shadow of britain

Chapter 647: Connections
The sky over Moscow was just beginning to turn pale when Sir Arthur Hastings woken up in his mansion.

With the help of his servants, he put on formal attire: a black tailcoat, a white bow tie, a carefully selected scarf and a pair of polished leather shoes.

After getting dressed, the Sir enjoyed a simple breakfast of tea, bread and butter, which was somewhat different from the customs of his hometown, but he gradually adapted to the local lifestyle.

When the clock struck ten, the butler announced that the secretary of Prince Golitsyn, the Governor-General of Moscow, had arrived.

"Please bring him in." Arthur said to the butler.

Sir Arthur walked into the reception room, which had been prepared for this meeting. The fire in the fireplace was warm and cozy, and several candles lit the room. The table was laid with fine china and silver, and the walls were hung with several oil paintings depicting English rural scenes, coexisting harmoniously with Russian-style decorations.

Arthur first welcomed Zubkov in French and invited him to sit in a comfortable chair near the fireplace.

The servant came forward quickly and placed hot tea and some simple snacks on the low table between them.

The Duke's secretary put down the briefcase in his hand. His neatly combed shiny hair and neat black tuxedo made him look very capable.

Vasily Zubkov, an official highly appreciated by the Governor-General of Moscow, Duke Dmitry Golitsyn. Arthur had seen this name on the "Official Title List" provided by Huette last night. This name was specially marked in red by the captain of the gendarmerie and a series of notes were written on it.

This secretary was a celebrity in Moscow. He had studied in Paris, was wealthy, intelligent, knowledgeable, sharp-minded, open-minded, and had been imprisoned for the Decembrist incident in the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg for several years before being released. Although imprisonment must be uncomfortable, it was better than exile, and this experience in prison also made him gain a reputation for liberalism and progress without suffering too much.

After being released, Zubkov went to work for Prince Golitsyn.

Prince Dmitri Golitsyn preferred people with free and open minds. Since the prince was not good at speaking Russian, he would value someone more if he could speak fluent French.

Zubkov, who had studied in Paris, met these two conditions, so he quickly became a big name in Moscow's political circles. In addition to serving as the governor's secretary, he also held a prominent position in Moscow's judicial circles. Recently, there were rumors that the current vacant Moscow Prosecutor General position is likely to fall to Zubkov.

If you want to know a person's character, you need to spend a long time with him, but if you want to know a person's knowledge level, a few simple conversations are enough.

After just a few minutes of chatting, Zubkov's eloquent and calm conversation, his ability to quickly respond to all questions and offer advice or solutions, immediately made Arthur understand why he was the first secretary in Moscow.

Even when not talking about business, Zubkov's insights on novels, papers, magazines, and poetry are very attractive. He can even insert a few words about his diligent study of zoology when talking about hunting.

Although Arthur's knowledge of natural history was far less than his knowledge of history, fortunately he had a well-known naturalist friend, Mr. Charles Darwin.

Under the influence of Darwin, Arthur could not say that he was familiar with the animals and plants around the world, but when it came to those interesting and rare species, he was always knowledgeable.

When Zubkov learned that Arthur had a close personal relationship with Darwin, the zoology enthusiast couldn't help but show his excitement.

Although Darwin was still wandering on the sea at this time, this prematurely bald guy was no longer the unknown young man in the field of natural history three years ago.

If you ask readers in London which book is the most popular in the "British" series, everyone is likely to give a different answer depending on their tastes.

However, if readers were asked to choose their top three favorite serial books, The Journal of the Voyage of the Beagle, compiled on Darwin's letterhead, would definitely appear on every reader's recommended list.

This travelogue-like natural history book is not only of great research and educational value, but also has a very humorous and witty writing style. Therefore, it has a very wide readership and is suitable for both men and women, young and old.

Darwin's scientific reputation throughout Europe also rose with the widespread dissemination of this book. The Royal Society had been discussing whether to award Darwin the lofty honor of a member of the Royal Society on the first day he returned to London after completing his global voyage.

When it comes to the spread of the name Darwin in Russia, it is inseparable from the lecture tour given by Mr. Alexander von Humboldt, President of the Berlin Academy of Sciences, at various universities in Russia a few years ago.

This German scholar, who was set up by the Tsar as a role model for all Russian scientific researchers, listed Darwin's "Diary of the Voyage of the Beagle" as the first of his recommended books for Russian college students.

Of course, since "The Limey" has never cooperated with Russian publishers, except for a few genuine books purchased from the UK, most Russian readers see pirated books reprinted by Belgian pirates.

However, although Sir Arthur Hastings, shareholder in The Limey, had never received a single ruble from Russia, he still had to try to be generous in front of Mr. Zubkov.

"If Charles knew that there was such an enthusiastic reader like you in faraway Russia, I believe he would be very happy." Arthur joked, "Perhaps I should give you the specimens Charles sent me from South America, because, without a doubt, you can make better use of those animal and plant specimens than I can."

Zubkov was so happy to hear that Arthur was going to give him precious South American specimens, and those were the rare species discovered by Darwin, that he couldn't stop laughing. "You... I can't lie and say that I'm not interested in those specimens, but I can't accept your gift for nothing. How about this, when you are free someday, you can come to my place. I also have a collection of rare Siberian animal specimens at home. If you like any of them, just let me know. I will definitely not be stingy."

Arthur does have a collecting habit, but the old spy is not very interested in animal specimens. He prefers to collect secret collections that he can store in his head and admire secretly.

However, he still pretended to be very interested.

"Although it may not be good to take someone's love away, but..." Arthur asked as if he was in a difficult situation: "But I have always wanted to see Siberian tigers and snowy owls, and I heard that Siberian irises are also very beautiful."

Zubkov couldn't help but nod at Arthur, his eyes revealing an expression of "you are really knowledgeable" and "I have both snowy owls and Siberian irises in my collection, but Siberian tigers..." Arthur thought Zubkov was unwilling to pay so much, so he quickly clarified: "I'm not asking you for these things, I just want to see them."

Zubkov waved his hands repeatedly. "No, no, no, I'm not rejecting you. If I had a specimen of a Siberian tiger, it might be difficult for me to part with it, but the problem is actually worse than that. I don't have a collection of Siberian tigers. But I know someone who has one at home. If you want to see it, I can take you to his home. Mikhail Fyodorovich Orlov has one in his collection. If you want to offer a price for the specimen, he probably won't be willing to sell it. But if you just want to take a look, my friend will definitely not be stingy."

"Orlov?" Arthur, who had just been strolling leisurely, immediately became alert when he heard this last name.

Although there are many aristocratic families in Russia, only a few can be at the top of the pyramid, and the Orlov family is one of them.

This is a Russian noble family that is equally important as the Golitsyn family. During the reign of Catherine the Great, the Orlov family could even be called the most prominent family in Russia.

Because the five brothers of the Orlov family were the key figures who helped Catherine the Great launch a palace coup and ascend the throne. The second and third brothers, Grigory Grigorievich Orlov and Alexei Grigorievich Orlov, were so close to Catherine the Great that they even slept in the same bed with her.

Since the Orlov family had made great contributions to the emperor, the five brothers naturally had successful careers in the future.

Among the five brothers, one was promoted to admiral of the navy, one to general of cavalry, one to lieutenant general of artillery, and two to lieutenant generals of infantry. The five brothers also served as ambassador to France, interior minister, commander of the Mediterranean Fleet, governor-general of Moscow, prosecutor general and other important positions.

The power of the Orlov family in Russia can be seen from this. There was even a rumor among Russians that the second son, Grigory Grigorievich Orlov, was the biological father of Paul I, the son of Catherine the Great.

As for Mikhail Fedorovich Orlov mentioned by Zubkov, his father is none other than Fedor Grigorievich Orlov, the fourth of the five Orlov brothers, as can be seen from his father's name.

If it came to the other branches of the Orlov family, Arthur might not know them so well.

But Arthur had already found out everything about the fourth brother's family.

The reason is simple, because the most promising son of the fourth brother is Count Alexi Fedorovich Orlov, the current commander of the Black Sea Fleet, who signed a secret agreement on behalf of Russia and the Ottoman Empire.

This veteran, who had joined the Russian Army in 1804, had served as an aide-de-camp to the "Holy King" Alexander I. He had experienced the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Austerlitz, the bloody Battle of Borodino and the glorious entry into Paris during the Napoleonic Wars.

During the Decembrist uprising that broke out in Russia in 1825, Alexei, commander of the Guards Cavalry Regiment, was the first general to lead his soldiers to the Winter Palace to protect the emperor.

In the subsequent Seventh Russo-Turkish War, the suppression of the Warsaw Uprising, the St. Petersburg Cholera Riots and the Novgorod Military Settlement Uprising, his figure could be seen everywhere.

It is no exaggeration to say that if Benckendorff was Nicholas I's most trusted minister, then Alexei Orlov was ranked second.

When he thought of this, Arthur's occupational disease could not help but break out: "That Mikhail, he and Alexey Orlov are..."

Zubkov was not surprised by Arthur's question, because there were so many foreigners who were curious about this matter, and almost every diplomat visiting Moscow would ask this question more or less.

Moreover, this is not a particular secret in Moscow.

"Yes, Mikhail is his biological brother."

Zubkov smiled and replied, "He was also one of the founders of the Happiness Association (the predecessor of the Decembrists). When the Decembrists revolted in 1825, Mikhail rode a white horse among the young officers and fought with his brother outside the gate of the Winter Palace. However, it was also thanks to his brother that Mikhail was not exiled to Siberia. He was only sent back to his hometown and strictly monitored. After a few years, he was allowed to return to Moscow to live. Of course, although he still holds the rank of general, he has been strictly forbidden to return to the army, so he can only study political economy and natural philosophy alone at home, hoping to find a little comfort in these studies. If a great scholar like you is willing to visit him, he will definitely be very happy."

At this point, Zubkov paused and said, "By the way, do you understand political economy? Everyone knows that the best economists are in Britain. Mikhail is currently writing a book called On Credit. It would be great if you could help him with some research."

Arthur pondered for a while. Although he had an impressive investment record in the London capital market, he was not arrogant enough to call himself an economist.

He said: "I don't know much about political economy, but if General Mikhail Orlov needs a staff officer, I can introduce him to my friend, Mr. John Mill."

Zubkov asked curiously, "Is this Mr. Mill well versed in economics?"

"Well... I personally think it's very high. Although he is not very famous now, sooner or later you will hear this name spread all over Europe. Let me tell you this..." Arthur gave an example: "He is the son of James Mill, and his economics teachers were Thomas Malthus, David Ricardo and Mr. Jeremy Bentham."

When Zubkov heard these names, his jaw almost dropped to the ground: "Oh my God! With these academic masters as mentors, let alone the son of James Mill, even if he is a camel, he can become a professor of political economy!"

Arthur's unfathomable network of contacts and profound knowledge made Zubkov almost forget the purpose of his visit to Arthur today. He wanted to make friends with Arthur more and more. His friendly attitude made Arthur look like a good friend worth spending time and energy to maintain.

Zubkov put down his teacup and invited him warmly, "Please forgive my impoliteness. Although I know you are always modest, I know that you have been the academic supervisor of the University of Göttingen, and you are a person of real talent and knowledge, not just in charge of administrative affairs. You may not understand political economy, but you must know something about chemistry, right? After all, you have been an assistant to Mr. Faraday, who is a big shot in electrochemistry."

"Chemistry..." Arthur didn't know what Zubkov was up to, and he didn't dare to say anything too definitive. "I do know a little bit. After all, the work at Scotland Yard requires detectives to have a certain knowledge of chemistry. You know, there are many more murders using chemicals nowadays than in the last century."

Zubkov slapped his thigh and said with a grin, "I knew it. I must take you to Mikhail Orlov someday. Only with a chemist like you can he thoroughly understand how much worse his chemical name list is than the French version! When we friends tell him that he always stubbornly insists that his is the best, he can't help getting angry at us when we mention this, saying things like, you are not chemists, what do you know? Even if we invite a professor of chemistry from Moscow University, he will not take it seriously. But if you go, it will be different. I want to see if he has the courage to get angry at Michael Faraday's assistant."

(End of this chapter)