Among the various concurring causes, which have contributed to the extraordinary progress and pros perity of Birmingham, may be mentioned, its conve nient situation, almost in the centre of England ; its proximity to the coal mines ; its want of corporate restrictions ; its freedom from election canvassings and, particularly, its extensive canal communications. Formerly, its various and valuable goods were sent chiefly to London by land carriage, and supplied the foreign markets only through the medium of mer chants in the metropolis ; but now the principal or ders for foreign supply come directly to mercantile houses in the town of Birmingham itself,. and, by means of its improved inland navigations, its heaviest products arc conveyed to the remotest distance with out any considerable addition to their original price. By the old canal, which was cut in 1765 and 1769, arc conveyed to this place various raw materials, and particularly the important article of fuel from the Wednesbury collieries. This cut was, in 1772, ex tended to Autherby, and thence to the Severn, by which there is a communication with Shrewsbury, Gloucester, and Bristol. In another direction it joins the Trent, and thus opens a conveyance to Gainsbo rough, Hull, and London. From this canal there is likewise a junction with the grand line of canal, which runs along the pottery in Staffordshire, thence ex tending to Manchester and Liverpool. By the new,
or Birmingham and Fazely canal, there is a com munication to Fisherwick, Tamwortli, Polesworth, Atherstone, Nuneaton, Coventry, Oxford, and thence, by the canal or the Thames, to London. Thus the produce of its manufactories are easily dispersed throughout the kingdom, and conveyed entirely by water carriage to the principal sea ports of the North Sea, the British Ocean, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. But, though the flourishing manufactures of Birmingham have filled the town and its vicinity with a multitude of ingenious and industrious inhabi tants, all usefully employed in their own support, and in the service of the community, yet it must be admitted, that much ignorance, profligacy, drunken ness, and discontent prevails among the labouring classes, and that these have, on several occasions, ex hibited a strong disposition to rioting and tumult. This was remarkably manifested in the year 1.791, about the commencement of the revolution in France, when the most disorderly proceedings were carried on during several successive days, and property to the amount of £60,000 was plundered or destroyed.
In 1801, the town of Birmingham contained 16,403 houses, of which 1875 were uninhabited ; and its whole population amounted to 73.670, of whom 62,702 were employed in trade and manufactures. See Hutton's History of BirmiNzham. (q)