Broadside ballad entitled 'Britain's Triumph; Or, The Dutch Well Dressed:'

Commentary

Verse 1 begins: 'BRITANNIA still triumphs, still Queen of the Main, / In defiance of Holland, of France, and of Spain'. The text preceding text reads: 'A SONG OCCASIONED BY ADMIRAL DUNCAN'S VICTORY OVER THE DUTCH. / Tune, "In the Garb of Old Gaul", &c'.

Admiral Viscount Adam Duncan (1731-1804), born in Dundee, was eventually created Baron Duncan of Lundie to celebrate his efforts. Duncan was in charge of the British blockade of the North Sea, in 1797, when he met the Dutch fleet, off the village of Kampen, with eighteen ships. Eleven of the Dutch ships, all under the Command of Admiral de Winter, were taken. The struggle became known as the Battle of Camperdown and it relieved the threat of invasion.

Broadsides are single sheets of paper, printed on one side, to be read unfolded. They carried public information such as proclamations as well as ballads and news of the day. Cheaply available, they were sold on the streets by pedlars and chapmen. Broadsides offer a valuable insight into many aspects of the society they were published in, and the National Library of Scotland holds over 250,000 of them.

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