, occurred in London. The tradition is that the plague
contagion was brought here in a box of clothes conveyed by a carrier
from London. It is said that so many persons died in this town that the
churchyard would not hold the bodies, and the dead were taken to a
one-acre piece of waste land at Ladywood Green, hence known for many
generations as the "Pest Ground." The site has long been built over, but
no traces of any kind of sepulture were found when house foundations
were being laid.

~Pewter.~--To have bright pewter plates and dishes ranged on their
kitchen shelves was once the delight and the pride of all well-to-do
housewives, and even the tables of royalty did not disdain the pewter.
At the grand dinner on George IV.'s Coronation-day, though gold and
silver plate was there in abundance for the most noble of the noble
guests, the majority were served on brightly-burnished pewter, supplied
from Thomason's of Birmingham. The metal is seldom seen now except in
the shape of cups and measures used by publicans.

~Philanthropic Collections.~--The following are a few not mentioned in
previous pages:--A local fund for the relief of sufferers by famine in
Asia Minor was opened May 6, 1875, the amount collected being L682.--In
1875, a little over L1,700 was gathered to aid the sufferers from the
inundations in France that year.--November 25, 1878, at a meeting held
to sympathise with the losers through the failure of the Glasgow Bank
more than L1,000 was subscribed; L750 being gathered afterwards.--The
Mayor's Relief Fund, in the winter-time of 1878-79, totalled up to
L10,242, of which L9,500 was expended in relief, L537 in expenses, and
the balance divided between the Hospitals. The number of separate gifts
or donations to the poor was 500,187, equivalent to relieving once
108,630 families.

~Philanthropic Societies.~--Are as numerous as they are various, and the
amount of money, and money's worth, distributed each year is something
surprising. The following are the principal ones:--

_Aged Women_.--A society was commenced here in 1824 for the relief of
poor women over 60 years of age, and there are now on the books the
names of nearly 200 who receive, during the year, in small amounts, an
average of 17s to 18s. each. Miss Southall, 73, Wellington Road, is one
of the Hon. Sees., who will be pleased to receive additional
subscriptions. Fifty other aged women are yearly benefitted through
Fentham's Trust.--See "_Blue Coat