port of these establishments, one developed by the Rev. Dr. Miller, Rector of St. Martin's, is an instrumentality which produces more than money. Through his influence the system was adopted of having the claims of these hospitals presented simultaneously on a given Sunday in all the churches and chapels of the town, and a collection taken in their behalf. Thus the whole churchgoing population of all denominations, including Jews and Roman Catholics, on that day, have their thoughts concentrated upon these charitable institutions, and are thus disciplined in general philanthropy as well as local benevolence.
The improvements in Birmingham, within my own personal remembrance and observation, indicate the public spirit of its inhabitants. New Street would be almost unrecognizable to one returning to the town after twenty years absence; especially when the Midland Bank, now arising on its foundations, shall have been completed. The Great Central Railway Station, into which five different lines converge in the heart of the town, has not its equal in the kingdom for the roofed space it encloses. The area within the walls is 1,100 feet long and 212 feet wide, and the whole of this great breadth is spanned by single arches resting simply on pillars on each side. No other arched roof of 212 feet span has been attempted in England, or perhaps in the world. The Exchange
