land into wharfs.

About twenty yards above the statue in honour of Lord Nelson, there
was within memory the market cross, from whence the roads in every
direction were measured; but from some cause or other, that custom has
been altered, and it is difficult to say from what part of the town
some of the roads are now measured; for example, the road to Walsall.
This road having been considerably shortened and improved, is now
considered to be eight miles distant: (it was some years back, ten
miles); but from the centre of one town to that of the other, will
measure nine miles; and whoever travels that road must very justly pay
for that distance.

The road to Stourbridge and Kidderminster is another instance where
the mile stones are not to be depended upon; for the one mile stone on
that road is considerably more than that distance from the centre of
the town.

The horse roads round this town were, within memory, from the rains,
constant wear, and no repair, worn into such hollow ways, that in some
instances, particularly in Bordesley, a waggon, when loaded with hay,
the top of it was not so high as the foot path on the side: it was at
one time fifty-eight feet below the surface. There are still remaining
two specimens of the old roads, but they have been for many years
useless, except in going to the adjacent grounds. One of them is
situated a little beyond the sign of the Bell, on the right hand side
of the Worcester road, and leads towards the Five Ways. The other
begins at Edgbaston church, and continues till you arrive at the
toll-gate, on the Bromsgrove road; but, thanks to the trustees of
the turnpikes, the roads in every direction are now upon a par with
others, and in one respect surpass most of them throughout the
kingdom, by having on the side of every one, a foot path, for the
accommodation of pedestrians.

This town, not being restricted by any charter, strangers from
whatever quarter they may come, here find an asylum, and pursue
their avocations with as much freedom, and are no more subject to
molestation, than a native inhabitant. Trade of every kind may be
exercised here, and let a person's religious opinions be whatever they
may, he is at liberty to exercise them; there being in this town eight
places of public worship, according to the establishment, one for
the society of friends, two for protestant dissenters, three for
calvinists, two for Roman catholics, four for methodists, four for
baptists