Anticipation, or the approaching fate of the French commercial treaty, James Gillray, 1787

The interior of the house of commons, the speaker in his chair, the two clerks, hatsell and ley, writing at the table on which is the mace. The members are represented by dogs, some having human faces; in the foreground four ministerial hounds (left) and four opposition leaders (right) tear violently at a paper inscribed 'commercial treaty'. On the right benches opposition hounds are in hungry cry after their leaders, on the left the ministerialists are gnawing bones with eyes fixed on the contest. The four government dogs, who have human faces, are pitt, a lean greyhound, his collar inscribed 'fawning-billy'; next him dundas, his collar 'treasurer navy'; next pepper arden, his collar 'at. Gen', and last, archibald macdonald, his collar 'sol. G. ' opposite these are north, wearing his ribbon, gnawing greedily, and fox tearing ferociously (these two have quasi-human heads), burke, a dog wearing spectacles, and sheridan, his collar inscribed 'sc. For scan[dal]'. Three yelping puppies fawn on fox, one of whom is probably intended for grey. Behind the speaker's chair stand members of the house of lords, scandalized at the uproar. Spectators look down from the galleries. 16 january 1787 hand-coloured etching. Date: 1787. Dimensions: Height: 255 mm; Width: 356 mm. Medium: paper. Depicted People: Richard Pepper Arden, 1st Baron of Alvanley. Collection: British Museum. Anticipation, or the approaching fate of the French commercial treaty (BM 1868,0808.5606)