The Sun.
London, England, 1854-11-03 00:00:00

BLUNDERS : -WATKINS'S DIRECTORY
FOR 1855. In sight pages Imperial Octavo, a Review of
the March edition of Watkins's London I)irectory for 1854, exposing
a large number of blunders, by far the greater part of which ap-
pear din the first edition f Watkins's Directory published in De-
cember, 1851, and which have since been reprinted with every sub-
sequent edition o the book. Watkins's Directory for 1835 has been
already publi hed, and all the identical blunders exposed in the Re-
view have been again reprinted int s it.
Persons who have purchased the work should without delay obtain
the Review, which may be had here gratis, or will be forwarded on
receipt of one postage stamp.
*** Since the first publication of this announcement, an adver-
tisement, dated from Watkins's Direct ,ry Office, has been put forth,
in which "The public is respectfully CAUTIONED against FALSE
STATEMENTS circulated by KELL!. & Co.;" but as must have been
observed, no attempt is made to disprove in any one case toe
instances quoted in the above-mentioned Review of Blunders, by
far the greater part of which appeared in the first edition of
" Watkins's Directory,' published in December, 1851, and which
have been reprinted with every subsequent edition of the book.
The third paragraph f the advert,sement is as folio Ns :—" The
extravagance of the charge made for the Post Office Directory is
proved by the recent extension of that work without any addition to
the price at which it was sold before the present competition, and
when, as may be f4irly supposed, the sale must have been consider-
ably larger than it is'at pre.ent."
Without having recourse to the term " FALSE," we may reply that
it may " fairly i.e supposed" that the proprietor of " Watkins's
Directory," has read the Preface to the "Post Office Directory for
1853," in whichit is mentioned that " several hundred more orders
have been received for copies of this edition than were ever received
tor tine former one," mind in the Preface to the work for the present
year it is stated that the Orders had again increased at the great
proportion of thirteen per Cent. We may add that taking the sale
of the " Post ,flice Directory" for the three years immediately
anterior to the publication of Watkins's Directory, i. e. the years
1819, 1850, and 1851. the average numbers were 8,300, while the
average of the years 1853 and 1854 is 10,400, every copy having
been sold.
After raising the question as to amount of sale, it is incumbent on
the projector of Watkins's Directory to settle it. H • can now do
this b, furnishing an account of-
1. The number of copies of Watkins's Directory for 1812 printed,
and the number sold.

2. The same far 1853.
3. The same for 1854
4. The same 'or the March Edition, 1851.
5. The number of compete copies of the edition for 1855 printed:
and at what number it has already been deemed prudent to stop the
binding ,T the book.
But it will be found that this information will not be given.
To the charge of RECENT EXTENSION WITHOUT ADDITION TO THE
PRICE OF THE POST OFFICE DIRECTORY we plea t guilty, and admit
that the " Street" division in the edition for 1855 c attains nearly
THIRTY EIGHT THOUSAND names which are entirely omitted from
the ,orresponcling division of Watkins's ; as well as from all Its
classifications—' Abhabetical," Trades," Legao,' and ' Court ;' but,
as we have shown, the recent extension of the Post Office Direc-
tory is only proportioned to its greatly extended sale.
As to " monopoly," the corre 1 statement of the case is, that the
Poed. Office Directory enjoys the monopoly of the good opinion of the
mercantile community, earned by very many years of unremitted
exertion ; it is, of course, prep isterous to allege that it enjoys any
other kind of "monopoly."
- •

We are willing to let this he tested in the fairest possible manner ;
the agents for Watkins's Directory have induced many persons
to " Subscribe' for their hook for 1855 ; let these persons be released
from pr miser obtained from them in ignorance that the new
hook would contain very many of the identical blunders cf former
editions, and let them be supplied with copies of the " Post-. ffice
Directory for 1855," and copies of Watkins's, and ALLOWED A MONTH
TO DECIDE WHICH THEY WILL RETAIN if the prcprietor of " atkins's
Directory" is sincere in his expressed wish as to the public " fairly
comparing the hooks and their respective prices," se cannot ohject
to such a comparison. The public would then find that " Kell) 's Post-
Office Directory, 305.," contains, in ALL the proper classillcations, the
names of all persons resident in the Suburbs, all of which are OMITTED
front Watkins's at 16s. 6d. There is, of course, no more difficulty in
publishing a cheap (i.e., low-priced) Directory omitting thousands of
names, than there would be in publishing a cheap Dictionary, omit-
ting thousands of words.

Kelly and Co., 19, 20, and 21, Old Boswell-court, Temple-bar, London.