The Sun.
London, England, 1851-11-21 00:00:00

MORNING ADVERTISER,
.00TOBER 22, 1851

The fifty-third annual impression of this wonderful and ever-
increasing book is before us. -On the present occasion it is marked
by a more early appearance than usual—a proof of increased dili-
gence in compiling the immensel lists of names,' trades, and profes-
sions, as well as a further enhancement of its value and accuracy.
For it must be evident, upon reflection, that the nearer in point of
time to the completion of information so varied, evanescent, and
perpetually changing, the issue of the work containing it shall be,
so will its faithfulness be increased. Death, bankruptcy, retirement,
sales, emigration, mere removal, prevent the permanency of such
information, in the recency Cf which lies its whole value. Now,
living ourselves in this current of change, and of necessity observant
of many mutations, we have applied to the " Put Office Directory"
the severest of tests, by a reference to a few of the most recent fluc-
tuations in the world of London and of commerce. This it has stood
triumphantly. In this vast mass of matter (over 2,000 pages), In all
parts of the ponderous volume, is the same actuality of present truth-
fulness. Official appointments and promotions, changes of firms,
removals, alterations of postal times, of mail routes and arrivals, of
steam-packets, the evictions and changes consequent upon street-
widenings, &c., &c., are all noted, so as, in poetic phrase, to
" Fix the flying Cynthia of the minute ;"
or, rather, to render, so far as modern Babylon is concerned, " the
very age and body of the time, its forni and pressure." Among the
notabilia of the world's metropolis, this record of its actual state is
one of the most useful stud wondrous.

DAILY 7EWS, OCTOBEII 14, 1851.
The " Post Office Directory" for 1852 has been published, un-
usually early this year. The portly volume is now before us. The
proprietors thus explain their reasons for this earlier issue of their
volume :—" The Exhibition having occasioned a demand greater
than usual, the edit'on for the current year became exhausted; to
prevent the Inconvenience of the work being out of print, every
exertion has been made to produce the new edition at the earliest
period compatible with accuracy." That this has not been sacrificed
to speed, a scrutiny will amply show ; and in proof that the cor-
rections have been made to the latest possible period, they instance
the acceleration of papers by the day mail, under the head of
"delivery of letters in London," at page 1761. The first day on
which the mails arrived so as to admit of the complete carrying out
of the arrangement was on Saturday last, the 11th instant. The
insertion, too, in the " Parliamentary Directory" of the Christian
names of the present Lord Stafford, whose father's death was an-
nounced on the 6th instant, is another instance, among several which
might be adduced to show how closely the corrections have ,been
made up to the moment of issue.

GLOBE, OCTOBER 18,t. 1851.
. _

Among the many interests affeete4 by the Great Exhibition is that
of the " London Directiny ;" the demand for the edition of 1851
being so great, In consequence of the crowds congregating to the
metropolis, that it was deemed advisable to have an early ' public a-
ti on of that for 1852. The comparatively early appearance of the
work will, however be found to have derogated little, IC at all, from
its accuracy and excellence, as every change that has taken place
up to the last few days is carefully recorded in its pages. As in-
stances, we may state that the llon. Arthur Dtmcombe is given as
the Member for the East Riding of Yorkshire, for which county .be
was elected as late as the ith. instant ; and that the present Lords
Stafford and Bolingbroke are named as the possessors of their re-
spective titles, although they succeeded to them only within the cur-
rent month. "In every respect the edition for 1852
quite equal to
its predecessors. Indeed, when one considers the immense amount
of information in the work—the perfect accuracy oich charac-
terises it—and the excellent classification adopted, by
which any
piece of information required can be pounced on in a element, the
" London Directory" seems little short of a marvellous work, and
on,, which could only have been pet together by the most indefati-
gable perseverance and scrupulous care. It would hate been indeed
worthy of a place in that noble collection of the mouillneete of the
industry and intelligence of the world, which wo havO but a day or
two since looked on for the last time.

now before us. The projector of such an opus maga
STANDARD, OCTOBER 21, 1851.
The fifty-third annual publication of this extraordidary volume is
been a bold man, but no one can observe its siogufar completeness
without coming to the conclusion that it has been tile work of many
years to bring to perfection such a guide-cook to tll3 um must have
firston Messrs. Kelly's book is quite inconceivable, ana st city in the
world. The labour and diligence which must have been bestowed
the proprietors
must be gratified that their efforts have been °predated by the
public. Every merchant's house, every place of boiness in London,
or even in the conntry, has its " Post Office Ldidon Directory."
The enormous circulation thus attained has enabl4d the proprietors
to offer it for sale at a price that no book less anifersally purchased
could be sold for. Upwards of two thousand closely-printed pages,
comprising the most extensive and miscellaneous information in one
skill and diligence of which' the roprietors mat
volume, and sold at the price at which it is offered, is a triumph of
They who look further, may see,p in the success of the " London
well feel proud.
Post Office Directory," the foreshadowing of results yet more lin-
portant to the community even than the accurate knowledge of the
persons, occupations, and things, so skilfully set I,efore us in this vo-
lume, of the busy metropolis. It is unnecessary to recommend the
" Directory ;" such a book is always itself it/ own best recom-
mendation.

SIIIPPING AND MERCANTILE GAZETTE;
.
OCTOBER 18, 1851.
its predecessors, is a signal monument of method, The annual volume of this stupendous wort appears with pre-
scriptive punctuality. The plan originally laid down is carried out
with increased completeness in the publication for 1852, which, like
enterprise, and per-
severance. It is not possible that any work devoted to London and
its statistics can furnish so clear and definite a record of the per-
sonal and commercial contents of the 'metropolis as this mammoth
book, the swelling bulk of which denotes that it keeps pace with the
increase of population and the several developments of industry.
No one can turn over its pages without being struck with the im-
mensity of labour which its compilation must have entailed upon
those engaged he it. Every lice is the record of a specific fact—a
fact in every case liable to change, and, consequently,
involving
periodical justification throughout. The machinery devised by the
as it is possible to make it; and the correctiors are brought down to
Messrs. Kelly for securing this annual revision is now as perfect
the latest date. The separate Directories embrace the usual fields
of information. Trades. and tradesmen, professionals and officials,
streets and conveyances, banking-houses and post offices, are here
regulated to their particular heads, and, besides the mere catalogue
of names, enriched with every sort of collateral information which
the exigencies of business or curiosity may require. Our former
commendations may be repeated now. The accuracy aimed at by
the edifors half a century ago has been severely tested since the
book has been in existence; and it not only repels accusation on
this score, but challenges fresh panegyric as every succeeding
volume emerges from the press. The counting-house of the merchant
and the trader could now as in spare the almauack as the "Post
Office Directory,"

WEEKLY DISPATCH, OCTOBER 19, 1851.
It is difficult to remark upon a work that, presenting the Same
phases, has so often laid claim to public notice and patronage. The
an amount of useful in-
formation annual volume is now before us; and, as heretofore, it
formation which might be sought for in vain at any other source.
It is, in fact, as the preface states, a " hand-book to the commerce
of the first commercial cit in information, world." As usual, the volume
embodies (certainly in a very bulky form)
among other an " Official Directory," a
contains,
" Street Directory," a " Trades' Directory," a " Law Directory," a
"Court Directory," a "Parliamentary Directory," a " Postal Di-
rectory," a
~ City Directory," a" Conveyance Directory," a "Bank-
ing Directory," and a finely-executed Map of London and its en-
virons. The work, alike indispensable to the commercial man and
to individuals unconnected with trade, reflects greamt credit upon the
proprietor for his industry and untiring perseverance, and is an ho-
nour to' the country in which it appears. The whole is printed in a
clear, distinct type, and On excellent paper, and the "getting up"
altogether is unexceptionable. While such care and zeal continue
to be exerted, to render the book in its several departments com-
plete; and make it really and truly a hand-book of commerce, it
need not fear any rival.
-

EXAMINER, OCTOBER 18, 1851.
Mr. Kelly's giant Directory takes the field a month earlier than
usual this year. This is accounted for by the fact of the great de-
mand for last year's impression consequent on the crowds at the
Great Exhibition; and certainly oar visitors cou'd not do better
than resort to Mr. Kelly's compilation for a proper impression of the
magnitude and wonders of the city they were visiting. We possess
no other record of them to compare with it. Two thousand closely-
printed pages of streets, trades, professions, and persons, express
better than the most eloquent phrases what a mighty mass of human
beings are now congregated in the spot called London, and what in-
finitely vast varieties of human existence and interests have come
to be comprised within that name. Often we have bad oceasion to
say, and may now repeat, that this book of Mr. Kelly's is not one,
but a dozen Directories. Its clear and succinct arrangement adapts
it to the use of every class that may be supposed likely so have need
of such information. There is a Street Key," of nearly 500 pages,
containing the names of more than a hundred thousand people.
'I here is an Alphabetical Directory, containing in the same
number of pages nearly the same number of names.
There is a classification of more than two thousand trades.
There is a Court Guide to some 25,000 of what are called the
gentler classes. There is a Law Guide ; a Parliamentary
Guide; a Quide to all the Public Offices; a Directory of Post-
Towns and Postages all over the world; a list of all the chief hotels
and inn throughout the country ; and, under separate Directories,
whatever aperson can be supposed to have any 'seed to know re-
specting city buildings, companies, churches, chapels, publications,
and agencies, or about assurance companies, banking houses, and
conveyances of all kinds from, to, or in the metropolis. A mass of
various matter so unexampled in bulk and extent depends obviously
upon arrangement, and facility and completeness of reference, for
its practical worth and vales in a readily available sense, _ The
book before us seems quite a model of smell, arrangement. It con-
tains nothing that may not at one's be found—not a street, trade,
profession, or person, which the easiest search does not bring into
view, and, as tar as we have been able to judge, with unerring ac-
curacy. Though it is hardly the middle of October when we have
it now before us complete, we yet fled proofs of a scrupulous cor-
rectness of reyigion that mast MVO dated so recently as the close of