ting Provident Institution_ was founded in 1836, but is now
connected with the Church of the Messiah. A little over a thousand
members, one-third of whom are females.

_Oddfellows_.--The National Independent Order of Oddfellows, Birmingham
Branch, was started about 1850. At the end of 1879 there were 1,019
members, with about L4,500 accumulated funds.

The Birmingham District of the Manchester Unity of Oddfellows in
January, 1882, consisted of 43 lodges, comprising 4,297 members, the
combined capital of sick and funeral funds being L42,210. Tho oldest
Lodge in the District is the "Briton's Pride," which was opened in 1827.

The first Oddfellows' Hall was in King Street, but was removed when New
Street Station was built. The new Oddfellows' Hall in Upper Temple
Street was built in 1849, by Branson and Gwyther, from the designs of
Coe and Goodwin (Lewisham, Kent), at a cost of L3,000. Tim opening was
celebrated by a dinner on December 3rd, same year. The "Hall" will
accommodate 1,000 persons. The Oddfellows' Biennial Moveable Committee
met in this town on May 29th, 1871.

The M.U. Lodges meet at the following houses:--Fox, Fox Street; White
Horse, Congreve Street; Swan-with-two-Necks, Great Brook Street; Albion,
Cato Street North; Hope and Anchor, Coleshill Street; 13, Temple Street;
Wagon and Horses, Edgbaston Street; Crystal Palace, Six Ways, Smethwick;
The Vine, Harborne; Prince Arthur, Arthur Street, Small Heath; George
Hotel, High Street, Solihull; Bell, Phillip Street; Bull's Head,
Digbeth; Edgbaston Tavern, Lee Bank, Road; The Stork, Fowler Street,
Nechells; Three Tuns, Digbeth; Town Hall, Sutton Coldfield; Coffee
House, Bell Street; Coach and Horses, Snow Hill; Roe Buck, Moor Street;
Drovers' Arms, Bradford Street; Co-operative Meeting Room, Stirchley
Street; Black Lion, Coleshill Street; Queen's Head, Handsworth; No. 1
Coffee House, Rolfe Street, Smethwick; New Inn, Selly Oak; Wagon and
Horses, Greet; Talbot, Yardley; Saracen's Head, Edgbaston Street;
Dolphin, Unett Street; Grand Turk, Ludgate Hill; Roebuck, Moor Street;
White Swan, Church Street; White Lion, Thorpe Street; Queen's Arms, Easy
Row; Rose and Crown, Wheeler Street, Lozells.

The National Independent Order was instituted in 1845, and registered
under the Friendly Societies' Act, 1875. The Order numbers over 60,000
members, but its strongholds appear to be in Yorkshire and Lancashire,
which two counties muster between them nearly 40,000. In Birmin