Genre:

Illustration, Drollery

Relevant illustrations:

wdct.

Illustrators:

J T, pseud.  [John Tenniel] *

Subjects:

Military Technology, Industry, Manufactories, War, Politics, Comparative Philology

    Following PU1/51/13/2, this comments on the rising demands from British and European nations for armaments. It shows Vulcan sweating over an anvil in his forge. He stops his work to greet the figure of Peace, who assumes that the smith is not laden with work. Vulcan replies that, on the contrary, 'Thanks to you, miss, I've a'most more work than I can manage', an allusion to the belief of King Wilhelm I of Prussia that peace can only be gained through war. On the wall of Vulcan's forge is scratched a list of orders for equipment including a million tons of 'Armour-plates', three hundred thousand Chassepot guns, five hundred thousand Dreyse needle-guns, two hundred and fifty thousand Snider Enfield rifles (i.e. Jacob Snider's converted muzzle-loaders), Palliser's Chilled Shot, Monitor-design ironclads, and Armstrong guns.