COOK, THOMAS (1808-1892), English travelling agent, was born at Melbourne in Derbyshire on Nov. 2 2, i8o8. Beginning work at the age of ten, he was successively a gardener's help and a wood-turner at Melbourne, and a printer at Loughborough. At the age of 20 he became a Bible-reader and village missionary for the county of Rutland; but in 1832, on his marriage, com bined his wood-turning business with that occupation. Cook persuaded the Midland Counties Railway Company to run a special train from Leicester to Loughborough and back at a shil ling a head for a temperance meeting on July 5, 1841, and this is believed to be the first publicly-advertised excursion train ever run in England. In 1844 he entered into a permanent arrangement with the Midland Railway Company to place trains at his dis posal, for which he should provide the passengers. At the Great Exhibition of 1851 Cook helped 165,000 visitors to attend. On the occasion of the Paris exhibition of 1855 there was a Cook's excursion from Leicester to Calais and back for LI los. The following year saw the first grand circular tour in Europe. "Cook's tourists" were at first personally conducted, but in the early '6os he began to be an agent for the sale of English and foreign tickets, the holders of which travelled independently. Switzerland was the first foreign country accessible under these conditions, and in 1865 nearly the whole of Europe was included in the scheme. Its extension to the United States followed in 1866. In the same year he began his system of "hotel-coupons," providing accommodation at a fixed charge. In 1882, on the outbreak of Arabi Pasha's rebellion, Thomas Cook & Son were commissioned to convey Sir Garnet Wolseley and his suite to Egypt, and to transport the wounded and sick up the Nile by water, for which they received the thanks of the war office. The firm was again employed in 1884 to convey General Gordon to the Sudan, and the men (i8,000) and stores necessary for the expedition afterwards sent to relieve him. In 1889 Thomas Cook & Son acquired the ex clusive right of carrying the mails, specie, soldiers and officials of the Egyptian Government along the Nile. In 1891 the firm cele brated its jubilee, and on July 19 of the following year Thomas Cook died.