of the Free Library, there are sufficient to form the nucleus of a good Museum. We may, therefore, have that, in time, we shall have a collection that we may be proud of. Mr. Joseph Chamberlain (April 26, 1875) gave £1,000 to purchase objects of industrial art, and it has been expended in the purchase of a collection of gems and precious stones, than which no thing could be more suitable in this centre of the jewellery trade. Possibly, on the opening of the new Art Gallery, we shall hear of other "thousands" as forthcoming.
Musical Associations.—There were, of course, the choirs attached to the churches previous, but the earliest Musical Society is believed to be that established by James Kempson, in 1762, at Cooke's, in the Cherry Orchard, and the founding of which led to the Musical Festivals. The members met for practice, and evidently enjoyed their pipes and glasses, their nightly song being:—
"To our Musical Club here's long life and prosperity;
May it flourish with us, and so on to posterity.
May concord and harmony always abound.
And division here only in music be found.
May the catch and the glass go about and about.
And another succeed to the bottle that's out"
This society was appropriately known as the Musical and Amicable Society from which sprung the Choral Society in 1776, though the present Festival Choral Society only claims to be in its thirty eighth year. The Birmingham Musical Society dates from 1840; the Amateur Harmonic Association from January 1856; the Edgbaston Musical Union from 1874; and the Philharmonic Union from 1870. The Church Schools Choral Union, the Sunday Schools Union Festival Choir, and the Birmingham Musical Association, with one or two others, are the progeny of later years; the last on the list of musical institutions being the Clef Club (in Exchange Buildings), established March 21st, 1882, for the promotion of musical culture by "providing a central resort for the study and practice of vocal and instrumental music, with the social advantages of a club."
Musical Festivals.—The credit of suggesting the first Musical Festival in aid of the funds of the General Hospital, his been assigned to Mr. Kempson a local musician, who, with his friends, founded a Glee and Catch Club at Cooke's, in the Cherry Orchard. The minutes-book of the Hospital under date of May 3, 1768, records that a resolution was passed that "a musical entertainment" should be arranged, and it was held accordingly on the 7th, 8th, and 9th of September in that year, part of the performances taking place at St. Philip's Church, and part at the Theatre, then in King Street, the Festival being wound up with a ball "at Mrs. Sawyer's, in the Square," Church, Theatre, and Ball was the order of the day for many succeeding Festivals, the Town Hall, which may be said to have been built almost purposely for these performances, not being ready until 1834. The Theatre was only utilised for one evening each Festival after until 1843, when three concerts were held therein, but since that date the Town Hall has been found sufficient. The Festival Balls were long a great attraction (no less than 1,700 attending in 1834), but, possibly from a too free admixture of the general public, the aristocratic patronage thereof gradually declined until 1858, when only 300 tickets having been taken, the Ball night was struck out of the future programmes. The first Festival performances were by purely local artistes, and on several occasions afterwards they formed the bulk of the performers, but as the fame of our Festivals increased so did the inflow of the foreign element until at one period not more than half-a-dozen local names could be found in any programme. This has been altered to a considerable
