A Margate packet : the effects of a squall, or a sudden shift of ballast / drawn by a Naval Officer.

Print shows the crowded cabin a packet boat tilting to the right, to the dismay of a family party dining at a table in the foreground. There is a second table in the background with a meal in progress. The cabin is bordered on left and right by two tiers of berths, apparently for two persons, set in panelling, and with curtains festooned along the upper edge. These are filled by suffering and seasick travellers. A bench runs along the front of the berths; other passengers sit on camp-stools. Phases of misery, discomfort, resignation, and complacency are realistically illustrated. A sailor pushes a mop-stick through an open hatch in the roof.