This painting was formerly (to July 2014) titled 'HMY "Royal Sovereign" and experimental squadron with Admiralty flag at the main'. However, it is either the original for, or more probably an oil replication of, a plate (see PAD8007) in Moses' series entitled 'Visit of William the Fourth when Duke of Clarence, as Lord High Admiral, to Portsmouth In the year 1827, with Views of the Russian Squadron'. In that set it is captioned 'The Mayor and Corporation of Portsmouth going on board the Yacht ['Royal Sovereign'] with an address, Augt 2nd 1827'. The print itself is dated January 1831 and the series bears dates of 1830-37, although the subjects are all during the Duke's visit to Portsmouth in late July and early August 1827: it was also only apparently published as a set later, of which the engraved title plate is dated 1840. One of the other plates shows HMS 'Columbine' of the Experimental Squadron returning to Portsmouth, but it is the only example which expressly mentions this. The Duke visited a number of ships at Portsmouth (as shown in other plates) apart from the Russian Squadron, which arrived while he was there, and the present image relates to the non-Russian element of the visit. The yacht is at anchor inside the harbour with the dockyard to the right and HMS 'Victory' (port guard- and flagship) to the left flying the flag of an Admiral of the Blue and a matching blue ensign (the squadronal colour of the local commander-in-chief at the time): so is the yacht in terms of her ensign, though the Admiralty flag at the main - signifying Clarence's position as Lord High Admiral - should normally be red, which remains to be explained. It is unlikely that Clarence was on board to receive the Mayor and Corporation (arriving in boats) as the Royal Standard would also be flying if he were. The painting was acquired in 1940 with BHC0621, which shows another episode also replicated in the Moses prints, though they are not strictly a pair since this one is slightly taller, but of the same width.