The Sun.
London, England, 1850-01-11 00:00:00

EXAMINER, DECEMBER 1, 1849.

This most useful and admirable book has entered on its second
half-century. This is its fifty-first publication. But age adds to its
strength and resources, :nd it was never so elabdrate or so accurate
as now. It comprises, as wthave often said, many Directories, and
contains ample information for inquirers of every class. There is no
. . . .

information wanting in it which such a book ought to give, or which
dwellers in this great city are likely to require. Its " Official Di-
rectory" gives the name of every pubic employ 6, and all needful
detail as to the public offices. Its "Street Directory" comprises
every ele.ss and kind of London resident—an attempt never before
made in such a compilation. Under its "Commercial and Trades'
Directories" are arranged, in all classes, all who pursue the two
thoussnd various business-occupations with which London is so
grievously overstocked. The "Court and Law Directories," and
those of "Banking and Assurance," have the like merit in their
several departments. In the " Postal Directory" we have the some-
what complex machinery of St. Martin's-le-Grand, and the countless
offices and duties therewith connected, made clear and easy of com-
prehension. Nor is the "Conveyance Directory" less useful. It is
obvious that without a strict arrangement and classification such
ample and various information as this would be cumbrous and un-
serviceable. But in its order, divisions, and condensation, we have
perhaps the most characteristic features of this extraordinary com-
pilation. The " Street Direct, ry" is worth consulting with a view
to this. It not only tells you the number of the house you want,
bat it indicates its position and whereabouts. Let us add that Mr.
Kelly's information is brought down to the very latest date, corn-
ising even the present Lords Albemarle and Alvauley, and the
last election for Cork.

BRITANNIA, DECEMBER 1, 1849,

Of all the wonders of industry and skill produced by England. in

the course of the year it would be difficult to single out any one, so
remarkable as this. We should pronounce the effort impossible,
were not its successful acomplishment before us. Let any one c on-
eider the extent of our metropolis from east to west and from tat firth
to south—let him traverse some of its more crowded districts, I;nd,
passing from broad open lines of thoroughfare, dive down into
winding lanes and cross courts, imperfectly known to even the s cost
diligent seeker of " short cuts"—let him then stretch out into the
suburbs, and mark the innumerabie lines of roads branching out: in
all direction—let him glance as he goes at the various trades :And
occupations which everywhere meet his eye—and then ask himself
what must be the amount of labour required to collect into one b ook
and range alphabetically the name, the abode, and the occupation, of
every holder of every house in this mighty city. And not only so,
hut to give, as it were, a chart of every square, street, and alley,
indicating every turning, and describing the character of every
house, and the name and calling of its inhabitant. Further yet,
to collect together every member of every craft in this hug e
hive of indt eery, and to exhibit then, scattered as they are and
unknown to each other, in a compact form together, so that
any one tradesman, be he a butcher, baker, or candlestick-
maker, may be picked out, without all instant's loss of time,
from the crowd of his fellows. The production of such st work,
so perfect in all its parts, and so minutely accurate, is a
striking proof of our social progress, and, by showing how far the
science of human classification may may be carried when men arc
most thickly packed together, seems to indicate a more advanced
stage of social fellowship than we have yet reached. The most ad-
mirable feature in this marvellous work is, that its size only souls to
its clearness and precision, Exhibiting so readily the humblest
name, while embracing the metropol s, it puts tune In of the
trunk of of elephant, which can pick up a needle or root up a tree.
One of its peculiarities is, that the whole book seems to have been
compiled only the day bofo e it is issued, so lately is every change
recorded. Even the typographical execution is a wonder of accu-
racy ; and the appearance of the whole work, throughout its two
thousand pages and upwards, is ;fair and uniform, iellecting great
credit on the press of the Messrs. Kelly. Success so complete as to
drive every competitor from the field has in no way relaxed the, ex-
ertions of the Proprietors to consult the public convenience. The
volume expands with the metropolis itself, and notes every ch sage
with the fidelity of truth itself. Every person who has had occ Wen
to consult it must bear testimony to its judicious arrangement and
its inestimable usefulness for all the varied aims of London busi-
ness ; and to the great saving of time it effects for all purposes t sf re-
ference. In-a word, it is the largest collection of facts in the as nrld,
and the most complete exposition of the life and industry of the me-
tropolis that could possibly be desired.

JOHN BULL, NOVEMBER 24, 1849.

As often as this gigantic volume meets Hie eye in its ann nally
renewed form, the question rises in the mind, how it is possible to
trace, in the ever-shifting stream of London life, each unit of the
countless multitude, and to identify on each individual, spot the
beings that house and nestle there. And another question fats ws
naturally hi the train of the former —how is it possible that such an
undertaking can repay the enormous outlay which of necessiti it
must occasion, at a price, for the size of the volume, so exceedba g]y
moderate. On the latter point, however, the annual re-appearas ice
of the vo:ume, In an ever improved and enlarged form, is a suffich oit
answer. Patriotic as his laborious undertaking proves Mr. Kelly to
be, we apprehend he is too wi,e a man to push his patriotism to -the
extreme of making the public a present of 'the volume ; and on ...the
other hand the public is hardly to be supposed so insensible to . its
own interest and inconvenience, as not to give the abundant erica 1-
ragement it deserves to a work so eminently useful. As for tl ie
accuracy of the information, down to the latest practicable momei it.
it se happens that the present year affords several remarkable tes ts.
Two Noble Lords, the Earl of Albemarle and Lord Alvanley, ha ye
died within the last month, the Cork election has only just be en
gazetted, and two Bishops have been created, though neither of
them is as yet consecrated. Nevertheless we find, on turning to the
Peerage, the two noblemen who have recently succeeded, in their
proper places ; Dr. Hind and Dr. 011ivant settled in their sees;, And
in the "Parliamentary Directory," Colonel Chatterton, the. ow
Member for Cork, duly registered.
CHURCH OF ENGLAND QUARTERLY REVIEW,
jANUART, 1850.
We well remember a gentleman of a somewhat unimaginative
turn, on being appealed to for his opinion of Mr. Dickens's woe Its,
replied that they did not appear to him to contain much general in-
formation. This would have been the very book for him, for it is
full of general information. We recollect " Kent's Directory," the
first of the family to which this work belongs; and we also ream In-
ber the " Post-office Directory" In its cradle, and a tom evr; hat
weakly and rickety bantling it was. We never thought it would
have attained to the fair proportions of the volume before us, or linve
displayed the intelligence whi h we find in its pages. Exclusive ly.of a
" Street," " Commercial," and " Court Directory," it contah 33 all
sorts of information desirable to the merchant and the trade; ;man;
while the Post-office regulations, in addition to their fulness, leave
the crowning recommendation of authenticity. Among the nu mbor-
less competitor. fpr public favour at this time, we know none- more
valuable to a mercantile man as a " Christmas or New Year's Gift.'

cuumn AND STATE GAZETTE, DECEMBER 28, Ha.'
here is an annual which has completed its first half century and
which is almost load enough for a moderately strong man to • arry.
From the estellent map of London, at the beginning, to tr a last
page—(and there are upwards of two thousand of them)—th ere Is
not a word in this gigantic folume which a critic can cavil at : his
occupation is gone. In the pages before us there is no flatter y—as
little of foolish argument—and nothing but truth. Nothin g but
truth i—and yet it is a guido to our national offices—a Direct( iry for
our streets and all who ti erein dwell—as well as for Trade, Law,
the Ceurt, the Parliament, and the City. In short it is a boo k that
everybody, at some time ortlther, stands In need of; and, as w e have
said before, it not only tells nothing but truth, but is the only' uniu•
spired book of which such a, character can be given.

SPECTATOR, NOTEMBI3II. 24, 1849

This has no now features of any impor tame, but its utillty and
completeness are enforced afresh at each examination. We ray
nothing of direct and obvious uses for reference, because we have
often spoken of them; but whether fer the purpose of discovering
.y for
-o aro a stranger, this
u
I book and its buck volumes the domicil: or busines t o a ersol of whom the inquirer
dauiirreecrthtoasybouurt
slender trace, or for too- 1 r r the apparent wspeetability of a man by
tracingpointin a
hisn
e tvilgtehrbesaun l:
odorfciss:tvree reat lt yo e
whichars, ovolumes are unrivalled, l'or example, Black-

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