Preliminaries of peace!, or, John Bull and his little friends "marching to Paris" [graphic] / Js. Gillray d. & f.

"Lord Hawkesbury as a drummer boy, very thin and weedy, marches (left to right) in front of John Bull with awkward and shambling aggressiveness; he steps on to a rotten plank inscribed 'Heart of Oak' which connects the shores of England and France. His drum-sticks are a rolled document, 'Preliminaries', and an olive branch. Across his dishevelled bearskin is a ribbon: 'Peace'; from it hangs the end of a fool's cap. From his coat-pocket issues a paper: 'Instructions from Park Place' [Pitt's London address]; [So given in the Royal Kalendar (alphabetical list of the House of Commons). Broadley notes that Malmesbury lived at Park Place, Henley (this was his third country house). The crest on the drum, as well as political probability, supports the Pitt interpretation.] his drum is slung from his neck by a tricolour ribbon, and has on its side the Pitt crest, a stork holding an anchor. His expression is deprecatingly wary; and he looks sideways at John Bull, who is accompanied by a swarm of little English 'Jacobins'. He says: "Allons, Enfans de la Patrie! - now's your time Johnny! - my dear Boys! - did not I promise long ago, to take my Friends by the hand, & lead them on to March to the Gates of Paris? - Allons! vive la Liberta!!" In the narrow Channel which he is about to cross float Britannia's discarded shield, a large money-bag of '£400 Million', and papers inscribed: 'Malta', 'West India Islands', 'Cape of Good Hope', 'Map of Egypt', 'Restoration of French Monarchy', 'List of Soldiers & Sailors Killed'. John Bull (left), a simple yokel, very fat and good-natured, marches after Hawkesbury in high glee waving his hat; over his civilian dress is a sword-belt from which a sword falls to the ground, hilt downwards. He shouts: "Rule Britannia! - \ Britannia Rules the Waves!!! \ Caira! - Caira!" He is being urged forward by a crowd of little figures, members of the Opposition, who wave or wear their bonnets rouges. They vary in scale: the most prominent is Fox who marches along blowing a trumpet; Norfolk drags John forward, clutching his coat with both hands; behind Norfolk Tierney's head appears. Behind Fox is Sheridan pushing John from behind; on Sheridan's right is General Walpole; on his left, Burdett. Behind him on the extreme left is Moira, with a conspicuous whisker. Other persons are represented by arms waving caps. In front and under John's feet are three tiny naked mannikins: Nicholls holdup his eyeglass, his legs attached to his shoulders to show that he is 'nobody', cf. BMSat 5570; the paunchy Derby, blowing a French horn, and, smallest of all, M. A. Taylor blowing a trumpet. Across the water, in France, and on the extreme right, is a ramshackle building, perhaps a ruined church, with a large placard: 'Vive la Liberta'. Before it is planted a Tree of Liberty; a garlanded pole supporting an enormous bonnet rouge, round which tiny simian figures dance, holding hands. They wear bonnets rouges and have tails."--British Museum online catalogue.