Page:The Grand junction railway companion to Liverpool, Manchester, and Birmingham; (IA grandjunctionrai00free).pdf/188



Birmingham is a market town, and a borough by the Reform Bill, in the Hundred of Hemlingford, situated upon a hill near the river Rea, in the county of Warwick, 109 miles from London, 97¼ from Liverpool. Population in 1821, 106,722—in 1831, 146,986. It is probable, therefore, that at this time the population is now from 180 to 200,000. Its markets are on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday: for hay on Tuesday; the latter is held in Smithfield, the former in the Market Hall. Fairs, Thursday in Whitsun week. Sept. 23.

A contemporary has congratulated the inhabitants of Birmingham upon the fact that "the ground upon which it stands is ancient as the scite of any Eternal City." Presuming, therefore, that a native of the town must be better aware of the predilection of the inhabitants than a stranger, we venture to bespeak their favour by following the same line of antiquities, and in doing so assure them its ground is as ancient as the scite of the Garden of Eden;" but that we are happy in being able to assign a little more modern period for the commencement of its operations in the manufactures, with which it is now able to compete with the world. We shall proceed to give a