shadow of britain

Chapter 899 Who is the standard-bearer of the University of London? I'm not being modest!

The Times, August 23, 1837
Yesterday, a grand opening ceremony was held for the newly completed stone gate in Hyde Park. This stone gate, facing Bethwater Street, was funded by the City of London to commemorate the accession of Queen Victoria, and was officially named "Victoria Gate" with Her Majesty's permission.

Around 10 a.m., Londoners had already gathered around Hyde Park in droves, with shops and residences along the street spontaneously hanging national flags and ribbons, creating a festive yet orderly atmosphere. At noon, Her Majesty the Queen arrived at Hyde Park from Buckingham Palace in a royal carriage, accompanied by Prime Minister Viscount Melbourne, members of the Privy Council, and the Royal Attendants.

This was Her Majesty the Queen's first public appearance outdoors since her accession to the throne in June. Reportedly, escorted by a contingent of horsemen, Her Majesty paused briefly before the gate to receive cheers from the crowd. She then personally turned the symbolic golden key, officially opening the Victoria Gate. The crowd erupted in cheers, with shouts of "Long live the Queen!" briefly drowning out the band's performance of "God Save the Queen."

The newly built Victoria Gate features a three-arched design with a granite base and exquisitely crafted cast iron doors. The words "VR" are inscribed above the doors, symbolizing the beginning of a new reign. This new archway not only adds a magnificent landmark to London's West End but also facilitates access to Hyde Park for residents of Bethwater.

……

The hustle and bustle of London had not yet subsided, and Hyde Park appeared exceptionally quiet in the morning mist. Dewdrops lingered on the grass, and a few wisps of breeze passed through the treetops, stirring up dappled shadows of leaves and rippling across the lake.

Several gray and white pigeons were lazily strolling along the stone path, looking for food, occasionally making a few cooing sounds.

Looking from Bethwater Street, the newly completed Victoria Gate gleams with a pale golden light in the morning. It is no longer the focus of attention it was yesterday. The three arches stand silently, accompanied only by Sir Arthur Hastings sitting on a cast-iron bench not far away, reading a newspaper.

In fact, Arthur reads the newspaper every day; he is a loyal reader of all the newspapers published in London.

On weekdays, he would spend almost the entire morning searching for news in the newspapers that was either favorable or unfavorable to him.

On his days off, he would spend half a day summarizing.

However, his workload today was clearly much greater than usual.

Because he had spent most of the past month in Paris, he had accumulated too much information in London that he hadn't had time to review.

The most important of these was the Fleet Street's unsubstantiated rumors about the court.

Although he still doesn't know who leaked the information to the public and gave Victoria the nickname "Mrs. Melbourne".

Fortunately, this little incident did not deal too much damage to Victoria's positive image.

Apart from the "Mrs. Melbourne" controversy, British public opinion has remained very positive towards Victoria for the past month.

This positive view was further fueled by the contrasting circumstances between the two countries after Ernst I, the new King of Hanover, announced the suspension of the 1833 Hanoverian Constitution. This increased support for Victoria among the British public.

Of course, Victoria's popularity is not solely due to good fortune. A significant part of it is also because she has behaved impeccably at various events these days. Even when her behavior does not always conform to royal etiquette, she still manages to appear very approachable.

What surprised Arthur the most was that the Royal Society members, with their diverse personalities, all gave the Queen unanimous praise.

The incident dates back to late July.

At the time, the Duke of Sussex, President of the Royal Society, formally recommended the Royal Society delegation to present the Code of Law to Queen Victoria, as was customary, and received her approval. According to delegation member Adam Sedgwick, "When receiving the Duke of Sussex, Her Majesty completely disregarded court etiquette, seemingly only remembering that he was her uncle. When the Duke of Sussex bowed to kiss the Queen's hand as required by custom, she immediately stopped him. Then, she put her arms around her uncle's neck and kissed his cheek."

Although Victoria did not follow royal protocol this time, she made the scholars of the Royal Society feel very close to her, because many of them also have nieces, and what the Queen did looked like something their nieces would do.

In addition, the foreign envoys from various countries were very grateful for the courtesy extended to them by the new queen.

Whenever Buckingham Palace arranges seating for guests, apart from the Prime Minister Viscount Melbourne, who always sits to the Queen's left, Victoria always completely disregards the rank of other domestic noble guests and gives special treatment to foreign ambassadors. Even the American Minister Andrew Stephenson enjoyed this treatment.

Given the Queen's exceptional treatment of American Minister Stephenson, it's no wonder that Mrs. Stephenson was deeply grateful and repeatedly wrote back to the United States, praising Queen Victoria to her family and friends and describing her as an outstanding monarch.

Of course, good news is inevitably mixed with some bad news.

For example, last month, Conservative Party spokesman William Krock published a lengthy article in the Conservative Party's official newspaper, *The Quarterly Review*, criticizing Queen Victoria for being surrounded by female relatives of Whig Party leaders. Conservative Party leader Peele also repeatedly criticized the Queen, claiming she was controlled by Whig leader Viscount Melbourne, and lamented that if the Queen continued to blindly follow the Whigs, her position would soon be precarious.

Furthermore, due to the strong momentum shown by the Conservative Party in this election, the Whig Party is no longer as dismissive of its political opponents as it was five years ago.

Lord John Russell, the Home Secretary, even had to write to reassure Lord Lieutenant-General of Ireland, Earl Margrave, that the Queen still supported the Whig Party's Irish policy.

The Conservative Party has clearly realized that the only obstacle preventing them from forcing the Whigs to make concessions on the issue of the Irish Church is the Queen's support for the Whigs.

Therefore, "rescuing" the Queen from the tyranny of the Whigs has naturally become the Conservative Party's most urgent political demand.

Even more surprisingly, some unknown talent within the Conservative Party actually composed a children's rhyme satirizing the Whig Party:
The Whigs shamelessly said: 'The Queen is with us.'

The Queen supports us because she likes us.

That may be the case, but what if one day that favor fades?
Whose flattery can you still find?

As we all know, seven or eight candies and two or three pennies—just that little bit of sweetness—can keep London’s mischievous children singing this nursery rhyme for hours along the main streets of London.

Therefore, unsurprisingly, within a few days, most of London was singing this song.

The Whig Party, facing attacks from the Conservative Party, naturally wouldn't sit idly by; they also unleashed their own unique tactics.

During the general election period from the end of last month to the beginning of this month, Whig Party election agents distributed a cartoon called "Contrast".

The comic strip features a pair of portraits of Queen Victoria and Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover. In the comic, Queen Victoria is depicted as pure and charming, while her uncle, King Ernest I of Hanover, is portrayed as a villain with thick, gray hair and a menacing appearance.

The Conservative Party and the Whig Party, the two largest political parties in Britain, one cultivates public opinion from childhood, while the other relies on low-brow satirical cartoons to make insinuations and attacks.

This shows that the covert struggles at Westminster Palace were not much more aboveboard than Sir Arthur Hastings's methods.

However, compared to the mess that the Conservative and Whig parties were making about the Irish Church, Arthur was more concerned with things he could get involved in.

For example, concerts at Buckingham Palace.

Or, to put it another way, "Lord Brougham fiercely criticizes the Royal Pension Act."

It has to be said that Arthur has been getting a headache lately whenever he sees his mentors in the newspapers.

It wasn't that he couldn't understand the radical liberal views represented by Lord Brougham; after all, when he was studying at the University of London, he was exposed to those ideas almost every day.

The core demands of the radical liberals who founded the University of London included abolishing slavery, reforming parliament, limiting royal power, universal education, religious emancipation, and legalizing same-sex relationships.

Therefore, Arthur knew that he was almost impossible to change Lord Brougham's mind, after all, the former Lord Chancellor had been marginalized by the Whig Party in order to stick to his political views.

He couldn't even change the minds of the radical representatives in the House of Commons, Joseph Hume and Benjamin Hawes, who at most proposed cutting the Queen's annual stipend by 50,000 or 10,000 pounds. But what about Lord Brougham?

Arthur, his beloved mentor, actually opposed the bill entirely and demanded that the financial arrangements for the Queen in the Royal Pension Draft be amended clause by clause.

Although Arthur knew that the radicals' demands would certainly not be accepted by the mainstream of both parties, and therefore they would inevitably suffer an overwhelming defeat in both houses of parliament.

Even so, the radical faction's instigation and their attempts to make things difficult for the Queen on the pension issue are bound to leave a bad impression on Victoria.

Arthur simply couldn't bear to see Lord Brougham politically destroy himself.

After all, if Lord Brougham loses his political influence, who will lead the University of London in politics in the future?

We can't rely on Arthur Hastings, can we?
As an official, Sir Arthur was required to maintain strict political neutrality.

Of course, I'm referring to the overt aspects.

Sir Arthur, who had been lost in thoughts of national and social anxieties since early morning, sighed softly and closed the newspaper.

The pigeons circled around his feet, trying to find some leftover breakfast crumbs from his riding boots, but in the end they could only flap their wings a few times in disappointment and fly away.

His eyes were fixed on the lake, but his gaze had no focus.

He couldn't understand why everyone on the University of London campus was talking about Napoleon's entrapment at Waterloo, as if Westminster Palace was definitely doomed for liberals.

Ten years ago, Arthur embarked on his journey from York to study in the south for the first time. At that time, wherever Mr. Jeremy Bentham and Lord Brougham went, they were warmly welcomed by the people. They truly had the best of luck. The vibrant and flourishing scene is still vivid in my mind.

Although Arthur was shot and fell at the foot of the Tower of London in 1832, the Parliamentary Reform was passed, and Bentham passed away peacefully, which is also a beautiful story.

However, could this place really have become our burial ground in just ten years?

Although Arthur was confident that he could remain unscathed and secure in the Alps thanks to Victoria's trust, as a prominent alumnus of the University of London, he could not pretend to be indifferent like some retired members of parliament.

He knew very well that if the University of London lost its political backing and was truly marginalized, then that forum that prided itself on being "unreligious" would inevitably be constrained and dismantled by various inexplicable bills and government committees in the near future.

At that point, forget about religious freedom and education for all; even the school council will probably have to consult the Archbishop of Canterbury for his opinion.

However, it is impossible to get Lord Brougham to bow to the royal authority now.

Arthur frantically flipped through the newspaper, trying to figure out if there was any way to break the deadlock.

Suddenly, he caught sight of a tiny, obscure piece of paper in a corner of the Morning Post.

It was a short message with a tiny title and very tight lettering, sandwiched between "Letter from the Colony" and "Tropical Storm in Antigua," so small that it was almost blurred by the printing ink if you didn't look closely.

Riots escalate in Lower Canada Parliament; Opposition Leader Louis-Joseph Papineau calls for another rally.

Arthur frowned instantly. He took out a magnifying glass from his shirt pocket and read it aloud, word by word.

Montreal – According to the Quebec Post, Lower Canada Patriots leader Papino recently rallied a large crowd in the Saint-Denis area to protest and demand the establishment of a responsible government in Lower Canada.

At the rally, Papino publicly exposed the political violence and fraud orchestrated by Sir Francis Bond Hyde, the Lieutenant Governor of Lower Canada, during the 1836 election campaign. He also fiercely criticized the Lower Canadian Tories for passing a bill that disregarded the convention of "dissolving Parliament upon the death of the monarch" and forcibly extended their own term.

Even more worryingly, this Lower Canadian political leader also called on the crowd to oppose Lord John Russell's Ten Resolutions on Canada during the rally. It is believed that the rally featured numerous anti-British slogans, and some young people burned portraits of King George IV and the British flag on a large scale, refusing to pay taxes.

In this legitimacy crisis, the Atlantic economic sphere was facing a comprehensive recession, with farmers being hit particularly hard. Having just survived the widespread crop failure of 1836-1837, they now faced lawsuits from merchants demanding repayment of old debts, plunging many into abject poverty.

The report states that reformists in Upper and Lower Canada have each formed radical democratic political alliances. In Lower Canada, the Patriots have organized the Sons of Liberty Society, while in Upper Canada, with the assistance of Patriots leader William McKenzie, the Toronto Political Alliance has been formed.

Currently, the Governor General of Lower Canada, Earl Dalamo, has not made a public statement on the situation. However, according to sources, the Prime Minister's official residence and the Department of Colonial Affairs at 10 Downing Street recently received an urgent letter from the Earl Dalamo requesting the Cabinet to grant him clear authorization and military support in order to prevent the local government from wavering.

It is worth noting that there are rumors that Papino's side may have secretly contacted American Republicans.

Arthur's finger lingered on the small piece of paper for a few seconds as he muttered to himself, "Papino, McKenzie, demands for responsible government... and authorization to use military force..."

At this point, Arthur couldn't help but shudder.

For some reason, he felt a dull ache in his heart, perhaps because he was reminded of some unpleasant memories.

However, he quickly adjusted.

This article may at first glance seem to be just another colonial riot, something that ordinary Londoners could use as a pastime for their leisure time.

However, as Count Dalamore's good student, Arthur deciphered a much more complex subtext between the lines.

Because he deeply understood the Earl of Daramore's personality, in his impression, this earl, who had risen through the ranks since graduating from Cambridge, was the kind of person who would choose clean ink to write his words even if he were sitting on a volcano.

Even on the eve of the Parliamentary Reform in 1832, when riots broke out in London, the Earl of Dallamo never used harsh words such as "military intervention".

However, nowadays, this arrogant nobleman, who is full of nobility, used to criticizing with his pen, but rarely stained with blood, has actually made a request to Whitehall for "military support".

This only shows that the situation in Lower Canada is probably not optimistic at all, and the Earl of Dallamo is really anxious.

He instinctively closed the newspaper, tapped his knee lightly, and worried about the fate of this second most important figure in the University of London department.

However, a moment later, Arthur suddenly stopped tapping his knee.

A clear light flashed in his eyes.

perhaps……

This Canadian incident is like a piece of driftwood that appears on the surface of the water just before the University of London ship is about to run aground.
If Count Dalamo can successfully resolve this colonial crisis without resorting to bloody repression or getting bogged down in political parties, and still stabilize the situation...

Therefore, he was no longer just a simple member of the House of Lords, but a mediator in the new imperial era, a great man sent from heaven to whom Westminster Palace, Downing Street, and Buckingham Palace were all grateful and worshipped.

If Lord Brougham is destined to fall, then perhaps no one is more suited to take up this banner than the Earl of Daramore…

(End of this chapter)