my british empire

Chapter 383 The Evil Slave Trade

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Finally, after three days of discussion, everyone finally reached a consensus: to build a large river.

This river is about 21 miles (about 34 kilometers) from Iris to Denver, which greatly shortens the distance of the Ouse River.

The Ouse River will join the north-flowing Trent River 14 kilometers east of Goole to form the Humber and empty into the North Sea.

In this way, the river that fills the swamp with the largest amount of water will be diverted and flow directly to the North Sea, reducing the amount of inflow into the swamp by a lot.

Moreover, they also designed to connect some small rivers in the upper reaches and build channels to irrigate various places along the coast.

If such a project is realized, more arable land will be created.

Of course, the biggest difficulty-money, with the support of His Majesty the King, has no problem at all, and the construction is approved.

And 50 years later in history, this great project is about to be built, but it is the power of the people.

Extremely underfunded without state support, it was finally completed in 1637 with the support of the [-]th Earl of Bedford.

Therefore, after the flattening project of the Great Swamp is completed, this large flat land is also called "Bedford Flat".

Of course, this is only the basic project. If the swamp is to be completely turned into fertile land, the second stage of the project is required.

However, this project was able to continue until the 60s under the chaotic British society and the distribution of benefits.

What a disaster!

Soon, the proposal was passed to London, and a few days later, a sum of up to ten thousand pounds reached the Everglades, followed by a royal overseer.

He is the supervisor of the entire flatland operation, overseeing the use of money and the progress of the project.

It's not that the young king didn't believe them, it's really unpredictable. Ten thousand pounds is a figure that ordinary people can't reach in a lifetime, and it is very likely to be corrupted. Don't overestimate the integrity of bureaucrats.

After the money was in place, the entire Everglades area began to be built vigorously.

Since this was a private action of the royal family, most of the workers were farmers from the vicinity of the Great Swamp, who were used by the king for 30 days.

Under the command of Hebury, thousands of people began to build the river channel, which was huge in scale.

…………

Devon, Plymouth.

John Hawkins stood on the deck of his family's largest ship, followed by his younger brother William Hawkins, and several strong sailors.

The ship slowly left Plymouth and sailed away from the pier. The sails were hung on the ship. Under the waving oars of the sailors, the whole ship began to turn, broke through the waves, and began to head for its own destination.

Surrounding him are three large and small armed merchant ships, all of which belong to his family's property.

John Hawkins was born in 1532 in a family of merchants and sailors in Plymouth, Devon, southwest England.

The Hawkins family was a prominent maritime power on the west coast of England at that time, and many members of the family were engaged in overseas business ventures.

Hawkins' father, William Hawkins, started the maritime trade between Britain and Brazil in 1530 and became a well-known businessman at that time. He represented Plymouth in Parliament three times.

Unfortunately, the weather was unfavorable. When he was 24 years old, his father died of illness.Hawkins, who received sailing training on the family's ship since he was a child, inherited his father's business after his father's death in 1554, inherited the family's fleet, and started a freight business.

He did not engage in business with Brazil like his father, but took advantage of the improved relations between England and Spain, and began to engage in trade with Spain and the Canary Islands, transporting minerals and various necessities of life, which was very profitable.

Through these activities, in less than a year, the wealth of his family has more than doubled.

However, a while ago, he met a Spanish businessman, and a conflict broke out with him. Immediately, his business encountered various difficulties. After a few months, the profit was minimal.

In this way, he was forced to give up this lucrative opportunity and choose a new business.

At this time, he learned that the Spanish colonists in the West Indies were in urgent need of a large number of slave labor.

The so-called West India refers to the fact that at the end of the fifteenth century and the beginning of the sixteenth century, the Italian navigator Columbus sailed westward to the Atlantic Ocean four times in order to find a route from Europe to the east, and discovered some islands on the northeast coast of South and North America and the Caribbean Sea. Think India.

Later, when the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci arrived on the east coast of South America, he proved that this was a "new continent" unknown to Europeans.Later European colonists called the islands between the South and North American continents "West Indies".

That's where Cuba is.

After receiving this powerful news, Hawkins immediately decided to abandon his business in Spain and turn to the slave trade to supply slaves to the West Indies.

"John, are we just giving up? This is a very profitable business!"

William Hawkins, who was blowing the sea breeze, turned his head, looked at his elder brother with a vicissitudes of life, and asked softly.

"Of course, my brother!" John Hawkins turned his tanned face, looked at his younger brother, and said affirmatively.

"That shameless Spanish businessman has a wide network of contacts. If he is in Spain for a day, we can't do business. What's the point of doing business without profit?"

Speaking of this, John showed an angry expression on his face. Obviously, losing a way to make money made him very unhappy.

"However, William, if this operation goes well, then—" he said excitedly while biting his lip with his eyes shining, "then, our Hawkins family will return to the glory of our father's time, and even more prosperous prosperity!"

And his younger brother William was stunned. He hadn't seen his brother so excited for a long time. The last time was three or five years ago, anyway, it was a long, long time.

"William, I contacted five plantation owners in the West India region, and they promised me that as long as a thousand healthy blacks are shipped, they will give us five thousand pounds, which is the lowest price!"

"And what will we give? Manpower? Ships?"

He saw that his younger brother was in a trance, and then he looked at the undulating sea and said to himself.

"Compared with those profits, these are just minuscule, so what's the point of taking a little risk?"

In the end, he turned towards the sea nervously and shouted loudly, as if he was announcing something.

"As long as it goes well this time, we will continue to make profits and become the richest family in England. At that time, even His Majesty the King will know my name. I, John Hawkins, will become a household name in England." !"

(End of this chapter)