THE HIGHFLYING CANDIDATE, LITTLE PAULL GOOSE, MOUNTING FROM A BLANKET—Vide HUMOURS OF WESTMINSTER ELECTION. 1806. BY J. GILLRAY.
Gillray’s third caricature on the general election of 1806 exhibits a spirited panorama of the procession to the hustings as “Posting to the Election: a Scene on the Road to Brentford,” in which each of the candidates is hastening in the way supposed to best characterize his prospects and party: William Mellish, who enjoyed the interest of the Coalition Ministry then in office, is driven in style, in a dashing “Rule Britannia and the Bank” four-in-hand, under the “Flag of Loyalty and Independence,” by Lord Granville as coachman; Lords Temple and Castlereagh, and the Marquis of Buckingham are perched behind; the latter is giving a sly helping pull to the post-chaise and pair in which is seated George Byng—“in the good old Whig interest;” the head of Fox is displayed on the box as “the good old Whig Block.” Prominent in the foreground is the grand melée of the Coalition candidates for Westminster—Sheridan and Sir Samuel Hood, mounted on a prancing brewer’s horse, just escaped from the dray, with panniers overflowing with gold pieces, and labelled, “Subscription Malt and Hops from the Whitbread Brewery.”
COALITION CANDIDATES—SHERIDAN AND SIR SAMUEL HOOD. 1806.
Burdett’s ballad-singers and marrow-bone-and-cleaver men are scattered by the plunging dray-horse from Whitbread’s, and the startled donkey, which bears little Paull, is giving the rider an upset, in which Paull’s famous “Impeachment of the Marquis of Wellesley” is falling to the ground. Last comes Sir Francis Burdett, who, on this occasion, experienced a mortifying defeat in the face of his former triumphs at Brentford; the gay barouche of 1800 and 1804 has given place to an “untaxed cart” with four miserable jackasses; the efforts of a posse of sweeper-boy followers with difficulty extricate this shabby conveyance from the slough. Acting as postillion is the little Corsican, Bonaparte, then but recently elected Emperor of the French. It was at this time one of the theories of Napoleon I., that, after the visionary conquest of England, he would inaugurate a republic, for the presidency of which he declared Sir Francis Burdett to be, in his estimation, the fittest person in England; this opinion, it is believed, was shared by the baronet—an entertaining aspect of the “might-have-beens”! “Liberty and Equality, No Placemen in Parliament, and No Bastilles,” are the watchwords of the party in the condemned cart; all the members wear “Liberty” favours in their hats. Burdett has “The Life of Oliver Cromwell” for consultation ready at hand; behind him is his political preceptor, Horne Tooke, shown in parsonic guise, and Bosville with the “Rights of Man” next his heart. Cobbett appears as the “Radical Drummer,” beating up recruits for Burdett and Paull, with his “Political Register” and “Inflammatory Letters.” “Orator Broad-face, of Swallow Street,” whose mob pleasantries overpowered the veteran Sheridan at Covent Garden, is among the baronet’s enthusiastic supporters.
A RADICAL DRUMMER. 1806. W. COBBETT.
| Sir Samuel Hood. | Whitbread. | Sheridan. | James Paull. | Sir F. Burdett. |
VIEW OF THE HUSTINGS IN COVENT GARDEN—WESTMINSTER ELECTION. 1806. BY J. GILLRAY.