Charon’s boat.-or-the Ghost’s of “all the Talents” taking their last voyage,-

James Gillray

Charon’s boat.-or-the Ghost’s of “all the Talents” taking their last voyage,-

London, H. Humphrey  June 16^th 1807

Etching

Original hand colouring

265 x 350 mm

£2400

The ‘Broad-Bottom Packet’ sails through the mouth of a cave towards the distant shore, where the spirits of the departed stand waving a welcome. Its occupants, the defeated Ministers, are all naked. The torn sail is inscribed ‘Catholic Emancipation’. To the top of the mast a cross, inscribed ‘Ich dien’, is bound with tricolour lashings, and is surmounted by the Prince’s feathers, tied on with a tricolour ribbon inscribed ‘Fitz[herbert]’. Moira stands with one hand on the mast, putting a cross to his lips; his eyes are fixed on the feathers (cf. BMSat 10253, &c.). In the stern (r.) sits St. Vincent, holding the tiller and shouting: “Avast – ! Trim ye Boat! or these damn’d Broad bottom’d Lubbers will overset us all.” The boat is low on the port side where are the three vast Grenvilles, with the massive Sheridan beside them. Grenville, waving a Cardinal’s hat, holds a chalice, and addresses the posterior of his brother, all that appears, as he grovels at the bottom of the boat; this is marked with a cross and inscribed ‘Ballast from Stow’. He says: “Courage Brother! – take Extreme Unction! & don’t despair.” Temple sits on the edge of the boat holding a paper: ‘Stationary – Paymasr Office’ [see BMSat 10721, &c]; his other papers trail in the water: ‘Places’, ‘Pensions’, ‘Sinecures’; a bunch of pens floats away, as does a copy of the ‘Morning Chronicle’, the Whig newspaper. Next him, Erskine leans over the side vomiting ‘Catholic Emetic’. In the water an open wig-box is floating inscribed ‘Lord Double Bottoms his Wig Kings Bench’: Lord Ellenborough’s wig, inscribed on one side ‘Loyalty’, on the other ‘Opposition’, is falling into the water. Behind Erskine is the tall Howick standing with one foot on the gunwale and using a massive ‘Whig Club’ as a punt-pole. A cloak is attached to his shoulders by a tricolour ribbon. He says fiercely: “Better to Reign in Hell! – than Serve in Heaven!” In the bows stands little Lord Henry Petty, one simian foot on the gunwale, playing a dancing-master’s fiddle or kit; under his foot is a paper, ‘Dance Go to the Devil & shake Yourselves’ [see BMSat 10589]. Below Howick is his brother-in-law, Whitbread, singing from a book of ‘Wesleys Hyms’, a frothing tankard of ‘Whitbreads Entire’ [cf. 10421] in his left hand. Sheridan vomits, his hand to his forehead. Behind him is the austere Windham, pen in hand; he holds a paper: ‘Scheme for Drilling Imps in Hell’ [see BMSat 10596, &c.]. Next is a bishop, in lawn sleeves, his mitre inscribed ‘Lincoln’; he clutches twin monev-bags, inscribed ‘Pitt Endowmen…’ and ‘Whig Endowments’. He is Tomline, Bishop of Lincoln, see BMSat 7146, &c. Next him, and on St. Vincent’s right crouches Lauderdale, clutching his head despairingly; from his neck hangs a medal on a tricolour ribbon inscribed ‘Vive Brissot’ [see BMSat 10738]. A tattered tricolour flag flies in the stern bearing the Grenville motto: ‘Templa om dilecta’ [see BMSat 10724]; on it is a Papal tiara with two crosses. On the stern is the boat’s name surmounted by a skull and flames. Sidmouth’s head emerges from the water beside the boat, which he clutches between Temple and Grenville; beside him floats a copy of the ‘Oracle’, the Addingtonian paper (see ‘Hist. of the Times’, 1935, p. 101 n.).
Three harpy-like creatures with webbed wings fly (r.) above the packet-one with wings inscribed ‘Political Register’ squirts from a feathered rump a stream inscribed ‘Cobbet’s Letters’. A similar creature, the ‘Morning Post’ befouls the boat with ‘the Protestant’s Letters’. A creature with the head of Tooke wearing a bonnet rouge, and the head of Burdett sprouting from its rump, vomits (from Burdett) a stream of ‘Damnable Truths’ while Tooke looks round approvingly (see BMSat 10731, &c). Cerberus stands on a rock (l.) by the mouth of the cave, barking savagely at the boat; the heads are those of a bulldog, a terrier, and a bloodhound. Beside him are angry serpents. In the air (l.) are three witches seated on broomsticks, who play the part of the Fates: Hawkesbury (r.) holds a spindle and draws from it a ribbon which Castlereagh [Perceval, according to ‘London und Paris’, xx. 167.] (c.) holds out for the shears of Canning (l.). In the background, from behind hills in Hades, flames rise. On the shore, Fox, naked and paunchy, holds up an olive branch, shouting “Welcome to Charley”. On his right. is Cromwell, in Cromwellian dress, adding, to Cromwell. On his left. the headless Robespierre, a nude of classical form, holding his head in one hand, and waving a bonnet rouge, shouts “Welcome to Robespierre”. Two figures with nooses round their necks and caps drawn over their eyes add: “to Quigley” and “to Despard”. In the folds of the distant hills are other tiny welcoming figures.