Shadow of great britain

"Arthur, let me introduce to you. This is Mr. Francis Thornhill Baring, Member of the House of Commons and currently Chairman of the Public Works Committee."

In a small coffee shop on Oxford Street, Arthur looked at the gentleman in front of him who had an amiable smile at a young age and even had an unseemly hairline. He took off his gloves and held the other man's hand.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Balin. Although this is my first time meeting you, I have been using your products for many years."

Balin laughed out loud at Arthur's joke, and he said: "It's always nice to be recognized by customers. If you hadn't asked for additional public debt, I believe I would be happy to have you for dinner. .”

Bahrain, for the English people in the 19th century, this was an unavoidable surname from birth.

Whether you are willing or not, you will always use their family's products in your life.

As for the reason, it is very simple, because they opened a bank, and their banking business was very large, and they also had the right to issue banknotes in England.

Of course, unlike those small banks with no corners, the credibility of Barings Bank is strong enough, and it is even more popular than the banknotes issued by the Bank of England.

If there is any banker in the City of London who dares to compete with the Rothschild family on the same stage, then the first thing that everyone will think of is definitely Alexander Baring, the brother of the gentleman in front of him.

And not only the British believe in their credibility, but even the French, the arch-enemy across the strait and Britain's North American traitors, also recognize the strong strength of Barings Bank.

When Americans purchased land in Louisiana from France, the transaction was brokered by Barings Bank. They provided millions of dollars worth of financing services to Americans, and finally, after charging a 12.5% ​​service fee, they sent Napoleon the $10 million the Americans used to purchase land.

Although their actions once attracted a cabinet investigation and domestic public opinion criticism, this group of Bahrainis, who were accused of being traitors to the law, finally passed the financial review of the parliament smoothly.

Not only that, they even became the largest underwriter of British national debt during the Napoleonic Wars.

Not only did the Tongfa Gate not affect the British cabinet's continued trust in them, it even earned them high praise from the French.

For this reason, after the failure of Napoleon's restoration, Barings Bank naturally provided massive loans to France, which was unable to pay huge war reparations.

At that time, the French negotiator Mr. Talleyrand even declared: "This loan provided by Barings Bank is a powerful guarantee for European peace."

Representatives from the United Kingdom, Austria, Prussia and other countries at the Vienna Conference also believed that without the guarantee provided by Barings Bank to the French government, the treaty on the negotiating table would be almost like waste paper.

In this regard, the French could only sigh: "Today there are six major powers in Europe: Britain, France, Russia, Austria, Prussia and the Bahrain family."

In this way, Bahrain not only gained good goodwill with this compensation loan, but also took the opportunity to make a profit of 720,000 pounds.

Of course, although the Bahrain family only opens a bank, this does not mean that they have no interests in other industries.

As a banker who controls the largest liquidity in the UK and maintains good relations with many countries, the Baring family has long controlled the lifeline of Anglo-American transatlantic trade by providing liquidity loans.

And they also have an advantage that the Rothschild family cannot match - they are not Jews, but Germans who immigrated to Britain from Hamburg in the early 18th century.

Just like the history of the Rothschild family, Meyer Rothschild, the founder of the Rothschild family, started out as a small antique dealer in Frankfurt.

The founder of the Baring family, Johanna Baring, was a Hamburg businessman who sold cheap linen from the German countryside to Britain, and then sold cheap wool from Britain to Germany.

And these two old German men have one thing in common, that is, they gave birth to several good sons.

Each of Rothschild Sr.'s five sons is in charge of a branch of the family.

The eldest brother, Amschel, stayed in his hometown of Frankfurt.

The second eldest son, Salomon, came to Vienna to open up business in the Austrian Empire for Roche.

The third son, Nathan, has made a name for himself in London and has become the most powerful branch of the Rothschild family.

The fourth child, Karl, came to Naples on the Apennine Peninsula and turned his hands into clouds and rain in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

James, the fifth child, is one of the current favorites of King Louis Philippe of France, and the Rothschild Paris branch is his most important financial tool to maintain his rule.

As for Bahrain, it is naturally not inferior.

The eldest son, John, was determined to enter politics, while the second son, Francis, showed amazing talent in business activities.

Relying on the accumulation of his father's generation, Francis started his career in various industries such as dyes, rouge, and diamonds. In the process of operating real industries, Francis discovered the importance of financing and decisively began to move away from the real to the virtual.

In 1763, he established the first private commercial bank in world history - John and Francis Baring Company, despite opposition within the family.

And because of his good relationship with the then Prime Minister William Pitt Jr., he secured a position as manager of the East India Company for his family. With the support of the Prime Minister, Barings Bank began to significantly expand its business network.

But just like any boring family history, after getting rich, everyone always wants to get some political power.

But unlike Rothschild, who has repeatedly run into obstacles, Bahrain does not have the burden of Jews, so they only need to solve the money problem.

The man in front of Arthur, Mr. Francis Thornhill Baring, is the greatest achievement of the Baring family in the political field. As for the price for the Bahrain family to obtain this parliamentary seat, apart from some daily interactions on a human level, the rest was only a paltry three thousand pounds.

In Arthur's opinion, the price, needless to say, is indeed quite cheap, almost as good as Disraeli's.

And he finally understood why Disraeli was eager for him to meet Balin.

As long as the Baring family, the largest underwriter of British public debt, is dealt with, the matter will be half done.

Moreover, Arthur felt that Bahrain should have no reason to hinder the issuance of this public bond. After all, as underwriters, the more they issue, the more money they make, right?

Of course, there is a prerequisite for all problems, that is, they will not be so severe that the British government cannot afford to pay them back.

Everyone found a corner and sat down. Arthur took off his hat and pretended to smile casually and asked.

"Benjamin, you summoned me here in such a hurry. I thought it was some kind of formal meeting with the Central Health Commission and the Public Works Construction Committee? Is it just a private chat between friends?"

Disraeli corrected him after hearing this: "Arthur, haven't you heard that sentence? Small meetings are held for big things, and big meetings are held for small things. Real decisions are made under the table. If you don't know the situation until it is made public, , then it’s too late. Things on the surface are just going through a procedure.”

Balin took out his pocket watch and took a look: "Have Dr. Russell and Dr. Barry not arrived yet? If they are not here, we may not be able to handle the matters concerning the Health Committee."

When Arthur heard this, he suddenly turned his attention to Disraeli. Soon, he saw Disraeli nodded slightly.

Arthur just smiled at his gesture.

He has understood that it seems that there is no longer a problem here in Bahrain. The real problem depends on the latest report from the Health Committee.

As expected, Balin just put his pocket watch back in his pocket and spoke.

"Let me put it bluntly, Mr. Hastings. In fact, I personally have always been in favor of renovating major cities across the country. Not only Liverpool, but Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle and London should also be included in this category.

In recent years, due to the rapid expansion of cities and the influx of a large number of people, the level of urban filth has increased almost exponentially. And those narrow, dirty streets not only become a breeding ground for disease, but also add a lot of law enforcement troubles to police officers like you.

Since I took over as Chairman of the Committee, I have been reviewing past work reports. The London Bureau of Survey, Survey and Statistics, which is under your jurisdiction, should now be renamed the London Police Intelligence Bureau. The work report submitted is very forward-looking.

According to the statistics you submitted, the violent crime rate and the likelihood of assaults on police in narrow streets are much higher than in normal areas. If we can solve this problem, it will undoubtedly be extremely helpful in reducing the loss of public property caused by crime.

But at that time, my reform initiative was rejected by the House of Commons because the cost was too high. At the time, councilors believed that the cost of transforming the city was far higher than hiring a few more police officers. But now, things have clearly changed.

Renovating urban areas is not only related to reducing crime rates, but also a necessary means to effectively prevent the occurrence of cholera. I’m not afraid of making you laugh. In fact, according to the cases reported by the Central Health Commission, the government’s plan to keep cholera out of the English Channel through customs quarantine in accordance with the Quarantine Act of 1825 has actually gone bankrupt. "

Although Arthur had made a guess before, hearing the news of bankruptcy from Bahrain still made him feel quite funny.

After all, the tough isolation control imposed by the Parliament has only been in place for more than a month. Even if we have to surrender to the unstoppable decline in trade volume, it would be too soon.

Arthur asked: "What do you mean? The isolation control is going to be lifted?"

"That's not true. After all, there are differences between the government and parliament, so the quarantine measures should still be implemented, but the standards will definitely be lowered significantly."

Disraeli continued: "The dangers of cholera cannot be ignored, but most MPs believe that at least we are not dead yet, so there should be no need for amputation. Moreover, the current public opinion's criticism of cholera control is indeed radical. If it continues like this If the quarantine continues and the lost fiscal revenue is coupled with a substantial increase in public health expenditures, my God, this year's fiscal deficit will reach sky-high."

Arthur stirred the coffee cup with a spoon, more concerned with execution than with the spiel of the congressmen.

“So, how far will the controls go?”

"I don't know about other places yet, but the new control draft in London has been drawn up."

Bahrain said: "Ships arriving in London will stay at Sandgate Bay in Deptford on the south bank of the Thames for 10 days. During this period, the authorities will send a doctor on board to instruct the ship on cleanliness regulations. During the last three days of the quarantine period, Vessels are to be opened under supervision, spaces between decks to be ventilated, and all crew clothing and linens to be washed and dried.”

Arthur heard this and took a sip of coffee: "It does sound much softer than before. The quarantine period is only 10 days, and the traders will be happy."

Disraeli waved his hand and said: "In fact, Parliament is still criticizing the latest policy for being conservative, and many people advocate reducing the quarantine period to five days. After all, cholera usually develops quickly, and five days is enough to identify whether the sailors have No more infectious diseases.”

A few people were chatting when suddenly, the tinkling wind chimes sounded.

Immediately afterwards, they saw two middle-aged gentlemen with haggard faces pushing open the door of the coffee shop and walking towards them.

Those were the two medical commissioners of the Central Board of Health: William Russell and David Barry.

As early as last year, these two doctors were selected by the British government as medical experts to go to St. Petersburg to investigate the cholera pandemic in Russia and learn from the Russians' prevention and treatment experience and lessons.

But now it seems that they obviously didn't learn it very successfully, or perhaps they learned it very successfully, but they just announced that the feasible prevention and control methods in Russia could not be copied to Britain in full.

The newspapers were full of the famous words of MP Pollitt Thompson in the House of Commons - if the mandatory precautionary recommendations were given to any British gentleman, taking into account the traditional habits of the British, the British would obey these rules for a week at most .

After waves of public opinion attacks, the Central Health Commission officially declared its collapse in the past few days. In the reorganized committee, the isolation and control faction headed by Russell and Dr. Barry lost all power.

Not only that, most of the congressmen were also kicked out by the committee, and a large number of doctors with experience in front-line practice took their place.

The newly appointed chairman of the committee, Edward Stewart, advocated that the formulation of anti-cholera measures should follow the principles of avoiding conflicts, respecting civil rights, and ensuring social stability and its own structure.

The Health Commission also declared: "The coercive measures commonly implemented in the European continent are the source of all evils. As long as they start from medical professional capabilities, supplemented by practical measures, rely on good judgment and emotional and moral support, they can Avoid interactions that may endanger the lives of others. In most cases, as long as correct cleaning and ventilation regulations are followed and the environment is kept sanitary and in good condition, cholera rarely spreads within the home unless the disease has a special tendency. "

The committee made such an almost 180-degree turn, which is enough to show the great differences of opinions and the fierce struggle within the committee.

And it can be seen from the desperate looks of Dr. Russell and Dr. Barry that they must have been treated badly recently.

Balin looked at the haggard looks of the two doctors and suggested, "Why don't you two have a cup of tea first?"

Russell covered his mouth with one hand and seemed to be retching: "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Baring. But now we can't swallow anything. If you must let me eat something, you might as well go and get the health committee's certificate for me." Let those people cook it."

Barry's hair was wet. He sat down and took a deep breath: "You don't know, it's like hell in the committee right now. I can guarantee you that once the control is relaxed, there will definitely be an explosive increase in cholera cases." "

When Disraeli heard this, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows: "But what should we do? Doctor Barry, do you know how tight the finances are already?"

Barry said helplessly: "Of course I know the difficulties, but this is not caused by isolation, but due to the debt owed in the field of public health for so many years. Mr. Disraeli, let me give you an example and you will know. According to Leeds Local Health The committee reports that there is a large complex of 34 houses with 57 rooms and 340 residents, but there are no paved roads or sewers. Just in the past month, we have removed 32 of the houses from 75 trucks of excrement were shipped out. Before that, the excrement had not been cleaned for 30 years."

Russell complained: "What is this? The situation in Leeds is not bad. The Edinburgh Health Board reported that they had just spent 280 pounds and hired more than 30 scavengers to carry out a comprehensive inspection of the streets and cul-de-sacs in the old town. As a result, more than 3,000 cars of filthy garbage were removed from houses, basements and open spaces. In this situation, it would be a disaster if cholera didn't break out! God knows what they usually do, how to manage public health If you don’t care, when cholera breaks out, you will blame the quarantine measures for being too tight. Is this the fault of us professional doctors?”