with a profit of 200 per cent.  There are respectable offices in Birmingham where loans can be obtained at a fair and reasonable rate, but Punch’s advice to those about to marry may well be given in the generality of cases, to anyone thinking of visiting a loan office.  Young men starting in business may, under certain conditions, obtain help for that purpose from the “Dudley Trust.”—­See “Philanthropical Trusts.”

Loans, Public.—­England, with its National Debt of L776,000,000, is about the richest country in the world, and if the amount of indebtedness is the sign of prosperity, Birmingham must be tolerably well off.  Up to the end of 1882 our little loan account stood thus:—­

Borrowd   Repaid     Owing. 
Baths ..  ..  ..  ..     L62,425  L27,743    L34,682
Cemetery  ..  ..  ..     46,500   19,316     27,184
Closed Burial Gr’nds     10,000       41      9,959
Council House ..  ..    135,762   10,208    125,554
Fire Brigade Station      6,000       53      5,947
Free Libraries..  ..     56,050    7,534     48,516
Gaol  ..  ..  ..  ..     92,350   79,425     12,925
Industrial School ..     13,710    2,310     11,400
Asylum, Winson Gn...    100,000   97,020      2,980
"    Rubery Hill..    100,012    5,887     94,125
Markt Hall & Markts     186,942   73,463    113,479
Mortuaries..  ..  ..        700      103        597
Parks ..  ..  ..  ..     63,210   12,347     50,863
Paving roads  ..  ..    158,100   30,088    128,012
Paving footways   ..     79,950    8,113     71,837
Police Stations   ..     25,231    9,839     15,392
Public Office ..  ..     23,400   14,285      9,115
Sewers & Sewerage ..    366,235   81,338    284,897
Tramways  ..  ..  ..     65,450   17,125     48,325
Town Hall ..  ..  ..     69,521   37,885     31,636
Town Improvements ..    348,680  134,156    214,524
------------------------------
2,010,227  668,278  1,341,949
Improvem’t scheme ..  1,534,731   31,987  1,502,744
Gasworks  ..  ..  ..  2,184,186  142,359  2,041,827
Waterworks..  ..  ..  1,814,792    5,086  1,809,706
-----------------------------
Totals..  ..  ..  ..  7,543,936  847,710  6,696,226

The above large total, however, does not show all that was owing.  The United Drainage Board have borrowed L386,806, and as Birmingham pays L24,722 out of the year’s expenditure of L33,277 of that Board, rather more than seven-tenths of that debt must be added to the Borough account, say L270,000.  The Board of Guardians have, between June, 1869, and January, 1883, borrowed on loan L130,093, and during same period have repaid L14,808, leaving L115,285 due by them, which must also be added to the list of the town’s debts.