The Castle - in Danger, or the Heads of the Nation in a Queer Situation (caricature)

This hand-coloured print presents six men on a raft as another plunges face first overboard, with a document that reads ‘State of Poll / Col Meade 2398 Vi...’. The man underwater is Viscount Castlereagh, an Irish politician who was made Minister of War and the Colonies by William Pitt the Younger in 1805. Members of Parliament appointed to a government role were required by law to resign their local seat and immediately run in a by-election to confirm they still held the trust of their constituents. In July 1805, Castlereagh lost his seat representing County Down in the House of Commons in Dublin after an aggressive, heavily funded campaign in support of rival Colonel Meade proved successful in the polls. Meade, pictured here in a red jacket on the right, holding a bottle labelled ‘Meade’ and removing his hat, celebrates, ‘Down, Down, Down, Derry, Down’.

William Pitt is represented in the centre, throwing his fists to the sky and exclaiming, ‘Ye have taken away Useful Harry from me, and will ye take the Drudging Viscount also? Surely I shall be left alone to manage this great Nation.’ He refers to the recent resignation of Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, a Scottish MP and ally in his government. Next to Pitt, a smartly dressed man in a top hat reaches to grab Castlereagh’s legs as he explains, ‘Now for a Long pull at him’. ‘Long’ is capitalised and underlined to identify the character as Lord of the Treasury, Charles Long, a longstanding ally of Pitt who would become Chief Secretary for Ireland 12 days after the publication of this print.

On the left, a sailor states, ‘Aye’ Aye’ he is a famous Gudgeon catcher!’. Next to him another figure, perhaps a naval officer, justifies, ‘No fear, If he is born to be Hanged he will never be Drowned!!!’. On the right, a figure states, ‘He has only made a dive after a good plaice’ as he attempts to hook Castlereagh from the water.