ing then the chief. One of the finest
medals engraved by him was that of Boulton, struck by Thomason, in high
relief, and 4in. in diameter. He died in 1851, having produced all the
coins and medals for Queen Victoria and William IV., part of George
IV.'s, and prize medals for many societies. His son, Leonard Wyon,
produced the Exhibition medals in 1851.

The preceding are really but a few of the men of note whose connection
with Birmingham has been of historical interest, and the catalogue might
be extended to great length with the names of the De Birminghams, the
Smalbrokes, Middlemores, Colmores, and others of the old families alone.
Scores of pages would not suffice to give even the shortest biographies
of the many who, by their inventive genius and persistent labour, placed
our town at the head of the world's workshops, the assistants and
followers of the great men of Soho, the Thomasons, Taylors, and others
living in the early part of the century, or the Elkingtons, Chances,
&c., of later days. A volume might easily be filled with lives of
scientific and literary men of the past, Hutton the historian, Morfitt,
poet and barrister; Beilby, Hodgetts, Hudson, and other bookmen, to say
naught of the many Press writers (who in their day added not a little to
the advancement of their fellow-townsmen), or the venerable doctors, the
school teachers and scholars, the pastors and masters of the old School
and the old Hospital. Mention is made of a few here and there in this
book; of others there have been special histories published, and,
perchance _some_ day "Birmingham men" will form the title of a more
comprehensive work.

~Novel Sight.~--The appearance in the streets of Birmingham of a real
war vessel would be a wonderful thing even in these days of railways and
steam. Sir Rowland Hill, speaking of his childhood's days, said he could
recollect once during the war with Napoleon that a French gunboat was
dragged across the country, and shown in Birmingham at a small charge.
He had never then seen any vessel bigger than a coal barge, but this was
a real ship, with real anchor and real ship guns.

~Numbering of Houses.~--We are rapidly improving in many ways, and the
gradual introduction of the system of alternate numbering, the odd
numbers on one side of the street, and the evens on the other, is an
advance in the right direction. Still, the fixing of the diminutive
figure plate on the sideposts of a door, or, as is freque