He died at Carshalton
on February 11, 1882. There were many obituary notices of him. One
was from Lord Charles Russell, who, as Serjeant-at-Arms, had full
opportunities of knowing him well. Lord Charles recalled a meeting
at Woburn, a quarter of a century before, in honour of Lord John
Russell. Lord John spoke then, and so did Sir David Dundas, then
Solicitor-General, Lord Charles, and my father. "His," said Lord
Charles, "was the finest speech, and Sir David Dundas remarked to
me, as Mr. White concluded, 'Why that is old Cobbett again MINUS his
vulgarity.'" He became acquainted with a good many members during
his stay at the House. New members sought his advice and initiation
into its ways. Some of his friends were also mine. Amongst these
were Sir John Trelawney and his gifted wife. Sir John belonged to
the scholarly Radical party, which included John Stuart Mill and
Roebuck. The visits to Sir John and Lady Trelawney will never be
forgotten, not so much because I was taught what to think about
certain political questions, but because I was supplied with a
standard by which all political questions were judged, and this
standard was fixed by reason. Looking at the methods and the
procedure of that little republic and at the anarchy of to-day, with
no prospect of the renewal of allegiance to principles, my heart
sinks.
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