United Legal Burial Society, registered in 1846, like the above, is a branch only.

Union Provident Sick Society.—­Founded 1802, enrolled in 1826 and certified in 1871, had then 3,519 members and a reserve fund of L8,269.  At end of 1883 the reserve fund stood at L15,310 16s. 9d., there having been paid during the year L4,768 17s. 2d. for sick pay and funerals, besides 15s. dividend to each member.

There are 15,379 Friendly Societies or branches in the kingdom, numbering 4,593,175 members, and their funds amounted to (by last return) L12,148,602.

Friends (The Society of).—­Quakerism was publicly professed here in 1654, George Fox visiting the town the following year and in 1657.  The triends held their first “meetings” in Monmouth Street in 1659.  The meeting-house in Bull Street was built in 1703, and was enlarged several times prior to 1856, when it was replaced by the present edifice which will seat about 800 persons.  The re-opening took place January 25, 1857.  The burial-ground in Monmouth Street, where the Arcade is now, was taken by the Great Western Railway Co. in 1851, the remains of over 300 departed Friends being removed to the yard of the meeting-house in Bull Street.

Froggery.—­Before the New Street Railway Station was built, a fair slice of old Birmingham had to be cleared away, and fortunately it happened to be one of the unsavoury portions, including the spot known as “The Froggery.”  As there was a Duck Lane close by, the place most likely was originally so christened from its lowlying and watery position, the connection between ducks and frogs being self-apparent.

Frosts.—­Writing on Jan. 27, 1881, the late Mr. Plant said that in 88 years there had been only four instances of great cold approaching comparison with the intense frost then ended; the first was in January, 1795; the next in December and January, 1813-14; then followed that of January, 1820.  The fourth was in December and January, 1860-61; and, lastly, January, 1881.  In 1795 the mean temperature of the twenty-one days ending January 31st was 24.27 degrees; in 1813-14, December 29th to January 18th, exclusively, 24.9 degrees; in 1820, January 1st to 21st, inclusively, 23.7 degrees; in 1860-61, December 20th to January 9th, inclusively, 24.5 degrees; and in 1881, January 7th to 27th, inclusively, 23.2 degrees.  Thus the very coldest three weeks on record in this district, in 88 years, is January, 1881.  With the exception of the long frost of 1813-4, which commenced on the 24th December and lasted three months, although so intense in their character, none of the above seasons were remarkable for protracted duration.  The longest frosts recorded in the present century were as follows:—­1813-14, December to March. 13 weeks; 1829-30, December, January, February, 10 weeks; 1838, January, February, 8 weeks; 1855, January, February, 7 weeks; 1878-79, December, January, February, 10 weeks.