"The two members for Middlesex simultaneously address a meeting of freeholders from a hustings against a building (The Mermaid, at Hackney) which forms a background. Both lean forward in profile to the right. Byng (left), thin and elegant, gesticulates with clenched fist, right arm above his head. He frowns, while Mainwaring (right) grimaces insinuatingly, his hands held out deprecatingly. From Byng's pocket issues a paper: 'Treatise on the use of Cocoa'. On the extreme left, behind Byng, stands Fox, holding Byng's hat. The other men on the platform, all wearing hats, are freely sketched. On the wooden barrier of the hustings are two bills, the lower part of which is concealed by the heads of the spectators, which reach across the lower edge of the design: 'Mermaid Hackney Meeting of the Freeholders for obtaining a Repeal of the odious, detestable, obnoxious, unconstitutional oppressive treasonable . . .' and 'Address to his Majesty by the Freeholders.'"--British Museum online catalogue.
Description:
Title etched below image.
Subject (Name):
Auchincloss, Hugh Dudley--Ownership., Byng, George,--1764-1847--Caricatures and cartoons., Fox, Charles James,--1749-1806--Caricatures and cartoons., Harvey, Francis--Ownership., Humphrey, Hannah, active 1774-1817, publisher., and Mainwaring, William,--1735-1821--Caricatures and cartoons.
"Four designs on one plate, without dividing lines. [1] 'The Cockney Petition! - Enter - Mr Noodle & Mr Doodle - .' The King sits on the throne on a small round dais, in back view, only his left hand, r. elbow (with the sceptre) and feet being visible. Two petitioners, hat in hand, bow low, in profile to the right and to the left. ... [2] 'The Westminster Petition - a kick-out from Wimbleton.' The would-be petitioners have invaded Horne Tooke's bedroom, and are being kicked out by Burdett. Tooke lies in bed ... The head of his bed is decorated with (guardian) angels (cf. BMSat 8132). Burdett, flourishing a (breaking) 'Club of Reform' [cf. BMSat 10742], kicks Sheridan behind, and tries to close the door (r.) on them ... He holds the arm of a stout, plainly dressed man and hurries from the room, as, more furtively, does Bosville. ... Beside the bed (l.) is a commode decorated with a bonnet rouge, and strewn with torn newspapers: 'Cobbetts Weekly Political Register', 'Morning Chronicle', 'Convention of Cintra', 'Times', 'Fodder'. [3] 'The Chelmsford Petition. - Broad-Bottom-Patriots [cf. BMSat 10530] addressing the Essex Calves!' Five men stand on a platform addressing an audience of calves, standing on their hind legs and waving bonnets rouges. The spokesman is the gouty St. Vincent, in uniform, supported on a stick, and pounding with his clenched fist. ... Next Vincent (r.) is Lord Temple, holding out the 'Essex Petition - Horrid Convention - Ministers Firing the Park Guns - Armistice in French lang[uage]'. Behind stand Petty, waving his hat and shouting "Bravo", and Windham. ... [4] '- The Middlesex-Petition! - Hackney Orators inspiring the Independent Blue & Buff Intent -.' A group stands on a platform (r.) above a cheering mob. The speaker is a barrister in wig and gown, Clifford (see BMSat 10708, 11430); he holds up the Middlesex Petition and shouts ... Under his legs is his hat in which are two bottles of Por[t]. He rests his right. hand on Paull's shoulder. On his left. is George Byng, M.P. Middlesex (resembling Lord Spenser), clasping his hat, and looking admiringly at him. Behind (r.) is a man writing on sheets held in his hand. On the extreme left. is a stout man wearing a cocked hat; the others are scarcely characterized. ..."--British Museum online catalogue.
Description:
Approximate date of publication from British Museum catalogue. and Title etched below image.
Subject (Name):
Auchincloss, Hugh Dudley--Ownership., Buckingham and Chandos, Richard Temple Nugent Brydges Chandos,--Duke of,--1776-1839--Caricatures and cartoons., Buckingham, George Nugent Temple Grenville,--Marquess of,--1753-1813--Caricatures and cartoons., Burdett, Francis,--1770-1844--Caricatures and cartoons., Byng, George,--1764-1847--Caricatures and cartoons., Clifford, Henry,--1768-1813--Caricatures and cartoons., George--III,--King of Great Britain,--1738-1820--Caricatures and cartoons., Harvey, Francis--Ownership., Humphrey, Hannah, active 1774-1817, publisher., Lansdowne, Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice,--Marquess of,--1780-1863--Caricatures and cartoons., Paull, James,--1770-1808--Caricatures and cartoons., Sheridan, Richard Brinsley,--1751-1816--Caricatures and cartoons., St. Vincent, John Jervis,--Viscount,--1735-1823--Caricatures and cartoons., Tooke, John Horne,--1736-1812--Caricatures and cartoons., Waithman, Robert,--1764-1833--Caricatures and cartoons., and Windham, William,--1750-1810--Caricatures and cartoons.
"A wildly burlesqued rendering of the Middlesex candidates and their supporters. In the foreground (l.) a group from Westminster heads the procession. Sheridan and Hood ride a galloping dray-horse with blinkers and flying chains; Sheridan holds the rein, waving his hat (with a favour inscribed 'Hood') and straddling across a pannier filled with coins and labelled: 'Subscription Malt & Hops from ye Whitbread Brewery'; from his coat-pocket projects a pamphlet: 'Neck or Nothing a New Coalition'. Hood sits behind him in naval uniform, with sword and top-hoots ; he waves his cocked hat triumphantly; its favour is 'Sheridan for Ever' [both favours are blue and buff]. The horse's hind-legs kick the chest of a donkey from which Paull (Burdett's outrider) falls backwards, dropping shears, cucumbers, goose (iron), and a paper: 'Impeachment . . . Marquiss Wellesley' [see BMSat 10561, &c.]. He is dressed as a tailor as in BMSat 10608. A savage dog, the collar inscribed 'P. Moore', barks at him (see BMSat 10619). lhe dray-horse gallops over prostrate members of Burdett's mob, a fat woman, prostrate and ragged, who drops an almost naked infant, and a sheaf of ballads: 'Paul & Plumper[s]' [see BMSat 10608]. Next her a butcher lies on his back, dropping marrow-bone and cleaver; his hat, with wig inside it, is on the ground. Four other butchers, still erect, are about to be ridden down. All their cleavers are inscribed 'Burdett for ever', the favours in their hats are 'Burdett'. On the extreme left. a hideous ragged crone and a small girl bawl from the ballads they hold: 'Burdett is the Man for ye Ladies'. Their hats have 'Burdett' favours. ..."--British Museum online catalogue.
Description:
Title etched below image.
Subject (Name):
Auchincloss, Hugh Dudley--Ownership., Buckingham and Chandos, Richard Temple Nugent Brydges Chandos,--Duke of,--1776-1839--Caricatures and cartoons., Buckingham, George Nugent Temple Grenville,--Marquess of,--1753-1813--Caricatures and cartoons., Burdett, Francis,--1770-1844--Caricatures and cartoons., Byng, George,--1764-1847--Caricatures and cartoons., Castlereagh, Robert Stewart,--Viscount,--1769-1822--Caricatures and cartoons., Cobbett, William,--1763-1835--Caricatures and cartoons., Fox, Charles James,--1749-1806--Caricatures and cartoons., Grenville, William Wyndham Grenville,--Baron,--1759-1834--Caricatures and cartoons., Harvey, Francis--Ownership., Hood, Samuel,--Sir,--1762-1814--Caricatures and cartoons., Humphrey, Hannah, active 1774-1817, publisher., Napoleon--I,--Emperor of the French,--1769-1821--Caricatures and cartoons., Paull, James,--1770-1808--Caricatures and cartoons., Sheridan, Richard Brinsley,--1751-1816--Caricatures and cartoons., and Tooke, John Horne,--1736-1812--Caricatures and cartoons.
"Fox stands on a dais at the head of a rough table, the seat from which he has risen is magnificent, above it is the inscription 'Vive la Libertè' surmounted by a bonnet-rouge. He is held up (left) by Combe, the Lord Mayor, a pompous figure in gown and chain, and (right) by Erskine. The former holds a 'Petition to ye Throne; - or a new way to Combe the Ministers Wig'; the latter grasps a bottle of 'Brand[y]'. Fox is melancholy, and his swollen legs cannot support unaided his vast bulk. Before him is a frothing pot of 'Whitbread's Entire' (cf. BMSat 8638). Only the guests on Fox's right and left are visible; they are Grey (or perhaps Byng), [Incorrectly identified in Wright and Evans as Sir J. Sinclair. Identifications of Grey by Lord Holland appear conclusive, but he is identified in 'London und Paris' as Byng, M.P. for Middlesex, and he resembles the Byng of BMSat 8782.] turning to watch his chief, and Tierney, looking gloomily before him. Behind Tierney are the heads of a butcher, with marrow-bone and cleaver, and a chimney-sweep with brush and shovel. All listen intently to Fox, who says: "Gentlemen, you see I'm grown quite an Old Man in your Service! Twenty Years I've served you, & always upon the same Principles; - I rejoic'd at the Success of our Enemies in the American War! - & the War against the Virtuous French Republic has always met with my most determined opposition! - but the Infamous Ministry will not make Peace with our Enemies, & are determin'd to keep Me out of their Councils & out of Place! - therefore Gentlemen! as their Principles are quite different from mine, & as I am now too Old to form myself according to their Systems, my attendance in Parliament is useless: - & to say the truth, I feel that my season of action is past, & I must leave to younger Men to Act, for alas! my failings & weaknesses will not let me now recognise what is for the best!""--British Museum online catalogue.
Alternative Title:
Last dying speech of the Westminster representative ...
Description:
Title etched below image.
Subject (Name):
Auchincloss, Hugh Dudley--Ownership., Byng, George,--1764-1847--Caricatures and cartoons., Erskine, Thomas Erskine,--Baron,--1750-1823--Caricatures and cartoons., Fox, Charles James,--1749-1806--Caricatures and cartoons., Grey, Charles Grey,--Earl,--1764-1845--Caricatures and cartoons., Harvey, Francis--Ownership., Humphrey, Hannah, active 1774-1817, publisher., and Tierney, George,--1761-1830--Caricatures and cartoons.
