The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 896: Chapter 17 Heaven Did Not Create Me Hasting_3

Speaking of the metric system reform, Arthur must thank the French Ambassador Talleyrand, who is currently still in London keen on playing cards and golf, because the current metric system used by France was proposed for improvement by him in 1790.

As for the task of improving the metric system, it naturally fell upon the French Academy of Sciences, or more precisely, upon the head of Lavoisier, who got beheaded during the Great Revolution.

Although British society is not interested in the metric system devised by the French, at least in the British scientific community, natural philosophy researchers are quite willing to align with this metric system. Because British scientists believe that the metric system very much meets the scientific development needs.

Arthur is naturally one of the natural philosophy researchers advocating adapting to the metric system, but he’s not doing it for the sake of science promotion, rather simply wanting to easily buy peaches like today.

Victor saw Arthur happily lifting the bag of freshly purchased peaches, and with a pipe in his mouth, he joked: ”Brother, this doesn’t seem like a thing a Sir would do. I’ve never seen a Sir going around the streets carrying bags to buy fruit himself, you should hire a few attendants, or at the very least, buy a couple of loyal black slaves.”

Arthur responded: ”Mr. Victor, it seems you’re unaware, Britain has long banned the slave trade. In London, dealing in slaves is illegal.”

”I know.” Victor said: ”But although you have banned slave trafficking, isn’t keeping slaves still a legal act? You can buy them abroad and bring them back to London, and they can’t say anything to you.”

Arthur shook his head upon hearing: ”It seems your information needs updating. A short time ago, British abolitionists just proposed a new bill in Parliament demanding an immediate abolition of slavery both domestically and in overseas colonies, including both the slave trade and slavery itself.”

Victor laughed: ”That this bill could pass? Will those slave masters who previously bought slaves obediently comply with Parliament’s orders, and release their private property?”

”Of course not.”

Arthur handed a peach to Victor: ”Those slave masters expressed strong protests, and stated that releasing a large number of slaves might cause great instability in overseas colonies. Abolitionists and pro-slavery advocates are deadlocked in Parliament, but from the standpoint of British society, especially in the background of the Whig Party having just scored a major victory, abolition has already become a trend. Therefore, abolitionists and pro-slavery advocates decided to compromise, reaching a rather British resolution.”

”How did they compromise?”

”Pro-slavery advocates agreed to completely abolish slavery in Britain and overseas colonies, while abolitionists agreed to have the government spend 20 million British Pounds redeeming slaves from the hands of slave masters to compensate for their economic losses.”

Victor pouted: ”That is indeed very British. If it were in France, there would have to be at least one battle, some kind of uprising, or even several to finally resolve the issue. However... speaking of which, brother, you hurriedly brought me out, surely not just to invite me to eat peaches or discuss the slave trade, right? I’m not very interested in that.”

Arthur spoke: ”Certainly not. That young man who just arrived at the office is an assistant from the French Academy of Sciences. Not long ago, when I went to France for business at the Academy of Sciences, I met a big shot from your government - Mr. Louis-Adolphe Thiers. Do you know much about him?”

”Hm? Thiers?” Victor nodded his pipe: ”Why are you asking about him?”

Arthur replied: ”You should know, on this trip to Paris, among the friends accompanying me, one guy’s identity is very sensitive.”

”Hmm... more than one, both are quite sensitive, just one is more sensitive than the other. After all, one is merely waving a pen to write a few articles mocking the government, he has some influence among the republicans, but doesn’t reach a high level. But the other is different, if he raises his arms and shouts, he really could stir up the Bonaparte Party.”

Arthur nodded slightly: ”You’re quite right. So I hope to ask you to look into Thiers because that short-statured gentleman seems very interested in the person who might stir up the Bonaparte Party. He privately asked me at the banquet if I could introduce him to Mr. Louis Bonaparte.”

”Introduce?” Victor, upon hearing this, couldn’t help but lower his voice: ”Brother, you mustn’t speak carelessly. He is now a high official of the government, a staunch supporter of the Orleans Party, which is why he’s become the Senate President. If this kind of thing gets recklessly circulated, it’ll cause trouble, not to mention it might even lead to fatalities.”