Cobbett
WILLIAM, an English essayist and political writer; born in Farnham, March 9, 1762. The son of a farm hand, he had no early advantages , but a great gift for controversy; and he plunged warmly into the social , economic , and political discussions of his day. He visited this country, and wrote here for a time under the name of "Peter Porcupine." He is at his best in his countless pamphlets, and in "The Political Pro- COBDEN teus," "Legacy to Laborers," and "Advice to Young Men." He died near Farnham in June, 1835.