THE PUBLISHER
Of the Baltimore Director, deems it superfluous to say much on
the occasion of his issuing his tenth edition. The immense labor
and monotonous task of collecting the name, occupation, and
location of each householder in Baltimore, is once more accom-
plished, and we present in this edition, the largest number of
lames yet published.
We feel grateful for the discreet and civil response we have
received from our fellow citizens, to our inquiries for the neces-
ary information; and for the support of the public spirited, intel-
igent, and just, in subscribing for copies of the work. We have
had little or no difficulty with such, as they are already convinced,
by reflecting, that the nature of this publication renders it liable
to imperfection more than any other, or they are ready to hear our
rguments to prove it, and are not unreasonable in their expecta-
ions—nor observations. There is not one name out of twenty
out will admit of various modes of spelling, equally correct—as
here is no rule for spelling names, (neither in Baltimore, "Phil-
delphia, New York," or elsewhere; any more than there is a
law to keep people from moving after their names are taken, and
those places are as liable to, and their directories are complained
of as much, if not more, for containing errors, than ours, the
thoughtless assertions of somefew to the contrary not witstanding.)
There are families in Baltimore who spell their names, the one
Geese, the other Giese, each equally correct and pronounced alike;
Ithers, Reilly and Riley, Smith and Smyth, Adkinsonand Atkin-
son, &c. Let any reader examine for his own satisfaction, and he
will have difficulty in finding a name that will not admit of more
than one mode of spelling; and a person looking for a name, and
lot finding it in the director according to his mode, ought not to
conclude that it does not contain it, as, if the compiler spells it
differently, it is put in the alphabetical order of his arrangement,
Again, a man (or his clerk, journeyman or porter,) gives the name,
pusiness, street and number of place of business, and dwelling,
which are in different parts of the city ; the same or another per-
son, (four were employed in compiling this director,) calls at the
dwelling, if the same person takes both, it is impossible that he