A great stream from a Petty-fountain, or, John Bull swamped in the flood of new-taxes : cormorants fishing in the stream / Js. Gillray invt. & fect.

Print shows the head of Lord Henry Petty as the mouth of fountain in a stone wall or rock surrounded by trees. The water is falling into a sea, inscribed 'Unfathomable Sea of Taxation'. In this sea 'cormorants', with human heads and huge beaks and pelican-like pouches, are greedily feasting on fish and shellfish, while a rowing boat founders, throwing into the water John Bull, who drops an oar inscribed 'William Pitt'. The water from Petty's mouth is inscribed 'New Taxes'; the upper level of the fountain: 'New Salt Tax', 'new Coffee Tax', 'new Tea Tax', 'new Hop- Tax', 'new Malt-Tax', 'new Assessed Taxes', 'New Tax on Sugar', etc., etc. The most prominent bird is Grenville, on a rock by the water's edge; he stands on a pile of large fish, and throws up his head to swallow two monster fish: 'Treasury' and 'Exchequer'. Also recognizable among the fishing cormorants are the faces of Sidmouth and Sheridan, Fox, Moira, Windham, Grey (Lord Howick), Ellenborough, Bedford, Horne Tooke, Burdett, Buckingham, and Lord Derby. In the sky countless birds make for the fish. Only the three leaders have human heads; the first has the features of Lauderdale, the one behind him resembles Adair.