by Edward Smith

“ Cobbett opened a bookstore in July 1796. He reprinted and published much of the violent loyalist literature then current, including Chalmers's scurrilous 'Life of Thomas Paine,' garnished with his own unreserved comments. He had now become a factor in American politics as a pamphleteer, and began to reap the consequences. He narrowly escaped conviction for libel in an action brought by the Spanish envoy. ”

“ Burdett was requested to stand, but he adhered to his resolve not to become a candidate at another contested election. This precisely suited the Westminster committee, who were determined to send their man to parliament free of every sort of expense. Meanwhile a misunderstanding arose with Paull, who challenged Burdett to a duel. Both were wounded, and were carried up to London together in Paull's carriage. The committee were compelled to throw Paull overboard, and after a lively contest of fifteen days Burdett was found at the top of the poll, Lord Cochrane being second. ”

“ He took a leading part in the impeachment of Lord Melville, the proposed inquiry into Wellesley's alleged abuse of power in India, and Wardle's charges against the Duke of York; he was an active assailant of corporal punishment in the army, excessive use of ex-officio information against the press, attempts to exclude strangers from the House of Commons, endeavours to coerce the people in times of distress, and any process which aimed at limiting public freedom. ”

“ At the period of the elections which ensued on the accession of George IV he took part in county politics, and the columns of his newspaper were henceforth steadily devoted to the questions of catholic emancipation, parliamentary reform, and the other whig agitations of the day. ”

“ His wit and talents and his reputed skill at chess soon brought him into the best society. In 1767 he married Miss Frances Morphy, and on the death of his maternal grandfather he took the name of Boyd. After a visit to Ireland in 1768, during which he wrote some political letters in the Dublin journals, he resided at various places in and near London, his time and talents being devoted to literature, politics, and legal studies. ”

“ His ample purse was always open to the support of a worthy cause. When Francis Place began the movement which developed into the Birkbeck Mechanics' Institution, a great deal of its early success was due to handsome subscriptions from Burdett and to those which resulted from his example. He gave money freely in support of the reform movement. ”

“ He returned to England a staunch advocate of popular rights, and entered parliament in 1801 as representative for the family borough of Downton, and boldly ventured into the front ranks of opposition. In 1802 he was returned for Salisbury, and sat for that borough as Viscount Folkestone until he succeeded to the title of Radnor in the year 1828. During this long period he uniformly advocated advanced liberal principles. ”

“ With all this business activity Cobbett found time to pursue planting and agriculture on a large scale at Botley in Hampshire, where he usually resided after 1804.
About 1804 Cobbett began to take the popular side in politics. He had already incurred a charge of libel, occasioned by some plain-spoken articles on Ireland, contributed by Judge Johnson of the Irish bench. He was convicted, but escaped further action upon the discovery of the true authorship. This helped to convince him that he was on the wrong side, and he thenceforward devoted himself to the cause of reform. ”

“ Macaulay, Hume, and others.’ No sooner was this labour off his hands than Carey began to appear as a political economist. He advocated protection for American native industry, and produced many tracts in support of his theories. He associated with some other Philadelphia citizens in the formation of a society for the promotion of national industry, which helped to circulate his pamphlets gratuitously. ”

“ COBBETT, WILLIAM (1762–1835) , essayist, politician, and agriculturist, was born at Farnham in Surrey on 9 March 1762. Of a purely peasant origin, his early days were spent in the fields, and he had few educational advantages until he arrived at an age when his native force of character could help him to severe self-application. He was much impressed at an early age by Swift's 'Tale of a Tub.' In 1783 a sudden freak brought him to London, where he obtained employment as a copying-clerk to an attorney. After some months he enlisted in a line regiment. ”

“ About this time Carey married Miss Flahavan. He now started a bookselling and printing business. In 1793 he sat on the committee of health appointed in consequence of an outbreak of yellow fever. About the same time he started an association called the Hibernian Society for the Relief of Emigrants from Ireland, of which he was secretary for many years. In 1796 he helped to form a Sunday school society, which he alleges to be the first started in America. About this time William Cobbett was actively employed in Philadelphia. ”

“ Cobbett's business affairs had been managed badly, and he came out of prison pecuniarily ruined. Cobbett's writing was at its very best at this period, and the ' Political Register ' continued to enjoy some authority until, in 1816, during the domestic distresses of the day, he threw himself without reserve into the agitation for reform, and reduced the price of his journal to twopence. The result of the change was an enormous circulation among the working classes. ”

“ Intended for the profession of a country attorney, he was articled to a Norwich firm, and eventually spent a year in London before entering into the full practice of his profession. Having made the acquaintance of Mr. Windham, he became that gentleman's agent during the election contest which followed the dissolution of parliament in 1802, and a permanent friendship was established between them. In 1806, upon Windham becoming war and colonial minister, he appointed Amyot his private secretary, who thereupon threw up his Norwich practice, and came to London. ”

“ He soon obtained promotion, and joined the regiment in Nova Scotia, a promising non-commissioned officer. During eight years of service he uniformly commanded respect from his superior officers, and was employed by them in keeping accounts, registers, &c. At the end of 1791 his regiment returned to England, and Cobbett obtained his discharge with honourable notice. He married a soldier's daughter, and stayed in London during the spring of 1792, making some endeavour to bring certain officers to account for peculation, which, however, proved abortive. ”

“ He returned to Dublin, and conducted for some time the ‘Freeman's Journal.’ In 1783 his father gave him the means of establishing a paper of his own, ‘The Volunteer's Journal,’ which soon acquired a very decided influence on public opinion, suiting the heated temper of the time. ”

“ He had repeated opportunities of protesting against the suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act, and was bold enough on one occasion to suggest that it should be repealed altogether, rather than rendered inoperative by continued suspensions. He resisted the measure for excluding Horne Tooke from the House of Commons. ”

“ Not long after his arrival at Madras he conducted a mission from the governor to the king of Candy in Ceylon, requiring that potentate's assistance against the Dutch. On his return the vessel in which he sailed was captured by the French, and he became a prisoner for some months at the isle of Bourbon. ”

“ Gaskell, in her novel of ‘Mary Barton’ (p. 89, ed. 1882) , quotes a poem of his, beginning 'God help the poor,' to illustrate the popularity of his verses with the Lancashire labouring classes in their times of trial. Resistance to trade oppression was the order of the day, and Bamford went about with the endeavour to discover the true means of relief. He had many of the peculiar talents necessary for the popular leader, while averse to violence in any shape. ”

“ Binns & Brown, printers and booksellers, and proprietors of the 'Leeds Mercury.' Young Baines soon won the confidence of his employers and of his new fellow-townsmen by painstaking and industrious habits, and by his uniformly amiable disposition. At the close of his apprenticeship he started in business, at first for a few months with a somewhat unsatisfactory partner, and ultimately on his own account. In March 1801 he became the proprietor of the 'Leeds Mercury,' which had been languishing for several years past in the hands of his former employers. ”

“ Besides those above mentioned, his writings include a description of Tewkesbury Abbey contributed to ‘Vetusta Monumenta’ (vol. v.) , and an edition of ‘The Old Taming of a Shrew, upon which Shakespeare founded his Comedy,’ for the Shakespeare Society, printed in 1844. ”

“ Omer in France, and there applied himself to the study of the French language and literature. Thence he emigrated to Philadelphia in October 1792. Cobbett endeavoured to obtain an office under government, but soon settled down as a teacher of English to the French refugees. He presently published 'Le Tuteur Anglais' (1795) . He also occupied himself in translating for the booksellers Martens's ' Law of Nations ' and other works. He was soon drawn into politics. ' Hearing my country attacked,' he says, ' I became her defender through thick and thin.' Challenged to do so on the occasion of Dr. ”

“ Besides the works already named, Cobbett wrote: 1. 'Letters to Lord Hawkesbury and Henry Addington on the Peace with. Bonaparte,' 1802. 2. 'The Political Proteus, a view of the public character and conduct of R. B. Sheridan, Esq.,' 1804. 3. 'Paper against Gold,' 1815. 4. 'A Year's Residence in the United States of America,' 1818. 5. 'A Grammar of the English Language, in a series of letters,' 1818. 6. 'The American Gardener,' 1821 (afterwards reproduced with some modifications as 'The English Gardener,' 1827) . 7. 'Cobbett's Monthly Religious Tracts' (afterwards 'Twelve Sermons') . ”

“ Radnor offered the borough of Downton to Robert Southey in 1826, and subsequently to Mr. Shaw-Lefevre, stipulating on each occasion that the member should vote for its disfranchisement. He never held office. ”

“ In support of the agitation then afloat for an increase of soldiers' pay, he wrote (or assisted to write) 'The Soldier's Friend.' His action in these cases endangered his personal liberty, and he went to St. ”