- Museum number
- 1868,0808.8391
- Title
- Object: The freedom of election or hung-ing for popularity and plumpers for Maxwell.
- Description
-
Above the design: 'Westminster Election June 18th 1818'. Across the design extends a section of the hustings at Covent Garden with a central upright on which is a placard: '1st Day / State of Poll / Romilly—189 / Maxwell—176 / Burdett—87 / Kinnaird 25 / Hunt 14 / Cartwright 10'. At the base of the design is a fringe of upturned proletarian heads, their words ascending in labels which cover the wooden barrier in front of the hustings. Two candidates address the crowd: Hunt (left) and Maxwell (right). Hunt, wearing a large red favour, stands beside his son, a little boy on the extreme left who shouts "Hunt for ever"; behind them is a large red flag surmounted by a cap of Liberty in the form of a fool's cap with a bell and inscribed: 'Hunt, Liberty'. On the flag in huge letters: 'Uneversal Suffrage Hunt and Liberty' [cf. No. 13252]. He says: "I am a plain Englishman, I approve of the Conduct of Sir Murray Maxwell, in coming forward as he has done—Why should you send Sir Samuel Romilly to Parliament? he can find his way into the Den of Corruption. You Know the Hero of the Tower as well as I do, who ran out at the Back Door, when his Friends were waiting for him at the Front.—I have hoisted the Cap of Liberty." Maxwell, in naval uniform and wearing a black patch over the right eye, says: "Gentlemen—Mr Hunt is anxious you should hear me now. I am sure you will hear him presently with pleasure, I am certain my cause is as popular as his, for I see many Pretty Girls pressing forward to hear me. Of all the Days in the Year none appear more favorable for a British Officer to receive your Support than the Anniversary of Waterloo." Immediately below him is a placard headed by a royal crown held up by one of the men facing the hustings: "Who is Sir M. Maxwell? he is a brave, learned, loyal & Constitutional Man. he hoists only the Colors of his King & Country, Not the Bloody Flag. He has engaged to pay his Share of the Hustings to prevent new levies on the People." The other men standing on the hustings in the front rows are well characterized and probably portraits. On Hunt's left is Gale Jones (identified from No. 13001), the only man besides Hunt and his son wearing a red favour. A good-looking man beside the central upright may be Kinnaird; he holds a riding-switch to his mouth. Maxwell stands between a stout man holding a green umbrella and a naval officer. On the extreme right a sly-looking man with a Jewish profile holds a card inscribed 'Max'; he may be intended for Yarmouth, who plumped for Maxwell. The shouts ascending from the spectators are (left to right): "Hunt for ever"; "No Sovereigns"; "No Regents"; "No Churches"; "No Lawyers"; "Spa fields Row for ever"; "Hunt & Olliver for ever" [from a man wearing a bonnet rouge with tricolour cockade]; "No Sham Patriots"; "Hunt & Liberty"; "Hunt & Revolution"; "Burdett for ever"; "No Weather Cocks"; "No Coalition"; "The Spenceans for ever" [see No. 12868]; "Napoleon for ever"; "No Spafields Rioters" [see No. 12819]; "Kinnaird for ever"; "Cartwright for ever"; "No Old Woman in Parliament"; "Romilly for ever"; "Justice for ever"; "Romilly & Reform"; "Maxwell for ever"; "No Maxwell"; "No Captain Flog 'em"; "Maxwell & the British Navy"; "Let every Man do his Duty"; "Max [gin] for ever."
22 June 1818.
Hand-coloured etching
- Production date
- 1818
- Dimensions
-
Height: 260 millimetres
-
Width: 364 millimetres
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- (Description and comment from M. Dorothy George, 'Catalogue of Political and Personal Satires in the British Museum', IX, 1949)
Parliament was dissolved on 10 June; Cochrane, having accepted the command of the Chilian Navy, retired, making it necessary to find a Reform candidate to stand with Burdett, who was regarded as established in Westminster. The Westminster Committee (see No. 11414, &c.) chose Douglas Kinnaird, friend of Byron. The Ministerial candidate was Sir Murray Maxwell, captain R.N., see No. 13000. Romilly, M.P. for Arundel, was invited by a group of Whigs to stand; he consented on condition that he should take no personal part in the contest (the same arrangement was made with Burdett in 1807, see No. 10732) and he and Burdett did not appear on the hustings. Small groups put forward Hunt (who displayed a red flag) and Cartwright. Polling began on 18 June; the results of the first day are correctly given. Murray was hit on the eye by a stone, and appeared next day wearing a shade. His stout supporter with the umbrella, conspicuous also in No. 13003, may be John Willock, auctioneer, chairman of his committee, see 'Examiner', 1818, pp. 477, 490-2. The two speeches are abridgements of those actually made; Hunt savagely attacked Burdett; for the Tower incident see No. 11567. He said 'the gallant officer and myself are the only real candidates'. Maxwell recommended Cartwright, who withdrew after four days, when the Westminster Committee withdrew Kinnaird to prevent the defeat of Burdett by Maxwell, concentrating on an attempt to return Burdett at the head of the poll. The poll closed on 4 July; the result is given in No. 13006. 'Examiner', 7 June-12 July; 'Memoirs of Romilly' under dates 8 June-27 July; Wallas, 'Life of Place', pp. 128-32; Patterson, 'Sir Francis Burdett', 1931, ii. 457-61; 'Memoirs of H. Hunt', 1822, iii, pp. 526 ff. See Nos. 13000, 13001, 13002, 13003, 13006.
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 1868
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Registration number
- 1868,0808.8391
