The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1637: Chapter 38: The Learned Gentleman

Whispering a little secret, I can always sense that there are two things coinciding: lofty ideas and vulgar behavior.

——Michel de Montaigne

Mrs. Levin had just left, and before Arthur could catch his breath, he spotted an old acquaintance swaggering into his view.

It was none other than the bomb ship fanatic, the ”Sea Wolf” of Napoleon, General Thomas Cochrane, once the first Navy Commander of countries like Brazil and Chile in South America.

Speaking of General Cochrane, he’s been having quite the pleasant time these past few years.

Not only did he inherit his father’s title, becoming the tenth Earl of Dundonald, Scotland, but he was also promoted to Vice Admiral by the Whig-dominated Navy Department following parliamentary reforms.

Since then, Cochrane finally became a legitimate British General, no longer relying on his Admiral title in Brazil and Vice Admiral title in Chile to bolster himself on business cards.

In fact, considering Cochrane’s qualifications and impressive combat achievements, he should have long been promoted to Royal Navy’s Vice Admiral rank.

However, this fellow neither understands nor wants to understand the personal connections within the Navy Department.

And it’s not just that he doesn’t understand—after starting his political career in 1806, he often criticized foreign wars for wasting resources and heavily exposed corruption and incompetence among Royal Navy commanders, thus offending a great number of people in the Royal Navy.

Among Cochrane’s critiques, the most intense criticism was directed at Royal Navy Marshal Gambier.

Indeed, Marshal Gambier was fairly mediocre in his achievements, and during his tenure in Royal Navy, he spent most of his time sitting in an office in London. But Cochrane should consider: Even if Marshal Gambier had no merit, he at least had toil.

During the Napoleonic Wars, Gambier participated in the ”Glorious First of June” naval battle, and then in 1807 served as the naval commander of the Second Copenhagen Operation.

Here, I know Cochrane will surely argue: ”In the Second Copenhagen Operation, Gambier was largely a nominal commander, contributing only in major decisions, while onsite naval operations were primarily led by little Vice Admiral Samuel Hood. Furthermore, in 1808, while commanding the Strait Fleet, Gambier missed the opportunity to annihilate the French Brest Fleet during the Biscay Channel campaign due to delayed tactics.”

But if that’s what you say, then the Navy Department has to ask. During the Second Copenhagen Operation, even though Marshal Gambier was nominally in command, this didn’t hinder General Samuel Hood, who was responsible for specific actions and strategies, from completing the task.

Why, then, during the Biscay Channel campaign under Gambier’s leadership, did the Strait Fleet suffer a delay in tactics and other mishaps?

Who was responsible for specific strategies within the Strait Fleet at that time?

Oh! It turns out to be you, Thomas Cochrane!

Dear Thomas, it’s not that we, the Royal Navy Commission, are being biased, but when things go wrong, you need to find the problems within yourself.

From the subsequent development of the story, it seems Cochrane indeed took the Navy Commission’s words to heart. He carefully reflected on his own problems and ultimately concluded: parliamentary reform is really necessary!

Cochrane was so poor at dealing with people, combined with a bad temper, that it wasn’t long before someone caught his Achilles’ heel.

First, out of brotherly loyalty, he gathered naval subordinates to help his friend, Lower House Member Francis Burdette, resist a Lower House arrest at home, causing death and severe injury to several arresting officers. Fortunately, Burdette saw the situation spiraling out of control and quickly confessed and submitted to the law, thus avoiding implicating his friend Cochrane.

Later, Cochrane was accused of involvement in stock market fraud, profiting 139,000 British Pounds within a month, and as a result, was removed from the Lower House and Royal Navy, and even his Knight of Bath was confiscated.

But just a few days later, Cochrane was re-elected in the Westminster constituency in London, thus, under the privilege of parliamentary immunity, the judgment against Cochrane was rendered invalid.

Indeed, prior to inheriting the Earl title and entering the House of Lords, Cochrane occupied a seat in Westminster Lower House for a long time. And what kind of place is Westminster?

It is the stronghold of Jeremy Bentham’s supporters and the largest sponsorship source for the University of London.

Thomas Cochrane’s victory in Westminster represents his alignment with figures like Lord Brougham and Earl of Dalmo.

By extension, he naturally counts as one of Sir Arthur Hastings’ partners.

Meanwhile, the identity of radical liberalism represents that he could be classified as one of the Duchess of Kent’s political allies, and also shows his appreciation for Arthur’s recent conduct.

Cochrane strolled to Arthur with a wine glass, and upon seeing Arthur, began to tease, ”Oh, Sir Arthur, I heard the Foreign Office didn’t agree to your ’suicide squadron of ships filled with explosives against Russian Caucasus coastal ports’ suggestion?”

Arthur, annoyed, stared at this general with a penchant for ”suicidal assaults”: ”Your Excellency, I can’t come up with such an inventive idea. Moreover, it sounds more like a suggestion you’d make to the Navy Department.”

Cochrane laughed heartily at this, ”Suggesting to the Foreign Office is more effective than to the Navy Department. As soon as Palmerston gives the command, even if the Navy Department has objections, the Mediterranean Fleet can only execute.”