- Museum number
- 1851,0901.954
- Title
- Object: Meeting of the monied interest;-
- Description
-
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. 13 December 1798
Hand coloured etching
- Production date
- 1798
- Dimensions
-
Height: 260 millimetres
-
Width: 366 millimetres
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- (Description and comment from M.Dorothy George, 'Catalogue of Political and Personal Satires in the British Museum', VII, 1942)
Fox, in secession, see BMSat 9018, &c, took no part in the opposition to the Income Tax, which was led by Tierney. Others in the minority of nineteen on 14 Dec. were M. A. Taylor, Burdett, Grey, Jekyll, Nicholls, and Sinclair, who actually brought forward his grievances over the Board of Agriculture (see BMSat 9271) in his speech against the Bill. 'Parl. Hist.' xxxiv. 79. Pulteney spoke against it on 27 Dec. (pp. 134 ff.). Sheridan is said to have been amused at his omission from the print (to indicate his insolvency), but was exasperated that Tierney had led the opposition to the tax. 'Lady Holland's Journal', i. 220. For the debates see pp. 1 ff., 73 ff., 131 ff. For the tax see BMSat 9363, &c. For Tooke and the Brentford Election see BMSat 4225 (1768), &c.
Grego, 'Gillray', pp. 252-3. Wright and Evans, No. 216. Reprinted, 'G.W.G.', 1830.
- Location
- Not on display
- Associated names
-
Associated with: Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford
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Associated with: Sir Francis Burdett, 5th Baronet
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Associated with: Edward Smith-Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby
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Associated with: Thomas Erskine, 1st Baron Erskine
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Associated with: Charles James Fox
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Associated with: Augustus Henry Fitzroy, 3rd Duke of Grafton
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Associated with: Francis Rawdon Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings and 2nd Earl of Moira
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Associated with: John Nicholls
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Associated with: Charles Howard, 11th Duke of Norfolk
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Associated with: Jane Elizabeth Scott, Countess of Oxford
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Associated with: Sir William Pulteney
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Associated with: Sir George Augustus William Shuckburgh Evelyn, 6th Baronet
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Associated with: Sir John Sinclair
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Associated with: Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl Stanhope
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Associated with: Right Hon Michael Angelo Taylor
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Associated with: George Tierney
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Associated with: John Horne Tooke
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Associated with: George Walpole
- Acquisition date
- 1851
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Registration number
- 1851,0901.954
