The Shadow of Great Britain

147: Chapter 105 Faraday’s New Discovery 147: Chapter 105 Faraday’s New Discovery In the Royal Society laboratory, Chancellor of the Exchequer Henry Goulburn leaned on his cane, peering at the electric current meter’s spinning dial and pushed up his glasses on his own.

He frowned and slowly straightened up before sheepishly turning to Faraday, “So…

Mr.

Faraday, what exactly is the significance of this electromagnetic induction phenomenon?”

Faraday looked at Goulburn and responded half-jokingly, “Your Excellency, it certainly has significance.

Its importance is such that before long, your Treasury might be able to tax it.

Have you forgotten the steam engine?”

“My God!”

Goulburn mocked himself, “Thanks to science, and even more to the steam engine because of which our House of Commons just recently lost a distinguished leader—Mr.

William Hesketh.

But perhaps this electromagnetic induction phenomenon might be a bit safer than the steam locomotive, mightn’t it?

Mr.

Faraday, I beg you, please don’t create anything like artificial lightning.

Just the locomotive killing Mr.

Hesketh was enough to throw the Cabinet into chaos.

If you were to make artificial lightning and strike Buckingham Palace, not even the Duke of Wellington winning another two Waterloos or twisting off Napoleon’s head would suffice to explain things to the public.”

Upon hearing this, Faraday couldn’t help but smile and say, “Electric current is indeed dangerous, but I think that as long as one handles it carefully, there won’t be any problems.

If you don’t believe me, I can personally demonstrate its safety to you right now.”

“Really?”

Goulburn reached out to touch the electric wire in front of him and with a snap, his thumb was immediately shocked, leaving a small white spot.

He bit his finger in pain and complained to Faraday, “Mr.

Faraday, is this the safety of electric current?”

Faraday shook his head with a smile, “Sir, you were too hasty.

What I meant by the safety of electric current can only be demonstrated and explained with another experiment.”

Just as Faraday was saying this, he happened to see Arthur walking in from the void outside the laboratory.

Before Arthur could comprehend what was happening, Faraday conscripted him.

“Arthur, you’ve arrived just in time.

Please help me drag that spherical cage from the corner of the lab over here, and while you’re at it, later on, help me electrify it.”

“Hmm?” Arthur glanced at the iron cage in the corner, woven with fine wires, and asked, “Is this some new invention?”

Faraday shook his head with a smile, “No, Arthur, the new invention is over here.

Remember the disk generator I mentioned to you before?

I’ve just recently completed it, though the current prototype is hand-cranked.

Soon, I’ll be inside that large cage, and you’ll be outside turning the disk generator’s handle to discharge electricity at me through the tip of the wire.”

Arthur looked at the disk generator placed in front of Faraday, then eyed the spherical cage beside him, furrowing his brow as if he had just recalled something.

He remembered having seen a similar magic act on television before.

He tentatively asked, “Mr.

Faraday, you’re not planning to perform that, are you?

Absolute territory?

Mastering lightning?”

Faraday was surprised by the question, “Arthur, I’m increasingly convinced that you should dedicate yourself to the field of science.

Perhaps you can also benefit the public at Scotland Yard, but your talent in scientific research is truly rare to match.

You’ve noticed that phenomenon, haven’t you?”

Arthur mumbled in response, “I wouldn’t call it noticing, just a peculiar experience.

You know, if someone survives being struck by lightning, and if it can’t be explained by God’s will, then it needs to be considered from a different perspective.”

Goulburn listened to their conversation, feeling more and more perplexed.

He asked Faraday, “Mr.

Faraday, may I ask which emerging scientist from the Royal Society is this young gentleman?”

Faraday explained with a smile, “Your Excellency, this is Mr.

Arthur Hastings.

Indeed, he is an emerging researcher in electromagnetism from Great Britain, but unfortunately, he is not currently serving the Royal Society.

Instead, he is an honest and selfless police officer under Sir Peel at Scotland Yard.”

Goulburn, feeling that the name sounded familiar, pondered for a moment before suddenly realizing, “Arthur Hastings, Scotland Yard; it’s you.”

Goulburn affectionately extended his hand to Arthur, “Young man, Robert has spoken of you to me.

I had only thought you were a talented detective, but I didn’t expect your achievements in scientific research to be acknowledged by Mr.

Faraday.

After Sir David’s passing, Mr.

Faraday is pretty much the brightest star in Britain’s scientific community.

Young man, I must be frank, perhaps I have underestimated you before.”

Goulburn’s high praise naturally elicited a modest response from Arthur.

He shook the other man’s hand, returning the compliment gracefully, “Perhaps you have underestimated me in the past, but I have never underestimated you.

As a child, I heard about the significant role you played in the 1812 war between Britain and the United States, and the Treaty of Ghent in 1814, which you personally drafted.

When I was studying in the history department of the University of London, I even read the records you left during the negotiations—It wasn’t until I got here that I understood the deep-seated determination in every American’s heart to exterminate the Indians and occupy their lands.

Even though your determination to prevent the Americans from infringing on Indian lands did not materialize in the treaty, we can still see from historical documents the efforts you once made.”

Goulburn, pleased to hear Arthur detail his past experience so thoroughly, couldn’t help but feel surprised in addition to his happiness.

He praised, “It seems that some members of Parliament’s prejudices against the University of London do pose a problem.

Mr.

Hastings, from your manner of speaking and behavior, I deeply feel the profound scholarly atmosphere and the quality education present in the University of London.

To be frank, I am also quite fond of Mr.

Jeremy Bentham’s ideas; his arguments have had a profound impact on the formation of my personal and political viewpoints.”

At this, Arthur smiled and asked indirectly, “Perhaps you should consider persuading the members, for Mr.

Bentham’s sake, to at least grant our school its teaching charter, right?”

Goulburn too was a wily old fox and with a smile, he responded, “If the Cabinet can survive until the opening season of your school next year, I will certainly give your proposal serious consideration.”

Having said that, Goulburn naturally changed the subject, he looked towards the round iron cage that Arthur had moved beside him, bent down, and examined it attentively, “So, Mr.

Faraday, what exactly do you plan to demonstrate for me today?”

Faraday said nothing; he just smiled and nodded to Arthur, then opened the door of the cage and climbed in.

Seeing this, Arthur recalled the magic video he had once seen, and mimicked the actions; he held the crank of the disk generator with one hand and picked up the pointed discharge rod with the other.

Then, he politely nodded to Goulburn and began speaking.

“Your Excellency, please step back a bit; this experiment might be somewhat dangerous.”

“Dangerous?” Goulburn surprisedly asked, “Didn’t Mr.

Faraday say this experiment was safe?”

Arthur pursed his lips and smiled, “Indeed, for Mr.

Faraday inside the cage, this experiment is very safe.

But if you insist on standing between the discharge rod and Mr.

Faraday, then it will become quite dangerous for you.

How should I describe it?

Well…

let’s make an analogy.

You are now very much like the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr.

William Hesketh, standing on the rail tracks.

If you don’t want to be flung several meters away, it would be best to heed the advice of professionals.

Of course, maybe I’m being overly alarmist.

After all, I don’t yet know how powerful Mr.

Faraday’s disk generator is.

However, I would like you to step away from that spot for my own sake as well, considering a police inspector from Scotland Yard has just been dismissed because of the death of a distinguished politician.”

“Oh!

My God!” Upon hearing this, Goulburn quickly moved back seven or eight steps, straightened his crooked hat, and said, “There are always so many strange things coming out of the Royal Society.”

Arthur watched him move to a safe position and then took a deep breath.

While turning the crank of the disk generator, he brought the discharge rod close to the front of the iron cage.

They had not yet made full contact when a slender, snaking flash of bright lightning already sprang between the tip of the discharge rod and the surface of the iron cage.

The sizzling sound of electricity in the air made Goulburn’s eyelids twitch, but before he could recover his wits, he saw Faraday, with a smile, place his gloved hands against the inner surface of the iron cage.

“Mr.

Faraday, dangerous!” Goulburn shouted, but as expected, no sign of Faraday getting electrocuted appeared.

“What?” Goulburn stroked his chin in thought and looked again at the finger that had just been electrically ‘touched.’ He asked Arthur, “Could it be that your generator produces fake electricity?”

Arthur glanced at the experimental table behind him and said, “Whether it’s fake electricity or not, it’s not up to us to say.

So, I suggest you could take the mop beside the table and give the outer surface of the cage a poke.”

The elderly Goulburn, with his graying hair, seemed to struggle inwardly, but after only brief hesitation, curiosity ultimately won over fear.

The esteemed Chancellor of the Exchequer of Great Britain actually lifted the mop like an eight or nine-year-old child and aimed it at the iron cage, “Am I really going to poke it?”

Arthur exhaled, feeling his arm growing weary, “You’d better be quick, this disk generator is quite tiresome to operate.

Perhaps next time the Treasury considers granting funds to the Royal Society, you could think about sending over a few squirrels; those little creatures are naturally suited to running in circles.”

As soon as Arthur finished speaking, Goulburn gritted his teeth and forcefully thrusted the mop against the cage.

A loud bang was heard, and a surging fireball exploded from the mop head, shocking Mr.

Goulburn so much that he quickly threw the stick aside and collapsed on the ground.

After a good while, Goulburn, nearing sixty, finally stood up with the support of the experimental table, his heart pounding.

He wiped the sweat off his forehead and swallowed asking, “What…

what on earth is this?”

Arthur smiled and shrugged, “If I’m not mistaken, this should be known as ‘Faraday cage effect’.”