Fox in the chair (centre), with three leading whigs on each side of him; all are seated as if in a latrine. All wear enormous wigs (indicating that they are whigs) resembling those worn by the speaker and by judges. After the title are the words 'most heartily inscribed to the worshipful company of barbers. . '. In the centre foreground is their secretary, a demon, wearing a similar wig and seated on a chamber-pot inscribed 'st albans'. He holds a pen in his right hand; with his left he holds his nose. He is seated before a headsman's block inscribed 'k. Charles's pillow', on which he is writing a 'plan of operations for 1785'. Beside him are an axe, a newspaper inscribed 'morng herald', and an open book, 'history of the commonwealth'. He says:
"my sirs, you'll shite great things i think,
you make such an infernal stink. "
labels issuing from the mouths of the members of the club are numbered. 'ist' is the earl of surrey, on the extreme right saying, "say, what's to be done, pray tell our secretary - scratch". Next him is burke, '2d', holding a paper inscribed 'oeconomy', indicating his bill of economical reform (cf. Bmsat 5657, &c. ); he says, "india and irish affairs will make - a good batch". Next, and on fox's left hand is north, '3d', holding a paper inscribed 'reform'. He says:
"commutations & juries shall be my tale,
such subjects - by straining hard - must sure avail. "
north vigorously opposed, 16 june 1784, sawbridge's motion for a reform of parliament which fox, of course, supported. 'parl. Hist. ' xxiv. 975 ff. Wraxall, 'memoirs', 1884, iii. 424. Cf. Bmsat 6636. The commutation tax was attacked by the opposition, cf. Bmsat 6630, 6634, &c. Fox, '4th', seated in a raised arm-chair, with a half length portrait of cromwell behind his head, holds a paper inscribed 'prerogative'; his face is contorted and he says:
"reform & scrutiny shall not be forgot,
no, no, i'll strain to give it them smoaking hot. "
on his right sits keppel, '5th', saying:
"to get them out i'll strain as i have strain 'd before,
tho', dear coz. They are as frightful as a lee shore. "
one of many gibes at keppel for his conduct at the battle of ushant, 27 july 1778, see bmsat 5992, &c. Next, '6th', is lord derby, saying:
"we shan't get in, i fear, tho' we do our best",
powys, '7th', on the extreme left, responds:
"no, we too compleatly did beshit our nest. " 24 december 1784
etching. Date: 1784. Dimensions: Height: 250 mm; Width: 343 mm. Medium: paper. Depicted People: Edmund Burke. Collection: British Museum. The Whig Club, or the state of the blue and buff council (BM 1868,0808.5394)
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