The Romance of the London Directory. By Charles W. Bardsley,
M.A. (" Hand and Heart " Publishing Office.)—This is a reprint of some papers which appeared in The Fire.ide, papers which are not only readable and amusing, but show also no little intelligence and research. We may give one specimen of his method. He takes the first five letters in the commercial list, producing about 30,000 names. Of these, somewhat more than 3,000 are excluded, as doubtful and foreign. Of the rest, 11,360 are "local," 8,203 "baptismal," 2,651 " occupative," 1,737 "official," and 3,096 "nicknames." The first two classes are sufficiently described by their titles ; but it may be well to give " Cook," " Chandler," " Carpenter," " Clerk," " Cohen " (priest) ; and " Bell," " Bishop," " Brown," as representing the third, fourth, and fifth. The subject is full of suggestive facts, and Mr. Bards ley has worked them oat well.
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