Horrors of the Irish-union. Botheration of poor Pat - or - a whisper across the Channel

Britannia, buxom and beneficent, sits on one side of the "Irish Channel." On a smaller piece of ground stands Pat, his hands deep in his coat pockets, looking sideways towards Britannia. She sits with her shield and spear beside a pile of bales of goods and a cornucopia from which pour coins and jewels. She holds out a scroll. She looks appealingly towards Pat, her right hand on her breast, one foot trampling on a book and a venomous snake. Tierney, Fox, and M. A. Taylor look out from behind bushes, gazing fixedly at Pat. Pat is a sturdy fellow with bare legs. His clothes are ragged, his broken spear lies beside him. Behind (right) is a building in flames (BM). / A humorous caricature on the opposition shewn to the project of the Irish Union, when it was first agitated at the end of 1798, after the entire suppression of the rebellion. Pat is thoroughly "bothered" between the alluring offers of the lady (Britannia), and the awful warnings of the opposition (Wright/Evans).
Courtesy of Boston Public Library