A great stream from a petty-fountain, or, John Bull swamped in the flood of new-taxes cormorants fishing in the stream / [graphic]

"On the r. a rustic fountain gushes from the mouth of Lord Henry Petty, whose head and shoulders emerge from a stone wall or rock surrounded by trees. The water expands and falls by billowing stages into a sea, the horizon (l.) inscribed 'Unfathomable Sea of Taxation'. In this sea 'cormorants', with human heads and huge beaks (projecting from their profiles) and pelican-like pouches, are greedily fishing, while a rowing boat founders, throwing into the water John Bull, who drops an oar inscribed 'William Pitt'; only his head (submerged up to the mouth) and arms emerge. The water from Petty's mouth is inscribed (thrice) 'New Taxes'; the upper level of the fountain: 'New Salt Tax', 'new Coffee Tax', 'new Tea Tax', 'new Hop- Tax', 'new Malt-Tax', 'new Assessed Taxes', 'New Tax on Sugar', 'New Spirit Tax', 'New Tobacco Tax', 'New Candle Tax', 'New Glass Tax'. The lower level: 'new Cyder Tax', 'New Soap Tax', 'New Auction Tax', 'New Table Beer Tax', 'New Snuff Tax', 'new Horse Tax', 'new Servants Tax', 'new Leather Tax', 'new Dog Tax', 'New Hair Powder [Tax]', 'new Soap Tax', 'new House Tax', 'new Land-Tax', 'New Stamp-Tax', 'new Window Tax', 'New Hat Tax'. The sea is inscribed 'New-Property-Tax' [in whose waves John Bull drowns], 'New Legacy Tax', 'New Iron-Tax', 'New Excise-Duties', 'New Game Tax'. The most prominent bird is Grenville, on a rock by the water's edge; he stands on a pile of large fish, and throws up his head to swallow two monster fish: 'Treasury' and 'Exchequer'. Behind his back stand Sidmouth and Sheridan, greedily taking fish from Grenville's pile. Beside Grenville stands Fox, equally large, stooping over the water, to receive a dense mass of fish which leap as if by suction into his mouth; other fish swim and leap towards him. Beside Fox is the head and elongated neck of Moira, with a large lobster in his beak. On the extreme left. Windham skims the water, flying towards a number of crabs. Grey (Lord Howick) swims, holding in his beak two eels. A bird in judge's wig has dived head first; its solid shape suggests Ellenborough rather than Erskine. On the r. three birds skim downwards over the rocks towards Sidmouth; they are Bedford followed by Horne Tooke (wearing bands, cf. BMSat 9716, &c.) and Burdett. On the water's edge in the middle distance stands Buckingham, wearing a ribbon and swallowing three large fish. Little Lord Derby beside him stoops for one small fish. In the sky a flight of countless birds makes for the fish. Only the three leaders have human heads; the first has the features of Lauderdale, the one behind him resembles Adair."--British Museum online catalogue