File:Political electricity; or, an historical & prophetical print in the year 1770. (BM 1868,0808.4445).jpg

(1) Lord Bute stands, at top right, in "ye Character of Doctor [Benjamin] Franklin"; electricity is generated by one of three of "ye Principal Nobles in France" who turns a handle on Bute's head.
At top centre stands (2) Princess Augusta, linked to Bute by a chain (3) transmitting the electrical charge; from her left foot hangs a chain from which a large set of scales is suspended; a string attached to her right foot and hand is ready to “manage the Beam”; the left-hand end of beam is surmounted by the figure of Virtue, and from it hangs the scale containing (6) the Opposition. The king (not named in the key) is attached to the princess's waist by the electrical chain and turns away to watch a group of Royal Academy students draw from a life model; an open book at his feet is lettered, "History of Charles A Dissolution Dangerous to the Crown"; documents nearby are lettered "Resignation of the Seals" and "Resignation of Commander in Cheif" (referring to the resignations of Lord Chancellor Camden and the Marquis of Granby on 17 January 1770).
The chain (3) moves from Bute past an "Advice Frigate" carrying dispatches from Calais to Dover and a creature that is half-horse, half-woman (Nancy Parsons, Grafton's former mistress, his "Riding Filly") to Grafton (4) dressed as a "Newmarket Jockey" crying "The odds are 219 to 137" (a reference to the House of Commons vote expelling John Wilkes on 3 February 1769).
Grafton conveys the electrical charge to the heavier scale surmounted by the figure of Vice containing (5) the Administration (Lord North, Sir Fletcher Norton, William De Grey, Jeremiah Dyson ("Mungo"), George Onslow, Robert Clive ("Mulah Ishmael")) and money bags marked "Treasury".
The lighter Opposition scale (6) contains Edmund Burke, William Dowdeswell, Isaac Barré (thought to be the writer of the letters from 'Junius' to Grafton in 1769 and 1770), Charles Cornwall, Lord John Cavendish and Richard Whitworth (i.e., Veridicus); labels attached to the strings are lettered "The Bill of Nullum Tempus / The Bill of Rights / Habeas Corpus Act / General Warrants / Magna Charta" and members hold documents lettered, "To his Grace the D[uk]e of G[rafto]n ... Junius" and "The Injur'd Ghost of Liberty at the Bar of the H[ouse] of C[ommons] in 1769 ... Veridicus".
A large figure representing George Grenville (7) lies on the beam of the scale adding weight to the Administration side, but "likely to tumble off between them both".
Between the scales is a compartment (8) in which stands Lord Barrington, Secretary at War, "quite alone" holding "A Bill to empower ye Crown to call out the Militia 30,000 men ..."
To the left of the Opposition scale is a scene (9) outside St James's Palace with "ye tumultuous Mob before ye Gates irritated at ye Merchants Address procur'd by A[dministratio]n", a reference to the attack on 22 March 1769 on a procession delivering to the king an address of the City of London in support of the government. Above this scene is an unnumbered compartment with a ship moored at a quayside to which a group of politicians is being led, their hands behind their backs; a soldier (?) holds a paper lettered, "Convicts to be Transported" with a list of names headed "Lord M[ansfiel]d" and continuing with those of supposed government supporters shown elsewhere on the print.
A compartment (10) below the Opposition scale shows William Beckford as a pillar "that stands upright when ye rest of ye Edifice has tumbled" and Sir George Savile addressing him "about ye Good of ye State".
To the left (11), the Royal Exchange is overgrown with plants and notices are posted on its columns advertising "Bor[ough]s & Seats in P[arliamen]t to be Sold"; one notice continues, "Enq[uire] at Oxford Arms" and the other "Enq[uire] at Blenheim" (references to the Duke of Marlborough's influence in Oxfordshire elections).
Three rows of soldiers (12), to the right of Grafton, are "ready drawn up at ye Beck of ye M[inistr]y to fire upon any Emergency; the figure of Justice lies in front of them, fallen from a pillar, and covered by a cobweb.
Below this is (13) "Arthur's Gaming house in St. James's Street where ye M[inistr]y are Playing at Cards regardless of ye Nations Welfare".
(14) shows Lord Weymouth, Secretary of State, and Lord Gower, Lord President of the Council, playing cards; money bags marked "Treasury" lie near them, and Richard Rigby, Paymaster General, pours wine, a paper lettered "Essex Address" hangs from his pocket alluding to the much-mocked loyal address to the king presented by government supporters from Essex in 1769; the card-players are linked by the electrical chain (3) to surgeons in compartment 18.
In the centre of the print, (15) shows Bloomsbury Square where the wedding of Grafton and Elizabeth Wrottesley, niece of the Duchess of Bedford, is celebrated; Bute looks on suggesting that the marriage has been made for the sake of political connections; the key notes that the "Familys of B[edford], G[rafto]n & M[arlboroug]h are now connected" (Bedford's daughter, Lady Caroline Russell, had married the Duke of Marlborough in 1762).
To the left, (16) shows the aging Lords Temple and Chatham seated beneath a portrait of the devil "consulting about ye change of Affairs for ye Good of ye Nation"; they hold papers dated 1758 and 1759 demonstrating contrasting opinions about the Seven Years War, and others dated 1767 and 1770 alternately attacking and supporting Wilkes.
(17) refers to six compartments on the left hand side of the sheet alluding to the prices of "Provisions" and of "Stocks", "Shewing ye Dearness & Distress of ye Times wch ye present M[inistr]y have brought this Coutnry to": two views of shops show "Beef 8d per lb" and "Corn 8 shillings per Bushell"; a man identified by Stephens as Henry Fox who has evidently consumed an "Emetic from Dr Scrip at the Tower" ('scrip' refers to government stock exchanged for cash) is shown with a goose's head emerging from his mouth as he vomits coins and a note for "40,000,000", two City aldermen support him; other men lament that a "spunge" (the wiping out of debt without payment) has "come at last" and that they have lost their annuities of "4 per cent" and "three per cent"; another, identified tentatively by Stephens as Lord North, attempts to wipe out the National Debt of "149,0[00,] 000".
Surgeons in (18) consult over the dissected cadaver of George Clarke who died after being struck on the head at the Brentford hustings in 1768; they question whether he died of "a Fractur'd Skull or of a Fever Occasion'd therby".
The electrical chain (3) moves from them to (19) the King's Bench prison where Wilkes and John Horne Tooke look out of a window to see "ye Soldiers defend ye Prison against a few old Women & Boys on ye 10th May 1768."
In the yard (20) Daniel Ponton, Justice of the Peace, holds the electrical chain and the letter of 17 April 1768 from Lord Weymouth "ordering him to send for Troops to quell Riots & use them Effectually" (in the debate on 2 February 1769 that led to the expulsion of Wilkes from the House of Commons, Burke had objected to the implication of the word "effectual" in the orders to the soldiers); the chain passes to "ye Grenadier who is in Pursuit of [William] Allen who was said to be Kill'd accidentally. Allen touches ye Barrel of his Musket to draw out ye Electrical Fire, but ye Force of ye Shock is so great that it Kills him."
The next compartment, to the left, (21) shows the City of London on fire "alluding to ye furious Distress & Anger of ye Inhabitants occasion'd by ye late Unconstitutional Proceedings of ye M[inister]s."
(22) on the right shows "A Country Mob coming through Hyde Park Turnpike to demand releif [sic] to their Distresses"; a crowd of men carry "Petition[s] to Dissolve ye P[arliamen]t", and flags lettered, "Labour 5 Shillings per Week" and "Corn 8 Shillings per Bushel".
Towards the left (23) shows "A Mob from Brentford Election carrying Flaggs &c on which are wrote 296 by Ministerial Arithmetic became more than 1143." (Wilkes gained far more votes than his opponent, Henry Luttrell at the election on 13 April 1769, but the seat was given to Luttrell); two flags are lettered, "Liberty and some Property" and "Wilkes and Liberty".
At lower right (24) shows industrious American colonists on the shore near Boston, which resembles London transplanted across the Atlantic; they are "constrain'd ... by ye late Mi[nisteria]l harsh Proceedings in forcing ye Stamp & other Acts of Internal Taxes upon them... & which sooner or later this Kingdom will rue".
On the left (25) is "The Port of London destitute of Trade all ye Ships to be Sold with Brooms at their Topmast head, & ye Quay unfrequented by any creatures except a Bear & Wolf &c."
In the centre at the bottom (26) the British lion has been roasted and is feasted on by Bute who has cut off its genitals and handed them on a plate to Dyson telling him to "carry this to my A[ugus]t[a] in P[al]l M[al]l poor W[oma]n she loves a Nice Bit"; Mansfield, De Grey, Norton and "other Lawyers are sitting at ye Table having been ye first in at ye Death"; to the left of Bute, stands Blackstone "in ye character of a Jew Pedlar selling them Chains, Shackles, & near Handcuffs to hamper ye Liberties of this C[ountr]y." First state. January 1770