print; satirical print

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Object Type: print; satirical print
Museum number: 1868,0808.5609
Title: Object: The Opening of St Stephen's Chapel for the present season (when men wish to serve themselves the Devil take the hindmost)
Description: The figures and objects have numbers referring to notes beneath the title. Members of parliament on foot, horseback, &c, hasten towards a building representing the House of Commons in the upper right part of the design. A wide doorway takes the place of almost the whole front wall, showing the interior with the Speaker in his Chair, the benches and galleries. Each side of the doorway is flanked with an enormous fish between two loaves; above it is inscribed 'The Political Ark 1787', and in the gable end: 'Blessed are the K--ng's appointed, they shall taste the rich things of the Land; but woe unto thos that thwart his Rulers till they turn from their wickedness and do that which seemeth good'. The building is '1, St Stephen's ------'; the Speaker, '2'. 'The S------r'. The ministerial benches on the Speaker's right are 'Pro Rege'; they are crowded, the first two rows being filled with loaves and fishes, numbered '2, Velvet seats for the Inns'; the opposite benches are 'Pro Patria', they have only one occupant and are covered with spikes: they are '3, Porcupine seats for the Outs'. A man stands at each side of the doorway, one (left) says, "Gentlemen we yet have Ways & Means", he is not numbered but appears to be '4, Mr G------t'. (Probably Thomas Gilbert, M.P. for Lichfield, paymaster of pensions to the widows of sea officers.) On the right is '5 The Door Keeper' saying, "The S------r is in the Chair". The other figures converge upon the House from all parts of the design: ministerialists from the left, others from the right; five small figures on horseback in advance of the Opposition say respectively (left to right): "Aye or no for a place"; "My conscience for a place"; "I want a place"; "The Lad may be hard run & glad to come down handsomely"; "Thro' thick and thin for a place". From the left six birds with legal wigs and bands, inscribed 'Law Covey', follow a larger bird, holding an irradiated lantern, who says "There will be some Glorious Promotions." He is '6 The A-----y G------l or great law luminary' (Pepper Arden). The foremost of the 'Covey' says, "Impeachment, if pursued, may afford us some crums" (an allusion to Hastings's pending trial). Five bare-legged men in Highland dress are the 'Scotch Squad', their leader (? Dundas) carries his breeches across his shoulder and says, "We'll try for a gude place mon". On the extreme left an elephant carries a castellated box on its back from which six heads appear, surrounded with coins. They are the 'Bengal Squad'. The elephant is led by '7, M-----r. S------t' (Major Scott, agent to Hastings), who says, "I'll talk & write Till black is white". (His unremitting advocacy of Hastings was considered ill-judged.) For the 'Bengal Squad' and Scott see 'The Rolliad', where the Squad is called 'The Pillars of Prerogative and Pitt'; it includes Vansittart, Call, Palk, and Barwell. The leading members of the Opposition are in the lower right corner of the print: A rider in back view is '8 Mr L' saying, "If Charles should ever get in office again, sure, he would give honest Jack a good place" (John Lee, Attorney-General under the Coalition). North rides behind Fox on the same horse, Fox saying, "I'll warrant we'll kick up a Dust". They are inscribed 'Antigallicans' (as opponents of the Commercial Treaty, see BMSat 6995, &c.) and are '10 Mr F------& L------N'. Rather nearer St. Stephen's are '11' and '9'. '11' is 'Mr S------n' (Sheridan), riding a rocking-horse, whose rockers are inscribed 'Wit'; '9' are 'Mr B------e & Mr F------s': Burke, wearing a Jesuit's biretta (cf. BMSat 6021), holds two labels, one 'Impeachment', the other 'Francis Master Hastings'. 'We'll give a good bastings'; Francis sits behind him saying, "Anon, Anon, Sir". Their horse is leaping over a keg inscribed 'Rupees', in front of it is a larger bag inscribed 'Pagodas'. In the foreground on the left are '22', '19', and '16', the last being 'Mr E------n' (Eden), dressed as a Frenchman, his coat dotted with fleurs-de-lis, saying, "I must defend my Treaty, or farewell to all my hopes" (cf. BMSat 6815). '19' is 'Mr P------& L------ds of the T-----y': Pitt rides on the back of one of the Treasury lords, who holds the coat-tails of another lord who similarly holds the next lord. Pitt's back is decorated with an implement resembling a gridiron and inscribed 'T-----y Saveall' (cf. BMSat 6965); in his left hand he holds the French Treaty, saying "Gee ho for Universal Commerce". The four lords are the Marquis of Graham, Eliot, Sir John Aubrey, and the Earl of Mornington; they are inscribed 'State Scholars', indicating that they are political novices. On the extreme left '22, Sir J------ M-----y' (Joseph Mawbey), rides a pig (cf. BMSat 5746), saying, "I'll grunt till I get a peerage." The less prominent figures on the Ministerial side are '12', '13', '14', '17', '18', '20' (there is no '15'). '18, Sir L------K------n' (Lloyd Kenyon) rides a goat and flourishes a leek, saying, "Hur would give hur coat & leak to be chief" (see BMSat 7123). '17, Law Chicken' is abird with ahumanhead, saying, "I expect to be a welch Judge" (Michael Angelo Taylor, see BMSat 6777). '13, L------ G-----y' (Lord Galway) says, "A Red ribband binds me". He was M.P. for York, Comptroller of the Household, K.B. in 1786. '14' is 'Mr W--lk--s' (Wilkes) saying "I'll have a squint at the market". '12 Aldn W-----n '(Alderman Watson) holds up his wooden leg, saying, "Gratitude spurs me" (cf. BMSat 6965). '20', two men riding an ass, are 'Messs R------e & S------l' (Rose and Steele, the Treasury Secretaries); they say, "We mend as we go". There are four unnumbered horsemen on the Ministerial side: one near the 'Bengal Squad' falls over his horse's head, another says, "I'll push hard for a good place", another, "It's a dirty road", a third, "Interest is my idol". They may be '23'. 'Ald. H------t' [Sir B. Hammet, M.P. for Taunton] &c. &c. 20 January 1787 Etching with hand-colouring
Producer name: Print made by: William Dent; Published by: E Macklew; Published by: William Moore; Published by: J (or W) Dickie
School/style
Production date: 1787
Materials
Technique: etching; hand-coloured
Dimensions: Height: 247 millimetres; Width: 348 millimetres (trimmed)
$Inscriptions
Curator's comments: (Description and comment from M.Dorothy George, 'Catalogue of Political and Personal Satires in the British Museum', VI, 1938) This satire anticipates the opening of Parliament on 23 Jan., with references to the two chief matters which were to be discussed: the Commercial Treaty with France (see BMSat 6995, &c.) and the impeachment of Hastings. For the question of legal promotions cf. BMSat 7123; Bearcroft and Scott (afterwards Lord Eldon) were expected to be Attorney and Solicitor-General, but 'all these law promotions are at a stand, as Lord Mansfield holds fast'. 'Cornwallis Corr.', i. 259 (10 Jan.). For the loaves and fishes of office cf. BMSat 6962, &c. Cf. also BMSat 7682.
Bibliographic references
Location: Not on display
Subjects
Associated names: Associated with: Richard Pepper Arden, 1st Baron of Alvanley; Associated with: Sir John Aubrey, 6th Baronet; Associated with: Richard Barwell; Associated with: Edmund Burke; Associated with: Charles Wolfran Cornwall; Associated with: Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville; Associated with: William Eden, 1st Baron Auckland; Associated with: Edward James Eliot; Associated with: Charles James Fox; Associated with: Sir Philip Francis; Associated with: Robert Monckton-Arundel, 8th Viscout Galway; Associated with: James Graham, 3rd Duke of Montrose; Associated with: Warren Hastings; Associated with: Thomas Gilbert; Associated with: Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon; Associated with: John Lee; Associated with: Paul Le Mesurier; Associated with: Right Hon Sir Archibald Macdonald; Associated with: Sir Joseph Mawbey; Associated with: Richard Colley Wellesley, Marquess Wellesley; Associated with: Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford; Associated with: Sir Robert Palk, 1st Baronet (as one of the 'Bengal Squad'); Associated with: William Pitt the Younger; Associated with: Right Hon George Rose; Associated with: John Scott, 1st Earl of Eldon; Associated with: Major John Scott-Waring; Associated with: Richard Brinsley Sheridan; Associated with: Thomas Steele; Associated with: Right Hon Michael Angelo Taylor; Associated with: George Vansittart; Associated with: Sir Brook Watson; Associated with: John Wilkes
Acquisition name
Acquisition date: 1868
Department: Prints and Drawings
Registration number: 1868,0808.5609

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