ted by lead pennies faced with copper. One of these would
be a curiosity now. The bronze coinage was first issued December 1,
1860, and soon after Messrs. Ralph Heaton & Sons made 100 tons of bronze
coins for the Mint. They are distinguished by the letter "H" under the
date. The number, weight, and value of this issue were as follows:--

Tons Nominal Value.
62 or 9,595,245 pennies .. L25,396 17 1
28 or 5,504,382 halfpennies .. 11,469 10 11
10 or 3,884,446 farthings .. 4,096 5 4
---------------- --------------
100 or 15,484,043 pieces .. L40,962 13 4

The same firm has had several similar contracts, the last being in hand
at the present time. The bronze is composed of 95 parts copper, 4 tin,
and 1 zinc.

~Colleges.~--See "_Schools_," &c.

~Colmore Row,~ which now extends from the Council House to the Great
Western Hotel (including Ann Street and Monmouth Street) is named after
the Colmore family, the owners of the freehold. Great Colmore Street,
Caroline and Charlotte Streets, Great and Little Charles Streets,
Cregoe, Lionel, and Edmund Streets, all take their names from the same
source.

~Colonnade.~--This very handsome and (for Birmingham) rather
novel-looking building, was opened Jan. 10, 1883, being erected by Mr.
A. Humpage, at a cost of about L70,000, from the designs of Mr. W.H.
Ward. The Colonnade proper runs round the entire building, giving
frontage to a number of shops, the upper portion of the block being
partly occupied by the Midland Conservative Club, and the rest of the
building, with the basement, fitted up as a Temperance Hotel and
"Restaurant."

~Comets.~--The inhabitants were very much terrified by the appearance of
a comet in December, 1680. At Michaelmas, 1811, an exceedingly brilliant
comet appeared, supposed to have been the same which was seen at the
birth of Jesus Christ. Donati's comet was first observed June 2, 1858,
but was most brilliant in September and October. The comets of 1861 and
1883 were also visible here.

~Commissioners.~--The first local governing body of the town, though
with but the merest shadow of power as compared with the Corporation of
to-day, were the Street Commissioners appointed under an Act of Geo.
III. in 1769, their duties being confined almost solely to repairing,
cleansing, and "enlightening" the streets of the town, appointing
watchmen, &c., their power of raising fund