Umbrellas.—­The name of the man who first carried an umbrella in this town (about the year 1780) has not yet been enrolled among our “Birmingham Worthies,” but he must have been known to some of our fathers, for it is not much more than 100 years ago since Jonas Hanway walked down the Strand, shielding his wig from the wet with the first umbrella seen in London.  The metal work required for setting-up, technically called “furniture,” has long been made here, and gives employment to about 1,700 hands, two-thirds of whom are females.

Vinegar.—­Fardon’s Vinegar Brewery, Glover Street, is worth a visit, if only to look at their five vats, each upwards of 30ft. high and 24ft. in diameter, and each capable of storing 58,000 gallons.  But, besides these, among the largest of their kind in the world, there are thirteen 24,000 gallons vats, five 15,000, and twenty seven 10,000.

Vitriol.—­The Oil of Vitriol in 1800 was reduced from 3s. per lb. to 1s.; in 1865 it was sold at 1d.

Watchmaking.—­Few names of eminent horologists are to be found in the lists of departed tradesmen; so few indeed that watchmaking would seem to have been one of the unknown arts, if such a thing was possible at any period of the last two hundred years of Birmingham history.  Messrs. Brunner (Smallbrook Street), Swinden (Temple Street), and Ehrardt (Barr Street West) take the lead at present among private firms, but the introduction of a watch manufactory is due to Mr. A L. Dennison, who, though not the originator of the notion, after establishing factories in America (in or about 1850) and Switzerland, came to this country in 1871, and, with other gentlemen in the following year started the Anglo-American Watch Co. (Limited), a factory being erected in Villa Street.  The trade of the Co. was principally with America, which was supplied with machine-made “works” from here until the Waltham, Elgin, and other firms over there beat them out of the market, a not very difficult operation, considering that our fair-trading cousins impose a 25 per cent. duty on all such goods sent there by the free-traders of this country.  The Villa Street establishment was purchased in 1875 by Mr. William Bragge, who developed the business under the name of The English Watch Co., the manufacture being confined almost solely to English Lever watches, large and small sized, key-winding and keyless.  In January, 1882, Mr. Bragge, for the sum of L21,000 parted with the business, plant, stock, and premises, to the present English Watch Co.  (Limited), which has a registered capital of L50,000 in shares of L10 each, the dividend (June, 1884) being at the rate of 6 per cent. on paid-up capital.—­In April, 1883, the prospectus of The English Double Chronograph Co. (Limited) was issued, the capital being L50,000 in L10 shares, the object of the company being to purchase (for L15,000) and work the patents granted to Mr. W. H. Douglas, of Stourbridge, for improvements in chronographs, the improvements being of such a nature that ordinary keyless English levers can be turned into double chronographs at a trifling cost.