A short fat dutchman stands full-face; his pipe falls from his mouth, coins drop from his breeches pockets. His tall hat, full of coins, is held by an english sailor (left) who bends towards him, directing a squirt of tobacco-juice at his face. On the right is another sailor, who seizes a wretched, ragged frenchman, holding him by a cloth round the neck, and threatening him with a clenched fist. The dutchman says: "between john bull, & the french republic poor mynheer will be robbed of all. D------n the scheldt. " the sailor on the right says: "come come mynheer the republicans must not have all the money, we must have a little handaway d'ye see. " the frenchman, who stands in profile to the left, knees bent, hands clasped, his bonnet-rouge falling from his head, says to his assailant, "by gar mynheer has got all de money. "
on the extreme left is a post or scraggy palm-tree in a tub, inscribed 'tree of liberty' (see bmsat 9214, &c); up this a monkey is climbing (as in bmsat 8846), while another, chained to it, tries to reach the coins at the feet of the sailor. The background is a low fortification with a cannon in an embrasure. 7 november 1796. Hand-coloured etching. Date: 1796. Dimensions: Height: 239 mm; Width: 322 mm. Medium: paper. Collection: British Museum. A peep into Saldanha bay or the Dutch perfidy rewarded. (BM 1868,0808.6560)
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