“I HAVE BEEN THE GREAT ENLIGHTENER OF THE PEOPLE OF ENGLAND.”[1]
So this long fight was over.
For forty years past, Cobbett had waged incessant warfare against
political hypocrisy and corruption; here represented by revolutionary
theorists; there by political adventures; now, by venal courtiers;
again, by uncompromising partisanship in the press. Heedless
of personal danger, and proud of his native soil and of his
fellow-countrymen, he had never flinched from the pursuit of those
whom he regarded as the enemies of his country’s welfare. Often blindly
passionate, but always honest, and dominated by the convictions of the
hour, he had presented the unexampled phenomenon of a man who could
face, single-handed, the world in arms; insusceptible alike to the arts
of intrigue, and to the cozening of partisanship.
The character of the London newspaper press, in the earlier years
of the present century, bears no comparison with its now-existing
posterity, either in character, ability, or influence. Our leading
journal, indeed, should scarcely know its own grandfather: appealing,
as it does, to the taste of the most highly-cultivated minds of the
age; and quite indifferent to anything but the task of representing
the best public opinion of the day. As for a “government organ,” there
is no such thing; your newspaper now gets upon the wings of the day,
or what it supposes the wings of the day, and there catches the best
breeze that it can. There is no space for mutual recriminations, with
ostentation of “private wire,” and elaborate political and literary
reviews, if even the taste for dirt-throwing had not vanished. The
doctrine of the survival of the fittest is found to hold good, in
journalism as in everything else; and there cannot, possibly, be any
better token of the improvement of the age, in taste and morals, than
the elevated tone of the more successful leaders of public opinion in
our own days.
When the History of the newspaper-press comes to be properly written,
it will not be a mere record of the struggles and strifes of
proprietors; the successes of the few, and the failures of the many;
nor even the extraordinary wealth of anecdote furnished by personal
history. Along with these matters will have to be introduced critical
studies, derived from close examination of the journals; discovering
the amount of prescience with which each may be credited, and the
growth and decay of their influence; tracing motives of particular
partisanship to their source; and estimating their relative places, in
the grand temple of the Fourth Estate.
The task of that historian will find its best reward, in the endeavour
to comprehend the first quarter of the nineteenth century. He will
see the press first enslaved, then reckless, then persecuted; then
partially enslaved again; then gradually presenting a prospect that it
will, one day or other, become purified into something like dignity
and respectability. For all this long while, it has been strangely
unable to endure rivalry and opposition; and its members have vied
with one another, as to which could employ the foulest epithets,
impute the wickedest motives to opponents, or fawn the most gracefully
upon “patrons.” There was no place for independence, in those days;
for independent principles were considered to hide the wolf of
Jacobinism. The alteration in tone, consequent upon a change of
proprietorship, went under the favourite stigma of “profligacy.”[2] As
for party-spirit, there never was a truer dictum than that laid down
by Mr. Cobbett, in one of the later numbers of the London _Porcupine_:
“The press is as much shackled and restrained by the spirit of party,
as it could be by the most restrictive laws.”
From the day of the first appearance of the _Political Register_, a
new æra dawned for journalism. Its originality in plan, and the power
with which it was written, awakened envy; its plain English, and rapid
acquisition of independence in opinion, provoked opposition. And the
success, with which its early career was marked, brought imitators into
the field. But that which soon characterized it, more particularly,
was an inflexible hostility to such newspapers, and such persons, who
endeavoured to extenuate or explain away the misuse of public money.
People sadly wanted educating upon this point. The principles of
Walpole and Newcastle had borne fruit. The Treasury was surrounded by
hungry adventurers; and there were hundreds of men, as late as William
Pitt’s time, who had sucked-in these principles, as it were, with their
mothers’ milk. And if we consider that, when Cobbett began the fight,
and for some time after, there was no one else had the courage, or
was in the mind, to expose it all, we shall understand the singular
position in which he stood. For an anonymous writer to sit down, and
write off a malicious paragraph or two with insinuations of venality,
was one thing; but, for a man, well-known in the flesh, renouncing the
editorial “we,” and affecting the first-person-singular, proceeding
to tell a plain story, fearless of the consequences, was a phenomenon
which startled Society; the effect produced being similar to that which
occurs upon poking your walking-stick into an ants’ nest.
Decent Society never forgave Mr. Cobbett. No matter! Upon that man’s
memory lies the credit of having been chiefly instrumental in restoring
political purity to the nation. The whole domestic history of England,
between 1800 and 1835, is distinguished by the struggles of the nation
to emancipate itself from corruption in Church and State. The pioneer
was William Cobbett; and no history of those struggles, which does not
place him high among the “leaders and guiders” of men, will be worthy
of the name.
As to how far Mr. Cobbett’s ideas and predictions have been accepted,
is not the purpose of the present work; if, even, its limits did not
forbid such an essay. It is certain that he was largely pirated, during
his lifetime, both in speeches and in newspaper articles. But he lost
so much weight, in the minds of dispassionate men, by such unbounded
extravagance as was displayed in his “History of the Reformation;” and
his cotemporaries were so cruelly lashed and scolded, when the advocacy
of their own views exceeded the truth, that the significance of his
career could not be properly understood by his generation. It is almost
surprising that more bad institutions did not fall before his trenchant
blows; yet, with respect to those that remain,[3] and are doomed, it
may safely be recommended to ransack the _Political Register_ for the
best arguments and illustrations, with which to defy their supporters.
On many great questions Cobbett was far in advance of his time; perhaps
on nothing more so than in the foresight with which he contemplated the
development of popular ideas. To us, in Liberal-Conservative times,
the following passage (May, 1833) seems a commonplace; but, to the
privileged classes of his own days, the words were as the words of
Micaiah in the ears of Ahab:--
“It is not by harshly and rudely resisting the claims of the
people, that you put a stop to the progress of democracy.
It is by yielding in time; by yielding to what is manifestly
just in the people’s demands; by removing expenses so clearly
unjust towards the people, and so clearly unnecessary to the
support of good and efficient government; it is by taking from
their backs burdens which they cannot bear without ruin; and
which they ought not to bear at all. It is by means like these;
by doing these things, which satisfy all reasonable men, and
putting them on your side; it is by these that you check, and
put a stop to, the progress of democracy; and not by acts which
plainly tell the people that they are to expect no redress of
their grievances as long as the present order of things shall
exist.”
The grave was literally his last enemy. The announcement of Cobbett’s
death was the close of a strife, in which had been displayed the
singular spectacle of the Champion of the Press arrayed against its own
licentiousness; in which the dangers attendant upon the conjuring up of
new foes had been counted as nothing, while there was a principle to be
maintained, or a touch of cant to be exposed. And, now that he was gone
for ever, the whole fraternity acknowledged his genius and his talents;
and confessed that a good, and great, and honest heart had departed
from among them. Throughout the land, with almost unanimity, the
newspapers teemed with his praises; and those were not few, who, having
not long since boasted of their hatred, now frankly declared that Mr.
Cobbett was a man of whom his countrymen might justly be proud, as one
of the greatest that England had ever produced.
The last years of Mr. Cobbett’s domestic life were of singular
tranquillity. Surrounded as he was by a family, the individual members
of which had “never caused him a day’s anxiety,” his hearth was a
complete antithesis to the stormy scenes outside. And he had that
felicity, the first wish of every good man’s heart, of seeing his sons
and daughters bear the fruits of his own example, in a correct estimate
of the duties and the discipline of life. Not only that. Age never came
upon him in crabbed form. There was a soft, genial nature about Mr.
Cobbett, which no surface vehemence could exorcise. Even, when dealing
his heaviest blows upon the heads of the poor “borough-mongers,” or
when pouring his most terrible sarcasms around, his energy was the
energy of warmth; as though heated with his own heart’s blood. It would
be difficult to find any one essay among his writings, which, fairly
analyzed, did not betray honest, impetuous affection for the cause
immediately on hand. You cannot fail, as you read, to recognize the
unpaid advocate. That he was ridiculously vain of his success in life,
is no more than could be expected of a half-educated man, who had held,
for more than a generation, such extraordinary power with the lower and
middle classes; but such vanity, fostered sometimes by individuals and
sometimes by the crowd, was not of that sort typified by the Napoleons
and the Masaniellos of life. No: the sword laid down, and the helm
removed from the brow, left this warrior a homely citizen, resting with
the children, and the birds, the fruits and flowers, and the sweetest
hospitalities.
So, old age brought nothing to Mr. Cobbett, of the burthen. “Always
at work or sleep,” the work he did at seventy years of age was not
excelled in quality by that of any previous period of his life; and,
had it not been for the enforced change of habits brought about by his
attendance in parliament, he might have lived another decade or so. He
had, even, inured himself to noisy Fleet Street. Speaking, somewhere,
of his upper room in Bolt Court, he says,--
“The birds sing better, and sing louder, and more, and stronger in a
cage, than they do when at large;” adding that “the best pastorals
have been written in smoky garrets.” Naturally enough, if a man hath a
garden in his own heart.
But, in truth, much of Cobbett’s wonderful staying-power lay in his
splendid mental and physical health. An active and temperate existence,
in which nothing was allowed to run to waste, warded-off the approaches
of senility. Excepting only a tumour which gave some trouble for a few
months[4] during 1824, he had known nothing of illness; beyond those
trifling matters to which even the best constitutions are liable under
given circumstances. After reaching his threescore-and-ten, he could
still boast of riding over the country with the youngest; or doing a
day’s work against any one of his labourers.
This was an astonishingly active, fully-worked life; in which nothing
of the morbid could possibly find entrance. An early riser, and no
lingerer at meals, Cobbett never confessed to having any leisure time.
Social pleasures, as such, would seem to have been almost unheeded, if
not despised. Yet his hospitality was unbounded, and overflowing with
good nature; and he was always at the service of persons who applied to
him for advice, or, even, of those nondescript individuals who would
claim the privileges of half-acquaintanceship, and call upon him to
indulge a sort of curiosity.
And, of all this vigour, and heartiness, and true daily purpose,
nothing failed, in the green old age of William Cobbett.
* * * * *
Very difficult as it is to point to a date, at which Cobbett’s
name will be forgotten--it is easy to understand why the popular
estimate of the man, at the period of his death, still holds good,
in the Anglo-Saxon breast: why his character, falling so far short
of perfection, is still counted worthy of the lasting honour of
Englishmen. For, his faults were the faults of his race: so often
virtues in disguise. Coming from the pure Saxon peasant stock, he
caused a healthful infusion of fresh blood into the spirit of his age,
and so brought his fellow-countrymen to see, once more, the native
energy, and pugnacity, and honesty of purpose, which had so often won
the battle of freedom, now brought to bear upon new conditions and new
circumstances. Thus it is, that the thoughtful and unbiased student
looks upon Cobbett’s character and career. Full of faults, it is no
incoherent jumble of a character, without principles and without light;
but one having brave and high aims. A special lot in life; which must,
by its very nature, bring upon the man some measure of contumely: in
which a false step or two would count against him a thousandfold. A
special career; pursued with a single eye, an honest purpose, and a
persevering heart. A life, that needs no Apologist: but presenting a
consistent story; worthy of all that has given us renown, and enabled
us to dictate the principles of freedom to the whole world.
The last uneventful years of Mr. Cobbett’s domestic life were spent,
at least as far as the public demands upon his time would allow,
among the scenes and the occupations which he loved so well: those
of his earliest recollections. The garden at Kensington becoming too
small for his ambitious seed-farming experiments, the well-known
manor-farm of Barn Elm was occupied for three or four years. But, in
the summer of 1832, this was relinquished; and Mr. Cobbett retired
farther into Surrey, to a locality not many miles from his birthplace,
in the adjoining parish of Ash. Normandy farm (contiguous to that of
Wanborough, whence Mr. Birkbeck had departed for the golden west) lies
in a lonely, unfrequented district, with a poor, wet soil; and it was
one that required a great deal of money expended upon it. But it suited
Cobbett’s seed-farming tastes:--
“I took a farm,” he says, in his characteristic way, “for
several purposes: 1. To please myself, and to live at the
end of my days, in those scenes in which I began them; 2.
To make the life as long as nature, unthwarted by smoke and
confinement, would let it be; 3. To make a complete Tullian
farm; 4. To make a Locust coppice; 5. To raise garden seeds in
the best possible manner.”
But nothing could ward off the perils incident to late hours in London.
After his first parliamentary session, there were evident signs of his
constitution failing him; and, although revived somewhat in summer,
each new winter brought back a cough, which forbade rest at night, and
gradually helped to bring the end nearer. A visit to Ireland, in 1834,
seemed to be undertaken with all his old powers; his writing and his
humour were as good as ever. But the following winter proved to be the
last, and the early months of the year 1835 were a constant struggle to
keep up to the post at which he meant to die.
Not that he meant to die, yet. There were new plans, only a month
before Cobbett’s death, which exhibited anything but the lapse of
mental or physical power. There was to be a new _Cobbett’s Evening
Journal_, a special feature of which was the full publication of
important discussions in parliament, which were not elsewhere
faithfully reported: those affairs, viz., in which Hume, and the other
economists beside himself, had the leading share.
Also, the _Register_ was to be dropped, “in full blaze,” on his next
birthday, the 9th of March, 1836:--
“Then, putting out the _Register_, at the end of the 91st
volume, I shall … have time to write a history of MY OWN LIFE,
showing the progress of a ploughboy to a seat in parliament;
beginning his career by driving the rooks and magpies from his
father’s pea-fields and his mother’s chicken-yard; and ending,
by endeavouring to drive the tithe and tax devourers from the
fruits of the labour of his industrious countrymen.”
* * * * *
It was in the month of June, 1835, that Cobbett had his first, and
last, serious illness.
He still dictated material for the _Political Register_, and continued
personally to inspect his little farm, at the last by being carried
in a chair. On the 16th his eldest son (writing to a friend) speaks
confidently of his being in a fair way of getting strength again; and
there was no very great alarm until the following day. A sudden change,
however, occurred on that morning; his strength gradually wasted; and
on the 18th of June, at a few minutes after one p.m., he passed away,
as gently as a child would fall asleep.
FOOTNOTES
[1] “Cobbett was not only an example of self-instruction, but of public
teaching. He said, on some occasion, many years ago, “It is certain
that I have been the great enlightener of the people of England;” and
so he was. The newspapers have not, that we are aware, adverted to
our deepest obligation to him. He was the inventor of Twopenny Trash.
Let the title be inscribed on his monument. The infamous Six Acts,
although they suspended the machinery for awhile, of cheap political
publications, could not undo what had been done, nor avert its great
immediate, and far greater eventual utility. If only for that good
work, honoured be the memory of old Cobbett.”--(Mr. W. J. Fox, in the
_Monthly Repository_, for 1835, p. 487.)
[2] _Profligate_, by the way, is difficult to define, as a word much
used by the Bowleses and the Giffords and the other Anti-Jacobins.
It may be safely recommended, as a preliminary study, to the coming
historian. _Scurrilous_ is another word, which would appear to mean
_beating your opponent hollow_.
[3] As, for example, the Game Law. This inscrutably-absurd relic
of feudalism still survives among us; although certain so-called
“Liberals” boast that they ruled us for thirty years, and although this
was a cry that helped to bring about the Reform Bill!
Some very pathetic articles upon this topic will be found in the
_Register_ during 1824, and subsequent years.
[4] “For these nine months the late Mr. Cline attended me, coming to
Kensington twice or thrice in every week. When I had got well, I had
got a purse of gold, and was about to give it him; but he, putting my
hand away with his left, and patting me on the head with his right
hand, said, ‘No, no! I _owe_ a great deal to that head!’”
APPENDIX.
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL LIST OF WILLIAM COBBETT’S PUBLICATIONS.
1. THE SOLDIER’S FRIEND: or considerations on the late pretended
augmentation of the subsistence of the private soldiers. “Laws grind
the poor, and rich men rule the laws.”--GOLDSMITH. Written by a
Subaltern. London: Ridgway, 1792, 8vo. 6_d._; reprinted in 1793,
without printer’s or publisher’s name. Price 2_d._, or 100 copies
10_s._ 6_d._, pp. 15.
[This tract is evidently the work of more than one hand. The
style is that of Cobbett; but some of the subject-matter comes
from a person well acquainted with the political intrigues of
the day.]
2. [_Translation._] THE LAW OF NATIONS: being the science of national
law, covenants, power, &c., founded upon the treaties and customs of
modern nations in Europe. By G. F. von Martens, Professor of Public
Law in the University of Gottingen. Translated from the French, by
William Cobbett. To which is added, a list of the principal treaties,
declarations, and other public papers, from the year 1731 to 1738, by
the author. Philadelphia, 1794.
London edition, 1802, dedicated to John Penn, Esq. Fourth edition,
London, 1829, with the treaties, &c., continued by the translator down
to Nov. 1815, 8vo, pp. xxxii.-468.
3. LE TUTEUR ANGLAIS, ou Grammaire regulière de la langue anglaise,
en deux parties. Par William Cobbett. A Philadelphie: chez Thomas
Bradford, 1795, 8vo, pp. x.-340.
[This book has been reproduced many times in France and
Belgium, under the title of “Maître d’Anglais,” and has much
increased in bulk from time to time. It is still held, in those
countries, to be superior to any other book of its kind.]
4. [_Translation._] A topographical and political description of the
Spanish port of Saint Domingo, containing general observations on the
climate, population, and productions; on the character and manners
of the inhabitants; with an account of the several branches of the
government. By M[édéric] L[ouis] E[lie] Moreau-de-Saint-Méry, Member
of the Philosophical Society of Philadelphia, &c. Translated from
the French by William Cobbett. Philadelphia: printed and sold by the
Author, Printer, and Bookseller, No. 84, South Front Street, 1796. 2
vols. 8vo.
5. [_Appendix_ only.] The HISTORY OF JACOBINISM.… By William Playfair.
With an Appendix by Peter Porcupine, showing the close connexion which
has ever subsisted between the Jacobins at Paris and the Democrats in
the United States of America. Philadelphia, 1796. 2 vols. 8vo.
6. OBSERVATIONS ON PRIESTLEY’S EMIGRATION, to which is added, A STORY
OF A FARMER’S BULL. [_Anonymous._] Philadelphia, 1794. pp. 88.
7. A BONE TO GNAW FOR THE DEMOCRATS. By Peter Porcupine. Philadelphia,
Jan. 1795. pp. vi.-66.
8. A KICK FOR A BITE. By Peter Porcupine. Philadelphia, Feb. 1795.
9. A BONE TO GNAW FOR THE DEMOCRATS. Part 2. By Peter Porcupine.
Philadelphia, Mar. 1795. pp. vii.-66.
Sect. 1. Observations on a patriotic pamphlet, entitled
“Proceedings of the United Irishmen.”
Sect. 2. Democratic principles illustrated by example.
Sect. 3. Democratic memoirs; or an account of some recent feats
performed by the Frenchified citizens of the United States of
America.
[London Edition of [7] and [9] printed for J. Wright, opposite
Old Bond Street, Piccadilly, 1797: A Bone to Gnaw for the
Democrats. By Peter Porcupine, author of the Bloody Buoy,
&c., &c. To which is prefixed A Rod for the Backs of the
Critics; containing an historical sketch of the present state
of political criticism in Great Britain; as exemplified in the
conduct of the Monthly, Critical, and Analytical Reviews, &c.,
&c. Interspersed with Anecdotes. By Humphrey Hedgehog. 12mo.
pp. xcv.-175.]
10. A LITTLE PLAIN ENGLISH, addressed to the people of the United
States, on the Treaty, and on the conduct of the President relative
thereto, in answer to “The Letters of Franklin.” By Peter Porcupine.
Philadelphia, August, 1795. pp. viii.-102.
11. A NEW YEAR’S GIFT TO THE DEMOCRATS; or observations on a pamphlet
entitled, “A Vindication of Mr. Randolph’s Resignation.” Philadelphia,
Jan. 1796. pp. 71.
12. The CENSOR, No. 1; or a Review of Political Occurrences relative to
the United States of America. Philadelphia, Jan. 1796.
[“This number of the ‘Censor’ was originally called ‘The
Prospect from the Congress Gallery;’ and as such it has been
sometimes referred to.”--_Note in collected works._]
13. The BLOODY BUOY, thrown out as a Warning to the Political Pilots of
all Nations; or, a faithful relation of a multitude of acts of horrid
barbarity, such as the eye never witnessed, the tongue expressed,
or the imagination conceived, until the commencement of the French
Revolution. To which is added, an instructive Essay, tracing these
dreadful effects to their real causes. Philadelphia, 1796.
[Among reprints in England, there is one at Cambridge,
entitled, “Annals of Blood; or an Authentic Relation,” &c.]
14. The CENSOR, No. 2. Philadelphia, March, 1796.
15. The CENSOR, No. 3. Philadelphia, April, 1796.
16. The CENSOR, No. 4. Philadelphia, May, 1796.
17. The SCARE-CROW; being an infamous letter sent to Mr. John Oldden,
threatening destruction to his house, and violence to the person of his
tenant, William Cobbett. With remarks on the same. Philadelphia: “From
the Free Press of William Cobbett, July 22, 1796.”
18. The LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF PETER PORCUPINE, with a full and fair
account of all his authoring transactions; being a sure and infallible
guide for all enterprising young men who wish to make a fortune by
writing pamphlets.--“Now you lying varlets, you shall see how a plain
tale will put you down.”--SHAKESPEARE. Philadelphia, Aug. 1796.
19. The CENSOR, No. 5. Philadelphia, Sept. 1796.
[Contents:--Life of Thomas Paine, interspersed with remarks and
reflections. Remarks on the pamphlets lately published against
Peter Porcupine.]
20. The GROS MOUSQUETON DIPLOMATIQUE; or diplomatic blunderbuss.
Containing Citizen Adet’s notes to the Secretary of State; as also his
cockade proclamation, with a preface. Philadelphia, Oct. 1796.
[A compilation, with short preface, to pave the way for the
next Censor.]
21. The CENSOR, No. 6. Philadelphia, Nov. 1796.
[Remarks on the Blunderbuss.]
22. The CENSOR, No. 7. Philadelphia, Dec. 1796.
[Contents:--Remarks on the debates in Congress.--A letter to
the infamous Tom Paine, in answer to his letter to General
Washington.]
23. The CENSOR, No. 8. Philadelphia, Jan. 1797.
24. PORCUPINE’S GAZETTE: daily newspaper. Philadelphia, March 4,
1797--Dec. 1799. A farewell number was issued to the subscribers, from
New York, in Jan. 1800.
25. The REPUBLICAN JUDGE; or, the American liberty of the press, as
exhibited, explained, and exposed, in the base and partial prosecution
of William Cobbett, for a pretended libel against the King of Spain
and his ambassador, before the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. With an
Address to the people of England. Philadelphia, Nov. 1797.
26. DETECTION OF A CONSPIRACY FORMED BY THE UNITED IRISHMEN, with the
evident intention of aiding the tyrants of France in subverting the
Government of the United States of America. Philadelphia, May, 1798.
27. [_Abridgment._] The CANNIBAL’S PROGRESS; or the dreadful horrors
of French invasion, as displayed by the Republican officers and
soldiers, in their perfidy, rapacity, ferociousness, and brutality,
exercised towards the innocent inhabitants of Germany. Abridged from
the translation of Anthony Aufrere, Esq. Philadelphia, June, 1798.
[Introductory Address, by the Editor.]
28. REMARKS ON THE EXPLANATION, lately published by Dr. Priestley,
respecting the intercepted letters of his friend and disciple, John H.
Stone. To which is added, a Certificate of Civism for Joseph Priestley,
jun. By Peter Porcupine. Philadelphia, 1799. 8vo. pp. 52.
29. The TRIAL OF REPUBLICANISM; or a series of political papers,
proving the injurious and debasing consequences of Republican
Government, and written Constitutions. With an introductory address to
the Hon. Thomas Erskine, Esq. Philadelphia, June, 1799.
30. A CONCISE AND COMPREHENSIVE HISTORY OF PRINCE SUWOROW’S CAMPAIGN IN
ITALY, IN THE YEAR 1799. Philadelphia, Jan. 1800.
31. The RUSHLIGHT; by the help of which wayward and disaffected Britons
may see a complete specimen of the baseness, dishonesty, ingratitude,
and perfidy of Republicans, and of the profligacy, injustice, and
tyranny of Republican Governments. By Peter Porcupine. Five numbers.
New York, Feb.-April, 1800. pp. 258.
The RUSHLIGHT, No. 6. London and New York, August, 1800. pp. 51.
[An Address to the People of England.
To the People of the United States of America.]
32. The PORCUPINE; daily newspaper. London, Oct. 30, 1800…(?) Nov.
1801.
33. PORCUPINE’S WORKS; containing various writings and selections,
exhibiting a faithful picture of the United States of America; of their
governments, laws, politics and resources; of the characters of their
presidents, governors, legislators, magistrates, and military men;
and of the customs, manners, morals, religion, virtues, and vices of
the people; comprising also a complete series of historical documents
and remarks, from the end of the war, in 1783, to the election of the
president, in March, 1801. By William Cobbett. In twelve volumes.
London, 1801. 8vo.
[The contents of the first eleven volumes include those of the
above-enumerated publications under articles 6-31, with the
addition of complementary matter:--
A summary view of the politics of the United States from the
close of the war to the year 1794.
Account of the insurrection in the western counties of
Pennsylvania, in 1794.
A summary of the proceedings in Congress, during the session
which commenced on the 4th of November, 1794.
Proceedings relative to the British treaty.
An analysis of Randolph’s Vindication.
Miscellaneous State Papers [French depredations; Washington’s
retirement; impeachment of Wm. Blount, &c.]
Miscellaneous Anecdotes.
Selections from _Porcupine’s Gazette_.
The twelfth volume contains a series of historical documents
and remarks, from Dec. 1799 to March 1801; some of which are
extracted from the London _Porcupine_.]
34. A COLLECTION OF FACTS AND OBSERVATIONS, RELATIVE TO THE PEACE
WITH BONAPARTE, chiefly extracted from the _Porcupine_, and including
Mr. Cobbett’s letters to Lord Hawkesbury. To which is added, an
appendix, containing the divers conventions, treaties, state-papers,
and despatches connected with the subject; together with extracts from
the speeches of Mr. Pitt, Mr. Fox, and Lord Hawkesbury, respecting
Bonaparte and a peace with France. By William Cobbett. London, Nov. 2,
1801. 8vo. pp. 231-lxiii.
35. LETTERS TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE HENRY ADDINGTON, Chancellor of
His Majesty’s Exchequer, on the fatal effects of the peace with
Buonaparte, particularly with respect to the colonies, the commerce,
the manufactures, and the constitution of the United Kingdom. By
William Cobbett. London, January, 1802. 8vo.
[These two articles [34, 35] were reproduced, in part, under
the following title: “Letters to the Right Honourable Lord
Hawkesbury, and to the Right Honourable Henry Addington, on
the peace with Buonaparte, to which is added an appendix,
containing a collection (now greatly enlarged) of all the
conventions, treaties, speeches, and other documents connected
with the subject. By William Cobbett. Second Edition. London,
January, 1802.]
36. COBBETT’S WEEKLY POLITICAL REGISTER. London, January, 1803-June,
1835.
[Fortnightly in Jan. 1803, afterwards weekly, except April 12
to July 5, 1817; Mar. 21, May 2, June 27, Aug. 15, Oct. 17,
24, 31, Nov. 7, 14, 1818; Aug. 21, Oct. 16, Nov. 20, 27, 1819;
Feb. 26, Mar. 4, 11, 18, 1820--all of which were missed. Price
10_d._, occasionally 1_s._, until October, 1816, thence 2_d._
till Jan. 6, 1820 (July to October, 1816, reprinted in cheap
form); 6_d._ from Jan. 15, 1820 to Dec. 1827; 7_d._ from Jan.
1828; 1_s._ from Oct. 30, 1830; 1_s._ 2_d._ from Jan. 8, 1831.]
The first four vols. (_Cobbett’s Annual Register_ on title) published
with supplements of state papers, &c.
_Cobbett’s Weekly Political Pamphlet_, on and after Feb. 15, 1817;
again called _Cobbett’s Weekly Political Register_ in the following
year.
_Cobbett’s Weekly Register_ in April, 1821.
_Cobbett’s Weekly Political Register_, during and after 1828.
Many articles were reprinted from the _Register_, and published
separately. The most important were:--
RURAL RIDES in the counties of Surrey, Kent, Sussex, Hampshire,
Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire,
Somersetshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, and
Hertfordshire; with economical and political observations relative to
matters applicable to, and illustrated by the state of those counties
respectively. London, 1830. 12mo. pp. 668.
COBBETT’S TOUR IN SCOTLAND, and in the four northern counties of
England: in the autumn of the year 1832. London, 1833. 12mo. pp. 264.
[The _Register_ was continued, at intervals, after Cobbett’s
death. It appeared as late as September, 1836.]
37. [_Translation._] The Empire of Germany divided into departments,
under the prefecture of the Elector of ----. To which is prefixed, a
memoir on the political and military state of the continent, written
by the same author. Translated from the French by William Cobbett.
_Preface_ by the translator. London, Jan. 1803.
[Also printed in the Supplement to vol. 2 of the _Register_.]
38. COBBETT’S PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES. London, Dec. 1803, &c.
[In the year 1812 this work passed into the hands of Mr. T.
C. Hansard, and new titles were given to all volumes from
the commencement issued after that date:--“The Parliamentary
Debates from the year 1803 to the present time; forming a
continuation of the work entitled, ‘The Parliamentary History
of England from the earliest period to the present time.’”
An advertisement, inserted in reprints of the first volume,
explained the alteration to the public:--“London, Oct. 1812.
Mr. Cobbett having disposed of his interest in this work, it
is now continued under the general title of ‘The Parliamentary
Debates;’” and proceeded to state that the general conduct of
the work was not in any respect affected by the alteration.]
39. The POLITICAL PROTEUS. A view of the public character and conduct
of R. B. Sheridan, Esq., as exhibited in, I. Ten letters to him; II.
Selections from his parliamentary speeches from the commencement of the
French Revolution; III. Selections from his speeches at the Whig club,
and at other public meetings. By William Cobbett. London, Jan. 1804.
8vo. pp. 388.
[The letters had previously appeared in the _Register_.]
40. [_Compilation._] COBBETT’S SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS for the
Year 1804. London, Jan. 1805. pp. xx.-1219.
[“Letters, Essays, &c., taken from the English, American, and
French journals for the year 1804, the subjects being all of
that nature which render them interesting to the politician.”]
41. COBBETT’S PARLIAMENTARY HISTORY OF ENGLAND, from the Norman
Conquest, in 1066, to the year 1803, from which last-mentioned epoch it
is continued downwards in the work entitled, “Cobbett’s Parliamentary
Debates.” London Oct. 1806.
[The tenth and succeeding volumes are called, “The
Parliamentary History of England.”]
42. COBBETT’S COMPLETE COLLECTION OF STATE TRIALS and Proceedings for
High Treason and other Crimes and Misdemeanors from the Earliest Period
to the Present Time. London, 1809, &c.
[After the tenth volume, when Cobbett’s interest in the
publication had been transferred, the title ran:--“A complete
collection … to the present time. With notes and other
illustrations. Compiled by T. B. Howell, Esq., F.R.S. F.S.A.”
Vols. XXII.-XXXIII.:--” … and continued from the year 1783
to the present time. By Thomas Jones Howell Esq.” Vol.
XXXIV:--“General index to … By David Jardine, Esq., of the
Middle Temple, Barrister-at-law.”]
43. [_Preface_, &c.] AN ESSAY ON SHEEP, intended chiefly to promote the
introduction and propagation of merinos in the United States of America
… By R. R. Livingston. Printed by order of the Legislature of the State
of New York. London, reprinted: with a preface and explanatory notes by
William Cobbett. 1811.
44. PAPER AGAINST GOLD, AND GLORY AGAINST PROSPERITY. Or, an account
of the rise, progress, extent, and present state of the funds and of
the paper-money of Great Britain; and also of the situation of that
country as to its debt and other expenses; its navigation, commerce
and manufactures; its taxes, population, and paupers; drawn from
authentic documents, and brought down to the end of the year 1814.
In two volumes. By William Cobbett. London, 1815. pp. viii.-523, and
iv.-100-cxxvii.
[The title slightly altered, in a later issue, with an
Introduction, dated 1817:--
PAPER AGAINST GOLD; or the History and Mystery of the Bank of England,
of the Debt, of the Stocks, of the Sinking Fund, and of all the other
tricks and contrivances, carried on by the means of Paper Money. 8vo.
Columns viii.-470; and 12mo. pp. xviii.-332.
“A Preliminary part of Paper against Gold,” consisting of
essays written between 1803 and 1806, was published in 1821.]
45. A YEAR’S RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Treating of
the face of the country, the climate, the soil, the products, the
mode of cultivating the land, the prices of lands, of labour, of
food, of raiment; of the expenses of housekeeping, and of the usual
manner of living; of the manners and customs of the people; and of the
institutions of the country, civil, political, and religious. In three
parts. By William Cobbett; London, 1818. 8vo. pp. viii.-610; also 12mo,
pp. 370.
46. A GRAMMAR OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, in a series of letters.
Intended for the use of schools and of young persons in general; but,
more especially for the use of soldiers, sailors, apprentices, and
plough-boys. By William Cobbett. London, 1818. pp. iv.-186.
47. COBBETT’S EVENING POST. Daily newspaper; London, January 29,-April
1, 1820.
48. The AMERICAN GARDENER; or a treatise on the situation, soil,
fencing, and laying-out of gardens; on the making and managing of
hot-beds and green-houses; and on the propagation and cultivation of
the several sorts of table vegetables, herbs, fruits, and flowers.
London, 1821. Par. 391 (not paged).
49. COBBETT’S MONTHLY RELIGIOUS TRACTS. London, 1821-22; afterwards,
TWELVE SERMONS ON, 1. Hypocrisy and Cruelty; 2. Drunkenness; 3.
Bribery; 4. The Rights of the Poor; 5. Unjust Judges; 6. The Sluggard;
7. Murder; 8. Gaming; 9. Public robbery; 10. The Unnatural Mother; 11.
Forbidding marriage; 12. Parsons and Tithes. By William Cobbett. 12mo.
pp. 295; a later edition, pp. 240.
To these was subsequently added:
Good Friday, or the murder of Jesus Christ by the Jews, pp. 24.
50. COTTAGE ECONOMY: containing information relative to the brewing
of beer, making of bread, keeping of cows, pigs, bees, ewes, goats,
poultry, and rabbits, and relative to other matters deemed useful in
the conducting of the affairs of a labourer’s family; to which are
added, instructions relative to the selecting, the cutting, and the
bleaching of the plants of English grass and grain, for the purpose of
making hats and bonnets; and also instructions for erecting and using
ice-houses, after the Virginian manner. By William Cobbett. London,
1821. Par. 265 (not paged).
51. COBBETT’S COLLECTIVE COMMENTARIES: or, remarks on the proceedings
in the collective wisdom of the nation, during the session which began
on the 5th of February, and ended on the 6th of August, in the 3rd
year of the reign of King George the Fourth, and in the year of our
Lord, 1822; being the third session of the first parliament of that
king. To which are subjoined, a complete list of the acts passed during
the session, with elucidations; and other notes and matters; forming,
altogether, a short, but clear history of the collective wisdom for the
year. London, 1822. pp. 320.
[Mostly from daily contributions to the _Statesman_ newspaper.]
52. [_Preface_, &c.] The HORSE-HOEING HUSBANDRY: or, a treatise on the
principles of tillage and vegetation, wherein is taught a method of
introducing a sort of vineyard culture into the cornfields, in order
to increase their product and diminish the common expenses. By Jethro
Tull, of Shalborne in the County of Berks.
To which is prefixed, an introduction, explanatory of some
circumstances connected with the history and division of the work; and
containing an account of certain experiments of recent date. By William
Cobbett. London, 1822. 8vo. pp. xix.-332.
53. COBBETT’S FRENCH GRAMMAR; or plain instructions for the learning of
French. London, 1823.
[A book of exercises was added (1834), by James P. Cobbett.]
54. A HISTORY OF THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION IN ENGLAND AND IRELAND:
showing how that event has impoverished and degraded the main body of
the people in those countries. In a series of letters, addressed to
all sensible and just Englishmen. By William Cobbett. London, 1824-25.
12mo, 478 par.; and 8vo.
A second Part; containing a list of the abbeys, priories,
nunneries, hospitals, and other religious foundations, in
England and Wales, and in Ireland, confiscated, seized on,
or alienated, by the Protestant “Reformation” Sovereigns and
Parliaments. London, 1827.
55. THE WOODLANDS: or, a treatise on the preparing of ground for
planting; on the planting; on the cultivating; on the pruning; and on
the cutting down of forest trees and underwoods; describing the usual
growth and size, and the uses of each sort of tree, the seed of each,
the season and manner of collecting the seed, the manner of preserving
and of sowing it, and also the manner of managing the young plants
until fit to plant out; the trees being arranged in alphabetical order,
and the list of them, including those of America as well as those of
England, and the English, French, and Latin name being prefixed to the
directions relative to each tree respectively. By William Cobbett.
London, 1825. 8vo. Par. 601 (not paged).
56. COBBETT’S POOR MAN’S FRIEND; or a defence of the rights of those
who do the work and fight the battles. London, 1826. 12mo. pp. 72.
57. THE ENGLISH GARDENER; a treatise on the kitchen garden, the flower
garden, the shrubbery, and the orchard. With a calendar, giving
instructions relative to the sowings, plantings, prunings, and other
labours, to be performed in the gardens, in each month of the year. By
William Cobbett. London, 1827. 8vo and 12mo. pp. 405.
[An enlargement of “The American Gardener,” with certain parts
adapted to the English climate].
58. A TREATISE ON COBBETT’S CORN, containing instructions for
propagating and cultivating the plant, and for harvesting and
preserving the crop; and also an account of the several uses to which
the produce is applied, with minute directions relative to each mode of
application. By William Cobbett. London, 1828. 12mo. Par. 203.
[The title-page and “contents” were printed on paper made from
the corn.]
59. [_Translation._] ELEMENTS OF THE ROMAN HISTORY, in English and
French, from the foundation of Rome to the battle of Actium, selected
from the best authors, ancient and modern, with a series of questions
at the end of each chapter. For the use of schools and young persons in
general. The English by William Cobbett; the French by J. H. Sievrac.
London, 1828. 12mo. pp. ix.-265.
60. The EMIGRANTS’ GUIDE; in ten letters addressed to the tax-payers of
England; containing information of every kind, necessary to persons who
are about to emigrate; including several authentic and most interesting
letters from English emigrants, now in America, to their friends in
England; and an account of the prices of house and land, recently,
obtained from America by Mr. Cobbett. By William Cobbett. London, 1828.
12mo. pp. 168.
61. ADVICE TO YOUNG MEN, and (incidentally) to young women, in the
middle and higher ranks of life: in a series of letters addressed to
a youth, a bachelor, a lover, a husband, a father, a citizen, or a
subject. By William Cobbett. London, 1830. 12mo. Par. 355.
62. A SPELLING-BOOK, with appropriate lessons in reading, and with a
stepping-stone to English grammar. By William Cobbett. London, 1831.
12mo. pp. iv.-185.
63. ELEVEN LECTURES ON THE FRENCH AND BELGIAN REVOLUTIONS, and English
borough-mongering, delivered in the theatre of the Rotunda, Blackfriars
Bridge. By William Cobbett, with a portrait. London, 1830. 8vo.
64. COBBETT’S PLAN OF PARLIAMENTARY REFORM, addressed to the young men
of England. London, 1830.
65. COBBETT’S MANCHESTER LECTURES, in support of his fourteen reform
propositions.…
To which is subjoined, a letter to Mr. O’Connell, on his speech, made
in Dublin, on the 4th Jan. 1832, against the proposition for the
establishing of poor laws in Ireland. London, 1832. 12mo. pp. xii.-179.
66. A GEOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY OF ENGLAND AND WALES; containing the
names, in alphabetical order, of all the counties, with their several
subdivisions into hundreds, lathes, rapes, wapentakes, wards, or
divisions; and an account of the distribution of the counties into
circuits, dioceses, and parliamentary divisions. Also, the names (under
that of each county respectively) in alphabetical order, of all the
cities, boroughs, market towns, villages, hamlets, and tithings, with
the distance of each from London, or from the nearest market town, and
with the population, and other interesting particulars relative to
each; besides which there are maps; first, one of the whole country,
showing the local situation of the counties relatively to each other;
and, then, each county is also preceded by a map, showing, in the same
manner, the local situations of the cities, boroughs, and market towns.
Four tables are added; first, a statistical table of all the counties,
and then three tables, showing the new divisions and distributions
enacted by the reform-law of 4th June, 1832. By William Cobbett.
London, 1832. 8vo. pp. lxxxiv.-547.
67. [_Preface._] The CURSE OF PAPER-MONEY AND BANKING: By Wm. Gouge, of
Philadelphia, 1833. London, reprinted, 1833, with an introduction (pp.
xxii.) by William Cobbett.
68. HISTORY OF THE REGENCY AND REIGN OF KING GEORGE THE FOURTH. By
William Cobbett. London, 1830-1834. 2 vols. 12mo.
69. [_Abridgment._] LIFE OF ANDREW JACKSON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA. Abridged and compiled by William Cobbett, M.P. for
Oldham. London, 1834. 12mo. pp. x.-142.
70. A NEW FRENCH AND ENGLISH DICTIONARY. In two parts. Part I. French
and English; Part II. English and French. By William Cobbett, M.P. for
Oldham. London, 1834. 8vo. pp. xiv.-408-418.
71. SURPLUS POPULATION, AND POOR-LAW BILL; a comedy in three acts. By
William Cobbett, M.P. London, 1835.
72. COBBETT’S LEGACY TO LABOURERS; or, what is the right which the
lords, baronets, and squires, have to possess the lands, or to make
the laws? In six letters, addressed to the working people of the whole
kingdom. With a dedication to Sir Robert Peel. London, 1835. 16mo. p.
141.
73. COBBETT’S LEGACY TO PEEL; or, an inquiry with respect to what the
right honourable baronet will now do with the House of Commons, with
Ireland, with the English Church and the Dissenters, with the swarms of
pensioners, &c., with the crown lands and the army, with the currency
and the debt. In six letters. London, 1835. 18mo.
74. COBBETT’S LEGACY TO PARSONS; or, have the clergy of the established
church an equitable right to the tithes, or to any other thing called
church property, greater than the dissenters have to the same? And,
ought there, or ought there not, to be a separation of the Church from
the State? In six letters, addressed to the church-parsons in general,
including the cathedral and college clergy and the bishops. With a
dedication to Blomfield, Bishop of London. London, 1835. 16mo. pp.
192.
INDEX.
Abbot (Charles, 1st Baron Colchester)--his conferences, “after
church,” with Mr. Perceval, ii. 49, 110.
Abercrombie (Rev. James), of Philadelphia, i. 194.
Adam (William)--C.’s counsel on first Government prosecution, i. 307.
Adams (John), President of U. S.--C. supports his administration, i. 187.
Addington (Henry, 1st Viscount Sidmouth) becomes Premier, i. 271;
C.’s letters to him on the peace, 279;
his incapacity as a statesman, 302;
bestows a sinecure upon his son, 327;
other references, ii. 170, 178.
Adet (Pierre A.), French envoy to America, i. 181.
Agricultural interest--its troubles, ii. 153, 154, 259.
America--The War of Independence, i. 16;
Raynal and other writers invoke interest in Europe concerning the
country, 96;
current political condition in the United States, 121;
rise of the two great parties, 122;
treaty with England, 127, 138;
flogging abolished in the States, ii. 133;
the war of 1812 and its effects, 198;
C.’s writings again attract notice in America, 200.
André (Major)--exhumation of his remains, ii. 218.
Andrews’s “British Journalism” quoted, ii. 117.
Anti-Cobbett literature, i. 136, 172, 174, 177, 189, 303; ii. 43,
46, 47, 48, 55, 56, 110, 123, 171, 217, 226, 243, 260.
Anti-Gallicanism in London, i. 287.
Anti-Jacobinism, i. 131, 241, 252, 263.
Astley (Sir J.), ii. 65.
Attwood (Thomas), M.P. for Birmingham, ii. 286.
Bache (Benjamin F.)--his Philadelphia newspaper, i. 139, &c.;
notice of his family, 151;
his editorial virulence, 204.
Bagshaw (Richard), newsman, ii. 59, 76, 114, 126.
Baker (Rev. Richard), the “Botley parson,” ii. 74, 150, 151.
Bamford (Samuel)--his “Recollections” quoted, ii. 156.
Beevor (Sir Thomas) supports C.’s candidature for parliament, ii. 252.
Beloe (Rev. Wm.), i. 237, 251, 289.
Benbow (Wm.) a sufferer under the Press Laws, ii. 206.
Bentham (Jeremy) quoted, i. 197, 306;
contributes to the London _Porcupine_, 276.
Berkeley (Admiral Sir George), i. 23.
Bibliography, ii. 305.
Birkbeck (Morris)--his emigration scheme, ii. 205.
Blagdon (F. W.)--his _Weekly Political Register_, ii. 47.
Blount (Wm.), Governor of Tennessee, i. 207.
Booksellers and Authors, i. 117, 150; ii. 77.
Bosville (Colonel), parliamentary reformer, ii. 11, 146.
Botley, Hants--C. visits there, i. 316;
settles there, ii. 1;
its situation, 2;
rural sports, &c., 5, 20.
Bouverie (William Pleydell, 3rd Earl of Radnor)--his close
friendship with C., ii. 23;
notice of him, _ib._;
Commons motion for inquiry into Corruption, 49;
his plantings at Coleshill, 231;
attends on behalf of C. at his trial, 264;
his letter in support of C.’s candidature at Manchester, 277;
other references, 97, 112.
Bowles (John), Anti-Jacobin writer, i. 241, 263.
Bradford (Thomas), bookseller and printer, of Philadelphia--notice
of family, i. 101;
his business relations with C., 116, 139, 146, 175.
Brand (Rev. John), i. 263.
Brissot de Warville (Jean Pierre)--his American Travels quoted,
i. 97, 98.
_British Critic_, introduces C.’s American writings to the English
public, i. 233;
recants, 291.
Brougham (Henry, 1st Lord), ii. 48, 132, 223, 267.
Budd (John) succeeds to C.’s book-shop in Pall Mall, i. 308;
is prosecuted with C., ii. 114, 126.
Buonaparte (Napoleon)--alternations of public feeling concerning
him, i. 290.
Burdett (Sir Francis), i. 312;
C. begins to support him, 320;
elected M.P. for Westminster, ii. 29;
his popularity, 64;
is sent to the Tower, 110, 111;
his endeavours against military flogging, 130;
advances money to C., 146, 218;
his half-heartedness in the Reform cause, 179, 256.
Callender (James Thomson)--notice of him, i. 131.
Canning (George)--his anti-Jacobin services, i. 240, 241, 252;
his opposition to parliamentary reform, ii. 256.
Carey (Matthew)--notice of him, i. 116, 189.
Carleton (Guy, 1st Baron Dorchester), i. 52, 76.
Caroline, Queen of George IV.--the first delicate investigation, ii. 18;
C.’s advocacy of her cause, ii. 224.
Cartwright (Major John)--his advocacy of parliamentary reform;
notice of him, ii. 11;
other references, 77, 78, 207.
Catholic Emancipation, ii. 224.
Chatham, co. Kent--C.’s life there as a recruit, i. 35.
Cintra, convention of--outcry against it in England, ii. 70.
Clarke (Mary Ann), the Duke of York’s mistress, ii. 58, 60.
Cleary (Thomas), ii. 221.
Clergy of the English Church--their antipathy to reform, ii. 152,
239, 263.
Cliffton (William), American poet, i. 189.
Cobbett (Ann, _born_ Reid), i. 54, 57; ii. 119, 122.
Cobbett (Anne), ii. 72, 78, 79, 122.
COBBETT (William)--his birthplace, i. 1;
parents, 5;
early years, 7-21;
his employment in London, 26;
enlists, 28;
his life as a recruit, 35, 41;
his studies, 43;
discharge, 54;
his sweetheart, 55;
marriage, 58;
his first attacks on “corruption,” 60, 62;
the Soldiers’ Friend, 79, 88;
goes to France, 85;
to Philadelphia, 100;
teaches English and compiles “Le Tuteur Anglais,” 102;
translates for the booksellers, 103;
opposes himself to attacks on England, 109;
“Observations on Dr. Priestley’s Emigration,” 113;
his anti-Jacobinism, 131;
his political pamphlets, 133, 134;
sudden notoriety, 135;
“A little plain English,” 139;
his popularity as a partisan-writer, 145, 184;
quarrel with his publisher, 147, 150;
“Political Censor,” 148;
becomes a bookseller, 161;
publishes his “Life and Adventures,” 165;
anti-Cobbett literature, 177;
starts _Porcupine’s Gazette_, 185;
is prosecuted for “libel,” 202;
lampoons Dr. Rush, 211;
is sued by him, 215;
removes to New York, 218;
returns to England, 229;
what they had said of him in England, 232, _et seq._;
Government offers, 245;
voyage home, 247;
influential visitors, 250;
dines with the ministers of state, 253;
his subsequent reflections, 256, 258;
more Government offers, 260;
resolves on “independence,” 261;
will support Mr. Pitt, 267;
starts the _Porcupine_ newspaper, 268;
close of its career, 278;
his book-shop, 279;
heads the new opposition under Mr. Windham, 280;
the _Political Register_, 283;
his fixed principles, 286;
anti-Gallicanism, 288, 289;
excites envy, 292;
deserves a “statue of gold,” 293;
his anti-Gallican appeal to the nation, 295;
begins to study finance, 301;
first Government prosecution, 304;
success of the _Register_, 308;
relinquishes the book-shop, _ib._;
miscellaneous publications, 309;
“Parliamentary Debates,” 310;
must live in the country, 311;
visits Botley, 316;
his determined war upon corruption in Church and State, 322, 327;
his reasons for deserting Mr. Pitt, 324;
altered attitude of people toward him in consequence, 328.
At Botley, ii. 1;
his pursuits and tastes, 4, 5;
determines to settle at Botley, 6;
“Parliamentary History,” and other projects, 8;
his advocacy of parliamentary reform, 10;
enemies thus raised up, 12;
at Honiton election, 13;
address to electors of Westminster, 14;
bitter hostility of the _Morning Post_, 19;
his home, &c., described by Miss Mitford, 22;
new friends, 21, 23;
is asked to contest Westminster, 25;
quarrel with Sheridan, 27;
he cannot live in London, 31;
threats of further prosecution, 35;
his devotion to the interests of the Labouring Poor, 39;
his high qualities as an employer, 42;
calumnies, 43;
increasing animosity toward him, 45;
anti-Cobbett literature of the period, 46, 48;
leads the Reformists, 50;
his usual pursuits, sports, &c., 51;
pecuniary pinches, 52;
supports inquiry into the affairs of the Duke of York, 58;
his plantings, &c., 63, 65, 68;
disinclination to enter parliament, 67;
his sphere as a comment maker, _ib._;
“State Trials,” 70;
his children, 72;
speaks in public, 74;
independence of Party, 75;
defiance, 81, 82;
answers the court-martial story, 85;
his attachment to soldiers, 89;
reminiscences of flogging, 92;
the flogging “libel,” 93;
the Messrs. Swann, 98;
prosecution, 114;
verdict of the jury, 118;
sentence, 126;
in Newgate, 127;
renewed protests against flogging, 131;
life in prison, 135;
“Paper against Gold,” 136;
growing acrimony, 140;
pecuniary difficulties, 142;
his quarrel with Mr. Wright, 143;
release from Newgate, 147;
growing antipathy of the clergy, 149;
opposes the proposed Corn Law, 153;
hostility of the landed interest, _ib._;
renewed urging of Reform, 155;
the first cheap _Register_, 158;
his abhorrence of violent measures, 176;
is again threatened, 181;
will go to America, 183;
his farewell, 185;
admirers in the United States, 199;
his settlement near New York, 202;
new works projected, 206;
“English Grammar,” and “Year’s Residence,” 207;
proposes to return, 209;
exhumes the bones of T. Paine, 212;
his arrival in England, 215;
quarrel with Burdett, 219;
actions brought against him by Cleary and Wright, 223;
his advocacy of Queen Caroline’s cause, 224;
is “in disgrace” over Paine and Burdett and Wright, 225;
_Cobbett’s Evening Post_, 229;
bankruptcy, 230;
his seed-farm at Kensington, 231;
books on rural and domestic affairs, 233;
is awarded the Society of Arts’ silver medal, 234;
aversion to the potato, 235;
“History of the Protestant Reformation,” 239;
other publications, 244;
“Rural Rides,” 246;
resolves upon entering parliament, 249;
contests Coventry, 251, and Preston, 255;
is prosecuted for “sedition,” 259;
his triumph, 266;
address to the Manchester electors, 275;
his reception in Lancashire, 279, and in Scotland, 281;
election for Oldham, _ib._;
in parliament, 283;
his work is done, 291;
death, 304;
_v._ also Anti-Cobbett.
Cobbett (William, junior) at school, i. 312;
his early promise, ii. 32, 52, 72;
publisher of the _Register_, 178;
return from America with his father, 214.
Cochrane (Thomas, 10th Earl of Dundonald)--his candidature at the
Honiton election, ii. 13, 18;
visits C. at Botley, 20;
M.P. for Westminster, 30;
a zealous Reformer, 156, 157;
other references, 78, 148, 179.
Colchester (Baron)--_v._ Abbot.
Commons (House of)--its corrupt state, ii. 36, 68;
its conservative habits, 284.
Corruption in Church and State--its prevalence, i. 57, 61, 321,
326, 327; ii. 36.
Coventry election of 1821, ii. 251.
Cox and Baylis (Messrs.), printers of the _Register_, ii. 101.
Currency, C.’s writings, ii. 137.
Currie (William), M.D., of Philadelphia, i. 210.
Curtis (Sir Wm.), M.P., ii. 128.
Dallas (Alex. J.), American politician, i. 129, 139.
Davies (Benjamin), bookseller, of Philadelphia, i. 148.
Day (Rev. Charles)--his attack upon C., ii. 263.
Debbieg (Colonel), i. 36.
Democracy--its progress, ii. 296.
De Morgan (Augustus) quoted, ii. 116.
Denman (Thomas, 1st Lord), counsel to Queen Caroline, ii. 224;
prosecutes C. for “sedition,” 264.
Dennie (J.), American man of letters, i. 122.
Drakard (--), Lincolnshire editor, sent to jail in the cause of
humanity, ii. 129.
Droxford, co. Hants, ii. 8.
Duane (William), democratic writer, i. 189, 217.
Duncombe (Thos. Slingsby)--his memoirs quoted, ii. 255.
Dundas (Henry, Lord Melville), i. 78, 319, 325, 327.
Dundonald (Earl of)--_v._ Cochrane.
D’Yrujo (Chevalier), Spanish envoy to the American Republic, i. 201.
Eaton (Daniel), bookseller, stands in the pillory, ii. 150.
_Edinburgh Review_--its attack upon C., ii. 56.
Ellenborough (Lord)--_v._ Law.
Elliot (Gilbert, 1st Earl of Minto) testifies to C.’s loyalty, i. 306.
Elliott (William), M.P., ii. 29, 33.
Ellis (George), i. 241, 253.
Emigration to America, ii. 205.
Everley, co. Wilts, a famous place for coursing, ii. 51.
Ewing (William), barrister, of Philadelphia--anecdote of him, i. 192.
_Examiner_ newspaper is persecuted, ii. 108, 130;
persecutes C., 110, 123, 148.
Farnham, co. Surrey--its situation and its people 100 years ago, i. 1.
Fauchet (J. A. J.), French envoy to America, i. 141.
Fearon (Henry B.), surgeon--his visit to America, ii. 205.
Fenno (John), newspaper editor, i. 166, 171.
Fenno (J. W.), son of the above, i. 189, 212, 223.
Fielden (John), M.P. for Oldham, ii. 278.
Finnerty (Peter)--notice of him, ii. 72;
other references, 16, 36, 59, 76, 108, 121.
Fitzgerald (Lord Edward), i. 54.
Flogging in the army--animadversions of the press, ii. 90;
case of, at Ely, and C.’s comments thereon, 91, 93;
gets into discredit, 129, 134.
Flogging of the poor--measure suggested in Parliament, ii. 130.
Flower (Benjamin)--his political review, ii. 47;
visits the United States, 205.
Folkestone (Viscount)--_v._ Bouverie.
Fox (Charles James), i. 82, 323; ii. 24.
French refugees in America, i. 104, 105.
French Republic--its relations with that of America, i. 181, 183.
Freneau (Philip)--his democratic poems, i. 189.
Frere (John Hookham), i. 241, 252.
Garlike (Benjamin), diplomatist, an early friend of C., i. 33.
Genest (Edmond Charles), French diplomatist--notice of him, i. 125.
Gibbs (Sir Vicary), Attorney-General in the Perceval
administration, ii. 90, 102, 114;
his antipathy to the press, 115, 117.
Gifford (John), anti-Jacobin writer, republishes C.’s American
pamphlets, i. 236;
notice of him, 240;
other references, 263, 264, 278; ii. 35.
Gifford (William), i. 181, 248, 263, 265.
Gilfillan (Rev. George)--his recollections of C., ii. 282.
Glasse (Rev. G. H.), i. 251.
Goodman (Thomas), agricultural labourer, convicted of
incendiarism, ii. 262.
Gould (Sir Charles), Judge-Advocate-General in 1792, i. 62.
Grenville--_v._ Wyndham.
Grey (Charles, 2nd Earl Grey), ii. 34.
Grose (Sir N.) passes sentence upon C., ii. 124.
Hague (Thomas)--his pamphlet against the Duke of York, ii. 76.
Hamilton (Alexander), i. 122.
Hamlin (--)--his case of attempting to corrupt Mr. Addington, i. 327.
Hammond (George), Under-Secretary of State, i. 252, 260.
Hansard (T. C.) becomes the printer of the _Register_, ii. 101;
is prosecuted along with C., 114, 126;
takes over the “Parliamentary Debates,” i. 310; ii. 143.
Harding (J.) succeeds to Cobbett and Morgan’s book-shop, i. 308.
Hardwicke (Earl of)--_v._ Yorke.
Hawkesbury (Lord)--_v._ Jenkinson.
Hazlitt (William), ii. 195.
Heriot (John)--notice of him, i. 242;
quarrel with C., 294.
Hewlings (Abraham), a Westminster politician, ii. 25.
Hogan (Major D.)--his exposure of the Duke of York’s mistress, ii. 58.
Hone (William), ii. 116, 195.
Honiton, co Devon, election, ii. 13.
Howell (Thomas B.), editor of C.’s “State Trials,” ii. 70, 77, 78.
Howick (Lord)--_v._ Grey.
Huish (Robert)--his “memoirs of Cobbett” quoted, ii. 117.
Hunt (Henry), ii. 65, 177, 221.
Hunt (J. H. Leigh), ii. 123, 148.
Ireland (William), Dean of Westminster, i. 251, 263.
Irish affairs in 1804, i. 304.
Irishmen (The United)--political association, i. 136.
Jay (John), American statesman--his mission to England, i. 128;
notice of him, 129;
democratic feeling against him, 138.
Jefferson (Thomas), American statesman--his “Writings” quoted, i. 123.
Jeffery (Francis) attacks C. in the _Edinburgh Review_, ii. 56.
Jenkinson (Robt. B., 2nd Lord Liverpool), i. 278; ii. 170.
Johnson (Robert), Irish judge--his animadversions on the Irish
administration, i. 304.
Johnstone (Col. Cochrane), ii. 20.
Juverna, pseudonym of Judge Johnson, i. 304.
Kent (H.R.H. Edward, Duke of) meets C. at Halifax, i. 52, 76.
Kew, co. Surrey--C.’s employment there as a boy, i. 15.
Laurence (Dr. French), i. 252, 283.
Lauriston (Jacques A.), French envoy to England, i. 276.
Law (Edward, 1st Baron Ellenborough) presides at C.’s trials for
“libel,” i. 306; ii. 114;
his antipathy to a free press, 115, 117.
Lawless (John) reprints C.’s _Register_ in Ireland, ii. 195.
Libel: What is it? i. 197;
prosecutions of C. for, i. 201, 213, 306; ii. 114--_v._ also Bagshaw,
Finnerty, Law, Drakard, _Examiner_, &c.
Liston (Robert), English diplomatist--his attentions to C. in
America, i. 191, 245;
testifies to C.’s loyalty, 306.
Liverpool (Earl of)--_v._ Jenkinson.
London--“sedition” in 1792, i. 58, 59, 84.
Mackay (Charles)--his “Recollections” quoted, concerning flogging
in the navy, ii. 92.
M’Kean (Thomas), Pennsylvanian politician, i. 199, 201, 214.
Madison (James), American statesman, i. 122.
Madocks (W. A.), M.P.--his motion against corruption in the
State, ii. 85.
Malone (Edmond), i. 252.
Marsh (Herbert), Bishop of Peterborough, i. 263.
Marvel (Andrew)--anecdote of him as M.P., ii. 112.
Maseres (Francis, Cursitor Baron), visits C. on his arrival in
London, i. 250, and in Newgate, ii. 135;
notice of him, _ib._
Mathias (Thomas J.) corresponds with C., i. 244;
“Pursuits of Literature” quoted, 249.
Melville (Viscount)--_v._ Dundas.
Mifflin (George), Governor of Pennsylvania, i. 204.
Minto (Earl of)--_v._ Elliot.
Mitford (John, 1st Baron Redesdale), i. 76, 305; ii. 128.
Mitford (Dr.), ii. 21, 22, 51, 74, 119.
Mitford (Mary Russell) visits C. at Botley, ii. 22.
Moreau de St. Méry (M. E.), French _émigré_ at
Philadelphia--notice of him, i. 103.
Morgan (John), i. 220, 224, 279, 308.
Morrice (Captain Thomas), i. 81.
Nares (Archdeacon), i. 237.
Newspaper Press of London--its hostility to C., ii. _passim_;
its great advance in character, 292;
forgives C. when he is gone for ever, 297.
Nova Scotia--C.’s life there as a soldier, i. 42.
Oldden (John), of Philadelphia, i. 164.
Paine (Thomas)--influence of his political writings, i. 99;
on the currency, 302;
notice of him, ii. 209;
C. recommends his writings on the currency, 211;
his remains exhumed and brought to England, 214, 217.
Parliamentary Reform--impulse given to the cause by support of
C.’s _Register_, ii. 10;
and again in 1817, 197;
its progress not served by Party, 227;
how it came, at last, 257, 280.
Parr (Samuel, D.D.)--his support of Queen Caroline, ii. 224.
Paull (James)--his candidature for Westminster, ii. 15;
C.’s account of him, 25;
other references, 29, 33.
Peace of Amiens, i. 277.
Peel (Sir Robert)--C.’s motion concerning him, ii. 287.
Penn (John), i. 251.
Perceval (Spencer) prosecutes C. for “libel,” i. 306;
his antipathy to C., ii. 49;
inquiry into his alleged corruption is stifled, 85;
his gratification at C.’s conviction, 128.
Perry (James), editor of the _Morning Chronicle_, ii. 107, 109.
Philadelphia, U. S., described, i. 94;
strong party spirit there, 107, 131, 176;
anti-British feeling, 180;
yellow fever, 208;
the newspapers, 217.
Pitt (William)--his pamphleteers, i. 237, 241, 242;
C. dines with him, 253;
C.’s reasons for ceasing to support him, 324;
other references, i. 124, 130, 314, 317.
Place (Francis) quoted, ii. 59;
anecdote, 116;
his electoral purity, 221.
Planting, ii. 65, 69, 233.
Plunkett (William C., 1st Baron)--suit against C., i. 307.
Political Partisanship--its penalties, &c., i. 206.
Poor, Labouring, of England--their prosperous condition in the
middle of the 18th century, i. 5;
their increasing poverty, 17;
growth of pauperism, ii. 37, 38;
proposals to flog them, 130;
their miserable condition after the peace, ii. 237, &c.
Potato--C.’s aversion to the, ii. 236.
Press, Liberty of the, i. 197;
its position at the close of the 18th century, 231;
prosecutions, 304, ii. 107, 115, &c.;
cessation of political prosecutions, ii. 274.
Preston election of 1826, ii. 254.
Priestley (Joseph, LL.D.)--his emigration to the U.S., i. 108;
notice of him, 110;
in retirement, 217.
“Pursuits of Literature”--_v._ Mathias.
Quakers in Pennsylvania, i. 95, 97;
their troubles at the period of Independence, 200.
Radnor (Earl of)--_v._ Bouverie.
Randolph (Edmund), American politician, i. 142.
Raynal (G. T., Abbé)--influence of his writings, i. 85, 96.
Redesdale (Lord)--_v._ Mitford.
Reeves (John), i. 263, 265, 295, 306, 319; ii. 96, 120.
Reviews, as organs of public opinion, i. 231.
Ridgway (James), bookseller, i. 80, 81, 133.
Robson (R. B.) associated with C. concerning barrack abuses, ii.
12, 16, 17.
Rogers (George), of Southampton, ii. 230.
Romilly (Sir Samuel), ii. 85, 130, 178.
Rose (Rt. Hon. George), i. 249; ii. 74, 83, 84.
Rowley (Wm., M.D.) quoted, i. 209.
Rowson (Mrs.), actress and novelist, i. 136.
Rush (Benjamin, M. D.)--his celebrity, i. 209;
his phlebotomy, 210;
his politics, _ib._;
suffers from C.’s lash, 211;
obtains a verdict with damages against him, 217.
Scarlett (James, 1st Lord Abinger)--his antipathy to C. and the
Reformers, ii. 224.
Scipion (L. H. Comte du Roure) edits C.’s “Maître d’Anglais,” i. 102.
_Shadgett’s Weekly Review_, ii. 195.
Sheridan (R. B.) succeeds Fox as M.P. for Westminster, ii. 24, 27;
other references, i. 292; ii. 28.
Sidmouth (Viscount)--_v._ Addington.
Six Acts--their purport, ii. 214.
Soldiers--anecdotes, i. 38, and _v._ Flogging.
Somerville (Alexander) quoted, ii. 44.
Spies employed by Government, ii. 196.
Sports--fishing, ii. 3;
single-stick, 4;
coursing, 21, 51;
dogs, 99.
Stuart (Lord Henry) with the English embassy at Philadelphia, i. 191;
testifies to C.’s loyalty, 306;
interchange of visits, 312; ii. 17.
Swann (James), celebrated paper-maker, an attached friend of
C.’s, ii. 98;
correspondence, 99 _et seq._
Symonds (H. D.), bookseller, in Newgate, i. 133.
_Tait’s Magazine_ quoted on C.’s reception in Scotland, ii. 281.
Talleyrand--his exile in America, i. 104;
introduces himself to C., 158.
Taylor (Miss)--case of, ii. 81.
Thelwall (John)--his “memoirs” quoted, i. 58, 85.
Thornton (William)--his proposed American language, i. 160.
Tilghman (Edward), lawyer of Philadelphia, C.’s counsel in Rush
_v._ Cobbett, i. 215, 224.
Tooke (J. Horne) quoted, ii. 29, 181.
Toryism--its narrow-minded fears, ii. 170, 196.
Twyford, co. Hants--celebrated school there, i. 312, 316.
Upcott (W.), i. 241.
Vansittart (Nicholas, 1st Lord Bexley), i. 263.
Walker (Peter), ii. 136.
Wardle (Colonel G. L.)--his exposure of the Duke of York, ii. 59, 60.
Washington (George), American President, i. 122, 126, 183, 203;
his death, 218.
Watson (Richard), surgeon, violent Reformist, ii. 175.
Webster (Noah)--his proposed improvement in orthography, i. 160.
Weld (Isaac)-his account of Philadelphia, i. 97.
Westminster politics, ii. 15, 24, 26, 59, 64.
Whiggism--its fine profession, ii. 256, 258, 271.
Whitbread (Samuel)--notice of him, ii. 39;
calumniated, 110.
White (Henry), Whig writer, ii. 227.
White (Holt), C.’s solicitor, ii. 77, 95, 113.
Wilberforce (William)--his horror of “disaffection,” ii. 38, and
of C.’s advocacy of Reform, 171.
Windham (Right Hon. William) notices C. on his return to England,
i. 251, 253;
his strong anti-Gallicanism, 255;
his new opposition party, 281;
gets up a subscription to start C.’s _Register_, 283;
defends C. in the House of Commons, 292;
testifies to his loyalty, 306;
his taste for pugilism, ii. 4;
coolness between him and C., 13;
attacks the parliamentary reporters, 109.
Wolcott (Oliver), American politician, i. 154, 182, 200, 201.
Wooler (T. J.), ii. 195, 251.
Wright (John), bookseller in Piccadilly, i. 226, 229, 241;
becomes C.’s man of business, 310;
correspondence with C., 314 _et seq._;
rupture of their friendship, ii. 143, 144;
his suit against C., 223.
Wyndham (William, Baron Grenville) i. 276, ii. 34.
Yellow-fever in Philadelphia, i. 209.
Yonge (Sir George), Secretary-at-War, i. 68.
York (H.R.H. Frederick, Duke of)--his troubles over Mrs. Clarke,
ii. 57, 60.
Yorke (Philip, 3rd Earl of Hardwicke), i. 305.
Yorke (Right Hon. Charles) testifies to C.’s loyalty, i. 306.
Yorke (Henry Redhead)--notice of him, ii. 47;
his opposition to C., 47, 123.
THE END.
LONDON: GILBERT AND RIVINGTON, PRINTERS, ST. JOHN’S SQUARE.