Treble.—We are now six, though once but five,
2nd.—Though against our casting some did strive,
3rd.—But when a day for meeting they did fix,
4th.—There appeared but nine against twenty-six.
5th.—Samuel Palmer and Thomas Silk Churchwardens.
Tenor.—Thomas Kettle and William Jervoise did contrive To make us six that were but five.

Bigamy.—The Rev. Thomas Morris Hughes was, Nov. 15, 1883, sentenced to seven years' penal servitude for this offence. He had been previously punished for making a false registration of the birth of a child, the mother of which was his own stepdaughter.

Burglary.—On Christmas eve, 1800, five men broke into the counting-house at Soho, stealing therefrom 150 guineas and a lot of silver, but Matthew Boulton captured four of them, who were transported.—The National School at Handsworth, was broken into and robbed for the fifth time Sept. 5, 1827.—A warehouse in Bradford Street was robbed Jan. 9, 1856, of an iron safe, weighing nearly 4cwt., and containing £140 in cash.—A burglary was committed in the Ball Ring, July 5, 1862, for which seven persons were convicted.

Coining.—Booth, the noted coiner and forger, was captured at Perry Barr, March 28, 1812, his house being surrounded by constables and soldiers. In addition to a number of forged notes and £600 in counterfeit silver, the captors found 200 guineas in gold and nearly £3,000 in good notes, but they did not save Booth Irom being hanged. Booth had many hidingplaces for his peculiar productions, parcels of spurious coins having several times been found in hedgerow banks and elsewhere; the latest find (in April, 1884) consisted of engraved copper-plates for Bank of England £1 and £2 notes.—There have been hundreds of coiners punished since his day. The latest trick is getting really good dies for sovereigns, for which Ingram Belborough, an old man of three score and six, got seven years' penal servitude, Nov, 15 1883.

Deserters.—On 24 July, 1742, a soldier deserted from his regiment in this town. Followed, and resisting, he was shot at Tettenhall Wood.—A sergeant of the Coldstream Guards was shot here while trying to capture a deserter, September 13, 1796.

Dynamite making.—One of the most serious offences committed in Birmingham was discovered when Alfred Whitehead was arrested April 5, 1883, on the charge of manufacturing nitroglycerine, or dynamite, at 128, Ledsam Street. Whitehead was one of the Irish-American or American-Irish party of the Land Leaguers or Home Rulers, who entertain the idea that by committing horrible outrages in England. they will succeed in making Ireland "free from the galling yoke of Saxon tyranny" and every Irishman independent of everybody and everything everywhere. Well supplied with funds from New York, Whitehead quietly arranged his little manufactory, buying glycerine from one firm and nitric and sulphuric acids from others, certain members of the conspiracy coming from London to take away the stuff when it was completely mixed. The deliveries of the peculiar ingredients attracted the attention of Mr. Gilbert Pritchard, whose chemical knowledge led him to guess what they were required for; he informed his friend, Sergeant Price, of his suspicions; Price and his superior officers made nightly visits to Ledsam Street, getting into the premises, and taking samples for examination; and on the morning named Whitehead's game was over, though not before he had been watched in sending off two lots of the dangerously explosive stuff to London. There was, however, no less than 200lbs weight found still on the premises. The men who carried it to London were quickly caught with the dynamite in their possession, and with Whitehead were brought to trial and each of them sentenced to penal servitude for life. The distribution of rewards in connection with the "dynamite outrages," so far as Birmingham people were concerned, was somewhat on a similar scale to that described by the old sailor, when he said "prize-money" was distributed through a ladder, all passing through going to the officers, while any sticking to the wood was divided among the men. Mr. Farndale, the Chief of Police, was granted an addition to his salary of £100 per year; Inspector Black was promoted to the rank of Superintendent, adding £50 a year to his salary, and was presented with £100 from Government; Sergeant Price, became Inspector, with a rise of £41 12s. a year, and received a bonus of £200; Inspector Rees' salary was raised to two guineas a week, with a gift, of £50: while Mr. Pritchard, to whom belonged the conspicuous service of having given the information which led the police to act, was rewarded (!) with £50, having lost his situation through his services to the public.

Embezzlements.—In 1871, W. Harrison, the Secretary of the Birmingham Gas Company, skedaddled, his books showing defalcations to the amount of £18,000. When the company was dissolved, £100 was left in a bank for Mr. Secretary's prosecution, should he return to this country.—July 12, 1877, the secretary of the Moseley Skating Rink Company was awarded twelve months, and the secretary of the Butcher's Hide and Skin Company six months, for similar offences, but for small amounts.

Forgeries.—In the year 1800, seven men were hung at Warwick for forgery, and with them one for sheep-stealing. The manufacture of forged bank-notes was formerly quite a business here, and many cases are on record of the detection and punishment of the offenders.—June 28, 1879. the Joint Stock Bank were losers of £2,130 through cashing three forged cheques bearing the signature of W.C.B. Cave, the clever artist getting ten years—Nov. 15, 1883. John Alfred Burgan, manager of the Union Bank, for forging and uttering a certain order, and falsifying his books, the amounts embezzled reaching £9,000, was sentenced to fifteen years' penal servitude.—On the previous day Benjamin Robert Danks was similarly punished for forgeries on his employer, Mr. Jesse Herbert, barrister, who had been exceedingly kind to him—Zwingli Sargent, solicitor, was sentenced to five years' penal servitude, April 28, 1885, for forgery and misappropriating money belonging to clients.

Fortunetelling is still far from being an uncommon offence, but "Methratton," the "Great Seer of England," alias John Harewell, who, on March 28, 1883, was sentenced to nine months hard labour, must rank as being at the top of the peculiar profession. Though a "Great Seer" he could not foresee his own fate.

Highwaymen.—The "gentlemen of the road" took their tolls in a very free manner in the earlier coaching days, notwithstanding that the punishment dealt out was frequently that of death or, in mild cases, transportation for life. The Birmingham stage coach was stopped and robbed near Banbury, May 18, 1743, by two highwaymen, who, however, were captured same day, and were afterwards hung.—Mr. Wheeley, of Edgbaston, was stopped in a lane near his own house, and robhed of 20 guineas by a footpad, May 30, 1785.—An attempt to rob and murder Mr. Evans was made near Aston Park, July 25, 1789.—Henry Wolseley, Esq. (third son of Sir W. Wolseley, Bart.), was robbed by high-waymen near Erdington, Nov. 5, 1793.—Some highwaymen robbed a Mr. Benton of £90 near Aston Brook, April 6, 1797.—The coach from Sheffield was stopped by footpads near Aston Park, March 1, 1798, and the passengers robbed.—The "Balloon" coach was robbed of £8,000, Dec. 11, 1822, and the Warwick mail was robbed of no less than £20,000 in bank notes, Nov. 28. 1827.

Horrible.—The bodies of eleven children were found buried at back of 68, Long Acre, Nechells, where lived Ann Pinson, a midwife, who said they were all still-born, July, 1878.

Long Firms.—A term applied to rogues, who, by pretending to be in business, procure goods by wholesale, and dispose of them fraudulently. W.H. Stephenson, of this town, a great patron of these gentry, was sentenced to seven years' penal servitude, Nov. 22, 1877, for the part he had taken in one of these swindling transactions, according to account by far from being the first of the kind he had had a hand in.

Next-of-Kin Frauds.—Many good people imagine they are entitled to property now in other hands, or laid up in Chancery, and to accommodate their very natural desire to obtain information that would lead to their getting possession of same, a "Next-of-Kin Agency" was opened in Burlington Passage at the beginning of 1882. The modus operandi was of the simplest: the firm advertised that Brown, Jones, and Robinson were wanted; Brown, Jones, and Robinson turned up, and a good many of them; they paid the enquiry fees, and called again. They were assured (every man Jack of them) they were right owners, and all they had to do was to instruct the firm to recover. More fees, and heavy ones; the Court must be petitioned—more fees; counsel engaged—more fees; case entered for hearing—more fees, and so on, as long as the poor patients would stand bleeding. Several instances were known of people selling their goods to meet the harpies' demands; clergymen and widows, colliers and washer-women, all alike were in the net. It became too hot at last, and Rogers, Beeton and Co., were provided with berths in the gaol. At Manchester Assizes July 18, 1882, J.S. Rogers got two years' hard labour, A. Mackenzie and J.H. Shakespear (a solicitor) each 21 months; and E.A. Beeton, after being in gaol six months, was ordered to stop a further twelve, the latter's conviction being from this town.

Novel Thefts.—A youth of nineteen helped himself to £128 from a safe at General Hospital, and spent £13 of it before the magistrates (Jan. 15, 1875) could give him six months' lodgings at the gaol.—Three policemen were sent to penal servitude for five years for thieving July 8, 1876.—Sept. 19, 1882, some labourers engaged in laying sewage pipes near Newton Street, Corporation Street, came across some telegraph cables, and under the impression that they were "dead" wires, hitched a horse thereto and succeeded in dragging out about a dozen yards of no less than 33 different cables connecting this town with Ireland, the Continent, and America. Their prize was sold for 4s. 6d., but the inconvenience caused was very serious. Henry Jones, who was tried for the trick, pleaded ignorance, and was let off.—At Quarter Sessions, Ernest Lotze, got six months for stealing, Dec. 12, 1892, from his employer 87lb. weight of human hair, valued at £300.

Personal Outrages.—Maria Ward was sentenced to penal servitude December 18, 1873, for mutilating her husband in a shocking manner.—At Warwick Assizes, December 19, 1874, one man was sentenced to 15 years, and four others to 7 years' penal servitude for outraging a woman in Shadwell Street.—George Moriarty, plasterer, pushed his wife through the chamber window, and on her clinging to the ledge beat her hands with a hammer till she fell and broke her leg, May 31, 1875. It was three months before she could appear against him, and he had then to wait three months for his trial, which resulted in a twenty years' sentence.

Sacrilege.—In 1583 St. Martin's Church was robbed of velvet "paul cloathes," and also some money belonging to the Grammar School.— Handsworth Church was robbed of its sacramental plate, February 10, 1784; and Aston Church was similarly despoiled, April 21, 1788.—A gross sacrilege was commuted in Edgbaston Church, December 15, 1816.—Four Churches were broken into on the night of January 3, 1873.

Sedition and Treason.—George Ragg, printer, was imprisoned for sedition, February 12, 1821.—George Thompson, gun maker, 31, Whittall Street, was imprisoned, August 7, 1839, for selling guns to the Chartists.

Shop Robberies.—Diamonds worth £400 were stolen from Mr. Wray's shop, November 27, 1872.—A jeweller's window in New Street was smashed January 23, 1875, the damage and loss amounting to £300.—A bowl containing 400 "lion sixpences" was stolen from Mr. Thomas's window, in New Street, April 5, 1878.—Mr. Mole's jeweller's shop, High Street, was plundered of £500 worth, April 13th, 1881. Some of the works of the watches taken were afterwards fished up from the bottom of the Mersey, at Liverpool.

Short Weight.—Jan. 2, 1792, there was a general "raid" made on the dealers in the market, when many short-weight people came to grief.

Street Shouting.—The Watch Committee passed a bye-law, May 14, 1878, to stop the lads shouting "Mail, Mail," but they go on doing it. Swindles.—Maitland Boon Hamilton, a gentleman with a cork leg, was given six months on July 25, 1877, for fleecing Mr. Marsh, the jeweller, out of some diamonds.—James Bentley, for the "Christmas hamper swindle," was sentenced to seven years at the Quarter Sessions, May 1, 1878.

The following tables show the number of offences dealt with by the authorities during the five years ending with 1882 (the charges, of which only a small number have been reported, being omitted):—

The total number of crimes reported under the head of "indictable offences"—namely, Sessions and Assizes cases—the number apprehended, and how dealt with, will be gathered from the following summary:—

The following are the details of the more important offences dealt with summarily by the magistrates during the last five years:—

The following are the totals of the summary offences for the same period, and the manner in which they were disposed of:—

Similar statistics for 1883 have not yet been made up, but a return up to December 31 of that year shows that the number of persons committed during the year to the Borough Gaol, or as it is now termed, her Majesty's Prison at Winson Green, were 3,044 males and 1,045 females from the borough, and 1,772 males and 521 females from districts, making a total of 6,382 as against 6,565 in 1882. In the borough 734 males and 198 females had been committed for felony, 1,040 males and 290 females for misdemeanour, 707 males and 329 females for drunkenness, and 243 males and 121 females for vagrancy. Of prisoners sixteen years old and under there were 193 males and 21 females.

Allen, J.—Local portrait painter of some repute from 1802 to 1820.

Aston, John, who died Sept. 12, 1882, in his 82nd year, at one time took a leading share in local affairs. He was High Bailiff in 1841, a J.P. for the county, for 40 years a Governor of the Grammar School, and on the boards of management of a number of religious and charitable institutions. A consistent Churchman, he was one of the original trustees of the "Ten Churches Fund," one of the earliest works of church extension in Birmingham; he was also the chief promoter of the Church of England Cemetery, and the handsome church of St. Michael, which stands in the Cemetery grounds, was largely due to his efforts. In polities Mr. Aston was a staunch Conservative, and was one of the trustees of the once notable Constitutional Association.

Attwood.—The foremost name of the days of Reform, when the voice of Liberal Birmingham made itself heard through its leaders was that of Thomas Attwood. A native of Salop, born Oct. 6, 1783, he became a resident here soon after coming of age, having joined Messrs. Spooner's Bank, thence and afterwards known as Spooner and Attwood's. At the early age of 28 he was chosen High Bailiff, and soon made his mark by opposing the renewal of the East India Co.'s charter, and by his exertions to obtain the withdrawal of the "Orders in Council," which in 1812, had paralysed the trade of the country with America. The part he took in the great Reform meetings, his triumphant reception after the passing of the Bill, and his being sent to Parliament as one of the first representatives for the borough, are matters which have been too many times dilated upon to need recapitulation. Mr. Attwood had peculiar views on the currency question, and pertinaciously pressing them on his fellow members in the House of Commons he was not liked, and only held his seat until the end of Dec., 1839, the last prominent act of his political life being the presentation of a monster Chartist petition in the previous June. He afterwards retired into private life, ultimately dying at Malvern, March 6 1856, being then 73 years of age. Charles Attwood, a brother, but who took less part in politics, retiring from the Political Union when he thought Thomas and his friends were verging on the precipice of revolution, was well known in the north of England iron and steel trade. He died Feb. 24, 1875, in his 84th year. Another brother Benjamin, who left politics alone, died Nov. 22, 1874, aged 80. No greater contrast could possibly be drawn than that shown in the career of these three gentlemen. The youngest brother who industriously attended to his business till he had acquired a competent fortune, also inherited enormous wealth from a nephew, and after his death he was proved to have been the long un-known but much sought after anonymous donor of the £1,000 notes so continuously acknowledged in the Times as having been sent to London hospitals and charities. It was said that Benjamin Attwood distributed nearly £350,000 in this unostentatious manner, and his name will be ever blessed. Charles Attwood was described as a great and good man, and a benefactor to his race. His discoveries in the manufacture of glass and steel, and his opening up of the Cleveland iron district, has given employment to thousands, and as one who knew him well said, "If he had cared more about money, and less about science, he could have been one of the richest commoners in England;" but he was unselfish, and let other reap the benefit of his best patents. What the elder brother was, most Brums know; he worked hard in the cause of Liberalism, he was almost idolised here, and his statue stands not far from the site of the Bank with which his name was unfortunately connected, and the failure of which is still a stain on local commercial history.

Baldwin, James.—Born in the first month of the present century, came here early in his teens, worked at a printer's, saved his money, an employer at 25, made a speciality of "grocer's printing," fought hard in the battle against the "taxes on knowledge," became Alderman and Mayor, and ultimately settled down on a farm near his own paper mills at King's Norton, where, Dec. 10, 1871, he finished a practically useful life, regretted by many.

Bayley, C.H.—A Worcestershire man and a Staffordshire resident; a persevering collector of past local and county records, and an active member of the Archæological section of the Midland Institute. Mr. Bayley was also a member of the Staffordshire Archæological Society, and took special interest in the William Salt Library at Stafford, whose treasures were familiar to him, and whose contents he was ever ready to search and report on for any of his friends. In 1869 he issued the first of some proposed reprints of some of his own rarities, in "A True Relation of the Terrible Earthquake at West Brummidge, in Staffordshire," &c., printed in 1676; and early in 1882 (the year of his death) "The Rent Rolls of Lord Dudley and Ward in 1701"—a very curious contribution to local history, and full of general interest also.

Beale, Samuel.—At one period a most prominent man among our local worthies, one of the first Town Councillors, and Mayor in 1841. He was Chairman of the Midland Railway, a director of the Birmingham and Midland Bank, and sat as M.P. for Derby from 1857 to 1865. He died Sept 11 1876, aged 71.

Beale, W.J.—A member of the legal firm of Beale, Marigold, and Beale. Mr. Beale's chief public service was rendered in connection with the General Hospital and the Musical Festivals. He was for many years a member of the Orchestral Committee of the Festivals, and in 1870 he succeeded Mr. J.0. Mason as chairman; retaining this position until after the Festival of 1876. His death took place in July, 1880, he then being in his 76th year.

Billing, Martin.—Founder of the firm of Martin Billing, Sons, & Co., Livery Street, died July 17, 1883, at the age of 71. He commenced life under his uncle, Alderman Baldwin, and was the first to introduce steam printing machines into Birmingham. The colossal structure which faces the Great Western Railway Station was erected about twenty-nine years ago.

Bisset, James, was the publisher of the "Magnificent Directory" and "Poetic Survey" of Birmingham, presented to the public, January 1, 1800.

Bowly E.0.—A native, self-taught artist, whose pictures now fetch rapidly-increasing sums, though for the best part of his long life dealers and the general run of art patrons, while acknowledging the excellence of the works, would not buy them. Mr. Bowly, however, lived sufficiently long to know that the few gentlemen who honoured him in his younger years, were well recompensed for their kind recognition of his talent, though it came too late to be of service to himself. His death occurred Feb. 1, 1876, in his 70th year.

Briggs.—Major W.B. Briggs, who was struck off the world's roster Jan. 25, 1877, was one of the earliest and most ardent supporters of the Volunteer movement in Birmingham, being gazetted ensign of the 2nd Company in November, 1859. He was a hearty kindly man, and much esteemed in and out of the ranks.

Burritt Elihu, the American "learned blacksmith," having made himself proficient in fifteen different languages. He first addressed the "Friends of Peace" in this town, Dec. 15, 1846, when on a tour through the country. He afterwards returned, and resided in England for nearly twenty-five years, being for a considerable time United States Consul at Birmingham, which he left in 1868. During his residence here he took an active share in the work of diffusing the principles of temperance and peace, both by lecturing and by his writings.

Bynner, Henry.—A native of the town; forty-five years British Consul at Trieste; returned here in 1842, and died in 1867. He learned shorthand writing of Dr. Priestley, and was the first to use it in a law court in this county.

Cadbury, Richard Tapper.—A draper and haberdasher, who started business here in 1794. One of the Board of Guardians, and afterwards Chairman (for 15 years) of the Commissioners of the Streets, until that body was done away with. Mr. Cadbury was one of the most respected and best known men of the town. He died March 13, 1860, in his 92nd year, being buried in Bull Street, among his departed friends.

Capers, Edward.—Sometimes called the "poet-postman," is a Devonshire man, but resided for a considerable time at Harborne. He deserves a place among our noteworthy men, if only for his sweet lines on the old Love lane at Edgbaston, now known as Richmond Hill.