British engraving, a political satire cartoon by isaac cruikshank, titled a new catamaran expedition!!!", 1805. It is a detailed scene with various speech balloons. William pitt the younger (lord warden of the cinque ports and former prime minister) looks on from walmer castle, as a fleet of fishing boats sails out to attack a french fort across the english channel. Pitt is saying, "if this does not succeed i'll never catamaran again as long as i live. "
the bilingsgate cutter, in foreground, carries four fishwives (back then a shrewish woman stereotype) to terrorize the french. They are armed with a "potatoe magazine" (sack of potatoes, perhaps to throw) and two bottles of "royal gin" aimed like cannon. The women are shouting: "we'll pepper you scoundrels", "give it 'em well, my hearties. ", "yea ye dirty blackguards we'll soon be with you. ", and "look at our ammunition, you poltroons. "
coming from the french fort is the reply, "begar dese le catamarans wid a vengeance. " (apparently eye dialect for something like "bugger this, catamarans with a vengeance"). The point of the piece was to satirise pitt's recruitment of 35 luggers manned by fishermen as a seaborne militia. The word "catamaran" was used for a fire-raft (used against french ports from 1804) and also a quarrelsome woman. Date: 1805.
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