apel, Grosvenor-street,
Nova scotia-street, Woodcock-lane, Aston-street, Lancaster-street,
Walmer-lane, Price's-street, Bath-street, to the bottom of Snow-hill.

[Footnote 1: The above was written in May 1780, and the three houses are
now, March 14, 1781, multiplied into fifty-five.]

The circle I have described is about five miles, in which is much ground
to be filled up. There are also beyond this crooked line, five clumps of
houses belonging to Birmingham, which may be deemed hamlets.

At the Sand-pits upon the Dudley-road, about three furlongs from the
buildings, are fourteen houses.

Four furlongs from the Navigation-office, upon the road to Hales-owen,
are twenty-nine.

One furlong from Exeter row, towards the hand, are thirty-four.

Upon Camp-hill, 130 yards from the junction of the Warwick and Coventry
roads, which is the extremity of the present buildings, are thirty-one.

And two furlongs from the town, in Walmer-lane, are seventeen more.

I shall comprize, in one view, the state of Birmingham in eight
different periods of time. And though some are imaginary, perhaps they
are not far from real.

Streets. Houses. Souls.
In the time of the ancient
Britons, 80 400
A.D. 750, 8 600 3000
1066, 9 700 3500
1650, 15 900 5472
1700, 28 2504 15032
1731, 51 3717 23286
1741, 54 4114 24660
1780, 125 8382 50295

In 1778, Birmingham, exclusive of the appendages, contained 8042 houses,
48252 inhabitants.

At the same time, Manchester consisted of 3402, houses, and 22440
people.

In 1779, Nottingham contained 3191 houses, and 17711 souls.

It is easy to see, without the spirit of prophecy, that Birmingham hath
not yet arrived at her zenith, neither is she likely to reach it for
ages to come. Her increase will depend upon her manufactures; her
manufactures will depend upon the national commerce; national commerce,
will depend upon a superiority at sea; and this superiority may be
extended to a long futurity.

The interior parts of the town, are like those of other places,
parcelled out into small free-holds, perhaps, originally purchased of
the Lords of th