"Sinclair, tall and thin, stands full-face, holding up in his right hand a balance (steelyard, or stilliard) inscribed 'Vive le Egalité'. A large British flag at the right end of the beam much outweighs a bunch of objects at the other; three documents: [1] 'Navy of England to be retaind viz: 50000 Seamen & half a Dozen Ships of War - 500000 Sailors to be sent to plant Potatoes.' [2] '10 000 heavy reasons for giving the Enemy a fair chance of getting out of their Ports.' [3] 'Advantages of cold oeconomy'. Below these are bunches of turnips, carrots, a cabbage, the whole terminating in a pendent bonnet-rouge. Sinclair is fashionably dressed, wearing a hat, half-boots, ill-fitting coat, and overcoat almost to the ankles. On a heavily draped writing-table (right) are three large volumes: 'Improvements in the Art of Political Dunging and Pursuits of Agriculture.' A paper: 'The Apostate Laird - a Parliamentary Romance - together with Loss of the Agricultural Arm' Chair. On the wall (right) is a picture of three pigs feeding at a trough of 'Democratic Verbosity'; this is 'Pigs Meat: or new method of feeding the Swinish Multitude' [see BMSat 8500, &c.]. Beside it is a placard: 'Table of Weights & Measures laid down upon the true democratic Principle of the Stilliards of Egalité'. A patterned carpet completes the design."--British Museum online catalogue
Alternative Title:
"Improvement in weights and measures" and Sir John Seeclear discovering the ballance of the British flag
Description:
Title etched below image., Temporary local subject terms: Scales -- Flags: British flag -- Food: vegetables -- Bonnet rouge -- Pictures amplifying subject -- Writing materials: inkstand., Watermark: 1794 J Whatman., and Subject identified in contemporary hand below title.
Publisher:
Pubd. Decr. 1st, 1798, by H. Humphrey, 27 St. James's Street
"The members of the Secret Committee of the Commons are seated round a table examining the documents relating to the United Irishmen and other revolutionary societies. A lamp on the table illuminates a large framed transparency [The transparency, a large pictorial design lit from behind, was a popular form of street illumination. On 5 Nov. 1813 (for the battle of Leipzig) Ackermann displayed on the façade of his 'Repository' Rowlandson's 'The Two Kings of terror, afterwards published as a print. Broadley, i. 338.] divided into four equal sections which hangs from the ceiling and conceals the heads of the Committee ; the four scenes depict the supposed intentions of the revolutionaries. The transparency is irradiated, throwing into deep shadow members of the Opposition in the foreground (right), who flee from the room in a body, terror-struck. The nearest (three-quarter length) are Erskine, clutching a brief-bag, Fox, M. A. Taylor, and Norfolk. Behind these are Tierney, Sheridan, and Nicholls; in the last row are Sir J. Sinclair, Burdett, Moira, Bedford. The two most prominent members, though in back view with heads obscured, suggest Pitt (left) and Dundas (right); they read papers inscribed 'Scheme to Overthrow the British Constitution, & to seize on all public Property and Invitation to the French Republic'. Over the edge of the table hang the bulky 'Reports of the Secret Committee of the House of Commons.' On the floor are four papers: 'Names of Traitors now sufferd to remain at large'; 'Oath of the Members of the Society of the United Irishmen in London'; 'Account of ye Lodge of United Englishmen, & of the Monks of St Ann's Shrine' [see BMSat 9217]; 'Proceedings of the London Corresponding Society with a list of all the Members.' [See BMSat 9189, &c] The transparency is suspended on tricolour ribbons. Titles are engraved on the frame: [1] 'Plundering the Bank'. A scene in the Rotunda; tiny figures hasten off with sacks of gold, the most prominent being Tierney with '£10000'. Sir William Pulteney (identified from his resemblance to BMSat 9212) staggers off to the left with two sacks; the poker-like Moira has a sack on his head; two men dispute over a sack, one being Walpole with his huge cocked hat, the other resembling Jekyll; Sheridan (right) slouches off with two sacks. Proletarians exult over small money-bags. [2] 'Assassinating the Parliament'. The interior of the House of Commons is realistically depicted; the Opposition violently attack the occupants of the Government benches, daggers being the chief weapon. Erskine (left) is about to murder Dundas; Fox strikes at Pitt, holding him by the throat, while Sheridan is about to stab Pitt in the back. The puny Walpole tries to drag the Speaker from his chair, while Burdett raises the mace to smite him. Sir John Sinclair raises a broadsword to smite a man held down by little M. A. Taylor. Volumes of 'Acts and Statutes' fall to the floor. [3] 'Seizing the Crown. \ Scene the Tower'. Exulting plunderers emerge from the gate of the Tower on to the drawbridge. Bedford, dressed as a jockey (cf. BMSat 9380), walks ahead with two sacks: 'New Coinage' and 'New Guineas'; Fox, [Identified by Grego as Lansdowne.] smiling, holds the crown; Lauderdale, wearing a kilt, carries the sceptre. Just behind is Sir George Shuckburgh. Stanhope (or Grattan) carries a sack, 'Regalia of E[ngland]'. On the right a chimney-sweep and others dance round a bonfire in which 'Records' are burning. Cf. BMSat 7354, where Fox carries off the crown from the Tower. [4] 'Establishing the French Government. \ St James s Palace'. French troops march with arrogant goose-step and fixed bayonets into the gateway of the palace; their large tricolour flag is inscribed 'Vive la Republique Français'. In the foreground is planted a tall spear surmounted by a bonnet-rouge (a tree of Liberty, cf. BMSat 9214, &c.); at its base are decollated heads wearing coronets and a mitre. They are cheered by spectators (right): Grattan holding 'Grattans Address', Norfolk holding his staff, Lord Derby in hunting-dress standing on an overturned sentry-box, Moira standing like a ramrod. ...."--British Museum online catalogue
Description:
Title etched below image., Two lines of text below title: Representing the Secret-Committee throwing a light upon the dark sketches of a revolution found among the papers of the Jacobin societies lately apprehended ..., and Sheet trimmed to plate mark.
Publisher:
Pubd. April 15th, 1799, by H. Humphrey, 27 St. James Street, London
Subject (Name):
Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806, Erskine, Thomas Erskine, Baron, 1750-1823, Taylor, Michael Angelo, 1757-1834, Norfolk, Charles Howard, Duke of, 1746-1815, Tierney, George, 1761-1830, Nicholls, John, 1745?-1832, Sheridan, Richard Brinsley, 1751-1816, Burdett, Francis, 1770-1844, Sinclair, John, Sir, 1754-1835, Bedford, Francis Russell, Duke of, 1765-1802, Hastings, Francis Rawdon-Hastings, Marquess of, 1754-1826, Pitt, William, 1759-1806, Dundas, Henry, 1742-1811, Jekyll, Joseph, 1754-1837, Walpole, George, 1761-1830, Pulteney, William, Lauderdale, James Maitland, Earl of, 1759-1839, Shuckburgh-Evelyn, George Augustus William, Sir, 1751-1804, Smith-Stanley, Edward, 1752-1834, Stanhope, Charles Stanhope, Earl, 1753-1816, and Grattan, Henry, 1746-1820
"Fox stands, declaiming violently to his supporters, who surround him. He holds out a paper: 'Ruination - New Tax one Tenth of Income & Property, to Support the accursed War, of the Infamous Minister'. His clenched right fist is raised, and he says: "Gentlemen; - we are all ruin'd we sha'n't have Five Guineas left to make a Bett with! - one Tenth dead, without a single throw of the Dice! - why its worse than the French Game of Requisition; - for in that there would be some chance of coming in for Snacks!" He is dishevelled and ragged, with a padlocked 'Begging Box' slung round his shoulder (see BMSat 8331, &c). Erskine stands beside him in profile to the left as in BMSat 9246, holding a brief-bag: 'Republican Causes'. He says: "I wish it was to come on in the Kings-Bench for I would take up a Brief against him there, gratis; - but I dont like to say any thing to him in t'other place" [see BMSat 8502]. M. A. Taylor, like a small fat boy, wearing a tricolour suit and a bonnet-rouge in the form of a fool's cap, says, looking up at Fox: "One Tenth? - why he takes us for Boys or Chicks! [see BMSat 6777] zounds what a funk I am in." Tierney, wearing a ragged coat, stands in profile to the right, saying, "10 per Cent? - why it will make Bankrupts of all my Friends in in [sic] the Borough [see BMSat 9045]; ah the Villainous Cutthroat he wants to bring us to St Georges's Fields at last." Next Tierney stands Horne Tooke, saying, "One Tenth? - mum! - get it of me if you can tell how to get blood from a Post - or from one of the Gibbets at Wimbleton! - why its a better Subject to Halloo about than the Brentford Election." (He lived largely on the bounty of his friends.) On the right, behind Erskine, are the Duke of Bedford, dressed as a jockey (cf. BMSat 9380), saying, "Damn their 10 per Cents, I'll warrant I'll Jockey 'em as I did with the Servants Tax" [see BMSat 9167], and Norfolk, a bottle of Port in each waistcoat pocket, saying: "Why it will ruin us all! - One whole Tenth taken away from the Majesty of the People? - good heavens! - I must give up my Constitutional Toasts, & be contented with 4 Bottles a day" [see BMSat 9168, &c.]. Derby, in hunting-dress, says: "I must sell my Hounds, & hang up my Hunting Cap, upon my Horns!" [cf. BMSat 6668]. Nicholls peers through a glass, saying, "I see clearly he wants to keep us out of place, & fill his own pockets". On the extreme right stands Burdett, saying, "Dam'me! if my Lady Ox------d [see BMSat 9240] must not leave off wearing Trousers & take care of her little 10 pr Cent." On the left, outside the Foxite circle, stand four others: Sinclair, barefooted and wearing a kilt and plaid, scratches his arm (cf. BMSat 5940), saying "De'el tak me, but it gees me the Itch all o'er, to be prime Minister mysell; - out o' the 10 pr Cents I could mak up for ye loss of my place at the Board" (see BMSat 9271). George Walpole [Identified by Wright and Evans as Tarleton.] (see BMSat 9376), very thin, and wearing his enormous cocked hat, says with clenched fists: "Pistols! - I say, - Pistols! for the Villain! - zounds, I wish I had my Long-Sword here, & a few Moroons, I'd teach him how to humbug us out of our Property." (He had been Tierney's second, see BMSat 9218, and had taken a leading part in suppressing an insurrection of maroons in Jamaica in 1795.) Moira stands stiffly erect, saying: "An upright Man can see things at a distance; - yes! [See BMSat 9184.] I can plainly perceive, he would cut us down One Tenth, that he may be above us all." Pulteney, on the extreme left, peers through an eye-glass, saying, "10 per Cent? mercy upon me! where am I to get 10 per Cent? - ay I see I shall die a Beggar at last" [see BMSat 9212]. Behind Fox are two silent supporters: (left) Stanhope (or perhaps Grafton) saying "Mum", and (right) Sir George Shuckburgh, full-face."--British Museum online catalogue
Description:
Title etched below image., Temporary local subject terms: Taxation: Income Tax -- Sir William Pulteney, 1729-1805 -- Quizzing glasses., and Mounted to 33 x 48 cm.
Publisher:
Pubd. Decr. 13th, 1798, by H. Humphrey, 27 St. James's Street
Subject (Name):
Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806, Erskine, Thomas Erskine, Baron, 1750-1823, Tierney, George, 1761-1830, Tooke, John Horne, 1736-1812, Taylor, Michael Angelo, 1757-1834, Shuckburgh-Evelyn, George Augustus William, Sir, 1751-1804, Bedford, Francis Russell, Duke of, 1765-1802, Norfolk, Charles Howard, Duke of, 1746-1815, Smith-Stanley, Edward, 1752-1834, Burdett, Francis, 1770-1844, Nicholls, John, 1745?-1832, Sinclair, John, Sir, 1754-1835, Walpole, George, 1761-1830, and Hastings, Francis Rawdon-Hastings, Marquess of, 1754-1826
Tentative identification of Fox, Sheridan, Moira, Sir John Sinclair, and Sir George Shuckburgh in chairs, leaning against the sides of bunks in a ship, all sleeping or being ill
Alternative Title:
Margate hoy
Description:
Title from Draper Hill; alternative title from pencil inscription on verso: A Margate hoy. and Date from Draper Hill, who suggests that the drawing is a preliminary for one of the illustrations for the abandoned de luxe edition of Poetry of the Anti-Jacobin.
Subject (Name):
Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806, Sheridan, Richard Brinsley, 1751-1816, Sinclair, John, Sir, 1754-1835, and Shuckburgh-Evelyn, George Augustus William, Sir, 1751-1804
