The Sun.
London, England, 1854-11-20 00:00:00

POST-OFFICE LONDON. DIRECTORY

FOR 1855.

Kelly and Co., Old Boswell-court. •

If the value of a book were to be estimated by
its size alone, the Post-Office Directory would carry
off the prize from all competitors. Often as we
have had the pleasure of recording our good
opinion of this wonderful work the present pub-
lication fairly outstrips all its ponderous prede-
cessors. It is positively a labour to look at it, much
less to turn over its ever-teeming pages. Poor
Job, with all his troubles, had no idea of the addi-
tional misery he was invoking when he exclaimed,-
" Oh, that mine enemy had written a book ;" for,
had Mr. Kelly been his foe, and have hurled his
mountain publication at Job's head, there would
be an end of all his troubles, unless, indeed, it up-
set poor Mrs..lJob in its descent ! Really, it appears
almost useless to criticise a work of this dimension,
for its internal merits very far surpass its blushing
proportions, arrayed in all its armorial embellish-
ments and rainbow-tinted pages. It is, indeed,
a prodigy of labour, care, and arduous circumspec-
tion of the huge metropolis of the world.
If we descend to particulars, we might say that
the present volume is considerably increased, owing
as well to the constant increase of the population
in the area previously comprised as to the fact
that, as the suburbs are gradually becoming more
and more the places of residence of those engaged
in the business of the metropolis, it is found neces-
sary to continually enlarge the area chronicled in
the Directory.

An improvement will be noticed in the adoption
of Messrs. Schlesinger's Index to the Map. They
also continue the use of the coloured edges, with
the names of the different divisions printed, which
enable every one to see not only the beginning but
also the termination of each division of the work,
and has, therefore, great advantages over -various
other planS for which patents have been taken out,
which merely determine the commencement of each
part, and some of which require notches to be cut,
rendering the leaves liable to be torn when turned
over rapidly.

The Official index, pp. 3 to 33, has been much
enlarged by adding to each not only the office but
also the department; thus, to Bokenham Wm.
will be found appended the description General
Post-office, Circulation Department (formerly In-
land Office). All the information has been cor-
rected to the latest moment. We would instance
the Royal Commission to the Patriotic Kind, which
was first gazetted Oct. 13th, and will be found at
p. 66 (corrected by the omission of the name of Sir
Byam Martin, whose death was announced in The
Sun of the 23d), and with the addition of all the
officers. The alterations caused by the death of
Lord Dunalley, an Irish representative peer, will
be found in pp. 2267, 2232, 2258, and 2260. Lord
Dungarvan appears in his proper place in the Par-
liamentary Directory, as M.P. for Frome, pp.
2242 and 2252, although only elected on the 23d,,
and the death of Mr. Henry Stuart, the late M.P.
for Bedford (Sun, 28th Oct.) will be found in the
names too late for insertion; p. 11.
We mention these as being names of note, but
equal care has been taken with the entire work, as
may be verified by referring to the name of any
rerson who has removed or commenced business
within the last three months.
But this is not all; the publishers' may lay claim
to merit on the score of punctuality as well as
accuracy. Their arrangements contemplate that
the printing shall always be completed, so that the
early bound copies of the work may be delivered to
the press on the Ist of November, and that the
many thousands required by the mercantile com-
munity may be furnished in the succeeding week,
and for several years they have not varied twenty-
four hours in the completion of their task.
In addition to all this a new map has been pre-
pared, on a principle entirely novel, with an index
numbered all round, and a correspondingillustration
or guide, by means of a tape, numbered also, so
that by drawing the tape over the map any place
may be found at once, thus saving the bewilder-
ment experienced in hunting out a street, square,
or any particular locality, which has been often.
given up in despair. If London goes on enlarging,
and the Directory keep pace with it, there will be
no living in the one nor bearing with-the other.
Would that the nation were prospering in an equal
degree, and Messrs. Kelly all the richer for their
praiseworthy labours.