22 JANUARY 1910

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NEWS OF THE WEEK.

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A S we write on Friday, enough Election results are known to make it almost certain that the present Government will continue to bold power owing to their alliance with the...

No doubt the Liberal newspapers and Liberal speakers boast of

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still having a good working majority, but though such talk may deceive the uninstructed for a week o r two, it will certainly not deceive the old Parliamentary hands. We may be...

If the Election is looked at from the point of

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view of the extreme Tariff Reformers, it can hardly be said to be more satisfactory. No doubt owing to the fact that they have been reinforced by the very large number of...

The result as a whole is not one with which

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we can profess to quarrel. In this context, however, it must be pointed out that it would be the greatest possible mistake for those who share the Spectator view to relax any of...

which preceded the establishment of the Pax Britannica. An Indian

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Rajah in order to secure his position would make an alliance with some Pindari chief and introduce a garrison of predatory warriors into his capital. It often happened, however,...

If the wider aspects of the Election are considered without

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party heat, the results are rather remarkable, and may, we think, serve as a subject for no small satisfaction .to men of moderate opinions. To begin with, the great feature of...

*** The Editors cannot undertake to return Manuscript, in any

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case.

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That invaluable person, the Scottish heckler, elicited a very significant

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and important declaration from Mr. Asquith on Wednesday. Asked bow he intended to improve the House of Lords, Mr. Asquith replied : " It is not proposed to improve it at all,...

The Bill for the reform of French judicial procedure was

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published in Paris on Thursday week. The first object of the Bill, the Times correspondent says, is the suppression of the preliminary interrogatory by the Judge on the basis of...

In view of recent developments, it is worth while briefly

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to recapitulate the official Liberal declarations as to Home-rule. On December 10th in the Albert Hall Mr. Asquith stated that the Liberal policy, "while explicitly safeguarding...

In view of all the circumstances, we should most strongly

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advise Unionists not to be deluded by the incident of Mr. J. A. Pease's speech, and the indignation it has created in Ireland, into imagining that the Liberal Government and...

On Friday week an important and interesting debate began in

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the French Chamber of Deputies on the schools question. For some time many of the Bishops have been complaining that the ecoles laiques—that is, the "provided" or "neutral"...

Mr. Asquith's attempts to minimise the effect of his pledges

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in regard to Home-rule are in curious contrast with the calculated indiscretions of Mr. Lloyd George. For example, at Conway on Wednesday the Chancellor of the Exchequer said...

• A marked feature of the Election has been the

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gains made by the Unionists in the English counties. The counties which were supposed to he going to prove the stronghold of Liberalism have shown their determination not to be...

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We deeply regret the defeat of Mr. Harold Cox at

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Preston. In him Parliament loses, we sincerely hope only for a time, a man of wise mind and high character, and possessed of a type of eloquence exactly suited to a delibera-...

When the debate was continued on Wednesday M. Maurice Barres

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satirised the " commandments" which are issued from the Ministry of Education, and remarked that one of them was: " We do not ask you to deny God, but merely to put Him in...

The Times of Thursday contains from its Peking corre- spondent

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an account of the first Session of the Chinese Pro- vincial Assemblies. They were elected on a limited franchise, and the subjects open to discussion are restricted. Procedure...

Sir Robert Giffen, who voted for the Liberals in 1906,

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explains in Monday's Times why, like us, he is resolved to support Tariff Reform candidates at this Election as the lesser evil. Socialism, Little Englandism, neglect of...

The Times of last Saturday reproduces some outspoken comments by

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Herr Harden in the Zukunft on the elections. He defends Mr. Balfour from the charge of violating international decency. " I think that if I were an Englishman, I should think...

The appeal put forward in the letter headed "Politics and

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Pockets " in Monday's Times deserves the strongest com- mendation and support. Wherever one looks it is impos- sible to escape the eternal appeal to the pocket. " Under which...

The Times of Tuesday published from a correspondent an account

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of a strange seditious play in India which has been acted all over the Deccan, and has been enormously popular. It is called Kichaka-vadd, and the plot is founded on the...

The debate was continued on Monday by M. Groussau, who,

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we learn from the Times report from which we are quoting, is a Professor of Law at the Roman Catholic University of Lille. He said that the whole difficulty arose from the fact...

Bank Rate, 31 per cent., changed from 4 per cent.

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Jan. 20th. Consols (2k) were on Friday 82k—Friday week 821.

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TOPICS OF THE DAY.

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THE ELECTIONS SO FAR. T ROUGH the figures of not much more than half the elections are known as we write, the general result is pretty clear. The Liberal vote in the Commons...

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THE " RAISON D'ETRE " OF THE GERMAN NAVY.

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T HE able Berlin correspondent of the Times gives in last Monday's issue an account of speeches delivered at a meeting of the German Navy League at Kiel which well deserves the...

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T URKEY AND THE LYNCH COMPANY. • S INCE the fall

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of Hilmi Pasha, the Turkish Grand Vizier, we have heard little of the proposed amalgamation of the. Euphrates and Tigris Steam Navigation Company (generally known as the Lynch...

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THE POOR AND EDUCATION.

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T HE new number of the Quarterly Review contains an article of remarkable interest by Mr. Stephen Reynolds. We cannot, indeed, say much for the title, " What the Poor Want." It...

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SPIRITUALISM AND INSANITY. N OT long ago we expressed the opinion

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that the phenomena of "psychical research" are a fit subject for the most careful scientific examination. Under the head of what is called Spiritualism there is notoriously a...

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TRAVELLER'S JOY.

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H E was sitting in the hedge at the top of Pagan's Hill, on the stump of a felled ash-tree, and a tangle of seeded clematis spread a feathery grey cloud overhead and ran along...

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THE WEST WIND IN JANUARY.

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T HE frost will return, but the first three weeks of January have begun the year with a spell of such mildness as the calendar has not chronicled for years. During a good deal...

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CORRESPONDENCE.

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LONDON AND POLITICS. [To THE EDITOR OP THE " SPECTATOR. "] SIR,—The psychology of man collectively differs in strange and surprising ways from the psychology of individuals ;...

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CHURCHMEN AND THE ELECTION.

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[To THE EDITOR OP THE " SPECTATOR."1 STR,—Both in virtue of the signature it bears, and in virtue of the views of eminent Churchmen which it quotes, great weight of authority...

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

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"AMERICAN " LAND-TAXES. [To THE EDITOR OP THE "SPECTATOR. "] Sin, —Perhaps the fate of Mr. Lloyd George's Budget will not be settled when this letter reaches you, and a word of...

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LORD MAHON ON THE HOUSE OF LORDS.

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[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR. "] SIR,—The subjoined extracts from Lord Mahon's "History of England " may possibly be of interest at the present time. His remarks were...

PHEASANT-REARING.

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[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR.1 SIR,-31r. Lloyd George denies that his Budget is vindictive, but is there not much in our present-day methods to justify it if it were ? I am...

THE DUTY OF UNIONIST FREE-TRADERS.

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[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."' SIR, In your able article on " The Duty of Unionist Free- Traders " in last week's issue five evils are noted as connected with voting for...

" OF THE ROMAN GREATNESS."

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[TO THE EDITOR OP THE " SPECTITOR.1 Sin,—Pleaders of Lord Cromer's parallel between the Roman and the British Empires may like to be reminded of what Montaigne says of the...

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MR. BLA.TCHFORD'S ARTICLES.

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[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR: "] SIR, — As a resident in the district where the Rev. George W. Taylor laboured before he was called to Leith, I have watched with regret the...

[TO THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR. "] Sin, — I am sure

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that, with your usual courtesy and love of fair play, you will grant me space to correct a gross mis- representation of our work at Bloomsbury in your issue of January 8th. A...

WHY SHOULD THE NATIONS WAGE WAR?

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[To THE EDITOR OP THE "SPECTATOR. " ] SIB.,—On p. 47 of your little book, " A. New Way of Life," in the chapter " Why Should the Nations Wage War?" after saying, truly enough,...

POLITICAL PERSECUTION IN HUNGARY.

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[TO THE EDITOR OP THE " SPECTATOR..1 SIR., — Your readers will not have forgotten the cruel persecu- tion to which the Slovak patriot, Father Andrew Hlinka, has been subjected...

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THE BRADFIELD COLLEGE RANCH.

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[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR. "] SIR,—I am quite unable to understand the unnecessary beat which my letter has provoked in the soul of Dr. Gray. He accuses me of "clumsy...

THE MURDER OF MR. JACKSON.

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[To THE EDITOR OP THE "SPECTITOR.1 Sin,—Some weeks ago a correspondence was being carried on in the Spectator as to the torturing of witnesses by the police in India. I thought...

CANADA AND YOUNG GENTLEMEN EMIGRANTS.

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[TO THE EDITOR OP THE "SPECTATOR. "] SIR,—The correspondence upon the above deals with a subject that is ever green. This might fairly apply to the subject in a more literal...

BUSHIDO IN JAPAN.

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[To THE EDITOR Or THE " SPECTATOR."' SIR, — The doubts avowed by many Anglicised Japanese whether Bushido is doing all that some enthusiasts—especially new ones—claim for it,...

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PUBLIC-SCHOOL EDUCATION.

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[To THE EDITOR 07 TEE " SPECTATOR. " ] Sin,—I have been much interested in your article on the important resolution moved by Dr. Gray at the recent Head- Masters' Conference....

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TIDES.

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[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."] SIR,—Discussing tides on January 1st, you said that the Southampton tides were easily explained, but gave no explanation; and you quoted...

SUNDAY LETTERS IN LONDON.

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[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR. "] SIR,—Your article in last week's Spectator on the new postal telephone service is very interesting, and I think your con- clusions are...

SECRET REMEDIES.

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[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR.'] SIR,—The harm done by the use of proprietary or " secret " remedies is incalculable. Your correspondent, Dr. Henry Sewill, who has long been...

MORE ANONYMOUS VOICES.

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[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR. "] SIR, —In the article under the above heading in your issue of December 25th, 1909, some sayings are quoted as anonymous of which the authors...

Page 18

THE CANNING TOWN HEALTH VISITING SOCIETY. [To THE EDITOR Or

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THE " SPECTATOR.'1 SIR, —The Canning Town Health Visiting Society is a new venture started to aid the Public Health Committee of West Ham in its unremitting warfare on disease...

CHRISTIANITY AND THE ELECTION. [To THE EDITOR Os THE "

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SPROTATOR.1 SIR,—In view of one of your last week's notes, and its strictures (with which I quite agree) against one party claiming the sanction of religion for its propaganda,...

BOOKS.

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THE FORGOTTEN CHAPTERS OF " THE WEALTH OF NATIONS."* [COMMUNICATED.] WHEN the Tariff Reform discussion began in 1903 the Free- trade protagonists made three errors in tactics...

POETRY.

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THE BANSHEE. A VOICE came crying to me window In the wind and the rain, Like the voice of an old, old woman Who was crying in pain: And I knew that Michael (God rest him !)...

NOTICE.—When Articles or "Correspondence" are signed with the writer's name

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or initials, or with a pseudonym, or are marked "Communicated," the Editor must not necessarily be held to be in agreement with the views therein expressed or with the mode of...

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FIFTY YEARS OF NEW JAPAN.* Tam work is the most

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authoritative that has ever been published in English on the progress of modern Japan. No nation has crowded so much change into half-a-century, and few nations can have looked...

Page 20

EPISTOLAE OBSCURORUM VIRORUM.*

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IT is with no ordinary pleasure that we draw attention to this handsome and solid volume. The editor and the pub- lishers deserve our thanks for their courage in producing it,...

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MEDIAEVAL ENGLISH HUNTING.*

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4 ` THYS booke folowyng shewith to sych gentill personys the maner of huntyng for all maner of beestys, wether thay be Beestys of Yenery, or of chace, or Rascall. And also it...

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A CENTURY OF EMPIRE.t

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SIR HERBERT MAXWELL, has undertaken a great task. He is to tell the story of the British Empire in the nineteenth century. The first instalment of the tale is before us, taking...

MICHELANGELO AND RAPTI - ATM.*

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Two good additions have been made to the " Classics of Art " Series. They are specially attractive owing to the number and excellence of the illustrations they contain. Mr....

DR. J. H. RIGG.*

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DR. RICA belonged to a type of Methodism which, to say the least, is not as common now as it was half-a-century ago. He would not, for instance, have accused a Liberal Govern-...

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Us Four. By S. Macnaughtan. (John Murray. 6s.)—The " Four"

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whose sayings and doings are recorded in this volume are the author and her sisters. We are at a loss how to class the book ; it is a chronicle rather than a novel; the interest...

NOVELS.

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THE ROSARY.* The Rosary is a decidedly engaging specimen of a class of novel which has of late years been partially submerged by the floods of realism,—the novel of sentiment. A...

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The Bellerophon.' By Edward Fraser. (Wells Gardner, Darton, and Co.

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Gs.)—The `Bellerophon' was launched, or rather launched itself, on October 6th, 1786. Stormy weather had loosened the supports, and before the appointed time the ship was seen...

Modern. Journalism. By a London d lditor. (Sidgwiek and Jackson. 2s. Gd.

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net.)—This is certainly an entertaining book; and we have little doubt that it is instructive,—a good "Guide for Beginners," to give its sub-title. It is the modesty of a weekly...

THE QUARTERLIES.

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Quarterly says its last word on the present crisis in its article on " The Appeal to the Nation." Little need be said about it. By the time that this notice meets our readers'...

READABLE NOVELS. —The Settler. Bi Ralph Connor. (Hodder and Stoughton. 6s.)—"

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A tale of Saskatchewan," though it opens and has some of its most exciting scenen in the Slav quarter of Winnipeg. Russian Nihilists play a part in it, and Canada and Russia are...

SOME BOOKS OF THE WEEK.

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[Under this heading we notice such Books of the week as hare not been reserved for review in other forms.] The West of England Woollen Industry under Protection and under Free...

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The Asquith Parliament, 1906 - 1909. By Charles T. King. (Hutchinson and

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Co. 5s. net.)—This " Popular History of Men and Measures" is very personal, and entertaining, as personal writing always is in skilful hauls, whether it ought to be or not. We...

We have noticed earlier numbers of Geographical Pictures (A. and

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C. Black), and may now mention Series XI. in two packets (6d. each). These are " Lakes," exhibiting varieties of formation, as volcanic and alluvial basins, and differences of...

By Divers Paths. (Gay and Hancock. 3s. 6d. net.)—This "

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Note-hook of Seven Wayfarers" gives us a number of reflective and descriptive pieces, in prose and verse, contributed by seven writers. " A. M." furnishes the largest part ;...

Black Tournai Fonts in England. By Cecil H. Eden. (Elliot

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Stock. 5s. net.)—A " black Tournai " font is made of a blue-black marble found in the banks of the Scheldt near Tournai, in Hainault. Seven of them are known to exist in...

Britannia's Calendar of Heroes. By Kato Stanway. (G. Allen and

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Sons. 53. net.)—The plan of this book, which comes with a commendation from the Head-Master of Eton, is to arrange the great deeds which it commemorates according to the days of...

East Africa (British). 4 Compiled by Somerset Playne. Edited by F.

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Holderness Gale. (Foreign and Colonial Compiling and Publishing Company. Cloth, 25s. ; morocco, 84s.)—This very handsome volume is worthy of its subject. It commences with a...

Post Office London Directory, with County Suburbs. (Kelly's Directories. In

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one vol., 40s. ; in two, 43s. 6d.; for London only, 25s.)—We have to welcome again this gigantic annual. We have grown so familiar with its completeness and its accuracy, with...