The Sun.
London, England, 1852-12-15 00:00:00

LAURENT'S GRAND CASINO.

ARGYLL ROOMS, Great Windmill-street,
R. James's,
Lessee, Charles Emile Laurent. Onslow House, Brompton-road,
Licensed pursuant to Act of Parliament, of 25th George 11.
Open every evening with Laurent's Celebrated Band. Principal
()met-A-Piston, M. Boulcour.

Admission—ONE MILLING.

Doors open at Half-past Eight o'clock. Dancing to commence at
Nine, and terminate at Half-past Eleven precisely.

130 ST-OFFICE DIRECTORY.
.L FALSE HOODS.—A handbill, produced avowedly to injure the
' Post-office London Directory,' signed F. W. Watkins,' and re-
plete with misrepresentation, is now in course of distribution in Lon-
don. This handbill charges nineteen omissions and fourteen other
errors—in all thirty-three actual mistakes in a work containing up-
wards of ONE HUNDRED AND FOURTEEN THOUSAND distinct
names or firms. In the handbill 'F. W. Watkins' charges tke Post-
office London Directory for 1853,' with having improperly omitted,
in Cannon-street. City, the names of various persons or firms, which,
in truth (although inserted as at Cannon-street in Watkin's Directory
for 1853), are not to be found in Cannon-street at all. And by the
somewhat extraordinary process of multiplying the one thousand
five hundred and eighty-four columns of print in the Post office
Street Directory,' by these blunders in Watkins's Directory, he
arrives at the conclusion, and actually represents that there are thirty
thousand errors of omission' in the Post Office London Directory
for 1853.' The following are extracts from F. W. Watkins's hand-
-1 bill:—
1 "Names omitted in Cannon-street, City, in the Post Office Lon-
don Directory fur 1853. See page 174."
` 19. British Colonial Sugar Company.'
Of this 'omission' the following Certificate will sufficiently dis-
pose :—" In a handbill n.w in course of circulation, and having the
signature • F. IV. Watkins,' it is alleged that the offices of the
British Colonial Sugar Company' are at 19, Cannon-street, City.
Such is not the fact. These offices remain, as stated in the • Post
Office London Directory for 1b53,' at 10A, King's Arms-yard, Moor-
gate-street. The entry at page 70, of Watkins's Directory for 1853
—' British Colonial Sugar Company, R. Smith, sec., 19, Cannon-
street,' is therefore erroneous.
"(Signed) GEORGE F. SKIM for R. Sanest.
" 10s, King's Arms-yard, 9th Dec., 1852."

Another firm, charged as omitted' in the' Post Office Directory,'
is thus stated in the handbill:-
64. Perkins and Sharpus, tin and japan manufacturers.'
How F. W. Watkins could blunder as to the locality of this emi-
nent firm is not easy to conjecture. But the following Certificate
will prove the accuracy of the Pest Office Directory':—" We have
seen a handbill signed' F. W. Watkins,' in which an attack is made
on the Post Office London Directory for 1853' for not having given
the address of our firm at 64 Cannon-street, City. It is not true that
our establishment is, or is intended to be, at 64 Cannon-street: it
remains, as stated in 'Post Office Directory for 1853,' at 6, Bell-
court.
" The insertion of our firm in Watkins's Directory for 1853, at 64,
Cannon-street is, therefore, a blunder.
" (Signed) PERKINS 8G SIIADPUS.
" 6, Bell court, 9th Dec. 1852."

Another well-known firm, charged to be omitted in the ` Post
Office Directory,' is thus stated in the handbill :
`23. Stony, Sterry & Co., wholesale oilmen and drysalters.'
Thus disposed of by the following Certificate :—" When the col-
lector for the Post Office Directory cacti here, we directed that we
should be described for the year 1853 at this address, where we still
carry on our business. STEHEY, STERRT & CO.
" 143, Boro' High-street, 18 Dec. 1852."

Another name, charged by ' F. W. Watkins' as improperly omitted,
at 64, Cannon-street, in the ' Post Office Directory for 1853, is thus
stated in his handbill :
' 64, Shindler, Robert, solicitor.'
This false charge is disposed of by the following Certificate :
" There is no person of the name of Robert Shindler in practice as a
solicitor, or holding offices at all in this house.
" 64, Cannon-street, City, 9 Dec., 1852. (Signed) B. PEarms."

In the belief that we have, for the present, sufficiently disposed of
F. W. Watkins's' calculation as to the 30,000 omissions, we pass
to some others of his statements included in the THIBTY-TIIREE
names. It is within the knowledge of every one possessing any
experience in commercial affairs, that many firms or trades, after
the decease of the original proprietors, continue to be carried on in
the same names—as Coutts & C 0.," Child & Co.,' &c., &c., &c.
" Aston I, box and ivory rule maker, 25, Old Compton Street, deed
eight years ; still this name appears in the Fost Office London
Directory for 1853: "
Certificate thereupon :—" In a circular recently issued by F. W.
Watkins,' it is stated that the name of ' I. Ashton, 25, Old Compton-
street,' is an error. I hereby state that it was inserted by my
authority, the business being, like many others (such as Plekford
Co.), carried on in the original name.
" (Signed)
" 25, Old Compton-street, 6 December, 1852."

GEOII,GB MINUS.

Another statement in the handbill is the following :
" Conne Nicholas, glass engraver, 33, Princes-street. Leicester-
square, dead two years ; still this appears In the Post Office London
Directory for 1853! "
Certificate—" Having observed that it is stated in a circular re-
cently issued by the proprietor of Watkins's Commercial Directory,'
that the name of N. Conno is inserted in error in the Post Mee
London Directory,' I beg to state that it was inserted at my particu-
lar request, the business being still carried on under that name by
myself and the executrix,

.... .
" (Simed)
33, Princes-street, 6th December, 1852."

W. S. GOODWIN

The following is another of the statements In the handbill :
" Leo. Chas. E. academy, 18, Goodgo-street, dead twelve months ;
still this name appears in the ' Post Offlee London Directory for
1853.".
Certificate—" It was at my request that my husband's name was
kept in the • London Post Office Directory for 1653.'
" (Signed) LAURA E. Lao.
"18, Goodte-street, 9th December, 1852."

It will doubtless he generally considerg ii-eigracrChtievat
sufficiently with the mendacious handbill ; sliouh4 F. W. Watkins
further circulate it in the teeth of the foregoing certificates.
we shall make a far more thorough exposure of its sophistries and
falsehoods.

KELLY and CO.
19 and 20, Old Boswell-court, Temple-bar.

14th Dccembers 1862.