"Two sailors, Hawkesbury and Castlereagh, seated side by side, row a small ship's boat or dinghy, 'the Billy Pitt', towing the ships of the Danish fleet. Canning, in the stern, holds the ropes attached to the ships. He looks alert and roguish, the others are grave. They are going through rough water caused by 'Leviathan' (l.), a porpoise-like monster with three heads and a forked tail. The heads spout water at the boat, particularly at Canning. They are (r. to left.) Grenville, who spouts "Opposition Clamour"; Howick (whom Canning had replaced as Foreign Secretary), spouting "Detraction"; and St. Vincent, spouting "Envy". The boat nears the shore, indicated by a rock projecting into the sea (r.); on this is an anchor leaning against a pile of cannon-balls stacked against the wall of a small thatched inn. On the stock of the anchor sits John Bull, a stout countryman, holding a frothing tankard, and waving his hat. He shouts "Rule Britannia! - Britannia Rules the Waves!!" On the inn is a placard: 'Sheerness Harbour'; it has a sign hanging over the water: a profile bust portrait of George III: 'The Good Old Royal George'. Above it waves the Union Jack. On the horizon countries of Europe are indicated by low-lying coastlines backed by tiny buildings, all on fire, the flames and smoke covering the sky. These are, l. to r.: 'Poland', 'Russia', 'Germany', 'Prussia', 'Italy', 'Holland'. In the smoke Napoleon capers in impotent rage, sword in hand, his feathered bicorne flying upwards from his head. In his dismay he drops a paper: 'Projet pour Sub-juger [sic] la Mer' [cf. BMSat 10599, &c.]. On the extreme left., behind the Danish ships and isolated from Poland, is Copenhagen, its buildings on a larger scale, with a fortress flying a British flag. The buildings behind the fortress are on fire."--British Museum online catalogue.
Description:
Title etched below image.
Subject (Name):
Auchincloss, Hugh Dudley--Ownership., Canning, George,--1770-1827--Caricatures and cartoons., Castlereagh, Robert Stewart,--Viscount,--1769-1822--Caricatures and cartoons., George--III,--King of Great Britain,--1738-1820--Caricatures and cartoons., Grenville, William Wyndham Grenville,--Baron,--1759-1834--Caricatures and cartoons., Grey, Charles Grey,--Earl,--1764-1845--Caricatures and cartoons., Harvey, Francis--Ownership., Humphrey, Hannah, active 1774-1817, publisher., Liverpool, Robert Banks Jenkinson,--Earl of,--1770-1828--Caricatures and cartoons., Napoleon--I,--Emperor of the French,--1769-1821--Caricatures and cartoons., and St. Vincent, John Jervis,--Viscount,--1735-1823--Caricatures and cartoons.
Subject (Topic):
John Bull (Symbolic character)--Caricatures and cartoons.
"The comet has the profile head of Napoleon wearing a plumed bicorne; it rushes up from the left towards the sun, the profile head of George III, much irradiated. John Bull, a carbuncled 'cit', stoops low to look through a telescope on a tripod pointing towards the comet. Napoleon looks up at the King, who gazes fixedly above his head. He has ascended from a small piece of land rising from the narrow Channel separating it from John's wider fragment. Up this a frog clambers. On the open sea ships are strung out along the horizon. John says: "Aye - Aye - Master Comet - you may attempt your Periheliums - or your Devil heliums for what I care but take the word of an Old Man you'll never reach the Sun depend upon it"."--British Museum online catalogue, description of an earlier state.
Alternative Title:
John Bull making observations on the comet
Description:
"Price one shilling coloured.", Also issued separately., Date of publication based on complete imprint on earlier state: London, Printed for Thos. Tegg, 111 Cheapside, 10th Novr. 1807. Cf. No. 10769 in the Catalogue of prints and drawings in the British Museum. Division I, political and personal satires, v. 8., Later state; former plate number "29" has been replaced with a new number, and date has been removed from end of imprint statement., Plate from: Woodward, G.M. Caricature magazine, or Hudibrastic mirror. London : Thomas Tegg, [1808?], v. 4., Plate numbered "274" in upper right corner., and Title etched below image.
Subject (Name):
Auchincloss, Hugh Dudley--Ownership., George--III,--King of Great Britain,--1738-1820--Caricatures and cartoons., Harvey, Francis--Ownership., Johnstone, Henry Arthur--Ownership., Napoleon--I,--Emperor of the French,--1769-1821--Caricatures and cartoons., Tegg, Thomas, 1776-1845, publisher., and Woodward, G. M. (George Moutard), approximately 1760-1809, artist.
Subject (Topic):
John Bull (Symbolic character)--Caricatures and cartoons.