1847, C. Geach; 1848, S. Thornton;
1849, W. Lucy; 1850, W. Lucy; 1851, H. Smith; 1852, H. Hawkes; 1853, J.
Baldwin; 1854, J. Palmer; 1855, T. R, T. Hodgson; 1856, J. Ratcliff;
1857, J. Ratcliff; 1858, Sir J. Ratcliff, Kt.; 1859, T. Lloyd; 1860, A.
Ryland; 1861, H. Manton; 1862, C. Sturge; 1863, W. Holliday; 1864, H.
Wiggin; 1865, E. Yates; 1866, G. Dixon; 1867, T. Avery; 1868, H.
Holland; 1869, T. Prime; 1870, G. B. Lloyd; 1871, J. Sadler; 1872, A.
Biggs; 1873, J. Chamberlain; 1874, J. Chamberlain; 1875, J. Chamberlain;
1876, G. Baker; 1877, W. Kenrick; 1878, J. Collings; 1879, R.
Chamberlain; 1880, R. Chamberlain; 1881, T. Avery; 1882, W. White; 1883,
W. Cook; 1884, W. Martineau.

The members of the Council in 1862 subscribed L200 for the purchase of a
"Mayor's Chain," the first to wear "the glittering gaud," strange to
say, being a Quaker, Charles Sturge to wit. To this chain a valuable
addition has since been made in the shape of a stone, worth L150,
presented to the Town Council by Mr. W. Spencer, June 27, 1873, as being
the first diamond cut in Birmingham, and which was appropriately
mounted. For the names and addresses of the Aldermen and Councillors of
the various wards (changes taking place yearly) reference should be made
to "The Birmingham Red Book" published annually, in which will also be
found a list of all the borough officials, &c.

~Corporation Stock.~--The balance against the Borough in the shape of
loans, or mortgages on the then rates, when the Town Council took over
from the Street Commissioners was L121,100. By the end of 1864 the
Borough debts stood at L638,300, at varying rates of interest. After the
purchase of the Gas and Water Works, and the commencement of the
Improvement Scheme, this amount was vastly increased, the town's
indebtedness standing in 1880 at no less than L6,226,145. The old system
of obtaining loans at the market price of the day, and the requirement
of the Local Government Board that every separate loan should be repaid
in a certain limited number of years, when so large an amount as 6-1/4
millions came to be handled necessitated a consolidation scheme, which
has since been carried out, to the relief of present ratepayers and a
saving to those who will follow. The whole of the liabilities in the
Borough on loans were converted into Corporation three and a half per
cent. stock at the commencement of 1881, the operation being performed
by the Bank of England. The tenders for sa