In the aftermath of the crisis of early 1783, the past and future ministers are depicted at a table competing for their share in the government. Foremost among them are Fox and North, seated at the top of the table to the left of the King who offers them a loaf signed "Secretary of State." They both hold on to the loaf signed "Treasury," while Lord Shelburne, seated to the King's right, is now empty-handed. In the lower right corner of the image, two dogs identified as "Pay Office Clerks," attempt to sneak away with bags of money, an allusion to Burke's reinstatement of two clerks accused of malversation before his return to the office of paymaster-general and "George III presides at a rectangular table at which sit past and prospective ministers, grasping at the loaves and fishes which lie on the table. On the left side of the table and on the king's right sit Shelburne and his supporters, on the opposite side sit those who have ousted them. The king sits in an ornate chair; on his right sits Shelburne putting his arm on the shoulder of Dunning, who sits on his other side. Shelburne says "I must submit! - may it prove Poison to them say I". Dunning answers "Never mind my Lord - give them rope enough, and they will hang themselves". The king turns to Fox and North, who sit on his left hand, and says, pointing to the table, "pray help your selves Gentlemen". Fox, who has a fox's head, has seized a loaf in each hand, saying "An't please your Maj------ty I'll have these for me & my friends". The loaf under his left hand is inscribed "Treasury"; North, who sits on Fox's left, says, "hold Charley, that's more then comes to your Share". The other two on the right side of the table are Keppel and Burke. Keppel, who is next North, puts his right hand on a loaf; in his left he holds a fish from whose mouth go lines attached to two other fish and another loaf; he is saying "I'm fond of Sea fish". A naval officer opposite him hugs a loaf and grasps the tail of one of the fish on Keppel's line. He is identified in a contemporary hand as Palliser, but is more probably Lord Howe, who was First Lord of the Admiralty from 29 Jan. 1782 (after Keppel's resignation) till 8 April, when he was replaced by Keppel. He is in "profil perdu" but his figure and a black eyebrow suggest Howe. On Keppel's left, and at the right corner of the table, sits Burke grasping a loaf in his right hand, a fish in his left. He is saying "Rhetorick is of no use here! tis catch that catch can". In the foreground (right), at Burke's side, two dogs laden with money-bags are running off to the right. Over them is inscribe "Pay Office Clerks" and (smaller) "Fulham". On the money-bag of one is "£200.000", on that of the other "£100.000". Burke became paymaster-general under Rockingham, resigned office with Fox on Shelburne's appointment, and was again (on 7 April) to become paymaster. On returning to office he reinstated two clerks, Powell and Bembridge, who had recently been dismissed by Barré for malversation, for which he was attacked in parliament on 24 April and 19 May 1783. 'Parl. Hist', xxiii, pp. 900 ff; Wraxall, 'Memoirs', 1884, iii. 77-86. [Possibly the dogs were added in a later issue of the print, as they seem to refer to the scandal over Powell and Bembridge. Powell committed suicide, Bembridge was tried and sentenced.] Opposite Burke, at the near left corner of the table, sits Conway, the Commander-in-Chief, in general's uniform, grasping a fish in one hand, a lobster in the other. He is saying, "I fear they'll not leave me one poor lobster". He had disappointed Fox by not resigning on Shelburne's appointment, he did not however lose office till after the dissolution of Parliament in 1784, when he resigned. In the centre of the table are three unclaimed loaves, the one nearest the king is inscribed "Secretary of State".--British Museum online catalogue
Description:
Title from item., Possiblly by Topham., Sheet trimmed within plate mark., and Reissue of no. 6195 in the Catalogue of prints and drawings in the British Museum. Division I, political and personal satires, with a verse from Shakespeare's "Othello" added under the title.
Publisher:
Pub by E. Achery March 24, 1783, St James Street
Subject (Geographic):
England
Subject (Name):
George III, King of Great Britain, 1738-1820., Lansdowne, William Petty, Marquis of, 1737-1805., Dunning, John, Baron Ashburton, 1731-1783., Howe, Richard Howe, Earl, 1726-1799., Conway, Henry Seymour, 1721-1795., Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806., North, Frederick, Lord, 1732-1792., Keppel, Augustus Keppel, Viscount, 1725-1786., and Burke, Edmund, 1729-1797.
In a parody of Fuseli's Nightmare Lord Shelburne lies asleep on two rows of spikes inscribed with article numbers from the peace treaty with the United States. On his chest stands a fox with Fox's face, tearing at his crotch with his front paws and urinating on his face while saying, "If He opens his mouth I will be down his Throat." Above Shelburne's feet hovers Lord North's head saying, "the North fog Rot Him." Next to Shelburne's habitually smiling face crouches Lord Ashburton in a lawyer's robe and wig, holding a smelling-bottle and saying, "take comfort my Lord. for you I will be always Dunning."
Alternative Title:
Nightmare, Hag riddn minister, and Hag ridden minister
Description:
Title etched below image., Sheet trimmed to plate mark., and Mounted to 28 x 42 cm.
Publisher:
Publishd as the act direct [sic] March 4 1783 by R Rusted No 3 Bridge Stt. Ludgate Hill
Subject (Geographic):
Great Britain
Subject (Name):
Lansdowne, William Petty, Marquis of, 1737-1805., Dunning, John, Baron Ashburton, 1731-1783., Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806., and North, Frederick, Lord, 1732-1792.
George III is shown in two images in profile: the one facing left (not a good likeness), is directed toward North and Fox, the other a portrait of the King turned towards Shelburne and another figure, possibly Pitt, Lord Gower or the Duke of Richmond
Alternative Title:
Two faces under a hood
Description:
Title from item. and Mounted to 31 x 46 cm.
Publisher:
Pubd. as [the] act directs Jany 4, 1784 by E.D. Achery, St James's Street
Subject (Geographic):
Great Britain and England
Subject (Name):
George III, King of Great Britain, 1738-1820., Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806., North, Frederick, Lord, 1732-1792., Lansdowne, William Petty, Marquis of, 1737-1805., and Janus (Roman deity),
Three American Indians are shown killing six loyalists as the result of the 1783 peace treaty preliminaries. On the left, an Indian pulling on the rope attached to the nooses of two military officers and two civilians hanged from a limb of a dead tree says, "I have them all in a String." The limb is inscribed, "Recommended to Congress by Lord S___e [Shelburne]." Below, another Indian with a large knife in his hand pulls the hair of a loyalist lying on the ground saying, "I'll scalp him." To their right, a loyalist kneeling on the ground and looking with horror over his shoulder at the Indian with a raised tomahawk says, "O Cruel Fate! is this the Return for Our Loyalty," to which the Indian responds, "I'll tomahawk the Dog."
Alternative Title:
Cruel fate of the loyalists
Description:
Title from item. and Date, including day, in lower right corner of the design. The day of publication not given in British Museum catalogue.
Publisher:
Sold by W. Humphrey No 227 Strand
Subject (Geographic):
United States and Great Britain
Subject (Name):
Lansdowne, William Petty, Marquis of, 1737-1805.
Subject (Topic):
Indians of North America, Hangings, Scalping, Massacres, Clothing & dress, Military uniforms, British, Headdresses, Tomahawks, Politics and government, and History
A large dredger-like wheel with four scoops stands in front of a building, possibly the Treasury, guarded by two mounted sentries. The Devil standing on the King's bent back, turns the crank. On the right, Lord Shelburne sits on the ground after being tossed out of the wheel together with his companions, most likely Dunning and Barré, saying, "Look what a crush a Pretty decent Tumble." On the left, two new Secretaries of State, Fox, with a fox's head, and North, lead on reins attached to his nose the Duke of Portland, the new prime minister. Fox, with broken leg, his hand on North's arm for support, complains that the "... late tumble hath Crippled me quite ..." North pledges help on condition that "you shall hold me fast in my Place." Behind them, Burke, with one arm in a sling, runs after them voicing his own need to join the coalition. His and Fox's "injuries" were suffered in the previous 'tumble' when Shelburne formed his administration
Alternative Title:
Up and down and Wheel of administration
Description:
Title from item. and Sheet trimmed to plate mark.
Publisher:
Pub. by E. Dachery, April 17, 1783, St. James' Street
Subject (Name):
George III, King of Great Britain, 1738-1820., Burke, Edmund, 1729-1797., Portland, William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, Duke of, 1738-1809., Keppel, Augustus Keppel, Viscount, 1725-1786., Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806., North, Frederick, Lord, 1732-1792., and Lansdowne, William Petty, Marquis of, 1737-1805.
Lord Thurlow depicted as a schoolmaster is seated on the left. He wears an enormous wig, and holds in his left hand the book "A new guide to India" and in his right a birch rod. Facing him stands Pitt dressed as a young girl, with a key (to the Treasury) hanging from her belt. On the wall behind them hangs a portait of the King labelled "a great Whig", a bust of Fox labelled "a true Whig" on top of a bookcase containing Newbery's Works, and a map with the face of Shelburne titled "a false Whig." The "h" in the first word of the title is inserted above the "i".
Alternative Title:
Master Billy learning his task and Wiggism, or, Master Billy learning his task
Description:
Title etched below image. and Printmaker from British Museum catalogue.
Publisher:
Pubd for S.W. as the act directs, by J. Cattermoul, No. 376 Oxford Street
Subject (Geographic):
Great Britain and England.
Subject (Name):
Thurlow, Edward Thurlow, Baron, 1731-1806., Pitt, William, 1759-1806., George III, King of Great Britain, 1738-1820., Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806., and Lansdowne, William Petty, Marquis of, 1737-1805.
Full length portrait of William Petty, Earl of Shelburne facing three-quarters left and wearing a sword
Description:
Title and printmaker from no. 6062 in the Catalogue of prints and drawings in the British Museum. Division I, political and personal satires, v. 5., Date conjectured from that of other print in series on similar paper and with dated watermark. See Earl Nugent (Lewis Walpole Library 782.05.14.01.3)., and Mounted on page 13 with three other prints.