By James Gillray.
Verses flanking caption title: Far be the noise Of Kings & Crowns from us, whose gentle souls Our kinder fates have steerd another way, Free as the forest birds we'll pair together Without rememb'ring who our fathers were. And in soft murmurs interchange our souls.
Cartoon refers to Prince William's return to England from Jamaica via Quebec on December 1787 on the Pegasus frigate of which he was captain. "Wouski" is a reference to a character ("Wowski") in George Colman's comic opera, "Inkle and Yarico", first played at the Haymarket, 4 August 1787. Set in the West Indies, Colman's opera touches upon abolitionist controversaries of the day in its depiction of a White adventurer who seeks to exploit and betray the sincere affections of a Black woman who saved his life and offers to sell her into slavery in order to ensure his marriage to a wealthy English heiress. The quotation inscribed on the print is from another play, "Theodosius, or The Force of Love" (1680) by Nathaniel Lee, and refers to rumours of the prince's callous and irresponsible behaviour with women during his time in the colonies.
Prince William Henry, seated in a hammock, embraces a pretty young Black woman; they gaze into each other's eyes. He wears naval uniform with striped trousers and a star on his coat. The hammock is slung above a chest inscribed "Pe Wm Hy."; a coil of rope, a cask of "Jamaica Rum", and a cannon indicate the identity of the vessel as the Prince's ship Pegasus.