the recovery of debts to any amount not exceeding £50.—the court is held monthly. The parish church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, is a handsome edifice, with a lofty tower and fine chancel: nearly three hundred additional sittings were obtained by building two new galleries in 1840, which are free from a grant from the Society for building churches; the living is a rectory, in the gift of Lord Darlington: the present rector is the Rev. J. W. D. Merist. There are places of worship for Baptists, Independents, Methodists, and Irvingites. The free school, here, was founded and liberally endowed, in 1653, by Sir Thomas Adams, a native of this town; it has two exhibitions to the universities, founded by Mr. Careswell. The British school, in Dark-lane, was established in 1839, partly by a government grant and partly by subscriptions; it is for children of both sexes. The national school is situated in Noble-street, and was erected at an expense of nearly £1,000. Situate a mile S.W. from Wem, is a mineral spring. The market is held on Thursday; and the fairs on the first Thursday in March, May 6th, Holy Thursday, first Thursday in June, June 29th, first Thursday in August, the last Thursday in September, and November 21st. The parish of Wem, which comprises ten townships and two chapelries, contained in 1841, 4,119 inhabitants, and in 1851, 3,747. PREES is a parish, in the Whitchurch division of the hundred of Bradford—the village is between four and five miles N.N.E. from Wem. There are several maltings here, and a traffic in lime, coal and slate, is carried on by means of the Quinabrook canal, which passes through the parish—taken altogether, however, the trade of the place is but inconsiderable. The parish church of Saint Mary, is an ancient cruciform structure, with a tower of much later date; in the church are some specimens of tesselated pavement, and several monuments to the ancestors of General Lord Hill, who was born herein 1772: the living is a vicarage, in the peculiar jurisdiction of the prebendary of Prees, in Lichfield Cathedral; the present incumbent is the Rev. Archdeacon Allen. Prees had formerly a market, which has long been discontinued; but two fairs are still maintained—on the second Mondays in April and October. The parish of Prees contained, in 1831, 3,335 inhabitants, in 1841, 3,270, and in 1851, 3,196; of which last number, 630 belonged to the village. EDSTASTON is a chapelry, in the parish of Wem, about 2 miles N. from that town, seated on the road to Whitchurch. A branch of the Ellesmere canal passes through the village, and terminates at Quinabrook. It contains a chapel of ease, a very ancient structure, and about 400 inhabitants. LOPPINGTON is a parish and village pleasantly situated about 3 miles S.W. from Wem. The church of Saint Michael is a plain ancient structure. The population of the parish in 1851, was 599.