The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1844-11-08
A Visit 10 the Birth and Burial-pIace or
william Cobbett.


clnatioa WIN look at a map OF the county OF Sur
rey, II viii be seen that the right hand corner,
al the top, there IS the mark Of London Proceed
70 the lett hand, up the riyer Thames, and come
round by the border of Berkshire then down the
border OF Hampshire until the point is gained
where the one county is dovetailed into the other,
and there will be found in the Surrey doyetai! the
mark Of town called Farnham. That Fsrnham
70 the birth and burial place OF the late William
Goblet, who said that, rather than see the work
ing people OF England reduced to live upon pota.
toes, he would see them all hanged. and be hanged
with them, and would be satisfied to have written
upon his grave, Here lie the remains OF William
Cobbett, whs was hanged because he would not
hold his tongue without complaining, while his la
boring countrymen were reduced to live upon po-
tatoes." lately paid a visit TO Farnham and It's
neighborhood TO the farm which Goblet occu-
pied at his death, to the house where he born,
and the grave where he is buried and believing
thai many readers of this paper would have viii.
ingly shared in such a Journey had all circum-
stances permitted, shall endeavor to take them
with me, by briefly describing to them how went
On lovely morning, the sun so bright that the
fog which al first showed itself burst show itself
more, was seated on a stage coach, and bound
ing at a sound rate out of London over Putney-
heath. We had just taken up the last of the pas
sengers and the luggage, and the coachman said ne
hoped there were no more people waiting with lug
gage to be taken up, for he had no more room, and
he was behind time. So away we went, cOmpe-
ting with the railway, which has not swallowed up
all the traffic down through Surry and Hampshire.
We had sometimes a healthy common, some
times mansion and park, occasionally village
and very frequently the enclosed fields OF farm,
and the farmery itself, on each side OF u.s. We rat
tied over the healthy downs, through the lofty
the churches and the beershops, had glimpse now
andsthen Of police man saunterng along, saw
casionaly boy with SIX or eight or ten or twelve
pgs, which were eating the acorns that fell from
the branches of the oaks that overhung the road,
he at the same time shaking such branches with a
long rod to force them to drop their irult to his
hogs; all such things we saw, and many more.
We were in due time in the town OF Guildford,
thirty miles from London, and were dragging
a leap to the bottom down that most singular Of
Stree is. before we could see what very curious
old town Guldford IS. Surely there is no other
town in England nor in Scotland that has such
street Berwick. on Tweed has a street that very
nearly stands on the crown Of head, but acts Of
Parliament do not allow Berwick TO belong
10 either England or Scotland. Neither is
the Berwick thorouGhtaIe 80 long as that Of Guild
ford. II stands If il leaned against the hillside
or as Tom Scott did when he stood up against the
wall on the crown OF his head, his master, Quilp,
being from home. But Guldford thoroueh fare is
such long Tom Scott standing with its head on
the ground and its feet leaning against the he light
above, that stranger is constrained TO say he
never saw any thing like 1t, OF town kind before.
Everybody and everything answerable for the
safety Of passengers Is used to IT, however; and the
drags allowed us to come down safely enough But
where to go seemed the next puzzle. There was a
river in the deep valley, the river Wey, and there
seemed 10 be no room up nor down by it's banks
for coaches. But, by some quirk to the right and
again to the left, our coachman managed 10 get
his horses heads turned up road that might well
make us congratulate ourselves on not being coach
horses. Yet on hey go; and up, up, never hating
On each side the land is cultivated, but the soil is
whitefaced and Unlocking. If we look behind
there is fine view Of Guildiord clngiDg to its hill
nnL l,zL, a - lame b.d.
Their than pited our poor horses. Below, in the
valley. is railway making, 10 connect Guildford
with station upon the South Western seven or
eight miles distant. Across the country, over two
or three more miles OF farm. fields, hedgerows. and
thickets Of forest timber, and beyond that, over
two or three miles Of open heath, we can see
a long earthly -colored line ntersecting the heath
tor several miles, which line, we are told, is the
to the west while thus looking to it and far to the
northwest, as far az the horizon, we can see some
dots of white upon dark ground, and these dots
of white, we are told, are the stands and other
erections upon Ascot race course.
There is twinkle in the eyes of some Of our
fellow. passengers, who have travelled this road
often, who point out those places to US, and who
agree that the view westward and round 10 the
that something is coming. What can it be The
railway goes almost in the same direction that we
go, and keeps that respectful distance and they
tell that the country through which il goes
tnue6 10 De the S&IIlc OIOWn Hcdtn WHICH we now
see it; what is il, then, that we are to see ! We
have been kept with our eyes turned to the wes
for length Of time looking to the right Of the
coach; let us wriggle ourselves round, and look u
the south and the east for surely must now be
to the top Of that Witty hl which stretched
up 10 our left awhile ago.
Great heavens! what sight, what scene, what
enchantment is that? A new world-a fairy land
the earth to compare it tot We are on high mar
row ridge. Our road s along the summit Of this
ridge, along its very back bone; and there, on
either side, we might almost leap down into those
woody countries which lie below. This narrow
hill, so.long, SO thin, SO bare-s sided, is seven OF
eight miles IN length. We might fancy il some
enormous reptile 1t SO, It's huge head has been
cut of, and Guildford has been disgorged. We
got up some where about the shoulders and now
we are travelling at the rate OF ten miles an hour,
until we shall get of at the tail, which tail ends
mperceptby in that low country between our
vision and the smoke which issues from hollow.
That smoke comes out OF the chlmneys OF Farm,
ham, and Farnham is lying In that rlchly.wo0ded
valley, out OF which this vast hill seems to have
crept before its head was cut off, and 1t could 60
no farther.
But before we descend by the tail let US look up
on that great twenty miles broad stretch OF woody
country II is all below US, but il is not level Ii
is succession OF hills and valleys of several sizes
and many shapes. II we could imagine garden
twenty miles In breadth, all turned up by the snout
of some monster which would do to twenty miles
OF country what SOW would do to a bed OF onions,
then we may have some idea OF the shapelessness
and brokenness Of this mass Of fantastic little hills
below US.
Descending by the tail, found myself, in the
course OF three or four miles, forty-one miles from
London, in the town Of Farmham. II consists
principally Of one street, from half to three quar-
Iers OF mile long 1t Is stretched In a valley, or
rather gentle hollow, by the side OF a stream
Some green meadows with cows in them separate
the main part OF the town from the stream; am
not sure but it 10 called river; if SO beg pardon,
a river; il is separated by the meadows from the
main town; and the meadows are somewhat bro
ken and dlsointed by gardens and hop grounds.
The cultivation Of hops is the great staple Of this
neighborhood; and good staple il is. The soil IL
exceedingly rich, and the hops are said to fetch in
the market price third over that obtained fol
hops grown elsewhere. One grower will sell
El0,0O0 worth OF hops this year. Land is very
nigh-rented, aud much money is paid In wages ioI
labor AS much as ECO per acre has been paid Of
are tor the purchase Of prime hop ground and an
annual rent Of El0 per acre is said TO be common
The wages OF labor is higher here than in the corr
growing districts. The work rs all done by IN,
huf fh. ma O ID.