The M.U. Lodges meet at the following houses:--Fox, Fox Street; White Horse, Congreve Street; Swan-with-two-Necks, Great Brook Street; Albion, Cato Street North; Hope and Anchor, Coleshill Street; 13, Temple Street; Wagon and Horses, Edgbaston Street; Crystal Palace, Six Ways, Smethwick; The Vine, Harborne; Prince Arthur, Arthur Street, Small Heath; George Hotel, High Street, Solihull; Bell, Phillip Street; Bull's Head, Digbeth; Edgbaston Tavern, Lee Bank, Road; The Stork, Fowler Street, Nechells; Three Tuns, Digbeth; Town Hall, Sutton Coldfield; Coffee House, Bell Street; Coach and Horses, Snow Hill; Roe Buck, Moor Street; Drovers' Arms, Bradford Street; Co-operative Meeting Room, Stirchley Street; Black Lion, Coleshill Street; Queen's Head, Handsworth; No. 1 Coffee House, Rolfe Street, Smethwick; New Inn, Selly Oak; Wagon and Horses, Greet; Talbot, Yardley; Saracen's Head, Edgbaston Street; Dolphin, Unett Street; Grand Turk, Ludgate Hill; Roebuck, Moor Street; White Swan, Church Street; White Lion, Thorpe Street; Queen's Arms, Easy Row; Rose and Crown, Wheeler Street, Lozells. The National Independent Order was instituted in 1845, and registered under the Friendly Societies' Act, 1875. The Order numbers over 60,000 members, but its strongholds appear to be in Yorkshire and Lancashire, which two counties muster between them nearly 40,000. In Birmingham district, there are thirteen "lodges," with a total of 956 members, their locations being at the Criterion, Hurst Street; Bricklayers' Arms, Cheapside; Ryland Arms, Ryland Street; Sportsman, Moseley Street; Iron House, Moor Street; Exchange Inn, High Street; Red Lion, Smallbrook Street; Woodman, Summer Lane; Emily Arms, Emily Street; Boar's Head, Bradford Street; Turk's Head, Duke Street; Bird-in-Hand, Great King Street; Tyburn House, Erdington. _Old Meeting Friendly Fund_ was commenced in 1819, and registered in 1824. Its capital at the close of the first year, was £5 14s. 10-1/2d.; at end of the tenth year (1828) it was nearly £264; in 1838, £646; in 1848, £1,609; in 1858, £3,419; 1868, £5,549; in 1878, £8,237; and at the end of 1883, £9,250 16s. 2d.;--a very fair sum, considering the numbers only numbered 446, the year's income being £877 and the out-goings £662. _Railway Guards' Friendly Fund_ was originated in this town in 1848. It has nearly 2,200 members; the yearly disbursements being about £6,000, and the payments £40 at death, with life pensions of 10s. and upwards per week to members disabled on the line. More than £85,000 has been thus distributed since the commencement. _Roman Catholic_.--A local Friendly Society was founded in 1794, and a Midland Association in 1824.