Gaols.—The Town Gaol, or Lockup, at the back of the Public Office, in Moor-street, was first used in September, 1806. It then consisted of a courtyard, 59 ft. by 30 ft. (enclosed by a 26 ft. wall) two day rooms or kitchens, 14 ft. square, and sixteen sleeping cells, 8 ft. by 6 ft. The prisoners' allowance was a pennyworth of bread and a slice of cheese twice a day, and the use of the pump. Rather short commons, considering the 4 lb. loaf often sold at 1s. The establishment, which is vastly improved and much enlarged, is now used only as a place of temporary detention or lockup, where prisoners are first received, and wait their introduction to the gentlemen of the bench. The erection of the Borough Gaol was commenced on October 29, 1845, and it was opened for the reception of prisoners, October 17, 1849, the first culprit being received two days afterwards. The estimated cost was put at £51,447, but altogether it cost the town about £90,000, about £70,000 of which has been paid off. In the year 1877, three prisoners contrived to escape; one, John Sutcliffe, who got out on July 25, not being recaptured till the 22nd of January following. The others were soon taken back home. The gaol was taken over by the government as from April 1, 1878, Mr. J.W. Preston, being appointed Governor at a salary of £510, in place of Mr. Meaden, who had received £450, with certain extras.—See "[Dungeon]" and "[Prisons]." The new County Goal at Warwick was first occupied in 1860.
Gaol Atrocities.—The first Governor appointed to the Borough Gaol was Captain Maconochie, formerly superintendent over the convicts at Norfolk Island in the days of transportation of criminals. He was permitted to try as an experiment a "system of marks," whereby a prisoner, by his good conduct and industry, could materially lessen the duration of his punishment, and, to a certain extent improve his dietary. The experiment, though only tried with prisoners under sixteen, proved very successful, and at one time hopes were entertained that the system would become general in all the gaols of the kingdom. So far as our gaol was concerned, however, it proved rather unfortunate that Captain Maconochie, through advancing age and other causes, was obliged to resign his position (July, 1851), for upon the appointment of his successor, Lieutenant Austin, a totally opposite course of procedure was introduced, a perfect reign of terror prevailing in place of kindness and a humane desire to lead to the reformation of criminals. In lieu of good marks for industry, the new Governor imposed heavy penal marks if the tasks set them were not done to time, and what these tasks were may be gathered from the fact that in sixteen months no less than fifteen prisoners were driven to make an attempt on their lives, through the misery and torture to which they were exposed, three unfortunates being only too successful. Of course such things could not be altogether hushed up, and after one or two unsatisfactory "inquiries" had been held, a Royal Commission was sent down to investigate matters. One case out of many will be sufficient sample of the mercies dealt out by the governor to the poor creatures placed under his care. Edward Andrews, a lad of 15, was sent to gaol for three months (March 28, 1853) for stealing a piece of beef. On the second day he was put to work at "the crank," every turn of which was equal to lifting a weight of 20lbs., and he was required to make 2,000 revolutions before he had any breakfast, 4,000 more before dinner, and another 4,000 before supper, the punishment for not completing either of these tasks being the loss of the meal following. The lad failed on many occasions, and was fed almost solely on one daily, or, rather, nightly allowance of bread and water. For shouting he was braced to a wall for hours at a time, tightly cased in a horrible jacket and leather collar, his feet being only moveable. In this position, when exhausted almost to death, he was restored to sensibility by having buckets of water thrown over him. What wonder that within a month he hung himself. A number of similar cases of brutality were proved, and the Governor thought it best to resign, but he was not allowed to escape altogether scot free, being tried at Warwick on several charges of cruelty, and being convicted, was sentenced by the Court of Queen's Bench to a term of three months' imprisonment.
Garibaldi.—At a meeting of the Town Council, April 5, 1865, it was resolved to ask Garibaldi to pay a visit to this town, but he declined the honour, as in the year previous he had similarly declined to receive an offered town subscription.
Garrison.—Though a strong force was kept in the Barracks in the old days of riot and turbulence, it is many years since we have been favoured with more than a single company of red coats at a time, our peaceful inland town not requiring a strong garrison.
Gardens.—A hundred to 150 years ago there was no town in England better supplied with gardens than Birmingham, almost every house in what are now the main thoroughfares having its plot of garden ground. In 1731 there were many acres of allotment gardens (as they came to be called at a later date) where St. Bartholomew's Church now stands, and in almost every other direction similar pieces of land were to be seen under cultivation. Public tea gardens were also to be found in several quarters of the outskirts; the establishment known as the Spring Gardens closing its doors July 31, 1801. The Apollo Tea Gardens lingered on till 1846, and Beach's Gardens closed in September, 1854.
Gas.—William Murdoch is generally credited with the introduction of lighting by gas, but it is evident that the inflammability of the gas producible from coal was known long before his day, as the Rev. Dr. John Clayton, Dean of Kildare, mentioned it in a letter he wrote to the Hon. Robert Boyle, in 1691. The Dr.'s discovery was probably made during his stay in Virginia, and another letter of his shows the probability of his being aware that the gas would pass through water without losing its lighting properties. The discovery has also been claimed as that of a learned French savant but Murdoch must certainly take the honour of being the first to bring gas into practical use at his residence, at Redruth, in 1792, and it is said that he even made a lantern to light the paths in his evening walks, the gas burned in which was contained in a bag carried under his arm, his rooms being also lit up from a bag of gas placed under weights. The exact date of its introduction in this neighbourhood has not been ascertained though it is believed that part of the Soho Works were fitted with gas-lights in 1798, and, on the occurrence of the celebration of the Peace of Amiens, in 1802, a public exhibition was made of the new light, in the illumination of the works. The Gazette of April 5, 1802 (according to extract by Dr. Langford, in his "Century of Birmingham Life") described the various devices in coloured lamps and transparencies, but strangely enough does not mention gas at all. Possibly gas was no longer much of a novelty at Soho, or the reporter might not have known the nature of the lights used, but there is the evidence of Mr. Wm. Matthews, who, in 1827 published an "Historical Sketch of Gaslighting," in which he states that he had "the inexpressible gratification of witnessing, in 1802, Mr. Murdoch's extraordinary and splendid exhibition of gaslights at Soho." On the other hand, the present writer was, some years back, told by one of the few old Soho workmen then left among us, that on the occasion referred to the only display of gas was in the shape of one large lamp placed at one end of the factory, and then called a "Bengal light," the gas for which was brought to the premises in several bags from Mr. Murdoch's own house. Though it has been always believed that the factory and offices throughout were lighted by gas in 1803, very soon after the Amiens illumination, a correspondent to the Daily Post has lately stated that when certain of his friends went to Soho, in 1834, they found no lights in use, even for blowpipes, except oil and candles and that they had to lay on gas from the mains of the Birmingham and Staffordshire Gas Company in the Holyhead Road. If correct, this is a curious bit of the history of the celebrated Soho, as other manufacturers were not at all slow in introducing gas for working purposes as well as lighting, a well-known tradesman, Benjamin Cook, Caroline Street, having fitted up retorts and a gasometer on his premises in 1808, his first pipes being composed of old or waste gun-barrels, and he reckoned to clear a profit of £30 a year, as against his former expenditure for candles and oil. The glassworks of Jones, Smart, and Co., of Aston Hill, were lit up by gas as early as 1810, 120 burners being used at a nightly cost of 4s. 6d., the gas being made on the premises from a bushel of coal per day. The first proposal to use gas in lighting the streets of Birmingham was made in July 1811, and here and there a lamp soon appeared, but they were supplied by private firms, one of whom afterwards supplied gas to light the chapel formerly on the site of the present Assay Office, taking it from their works in Caroline Street, once those of B. Cook before-mentioned. The Street Commissioners did not take the matter in hand till 1815, on November 8 of which year they advertised for tenders for lighting the streets with gas instead of oil. The first shop in which gas was used was that of Messrs. Poultney, at the corner of Moor Street, in 1818, the pipes being laid from the works in Gas Street by a private individual, whose interest therein was bought up by the Birmingham Gaslight Company. The principal streets were first officially lighted by gas-lamps on April 29, 1826, but it was not until March, 1843, that the Town Council resolved that that part of the borough within the parish of Edgbaston should be similarly favoured.
Gas Companies.—The first, or Birmingham Gaslight Co. was formed in 1817, incorporated in 1819, and commenced business by buying up the private adventurer who built the works in Gas Street. The Company was limited to the borough of Birmingham, and its original capital was £32,000, which, by an Act obtained in 1855, was increased to £300,000, and borrowing powers to £90,000 more, the whole of which was raised or paid up. In the year 1874 the company supplied gas through 17,000 meters, which consumed 798,000,000 cubic feet of gas. The Birmingham and Staffordshire Gas Co. was established in 1825, and had powers to lay their mains in and outside the borough. The original Act was repealed in 1845, the company being remodelled and started afresh with a capital of £320,000, increased by following Acts to £670,000 (all called up by 1874), and borrowing powers to £100,000, of which, by the same year £23,000 had been raised. The consumption of gas in 1874 was 1,462,000,000 cubic feet, but how much of this was burnt by the company's 19,910 Birmingham customers, could not be told. The two companies, though rivals for the public favour, did not undersell one another, both of them charging 10/-per 1,000 feet in the year 1839, while in 1873 large consumers were only charged 2/3 per 1,000 feet, the highest charge being 2/7. The question of buying out both of the Gas Companies had been frequently mooted, but it was not until 1874 that any definite step was taken towards the desired end. On April 17th, 1874, the burgesses recorded 1219 votes in favour of Mr. Joseph Chamberlain's proposition to purchase the Gas [and the Water] Works, 683 voting against it. On Jan. 18th, 1875, the necessary Bills were introduced into the House of Commons, and on July 15th and 19th, the two Acts were passed, though not without some little opposition from the outlying parishes and townships heretofore supplied by the Birmingham and Staffordshire Co., to satisfy whom a clause was inserted, under which Walsall, West Bromwich, &c., could purchase the several mains and works in their vicinity, if desirous to do so. The Birmingham Gas Co. received from the Corporation £450,000, of which £136,890 was to be left on loan at 4%, as Debenture Stock, though £38,850 thereof has been kept in hand, as the whole was redeemable within ten years. The balance of £313,000 was borrowed from the public at 4%, and in some cases a little less. The Birmingham and Staffordshire Gas Co. were paid in Perpetual Annuities, amounting to £58,290 per year, being the maximum dividends then payable on the Co.'s shares, £10,906 was returned as capital not bearing interest, £15,000 for surplus profits, £30,000 the half-year's dividend, and also £39,944 5s. 4d. the Co's Reserve Fund. The total cost was put down as £1,900,000. The Annuities are redeemable by a Sinking Fund in 85 years. For their portion of the mains, service pipes, works, &c. formerly belonging to the Birmingham and Staffordshire Company, the Walsall authorities pay the Corporation an amount equivalent to annuities valued at £1,300 per year; Oldbury paid £22,750, Tipton £34,700, and West Bromwich £70,750.
Gas Fittings.—Curious notions appear to have been at first entertained as to the explosive powers of the new illuminator, nothing less than copper or brass being considered strong enough for the commonest piping, and it was thought a great innovation when a local manufacturer, in 1812, took out a patent for lead pipes copper-coated. Even Murdoch himself seems to have been in dread of the burning element, for when, in after years, his house at Sycamore Hill changed owners, it was found that the smaller gas pipes therein were made of silver, possibly used to withstand the supposed corrosive effects of the gas. The copper-covered lead pipes were patented in 1819 by Mr. W. Phipson, of the Dog Pool Mills, the present compo being comparatively a modern introduction. Messengers, of Broad Street, and Cook, of Caroline Street (1810-20), were the first manufacturers of gas fittings in this town, and they appear to have had nearly a monopoly of the trade, as there were but three others in it in 1833, and only about twenty in 1863; now their name is legion, gas being used for an infinitude of purposes, not the least of which is by the gas cooking stove, the idea of which was so novel at first that the Secretary of the Gas Office in the Minories at one time introduced it to the notice of the public by having his dinner daily cooked in a stove placed in one of the office windows. An exhibition of gas apparatus of all kinds was opened at the Town Hall, June 5, 1878, and that there is still a wonderful future for development is shown by its being seriously advocated that a double set of mains will be desirable, one for lighting gas, and the other for a less pure kind to be used for heating purposes.
Gas Works.—See "[Public Buildings]."
Gavazzi.—Father Gavazzi first orated here in the Town Hall, October 20, 1851.