badness of trade, or the over-building of small houses in other parts previously, less than a sixth of the site has been taken, and but a score of houses built, a most wonderful contrast to the rapid filling of Corporation Street with its many magnificent edifices present and prospective, that promise to make it one of the finest streets in the provinces.  There cannot, however, be such necessity for the erection of small houses as was imagined when the Act was adopted here, for according to a return lately obtained, and not reckoning the thousands of little domiciles on the outskirts, there are in the borough 4,445 houses usually let at weekly rentals up to 2s. 6d. per week, 24,692 the rentals of which are between 2s. 6d. and 3s. 6d., and 36,832 others between 3s. 6d. and 7s. per week, a total of 65,969 working men’s houses, but of which 5,273 (taking one week with another) are always void.

Toyshop of Europe.—­It was during the debate in the House of Commons (March 26, 1777) on the first reading of a Bill to license the Theatre in Birmingham, that Mr. Burke, who spoke in its favour, described this town as “the great toyshop of Europe.”  At that time, and for long afterwards, hundreds of articles of utility manufactured here were roughly classed as “light steel toys,” and “heavy steel toys;” though we should hardly now be likely to consider tinder boxes, steelyards, pokers, fire-shovels and tongs as playthings.

Trade Notes of the Past.—­Foreigners were not allowed to carry on any retail trade here before 1663.  The Brums never liked them.  An official document of 1695, states that, the trade of the town was “chiefly in steel, iron, and other ponderous commodities.”  In 1702 it was enacted that if brass, copper, latten, bell-metal gun-metal, or shruff-metal be carried beyond sea, clean or mixed, double the value thereof to be forfeited, tin and lead only excepted.  An Act was passed March 20, 1716, prohibiting trade with Sweden, much to the inconvenience of our local manufacturers, who imported Swedish iron for conversion into steel in large quantities.  The Act 1 Geo. I., c. 27 (1720), forbidding the exportation of artizans to foreign countries was not repealed till 1825 (5 Geo. IV., c. 97).  In April, 1729, our manufacturers petitioned that the colonists in America should be encouraged to send pig iron over here; ten years previously they bitterly opposed the idea; ten years later they repented, for their American cousins filled our warehouses with their manufactured goods.  In 1752 it was stated that above 20,000 hands were employed here in “useful manufactures.”  In 1785 a reward of fifty guineas was offered here for the conviction of any person “enticing workmen to go to foreign countries;” the penalty for such “enticing” being a fine of L100 and three months’ imprisonment.