Nelson & His World

Here is a little challenge - an interesting pair of political rebus letters. First printed in 1778 in the American War of Independence about America's alliance with France, and about the visit of the peace commissioners, they were reprinted in 1794.

Britannia to America: http://www.clker.com/cliparts/3/a/c/f/1 ... fg9q8z.png

America to her mistaken mother: http://www.americanantiquarian.org/Inve ... /8460a.jpg

What exactly was the political message in 1794?

I have spent more time than I ought puzzling out the first of these - almost complete but with one or two queries. As far as I can make out, it reads


To America

My dear daughter,

I cannot behold without great pain, your headstrong backwardness to return to your duty in not opposing all the good I long intended for your sole happiness and being told that you have given your hand to a base and two faced man I have sent you over five wise men, the greatest of all my children, to put you to rights and hope you will listen to them and mind what they say to you. They have instructions to give you those things you formerly required so be a good girl, discharge your soldiers and ships of war, do not rebel against your mother. Rely upon me and do not trust what that French rascal shall tell you. I see he wants to bring an enmity to all [links]* between you and I. But listen not to him. All the world takes notice of his two faces. I’ll send him such a message from my big guns as shall make his heart repent and know that one good or ill turn merits another. NB Let not hating* take too much hold of your heart.
I am your friend and mother.


Queries:


most of the images represent words or syllables - e.g. a picture of a head + the word strong for 'headstrong'. However, hope is represented by an anchor which is a symbol. The serpent with its tail in its mouth is also a symbol rather than a sound, I think, but what of? Does it represent 'links'?
And is the figure 80 a play on the word 'hating'?

That must have taken some time.
For my two penn'orth I think the anchor symbol is actually a picture of 'Hope and Anchor' from mythology and is meant to be read as 'hope'.
The serpent is an ouroboros - a symbol for neverending or 'eternity' (?)

It's too late to think any further, sorry.

Cheers, MTS

A little Googling located a transcript of the letter. Yes, the snake is a symbol and not a sound. It has many meanings in many cultures but here it symbolises unity, so I wasn't far out!

http://www.ushistory.org/march/games/rebusletter.htm

I've almost finished transcribing letter 2 - easier because many of the picture/sounds are the same as number 1.

Anna,

Thanks for deciphering that. I bet you needed something strong afterwards - or a bag of frozen peas from the fridge (for the head)! I have to say it gave me a headache! I can't wait to read the other bit.

It makes quite interesting reading and puts me in mind of an article I read on line, I believe actually written by an American historian. He put forward the theory that the American colonists were in fact quite well treated by Great Britain and that the American War of independence was really not necessary. He believed that the 'slights' suffered by the colonists were perceived rather than actual, and spread by rumour of such incidents as the Boston Tea Party for example. I'll see if I can find it again.

I was working at the old PRO in the early seventies, just before the bi-centenary of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and there was a lot of interest from the USA in documents of the time in the Colonial Office files. They made very interesting reading. There were many loyalists who left the US for Canada, and many were rewarded in land grants for their loyalty to the Crown. One governor wrote that things were pretty quiet in his area, but another area (I forget where) had a lot of Irish inhabitants, so trouble was to be expected!

I do think the colonists had a genuine grievance though. They paid their taxes to the UK but had no representation in Parliament. That was a great injustice, I think.

My wonderful English teacher introduced me many years ago to the magnificent prose of Edmund Burke in his speech urging conciliation with America and I can still quote from it: 'Magnanimity in politics is not seldom the truest wisdom; and a great empire and little minds go ill together.'

http://www.britannia.com/history/docs/eburke.html

Anna

I don't know that this is actually true but I once read that Edmund Burke is the second most quoted Englishman after William Shakespeare.

I have promised myself to learn more about him when time permits.

MB

The quotation most commonly attributed to Burke: 'All it requires for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing' is apparently, not Burke at all. I mentioned it 'inside Nelson's World' some time ago:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=882&p=5379&hilit=edmund+burke#p5379

I spoke too soon! Number 2 was not as easy as it looked at first! Here's my incomplete transcription:

America to her mistaken mother

You silly woman, that you have sent a [message?] to us is very plain to draw our attention from our real interests that we are determined to abide by our own way of thinking. Your five children you have sent to us shall be treated as visitors and sent safely home again. You may trust and admire them but you must not expect one of your [sons?] will come home to you as sweet as you sent him. 'Twas cruel to send so pretty a man so many thousands of miles to have the fatigue of returning back after [?] his coat and dirtying those red heeled shoes. If you are wise follow your own advice you gave me. Take home your ships [and] soldiers. Guard well your own trifling and leave me to myself as I am at an age to know my own interests without your foolish advice and know that I shall always regard you as my brothers and relations but not as friends.

I am your greatly injured daughter

America

Well done - I was just in the process of posting this:

Sorry, I should have said that there are answers to be found on the Internet for both letters, but I thought you might like the challenge! And I'm not sure the answers are 100% correct.

By the way, if falconry is not one of your daily pastimes, you might like to know that the wings in the second letter are a 'lure'...

One deciphered, I'm still interested as to what the message was when the letters were re-published in 1794 when Britain was back at war with France. Was it suggesting that the American revolution led to the French revolution, or was it an anti-war statement in some way?

It is perhaps 'spiking his coat'.