruin frowns on all — Yet, undismay'd, they still maintain thy cause ; Still brand the [Church's] sway, and [England's] partial laws. Let the infuriate rabble rise. And awful flames illume the skies ; Let Priests, exultant view the blaze — Then to the mob deal — pence and praise ; ^ Let Magistrates, with snail-like haste, Attempt to stay th' infernal waste ; Let pious [Carles] such deeds to check, From justice screen the ruffian's neck ; Such wrongs as these but sprinkle freedom's fire, And speed that grand reform which patriot souls desire. The following spirited song was popular with the friends of the Revolution : — On the An.viversarv of the Frenxh Revolution, 1779. O'er the ^'ine cover'd hills, and gay regions of France, See the day-star of liberty rise, Thro' the clouds of detraction unwearied advance, And holds its new course thro' the skies. An Effulgence so mild, with a lustre so bright. All Europe with wonder surveys ; And from deserts of darkness, and dungeons of night. Contends for a share of the blaze. Let Burke, like a bat, from its splendour retire, A splendour too strong for his eyes ; Let pedants and fools his effusions admire, Enrapt in his cobwebs, like flies ; Shall phrenzy and sophistry hope to prevail. Where reason opposes her weight. When the welfare of millions is hung in the scale, And the balance yet trembles with fate ? Ah ! who midst the horrors of night would abide, That can taste the pure breezes of mom ? Or who that has dnmk of the chrj'stalline tide. To the feculent flood would return ? When the bosom of beauty the throbbing heart meets, .\h ! who can the transport decline ? Or who that has tasted of Liberty's sweet, The prize, but with life, would resign ? 496 A CENTURY OF BIRMINGHAM LIFE. But 'tis over — high Heaven the decision approves — Oppression has struggled in vain : To the Hell she has formed Superstition removes, And Tyranny bites his own chain. In the records of Time a new era unfolds — All nature exults in its birth — His creation benign the Creator beholds, And gives a new charter to E^arth. O catch its high import, ye winds as ye blow ! O bear it, ye waves, as ye roll ! From regions that feel the sun's vertical glow, To the farthest extremes of the pole. Equal Rights, Elqual Laws to the nations around, Peace and Friendship its precepts impart. And wherever the footsteps of man shall be found. May he bind the decree on his heart. The following advertisement shows what means were employed to inflame the mob, and confirms the suspicion that the whole affair was under the guidance of people who knew well enough what they were doing : — Birmingham, August 22, 1791. Whereas it now appears that amongst other insiduous and unwarrantable Practices made use of during the late Riots, to delude the Populace, and instigate them to acts of Violence and Destruction, Letters were forged, charging the Dissenters with a treasonable design to overthrow the present happy Constitution of this Kingdom, and pretending that the whole body of them were combined together, and had appointed to assemble on the i6th of August " to burn the Churches, blo7v up the Parliament, cut off the head of the King, and abolish all Taxes : " And whereas it is now well known, that such forged Letters were pretended to be found among the Papers of the Rev. Dr. Priestley and William Russell, Esq., and the words above quoted formed part of one of the forged Letters, which were brought and read by two Persons on Horseback at Showell Green, the House of William Russell, Esq., whilst the same was in Flames, in order to instigate the Rioters to further Acts of Violence. Notice is hereby given, that the Protestant Dissenters of Birmingham, in addition to the Reward of One Hundred Pounds graciously oftered by his Majesty for discovering the Instigators of the late horrid violences, will give a further reward of One Hundred Pounds for the Discovery of the Person or Persons who wrote the said forged Letters, or any one of them, so that he or they may be convicted thereof, and brought to Punishment. Tho.mas Lee, jun., Secretary to the Committee of Protestant Dissenters in Birmingham. The Rioters were tried — if such a perversion of justice can be called a trial — at Warwick in August of the same year, before Mr. Baron Perryn. There were twelve persons arraigned, and although in most THE BIRMINGHAM RIOTS. 497 of the cases there could be no doubt of their guilt, only four were convicted. The slightest thing was sufficient to ensure an acquittal. One of the prisoners, named Joseph Careless, was seen with a long rail knocking down the bricks of a bow window belonging to Mr. Ryland's house. He was also seen driving away the pigs ; but his sister-in-law swore that he was driving them away to save them from being burnt, and the jury found him not guilty. Of the twelve prisoners tried at Warwick, five were found not guilty, two were acquitted, one was not tried on account of his youth, and four were found guilty. Of these four, onl) two were e.xecuted. It was considered by those in power, and by the vast majority of the nation, that the rioters had served the King rather than committed a crime. The spirit of the address to the rioters, already quoted, in which they are requested to desist from their burning and plundering, not so much because it was a crime in itself, as because it would injure the King, the country, and their cause, more than their victims, was the spirit which inspired the nation. Hutton relates an anecdote which is worth quoting. " A gentleman," he says, " soon after this, hunting with Mr. Corbett's fox-hounds, was so sure of killing the fox, that he cried, 'Nothing but a Birmingham Jury can save him.' " A few events connected with, and arising out of these deplorable riots may here be grouped together : — August 15, 1791. — On Thursday, Mr. Lane, grocer, of Bull-street, who has fell a sacrifice to the excessive fatigue he underwent during the Riots ; and we have to add to this melancholy catalogue, that a man belonging to a recruiting party in this town has likewise died, in consequence of the injuries he at that time received. Died, on Friday afternoon, much lamented, Mr. Thomas Ashwin, Japanner, of Paradise Row, in this Town. The death of this Gentleman (who has left an amiable wife and nine young children to deplore his loss) was occasioned by a wound he received on the head from one of the rioters during our late unhappy disturbances. To the Printers of Aris's Birmingham Gazette. t October 24, 1791. Mr. Pearson, — Having received an anonymous letter, of which the following is an exact Copy, and which appears to come from a real Friend to Truth and the Establish- ment, I should be exceedingly ready to satisfy both him and the Public that the Members of the Establishment, both Clergy and Laity, were so far from raising or encouraging the late Riots, that they instantly took every Means in their Power to suppress them ; but as I do not think it becoming to give any particular Answer to an anonymous Letter, I shall request you to publish this, and thereby inform the Writer of the Letter, that if he T * 49^ A CENTURY OF . BIRMINGHAM LIFE. will favour me with his Name I will lay before the public such Facts as I flatter myself will fully convince them that the Members of the Establishment were by no means the Occasion of the late Riots in this Place and Neighbourhood. I am, Sir, yours, &c., Birmingham, October 27, 1791. W. Villers. (Copy.) To Mr. Villers, High Bailiff, Birmingham. London, October 13, 1791. Sir, — The Birmingham Paper is a proof of the Attention you show to the Interests of the Town, therefore, a Stranger, without Apology, addresses you. Dr. Priestley's Letters insinuate the late Troubles were raised by the Esablishment, against him and the Dissenters. It is presumed, those who know the Town will know to the contrary ; but it is a Truth, the Dissenters in distant Counties speak with much Acrimony on the same subject. Surely a calm and dispassionate Answer might be gncn.^Jiistice and the Credit of the Town call for it. I am. Sir, A Well-wisher to the Town. November 14, 1791. — The large building, fronting Livery-street in this town, which was built for an Amphitheatre, has been taken for the use of the Two Societies of the Old and New Meeting-houses (until their several places of worship, which were entirely demolished during the late riots, can be rebuilt), and the same has been certified to, and registered by the bishop of this diocese, pursuant to the Act of Parliament, i Wm. and Mary, ch. 18. Yesterday it was opened for divine service. The sermon was preached by the Rev. Mr. Coates. He took his text from St. John iv, 23, 24. " But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth : for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a spirit : and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." From these words the preacher, in a nervous, manly, and persuasive stile, proved that it regarded not in what building the worshippers assembled — it was their sincerity only that made their homage acceptable to the Deity. Our townsman, Mr. M. D. Hill, in his admirable address, to which allusion has already been made, furnishes us with the following anecdotes illustrative of the popular feeling at this time : — "The years following the riot of 1791 witnessed various displays of hostile sentiment. In preparation for a Municipal dinner shortly after that event, of which a member of the powerful and wealthy party opposed to French principles bore the cost, the list of guests accustomed prior to the outbreak to be invited on public occasions had been sedulously cleared of adverse elements. By inadvertence, however, the name of Dr. Parr was retained, and the sturdy divine, although he must have surmised that he would be the only representative of his opinions, duly obeyed the summons. The cloth being drawn, the Chairman proposed, as the Doctor no doubt expected, the toast ' Church and King.' Parr instantly started to his feet, proclaiming in a stem voice his dissent. ' No, Sir,' said he, ' I will not drink that toast. It was the cry of Jacobites ; it is the cry of incendiaries. It means a Church without the Gospel, and a King above the Law ! ' What was the effect of this bold utterance except to prove the courage of the speaker I know not ; but I think we shall all agree it was a rebuke well deserved and well applied. THE BIRMINGHAM RIOTS. 499 Party conflicts, however, were not always either so bitter or so energetic I remember a worthy old clergyman, the curate of St Martin's, who, though without preferment, felt himself invested, in right of his cloth, with a panoply of dignity, which placed him but little below a bishop. He wore a suit of black, not in quite such good preserv^ation as could have been wished, surmounted by a wig and shovel hat of surprising amplitude. Anecdotes were ripe among dissenters of his enmity towards their body. One of them, it is said, who by some good fortune had acquired the privilege of accosting the churchman when they met in their walks, put to him one day, with all proper humility, this question, — ' Dr. Croft, I wish to know if it can be true (I hope and trust it is not) that you have said you will never bury a dissenter!' 'Sir,' was the answer, 'it is false. I am ready to bury you all !'" The bill of costs was made up in 1792. and amounted to ;i^35,095 13s. 6d. ; and in 1793 an order was made to reimburse the sufferers. Again every obstacle was thrown in the way of those who had been plundered. Almost every claim was disputed, and ever)' item contested ; and, but for the energy and determination of the Earl of Aylesford, years would doubtless have elapsed before even the miserable portion of the claims allowed would have been paid. Hutton says, " They recovered in their various trials, which were conducted at the expense of ^13,000, the sum of ^26,961 2s. 3d." The Trustees of the New Meeting House, having lost their license, were not able to sue, but the King was pleased, upon the application of Mr. Russell to Mr. Pitt, to grant a warrant upon the Treasury for ^2,000. And so ended these disgraceful riots, and the disgraceful trials which followed them. Birmingham has since repented of these days of bigotry and violence. It still remains, however, for us to prove that repentance by the only way now in our power — by providing a permanent memorial of the noblest and most richly endowed of the victims of that shameful outbreak of fanaticism and ignorance — a monument in honour of the memory of Dr. Priestley. APPENDIX. THE WORD BIRMINGHAM. MR. FREEMAN'S LETTER. Birmingham. — A remark in the A //tt-mcum o( August 25th/ to the effect that Broni- wycham is possibly the proper name of Birmingham, induces me to submit the following remarks to the editor and the public. The names of two liritish [ilaces mentioned by Ptolemy, A.D. 120, bear a certain resemblance to the word Birmingham ; — n.amely, Bremmium and Brameogenium. But he places the former among the Otadeni on the banks of the Tyne, and the latter among the Ordovices, in North Wales. It is, thereTore, impossible that either of these can have been the original of the present Midland metro- polis, so far as the authority of Ptolemy can be relied on. Richard of Cirencester puts Bremenium among the Brigantes, but even they were north of the Humber. This verbal coincidence may, no doubt, be absolutely discarded. The word Birmingham is so thoroughly Sa.xon in its construction, that nothing short of positive historical evidence would warrant us in assigning any other than a Saxon origin to it. The final syllable //aw, means a home or residence, and Bermingas would be a patronymic or (iimily name, meaning the Berms (from Berm, a man's name, and ing or iung, the young, progeny, race, or tribe). The word dissected in this manner would signify the home or residence of the Berms ; and there can be little question that this is its true meaning. Hutton, the historian, who was quaint and humourous, but far from learned or profound, has grounded a theory on the vulgar nickname of the place, Brummagem. Noticing that there are places adjoining named West Bromwich, Castle Bromwich, Little Bromwich, and Bromford, (Brom meaning a broom, 7i'/: ^yy^^^i D 000 452 720 090 E6L2c 1570 v.l /^ /-. '■^'"■^"^■A '/^l y^^' ^^\ W^ ■-\M/S '(A'^ ^ /^ a^/j