n diameter. The following are the "winnings";
brooch coal, 2ft. 6in. thick, at a depth of 380 yards; best coal, 20ft.
6in. thick, at 418 yard; heathen coal 4ft. thick, at 427 yards; white
ironstone, of excellent quality, at 434 yards, and good fire-clay, 6ft.
thick, under that, besides thin seams of gubbin ironstone, and new mine
coal.

~Saturday Half-holiday.~--The introduction of this boon to workingmen
took place in 1851, Mr. John Frearson, of Gas-street, claiming the
honour of first giving it to his employees.--See "_Excursions_".

~Scandalous Schoolmasters.~--The Rev. Mr. Wills, of Brumingham, with
several county esquires and gentlemen, were appointed Commissioners
under an Act passed towards the close of "The Long Parliament," to
summon and examine any "publique preachers, inefficient ministers, and
scandalous schoolmasters who shall be proved guilty of drunkenness,
common haunting of taverns or alehouses, dealing with lewd women,
frequent quarrelling or fighting, frequent playing at cards or dice,
profaning the Sabbath Day, or do incourage or countenance by word or
practice any Whitsun ales, wakes, Morris-dances, Maypoles, stage plays,
&c.," and to remove the same where needed. A _little_ quarrelling or
fighting, or playing at cards, was apparently no offence.

~School Board.~--The first election took place Nov. 28, 1870, there
being the following twenty-eight candidates, the first fifteen named
being the chosen elected by the number of votes attached to their names,
viz., Canon O'Sullivan, 35,120; S.S. Lloyd, 30,799; Dr. Burges, 21,925;
Dr. Wilkinson, 19,829; John Gough, 17,481; Rev. F.S. Dale, 17,365; G.
Dawson. 17,103; G. Dixon, M.P., 16,897; W. Dale, 16,387; C. Vince,
15,943; J.S. Hopkins, 15,696; W.L. Sargant, 15,683; J. Chamberlain,
15,090; J.S. Wright, 15,007; A.J. Elkington, 14,925; G. Baker, J.A.
Cooper, Jesse Collings, Rev. H.W. Crosskey, Dr. Sebastian Evans, Rev.
H.W. Holland, ---- Kirkwood, G.B. Lloyd, Dr. Merson, W. Middlemore, W.
Radford, ---- Raffles, and Archdeacon Sandford. 29,183 voters, out of
52,340, recorded their votes. A considerable amount of party feeling was
shown in the contest, the candidates being divided (with one or two
exceptions) into two distinct classes, the Liberals who wanted the Bible
read in the schools without explanation or comment, and the Churchmen
who went in for Scriptural teaching. The latter party obtained the
majority by electing the whole of the eight they put in