B I R M I N G II A M. 



535 



Birming- 

 ham. 



quakers, a Romish chapel, and a Jewish syna- 

 gogue. 



Birmingham i distinguished by a variety of chari- 

 table endowments. The free school, a very ancient 

 institution, but the present building, a large and hand- 

 some edifice, with a neat tower in the centre, and a 

 statue of Edward VI. in front, was erected in 1707 ; 

 the blue coat school, established in 1724, which re- 

 ceives 150 boys, and 40 girls; the dissenters charity 

 school, into which 40 boys and 20 girls are admitted ; 

 the workhouse, founded in 173:3, which possesses a 

 revenue of 17,000, raised from the inhabitants by 

 an assessment of 6d. in the pound, and which affords 

 relief to 7000 persons ; the general hospital, erected 

 in 1766, supported by voluntary contributions and 

 many large bequests, which possesses an income of 

 about j61000 per annum, and which, upon an ave- 

 rage, accommodates upwards of 70 patients weekly. 



Among the public institutions of Birmingham may 

 be mentioned the libraries, the first of which was 

 founded in 1779, containing about 10,000 volumes, 

 and supported by more than 500 subscribers ; a mu- 

 seum in New street, the property of Mr J. Bisset, 

 stored with a variety of natural and artificial curiosi- 

 ties ; the bathing accommodations at Lady Well, 

 where are seven marble baths, provided at all times 

 with hot or cold water, and particularly one appro- 

 priated for swimming, 36 yards by 18, situated in 

 the centre of a garden, furnished with 24 recesses for 

 undressing, and the whole surrounded with a high 

 wall ; the new theatre, built at an expense of 14,000, 

 the front of which is of hewn stone, and to which a 

 tavern and assembly-room arc annexed ; Duddeston 

 gardens, or Vauxhall, disposed upon a principle simi- 

 lar to those of London, for music and other entertain- 

 ments ; and the barracks, which occupy five acres of 

 land, held by government at one penny per yard, and 

 which accommodate 1G2 men. 



Birmingham was never incorporated, and possesses 

 no chartered privileges ; but, in consequence of this 

 circumstance, the industry of the place is not disturb- 

 ed by election politics, and its magistrates* though 

 without any borough influence, are not inferior in re- 

 spectability to those of any city in the kingdom. 

 They are chosen annually ; and consist of a high 

 bailiff, who inspects weights and measures ; a low 

 bailiff, who summons juries, and chuses the other offi- 

 cers ; two constables, and one head borough ; two 

 high tasters, who examine the quality of the beer ; 

 two low tasters, who inspect the meat exposed to sale ; 

 and two leather sellers, whose offices are now merely 

 nominal. A court of requests, established by act of 

 Parliament in 1752, and consisting of 72 commission- 

 ers, three of whom make a quorum, meets every Fri- 

 day morning ; and the clerks, who attend to give ju- 

 dicial assistance, are always practitioners of the com- 

 mon law. 



But the most prominent feature in the town of Bir- 

 mingham, and the most deserving of particular notice 

 in every description of the place, is the amazing va- 

 riety, extent, ar.d excellence of its hardware produc- 

 tions. It may safely be pronounced to be the princi- 

 pal manufacturing town in the world; and stands un- 

 rivalled in the superior quality and cheapness of its 

 commodities. The principal manufacture carried oa 



by the people of Birmingham, in the earliest periods Birming- 

 of its history, was the tanning of leather, and it con- 

 tinued for nearly 700 years to be a noted market for 

 that article ; but, towards the end of the last century, 

 this branch of trade was so completely abandoned, 

 that in 1795 there is said to have been only one tan- 

 ner in the place. Before the Revolution, its other ma- 

 nufactures were confined to coarse iron wares ; but 

 the skill of its artists was brought into greater notice 

 and exertion by the following circumstance. William 

 III. having expressed his regret, that it should be 

 necessary to import fire arms from foreign countries, 

 Sir Richard Newdigate, member of Parliament for 

 Warwickshire, engaged, on the part of his constitu- 

 ents, to supply the demands of government ; and an 

 order, which was sent to Birmingham, having been 

 speedily and satisfactorily executed, it has continued 

 from that period to furnish the greatest proportion 

 of muskets, swords, and other small arms. The but- 

 ton and buckle trade next became the most extensive ; 

 and, in one shop, the former article has been known 

 to be manufactured to the value of 800 per week. 

 Within the last century, every species of steel manu- 

 facture has been produced in the utmost abundance 

 and perfection ; and a very large street has received; 

 the name of Steelhouse lane, from the extensive works 

 of this kind which it contains. There is a consider- 

 able whip manufactory and type foundery, and three 

 exten.ive breweries of ale and porter. 



Of late years, very great additions have been made 

 to its trade and manufactures ; and there would be 

 no end to an enumeration of its multifarious produc- 

 tions. Among the principal articles, however, may 

 be mentioned an immense variety of buttons, buckles, 

 and snuff boxes ; toys, trinkets, and jewellery ; po- 

 lished steel watch chains, cork screws, &c. ; plated 

 goods for the dining and tea table ; japanned and ena- 

 melled articles ; brass works of every description ; 

 swords and fire arms ; medals, and coins of various 

 sizes and metals ; copying machines and pneumatic 

 apparatus's ; the more ponderous productions of the 

 casting furnace and rolling mill ; and, in short, every 

 hardware commodity that can be considered as curi- 

 ous, useful, or ornamental. The manufactories esta- 

 blished here for all these different articles are conduc- 

 ted upon the largest scale, and with the most asto- 

 nishing ingenuity ; but by far the most remarkable 

 and extensive is that at Soho, above two miles from 

 Birmingham, the property of Messrs Boulton and 

 Watt, which deserves a more particular description 

 than can be admitted in this place, and for which our 

 readers are referred to the article Soho. 



Among the various concurring causes, which have 

 contributed to the extraordinary progress and pros- 

 perity of Birmingham, may be mentioned, its conve- 

 nient situation, almost in the centre of England ; its 

 proximity to the coal mines ; its want of corporate 

 restrictions ; its freedom from election canvassings ;.. 

 and, particularly, its extensive canal communications. 

 Formerly, its various and valuable goods were sent 

 chiefly to London by land carriage, and supplied the 

 foreign markets only through the medium of mer- 

 chants in the metropolis ; but now the principal or- 

 ders for foreign supply come directly to mercantile 

 houses in the town of Birmingham itself, and, by 



