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 BIRMINGHAM AND SHEFFIELD.

��BIRMINGHAM occupies a central position, with an elevated and pleasant site. It exhibits more than a hundred line churches ; among which, the ancient one of St. Martin s, with its towering spire, is conspicuous. Among its lions is a spacious town-hall, which we were so fortunate as to see brilliantly lighted, and filled with an immense audience, assembled to aid the cause of missions. Eloquent addresses were delivered by the advocates of this cause, as well as by some who had once gone forth as laborers in foreign zones, among the benighted pagans.

Birmingham is eminently a practical, working region. It has distinguished itself by those inventions and im provements in machinery, which diminish the labor of man, and promote his civilization. Our limited time allowed us to examine but few of its manufactories. Among these, we were much interested in an exten sive one of plate-glass, belonging to the Messieurs Chance. Its proprietors, to whom we were indebted for other polite attentions, patiently explained to us the process of preparing that exquisite material, blowing it

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