letter. The following hints may be
worthy of attention:

224. Stamps.

Always put a Stamp on your envelope, at the top, in the right-hand
corner.

225. Direction.

Let the Direction be written very plain; this will save the postman
trouble, and facilitate business by preventing mistakes.

226. Postal District.

If the Address be in London add the letters of the postal district in
which it happens to be, for this also saves trouble in the General
Post Office. Thus in writing to the publishers of "Enquire Within,"
whose house of business is in the East Central (E.C.) postal district,
address your letter to Messrs. Houlston and Sons, Paternoster Square,
London, E.C.

227. Heading.

At the head of your Letter, in the right-hand corner, put your address
in full, with the day of the month underneath; do not omit this,
though you may be writing to your most intimate friend for the third
or even the fourth time in the course of a day.

228. Subject.

What you have to say in your Letter, say as plainly as possible, as if
you were speaking; this is the best rule. Do not revert three or four
times to one circumstance, but finish as you go on.

229. Signature.

Let your signature be written as plainly as possible (many mistakes
will be avoided, especially in writing to strangers), and without any
flourishes, as these do not add in any way to the harmony of your
letter. We have seen signatures that have been almost impossible to
decipher, being a mere mass of strokes, without any form to indicate
letters. This is done chiefly by the ignorant, and would lead one to
suppose that they were ashamed of signing what they had written.

230. Crossing the Page.

Do not cross your letters: surely paper is cheap enough now to admit
of using an extra half-sheet, in case of necessity.

231. Return Envelope.

If you write to a Stranger for information, or on your own business,
be sure to send a stamped envelope with your address plainly written;
this will not fail to procure you an answer.

232. Good Materials.

If you are not a good writer it is advisable to use the best ink,
paper, and pens. For although they may not alter the character of your
handwriting, yet they will assist to make your writing look better.

233. Clean and Neat.

The paper on which you write should be clean, and neatly folded.

234. Stains.

There shoul