This piece borrows from Hokusai's famous color woodcut. The sense is of the hopelessness of colonialism. Steeped in a delusional and centrist view of the British Empire, the figures in the lifeboat are unaware of the storms sweeping in from all directions, as they are also unaware of the rich traditions and culture of the lands they are "discovering". Frozen in time, the decorative elements of the Hokusai's style makes the image less forbidding. The stained and engraved background suggests the passage of centuries, and images endure.