pamphlet
- Museum number
- 1863,1114.209
- Description
-
Political pamphlet of 44 pages, without illustrations entitled:
'A full view of the British Commons.'
Subtitled: "as constituted in the nineteenth century of the Christian era, when the debt of great Britain had reached to 1,206,159,466 pounds sterling, under the gigantic system of swindling called paper currency as denounced by William Pitt in his best days."
With the quotation:
"And the veil of the Temple became rent in twain from the top to the bottom."
At the foot of the page:
"London: Printed and Published by W. Benbow, 269, Strand, 1821."
The pamphlet's introduction entitled: 'The King and the People; versus the unsurping Lords Boroughmongers.' states its aim:
"We have in our arrangement, first classes alphabetically the Lords who are accused of notoriously nominating or influencing the return of Members of the Commons; the figures affixed to their names, specify the amount to which in the 'Peep at the Peers' they and their relatives are said to receive from the taxes, besides their own immense landed revenues."
Their follows an alphabetical list of Lords, Boroughmongers and members of parliament with their incomes.
The back page carries an advertisement for new publications: 'The philosophical dictionary' and 'Rycraft's champions of England.'
1821
Letterpress pamphlet
- Production date
- 1821
- Dimensions
-
Height: 207 millimetres (approx. page height)
-
Width: 125 millimetres (approx. page width)
- Curator's comments
- As the pamphlet is not illustrated, it is not included in M. Dorothy George's ‘Catalogue of Political and Personal Satires in the British Museum.’
Bound as part of 'Political Tracts Volume 8.' Number 8 of 10 volumes of political pamphlets, published circa 1819- 1822.
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 1863
- Acquisition notes
- The collection of satirical pamphlets illustrated by "the Cruikshanks" (ie: George and Isaac Robert) acquired from Harvey, 1863,1114. 90-217, have been bound in 'Political Tracts' Volumes 8 to 9.
They are bound in a different order to that in which they are listed in the Prints and Drawings Department's collection register. Pamphlets which are not illustrated and/ or not attributed to George or Isaac Robert Cruikshank also form part this collection.
The 10 volumes of 'Political Tracts' appear to have been created some years after these pamphlets were purchased. Volumes 1-7 are comprised of pamphlets from the Maskelyne collection acquired by the Museum in 1865. The binding of these pamphlets into volumes of 'Political Tracts.' may have been related to G.W. Reid's 'Catalogue of Cruikshank's Work.' 1871. There is an additional 10th volume containing pamphlets with unknown acquisition sources.
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Registration number
- 1863,1114.209
