Shadow of great britain

Arthur had just walked out of the teaching building when he heard cheers from the classroom.

The stern academic supervisor took off his hat and fanned himself, muttering to himself: "It seems that Mr. Ohm and Mr. Faraday's first meeting was very successful."

Although he had stated that he would firmly stand on Ohm's side, it was indeed difficult for him to overturn the case of the name of the resistance unit with his own strength.

In this regard, the academic world is actually similar to the political world and the literary and artistic world.

For scholars, achieving research results is only the first step, and the easiest step.

Next, he must write papers, publish academic monographs, and further publish textbooks and even edit academic journals. Especially in German universities, the government attaches great importance to how grand the "applause" and "cheers" scholars win. Getting "applause" means gaining fame.

And the amount of applause a scholar gets depends in part on the scale and success of the course lectures and the sound waves created by the students' hands. Under the same circumstances, scholars who are famous for "teaching with applause" will have more recognized academic reputation.

In Germany, even those formal professors who do not rely on tuition fees as their main income are very concerned about the number of students in the classroom, and they often compare the number of students with other professors in the same school. Even famous scholars such as Hegel and Savigny are not immune to this.

However, for those unknown scholars, the applause they first consider is not from within the school, but from outside the school.

In the consideration of the academic reputation of professors and young lecturers by the governments of various German states, the first condition for scientific research and academic reputation is that teachers publish results and are recognized by their peers. Whether lectures can attract students and get "applause" is the standard of teaching reputation. Whether one can join an elite society and receive an invitation to work is the basis of social reputation.

These standards are refined to the practical level, that is, whether the scholar has joined an elite academic society and whether he has received an invitation from a well-known scientific society. As for the most powerful voice among them, it is the invitation to work from foreign universities.

As long as Ohm could get the approval of this group of Royal Society experimental physicists, even if the Royal Society did not invite him to become a foreign member at the first time, at least it could open the way for Ohm to publish papers in journals such as the Annals of the Royal Society.

As for the invitation to work in foreign universities, as a member of the presidium of the University of London Alumni Association, Sir Arthur Hastings had solemnly introduced this 44-year-old German electromagnetic world pearl to the school board through the alumni association channel.

You know, the University of London has been trying to dig Faraday for four or five years, but the Royal Society's laboratory director regarded money as dung and was always unwilling to accept this opportunity that could increase his annual salary tenfold.

Therefore, Arthur suggested in his letter of recommendation that the board of directors could appropriately consider changing the target and include Ohm in the candidate list of professors of experimental physics at the University of London.

Perhaps in other places, Sir Arthur Hastings' words did not carry much weight, but at the University of London and Scotland Yard, he thought he still had some influence.

Therefore, as long as Ohm could make a little name for himself, the invitation to work at the University of London would be delivered to Göttingen in no time.

If the Kingdom of Hanover still did not intend to hire Ohm, Arthur would be happy to bring back a resistance unit for his alma mater.

Although in the eyes of Professor Herbart and others, the campus of Göttingen was already in chaos. But the spy chief knew in his heart: everything from students to teachers was under control.

Arthur had not walked far.

Suddenly, he saw a four-wheeled carriage with a very contemporary style, full of elegance and luxury coming to the gate of the campus. The sound of horse hooves knocked on the cobblestone road, making a crisp rhythm.

The exterior of the carriage was painted dark black, decorated with complicated gold-plated decorations. The door was inlaid with a unique noble emblem, the top of the carriage was high, and the sterling silver ornaments on the four corners were shining.

Through the window, you can glimpse the luxurious and comfortable environment in the carriage. The seats are padded with royal blue velvet cushions produced in Manchester, matching the color of the curtains. The carpet was made of soft silk, and the footrests were covered with exquisite embroidery. You could tell at a glance that it was expensive.

The carriage was driven by four tall black English thoroughbred horses. They were sturdy and clad in gold-studded harnesses, and the stirrups and reins were a combination of silk and leather. Even the grooms were wearing dark black uniforms, stiff hats, and a light shake of the reins with white-gloved hands, which made people feel a noble demeanor.

And around the carriage, there were six guard knights accompanying them. They wore standard British riding clothes, red coats, white breeches, black boots, tall hats with feathers on their heads, long swords on their waists, and gun holsters on their thighs, ready to respond to emergencies at any time.

These knights were divided into two teams, guarding on both sides of the carriage, driving their horses in small steps, and moving forward at the same speed as the carriage.

Behind these people, there was a smaller carriage. Through the glass window of the carriage, several gentlemen in well-tailored tuxedos could be seen. They looked dignified, wore silver wigs, and sat upright. It was obvious that they were senior servants trusted by the team leader.

For Arthur, the identity of the team leader was not difficult to identify. Just by looking at the noble emblem on the door, he could roughly understand which family he came from.

The coat of arms not only has three golden lions symbolizing England, a standing red lion symbolizing Scotland, and a harp symbolizing Ireland, but also the supporters on both sides of the shield are golden lions symbolizing England and silver unicorns symbolizing Scotland, which is enough to show that the owner of this carriage is a pure blue-blooded aristocrat from the British royal family.

The crown above the shield with golden alternating leaves and pearl decorations shows his title, this is a duke, and a royal duke.

Combined with the slightly casual entourage compared to other royal family members, the true identity of the carriage owner is about to be revealed.

The Duke of Sussex, the Earl of Inverness and the Baron of Arklow, the President of the Royal Society, the President of the Royal Society of Arts, the Grand Master of the Grand Masonic Lodge of England, Prince Augustus Frederick.

The sudden visit of the royal family obviously caused quite a stir in a small town like Göttingen. Many Göttingen citizens were curiously looking at the luxurious carriage carefully built by London craftsmen on both sides of the street. Street vendors, tavern waiters and even professors who were rushing to class quickly put down their work and came to join in the fun.

But the guard knights who were responsible for clearing the way were obviously very angry about this result. The citizens blocked the way forward for the convoy. Driving here was not much easier than driving on the road in the East End of London.

The knights shouted in German at the top of their voices to try to disperse the crowd, but for the people of Göttingen, it was the first time to encounter such a new thing in their lives, so the knights' scolding did not make them retreat from the road, but instead attracted a burst of laughter.

The guard knight was about to get angry, but unexpectedly, a shout came from the carriage: "Enough, stop here."

The order had been conveyed, and the door of the small carriage at the back was immediately pushed open. The first to get off the carriage were the servants with swords on their waists. Two tall servants jumped off the carriage first and neatly put a stool and a blanket on the duke's footing.

Then, the two trumpeters in the guard knight took out the trombone and trumpet from their waists and played a short trumpet song according to royal etiquette.

As the music played, the Duke of Sussex stepped on a small stool and stepped out of the carriage. He used his gloves to smooth the wrinkles on the royal family's daily dress, and then smiled and raised his hand to greet the citizens: "Thank you for your warm welcome, citizens of Göttingen. As a member of the royal family, I, Augustus Frederick Hanover, feel extremely honored to be here today to witness the wisdom and enthusiasm of Göttingen."

The onlookers standing on the street saw the Duke get off the car to greet them. The women raised their skirts and knelt down, while the men took off their hats one by one, and they cheered: "Long live Hanover!"

"What a gentleman!"

"Oh my God! Is this our prince?"

"He does look very similar to the portrait of His Majesty the King."

"Our royal family is different from the Prussian despot. Look, this is what aristocrats should be like."

Everyone started talking, and perhaps because of excitement, many people's cheeks were filled with apple color.

Judging from their appearance, the news of the royal family's visit will probably soon become a hot topic in the taverns of the small town of Göttingen.

The Duke of Sussex, surrounded by the guards, struggled to pass through the encirclement formed by the citizens, and the Göttingen police, who arrived late, also hurried to take over the important task of protecting the royal family.

Police Chief Mr. Schmidt rode on a tall horse and used his baton to command his policemen, trying to leave a good impression on the Duke of Sussex: "Here, there, no, this way! No, it's still there!"

Arthur saw this and squeezed out of the crowd of students in front of him and walked out of the school.

Fortunately, his six-foot height was not short in the crowd, so he was recognized by the Duke of Sussex when he was still some distance away from the Duke's guards.

The free-spirited liberal aristocrat waved to him with a smile and said, "How are you, Sir Arthur Hastings."

Arthur was sent to the Duke by the police, took off his hat and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, are you visiting Göttingen in advance?"

The Duke of Sussex smiled and nodded, saying, "There is nothing to do in Hanover, so I had a cup of afternoon tea with Adolphus at the Rainer Palace and then set off directly. And compared to the city scenery of Hanover, I still prefer to wander around a quiet and comfortable town like Göttingen."

The Adolphus mentioned by the Duke of Sussex is his tenth brother, the Duke of Cambridge.

Unlike the Duke of Sussex, who was unwilling to join the army and had long been rooted in the field of culture and art, the Duke of Cambridge, like his other brothers, was a traditional old-school aristocrat.

He joined the British Army at the age of 17, participated in the anti-French war two years later, was promoted to Lieutenant General of the Army seven years later, and became the general with full authority in charge of commanding the Hanoverian Kingdom Army in 1803.

Although his rapid promotion in the army was due to his royal bloodline, the Duke of Cambridge was already the second most capable general in the royal army after his brother, the Duke of Cumberland.

Although Arthur did not have a good impression of the extreme Tory Duke of Cumberland, his combat performance in the army was heroic enough if only his military record was considered. He led the charge as a cavalry commander in the Battle of Tournai in 1794 and was chopped on the head in the battle with the French cavalry.

After recovering from his injury, he immediately returned to the cavalry and participated in a series of subsequent operations against Napoleon.

The Duke of Cumberland's performance in the cavalry also won him the position of cavalry director. As for the Duke of Cambridge, who had long commanded the Hanoverian Army, he naturally became the Governor of Hanover, responsible for supervising the Kingdom of Hanover.

What is more worth mentioning is that whether it is the Duke of Sussex, the Duke of Cumberland or the Duke of Cambridge, all three of them are alumni of the University of Göttingen.

The three princes were educated in Göttingen, rather than in Oxford and Cambridge, which not only shows the quality of education at the University of Göttingen, but also shows that the late King George III valued the Kingdom of Hanover, his ancestral home.

The Duke of Sussex, who has the dual identities of an alumnus of the University of Göttingen and a liberal, chose to visit the Kingdom of Hanover at this time instead of letting the Duke of Cumberland visit Hanover, which also indirectly shows King William IV's determination to promote the liberal constitutional reform of the Kingdom of Hanover.

For Arthur, even if the Duke of Sussex did nothing, just staying in Göttingen for a while, it would be enough to provide him with great help. After all, this is not just a banner, but a real royal endorsement.

The Duke of Sussex accompanied Arthur all the way, and before Arthur could speak, the president of the Royal Society took the initiative to mention some disputes within the Royal Society.

"It is really encouraging to see the Kingdom of Hanover and the University of Göttingen slowly moving towards freedom. I have always thought that it would be great if the Royal Society could do the same."

Arthur heard something wrong in the words, and he frowned and thought for a while: "Has there been any recent changes in the society?"

"This can't be called a recent change, but some old accounts." The Duke of Sussex sighed: "Didn't Babbage come to Göttingen? Did he talk to you about that article?"

"What article?" Arthur said: "I only know that Mr. Babbage has been tinkering with the difference engine. Is there any progress on that thing?"

"It's not about the difference engine."

The Duke of Sussex said: "Babbage published an article in the journal some time ago entitled "Some Reflections on the Decline of Science in England and Its Related Causes". It enumerated the various shortcomings and omissions of the Royal Society in administration, organization and academics. Babbage asserted , Britain is now lagging behind other powers in theoretical science, and even some countries with less prominent national strength have surpassed us.

When talking about the reasons, he turned his focus to the Royal Society. Babbage believed that it was the various unhealthy trends and speculative behaviors that permeated the society that caused the stagnation of science. He also said that for many years, the Royal Society has been controlled by a certain group or a small circle.

He said that these people may not have a complete or written program of action, but they act on certain common principles. Their main goal is to control power and then distribute the benefits to each member as much as possible. The members of this group or circle are usually mediocre, but they are good at calculating. When they encounter some people with outstanding talents but refuse to cooperate, they often take a group approach to sanction the offender..."

When the Duke of Sussex said this, Arthur finally understood what the other party was talking about.

In fact, Arthur had heard about the internal struggles of the Royal Society. Some of them were heard from the apprentices in Faraday's laboratory, and some were heard from Miss Byron.

Because of mathematics, Miss Byron and Babbage had established correspondence in the previous few years. According to her, Mr. Babbage would not only be frustrated by the slow progress of the difference engine, but also angry at the chaotic management within the Royal Society.

Babbage once complained in a letter: "If a member of the Royal Society questions a personnel appointment or abuse of power, their usual words will be: 'What does this have to do with you? Although this may be different from the view you fully agree with, it is none of your business. You should do your best first.'"

What Babbage hated most was the Royal Society's unrestrained acceptance of members. Many politicians, officials, wealthy businessmen, military officers, etc. who were not engaged in scientific research at all could become part of the Royal Society.

In order to prove his point of view, Babbage also used his statistical talent to conduct a background investigation on all 714 members of the Royal Society. The results of the survey showed that among the members, 109 had submitted articles to the Philosophical Transactions, and 605 had not submitted articles.

Such a result naturally made Babbage furious.

And it was not just Babbage who was angry about this. Astronomer James South had posted a big-character poster of the Royal Society and directly published a pamphlet attacking the president of the Royal Society, the Duke of Sussex, and even said: "If being elected does not represent honor, then being expelled is no longer a shame." He also demanded that he be expelled from the society.

Being attacked by so many scientists, it is no wonder that the Duke of Sussex felt under great pressure.

After all, Babbage and South were both influential scholars in Britain, and more importantly, the situations they described did exist.

The Duke of Sussex, who had always claimed to be a liberal, suddenly encountered such accusations and really didn't know how to deal with them properly.