Satirical riposte to hogarth's 'the times plate 1' (paulson 211) contrasting particular elements of that print to suggest that lord bute is creating faction within the country while pitt and his supporters attempt to calm the situation. St james's palace is ablaze; flames issuing from the gate set fire to an inn sign of the globe lettered "new lost land" (a reference to the recent loss of newfoundland). On the left, bute, wearing a tartan night shirt, holding a large pair of bellows, runs away from the fire but encourages it by breaking wind; two other scots, crouching, also break wind, one of them addressing the other as "brother small wit" (i. E. , tobias smollett); henry fox runs away from bute's supporters crying, "d[am]n the dogs how they stink i'll turn my tail on them". On the right, pitt stands on a fire engine directing a jet of water on the fire (in contrast to hogarth's print where he stands on stilts fanning the flames while a supporter of the king is the chief fire fighter); the pump is manned by the dukes of newcastle and cumberland and sailors who parallel the prominent sailor in hogarth's print. Cumberland complains that the "machine is sadly out of order" (meaning government) to which newcastle responds "yes ever since you left it", referring to cumberland's resignation from military command. The sailors allude to pitt's letter of october 1761 to william beckford in which he explains his resignation "in order not to remain responsible for measures which i was no longer allowed to guide" (published in the annual register, 1761, p. 300); they compare pitt as the "master [who] guides it well" with bute whose action is a wind that "encreases the flame" and "comes from a very foul quarter". Charles churchill, in clerical dress, walks towards the pitt's group carrying a bucket labelled "north briton" and offering to "help without hope of a pension", an allusion to payments made by the crown both to hogarth and to pitt. In the background, to left, a group of men look on saying the "squire" (the king) and his family are "safe on the other side" (implying they have joined the opponents of lord bute, which was not in fact the case); one man continues to encourage bute, "blow away my lad they will expend all their water soon". Etched verses below describe the scene in scurrilous terms suggesting that the fire began in "the welch ladys bed room", i. E. , that of princess augusta, and call for quenching of the "fire of party. 2 september 1762
etching. Date: 1762. Dimensions: Height: 246 mm; Width: 301 mm. Medium: paper. Depicted People: William Hogarth. Collection: British Museum. John Bull's house sett in flames (BM 1868,0808.4205)
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