British Tars Towing the Danish Fleet into Harbour
British Tars Towing the Danish Fleet into Harbour is an 1807 cartoon by the British caricaturist James Gillray. Like much of his work the image portrays a contemporary event, the bombardment of Copenhagen and seizure of the Danish fleet by the Royal Navy to prevent it from falling into the hands of the French Empire with which Britain was at war. Although militarily successful, the pre-emptive expedition was controversial and was attacked in the British Parliament as a violation of a neutral country. Gillray's cartoon appeared soon afterwards and reflects a generally-favourable view of the military operation. The full title is British Tars Towing the Danish Fleet into Harbour; the Broad-Bottom Leviathan trying Billy's Old Boat, and the Little Corsican tottering on the Clouds of Ambition.