The Sun.
London, England, 1846-11-19 00:00:00

The very bodkins now are made in fine new-fangled
ways,
And the good old 13riti,11 thimble—is a dream of other

Nowthat comes of machinery 1-I'm given to under-
stand,
That great folks turn their noses up, at all things
done by hand,'
Altho' its easy proving to the most thick-pated dunce,
That things ar'n't done the better—for all being done
at once.

I'm sure I often ponder, with a kind of awful dread
On those bold spinning jennies,' that go off, of their
own hr ad
Thoe powcr-looms and odd machines—those whizzing
things with wheels,
That ever-more keep moving !'—besides, one really
feels
So superannuated-like, and laid upon the shelf—
When one sees a worsted stocking, get up, and knit
itself
Ah that comes of those Radicals !—why life's a per-
fect storm,—
A whirlwind of inventions ! with their ' Progress' and
Reform !'
The good old days—the quiet times, that calmly used
to glide,
Are changed into a steeple chase,—a wild 'cross-
country ride !
A loud view-holloa„in our ears—away ! away I we go ;
A-levelling all distinctions, and a-mingling high and

low ;
All spurring on, with seats so tight, and principles so
loose,
Whisk over this old prejudice 1 slap-bang ! thro'
that abuse !
No matter why,—no matter where ! without a stop
or hitch,
And nobody has time to help his neighbour in the
ditch !
And then, what turns and changes ! Good lack ! I'd
rather be
A joint-stool in a Pantomime,—than some great folks
I see !
Because in Pantomimes, a stool may turn to anything.
You're not surprised, if chairs step out to dance a
Highland fling !
" A coffee-pot perhaps becomes a mitre by-and by,—
And everything is something else—and nobody asks
why ?
But there's a rage for questioning, and meddling now
a-days ;
And what one does, don't matter half so much as what
one says ;
And a minister can't change his mind, without such
stir and fuss,
That one would think the ' public voice' was some
huge omnibus
Which takes you to a certain point, whereat you must
remain,
Until the same old Buss may choose—to take you
back again
For (odd enough), in all this change, they keep some
order still,
And when they turn,—turn all at once, like soldiers at
a drill ;
But wont allow a public man, a private pirouette,
When once his part of Harlequin, or Pantaloon, is set.
Al.d that's what makes their Pantomime so dull, and
such a bore,
That !heir joint-stool must still remain—a joint-stool
ever more.

Now that comes of Newspapers! I know in my young
days,
Least said, and soonest mended,' was a maxim worthy
praise;
But were I to give counsel to the Public—as a friend,
' Little said--and nothing written,' is the rule I'd re-
commend.
Such snapping-up--and setting down ! Reporters left
and right!
All bent on pinning down a man to lie, in black and
white!
Such raking up of Hansard ! such flinging in one's
face,
Any little lapsus linguae' that may once have taken
place!
Sush a-fending and a-proving—and a-calling over
coals;
As if it really mattered to our poor immortal souls,
That thingumbob should think or say, on question so
and so,
That foolish things he thought and said—some forty
years ago!
There's one thing in those papers, tho', I'm very glad
to see,
That many more old women think very much like me:
I'm even told that certain Dukes will echo back my

groan,
And sigh for those dear golden days, when we ' left—
well, alone!"

THE JUVENILE SCRAP BOOK for 1847.—
Edited by Mrs. Ellis.
The editress of the Juvenile Scrap Book, "believing
that her young friends will never find themselves
more happy than when thinking on subjects worthy
of thought," has presented them not only with a
volume, the numerous illustrations and outward
adornments of which render it a desirable gift, but also
with one of which, the internal attractions, combining
interest with information, are calculated to afford
both a profitable and agreeable employment of time.
The illustrations are of a varied character. Among
the most interesting are a portrait of Pope Gregory
XVI.; some children's miniatures, by Sir W. C. Ross ;
a Peasant Maid by a Mountain Stream ; the Interior
of Rutland Cavern, Derbyshire, the rugged and for-
bidding appearance of which, as made visible by many
lamps, is very forcibly portrayed; an Egyptian
Feast, where a human skeleton, more terrible than
Banquo's ghost, is seated among the revellers; some
fanciful scenes by Allom, one of which, entitled
" Evening Hours," represents a domestic group con-
templating the moonlight on the waters, and is of
exceeding beauty, both in execution and design. Mrs.
Ellis has taken the beautiful frontispiece as a theme
for a little poem, " The Mountain Stream," an
imaginary dialogue between the peasant maid
and the streamlet which inculcates the useful lesson
of content. " Thoughts for Evening Hours," con-
tains some interesting information, chiefly concerning
the ancient Egyptians, mingled with serious reflec-
tions of a by no means gloomy character. " Self-
importance ; or, a Fable of the Rooks," and " Parties
of Pleasure," although also tended to convey instruc-
tion, serve, together with " Aunt Emily's Visit," and
other poems, to establish the juvenile title of this
volume. By far the most interesting article is that
which accompanies the portrait of the Pope, in which
Mrs. Ellis gives a very graphic description of St.
Peter's Church, and a papal ceremony she herself
witnessed there, together with some account of the
Etruscan or Gregorian rooms. As will be seen from
this brief analysis of its contents, the "Juvenile Scrap-
Book" for 1847, contains much that is worthy of perusal.
To those young readers only anxious for a "story-book"
we cannot certainly recommend it, but to those who
find pleasure in the acquisition of knowledge it will
prove a most welcome present. The last pages con-
tain a beautiful little poem " Woman's lot," in reply
to those exquisite, but mournful, verses of Mrs.
Hemans. "her lot is on you !—silent tears to weep."
Mrs. Ellis in enumerating a woman's various duties,
satisfactorily disproves the assertion that her lot is
hard—commencing as follows :
" Oh I say not woman's lot is hard,
Ilex path, a path of sorrow ;
To day, perchance, some joy debarred
May yield more joy to-morrow.
It is not hard—it cannot be
To speak in tones of gladness,
To hush the sigh of misery,
And sooth the brow of sadness.
It is not hard, sweet flowers to spread,
To strew the path with roses,
To smooth the couch, and rest the head,
Where some loved friend reposes.

THE POST-OFFICE LONDON

DIRECTORY FOR 1847.

The present Is the forty-eighth annual edition of the
" Post-office London Directory," and a truly marvel-

lows effort of compilation it is. The " Post-office
Directory" has been for some years under the ma-
nagement of Mr. Kelly. Until he became the ma-
nager of this work, there were divers other Directo-
ries in the field. They have, however, all disappeared,
and the " Post-office DireCtory" now rules alone.
This astonishing success, however, has not had the
effect of making the proprietor of this gigantic work
careless. He is too thorough a man of business not
to be perfectly aware that the fruits of his success can
only be reaped by a continuance of the same untiring
energy by which the success was in the first instance
achieved, and accordingly we find that the " Post-office
Directory" for 1841, is even more highly finished in
all its elaborate arrangements than any former edition
of the book. The extent and minuteness of the details
furnished render the work indispensable to every com-
mercial and mercantile establishment. So admirably,
however, is this multifarious information digested. and
arranged, that there:is not the slightest difficulty,
experienced in referring to the particular page re-
quired to furnish the information—a marvellous
instance of clearness of arrangement in a work con-
sisting of upwards of two thousand closely but
clearly-printed octavo pages. Its contents are ar-
ranged under various heads, as, for instance, the
Official Directory, the Street Directory, the Com-
mercial Directory, the Trades Directory, the Law
Directory, the Court Directory, the Parliamentary
Directory, the Postal Directory, the City Directory,
) the Conveyance Directory, the Banking Directory, and
some others. Many important alterations have been in-
troduced into the Postal Directory. The new postal
treaty with Prussia, which comes into operation on
the Ist January next, will effect very considerable
changes in the rates of postage to places in the Aus-
; trian dominions, Baden, Bavaria, Bremen, Denmark,
the German States, Hamburgh, Hanover, Lubeck,
Mecklenburgh, Oldenburgh, Poland, Prussia, Russia,