WALN, Robert, merchant, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 22 February, 1765; died there, 24 January, 1836. His greatgreatgrandfather, Nicholas, an English Quaker, came to this country with William Penn in 1682, and bought a tract of land in what is now the city of Philadelphia. He took an active part in public affairs, was a member of the first grand jury that was called in 1683, and represented Bucks county in the first legislature of Pennsylvania from that year till 1695, when he removed to Philadelphia, and in 1711 became a director in the first public school of that city. He died there in 1721. Robert was educated at the Friends' academy in his native city. He inherited a large estate, and with his brother Jesse continued the business that had been established by his father, which became widely known in the East India and China trade, and almost equalled that of Stephen Girard in the comprehensive character of its enterprises. He served in the legislature several years, and in congress from 1798 till 1801 as a Federalist, and was a member of the common council of Philadelphia. During the war of 1812 he built one of the first cotton-factories in the country, and, being" also largely interested in iron-works, he became a strong protectionist. He was the author of an " Answer to the Anti-Protective Report of Henry Lee," while the excitement on the tariff question was at its height, and of "Seven Letters to Elias Hicks," which attracted great attention.--His son, Robert, poet, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 25 October, 1794; died in Providence, Rhode Island, 4 July, 1825, was liberally educated, and devoted himself to literature. He published "The Hermit in America on a Visit to Philadelphia" (Philadelphia, 1819; 2d series, 1821) ; "American Bards," a satire (1820); "Sisyphi Opus, or Touches at the Times, with other Poems" (1820) ; " Life of Lafayette" (1825-'6) ; "History of China" (1825) ; and numerous contributions to periodicals. He edited John Sanderson's "Biography of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence" front the third volume, contributing several of the subsequent lives (7 vols., 1820-'7).