[Richard Cobden, Radical Liberal politician and Anti-Corn Law League leader.] Autograph List of petitions to the House of Commons, headed ‘Pet[itio]ns Mr Cobden’ [for James Johnstone or Robert Knox?].

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. The present item was enclosed in a letter from Serjeant Shee (the future Sir William Shee), offered separately, sent from the House of Commons on 17 February 1854, in which he writes: ‘I enclose Mr. Cobdens own handwriting to send to the Papers -’. Attached to a corner at the head of the first page of the present item is a cutting from the Morning Herald newspaper, 18 February 1854, reproducing the details in the manuscript. That circumstance, taken with certain references in the Shee letter, suggest that the recipient of both was either James Johnstone, proprietor of the Morning Herald, or his editor Robert Knox. 2pp, 12mo. On the rectos of the two leaves of a bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged and worn, with a few pin holes at top inner corner, and slight damage at the foot of the gutter, unobtrusively repaired with archival tape. In pencil in contemporary hand on front page, ‘Cobdens writing / see accompg letter’. Text reads: ‘Pet[ition]s Mr Cobden / Cropton Yorkshire. / for the repeal of the Taxes on Knowledge / Wm. Woods Mitchell of Arundel, printer & publisher of the “West Sussex Advertiser”, for the repeal of the compulsory stamp on newspapers. - / Passengers in Emigrant ship Maidstone proceeding to the Colony of New South Wales for Ocean penny postage / Mechanics Institution Kingley Yorkshire for Decimal Coinage’.