intended wreaking vengeance upon
writers who had belaboured or ridiculed him; but these threats ended in
nothing, and the first proprietors of the _Town Crier_ never had to pay
even a farthing damages as the result of law proceedings. This is
something to record, because papers of a satirical character necessarily
sail pretty close to the wind in the way of provoking touchy people to
fly to law to soothe their wounded feelings and pay out their supposed
persecutors.

I confess I often used to shiver slightly in my shoes when I considered
the possible consequences of what I myself and others had written in the
_Town Crier_. The law of libel is a wide-spreading net, anything that
brings a man into ridicule or contempt or damages him in his trade or
profession being libellous. To criticize adversely a painter, actor, or
singer is necessarily damaging, and is really a libel, but to sustain an
action real damage must be proved, or it must be shown that malice and
ill-will have prompted the objectionable adverse opinions. But, as we
know, there are certain pettifogging men of law who are ever ready to
encourage people to bring actions for libel for the mere sake of getting
damages. I believe I have thus stated the case correctly, but I am not a
"limb of the law," not even an amputated limb, or a law student. I speak
from what I have seen in the Libel Acts and in the judgments I have
read. Having been one of the Press gang for many years, I have never
thought my liberties quite safe, and have often felt that any day I
might be brought up to the bar for judgment. But I escaped, even when I
was writing for the _Town Crier_, and have escaped since. But let me not
boast. Before these lines are read my ordinary clothes may be required
of me.

On the shelves of my small library are some bound volumes of the early
numbers of the _Birmingham Town Crier_, in which are some pencil marks.
If I should sooner or later have to retire to live _en pension_ at
Winson Green, or at the Bromsgrove or other Union, I hope to be able to
take these cherished books with me to look at from time to time, and to
keep green my memory of past pleasant days.

XII.

ITS VARIED AND ODD TRADES.

If some outside people were asked to name in three lines the three chief
trades of Birmingham they would probably answer by saying "Guns,"
"Hardware," and then, perhaps rather puzzled, might add "more guns."
This, however, would be a very bald and incomp