The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 957: Chapter 41: The Fluidity of Upper Society_2

——Paris’s fire brigade was once suspected of disloyalty because they did not salute with rifles when the King’s Guard passed by. Between January 1818 and June 1830, on the eve of the July Revolution, there were a total of 704 recorded riots against the authorities, of which only about 6%, or 43 cases, had political demands.

——In this regard, the reports of the public coachmen and mail carriage drivers are obviously more truthful than those of the police informants. The coachmen’s reports usually reflect some small details of life; they record genuine reasons people have for arguing and cursing the government. Most people’s goals revolve around earning enough butter and bread rather than political issues.

——Even in those 43 riots with political demands, their so-called political demands were linked to basic life needs. The rebellions that erupted in France from 1816 to 1817 were almost all related to the food shortages caused by volcanic eruptions, and the Luddites movement in Lyon in 1819 was initially to protest the newly introduced printing machines.

——Managing the police force and the informant system is an art; it cannot be quantified and fixed by quotas. The frequency and number of arrests of political prisoners by the police force are usually not linked to the actual number of dissenters but to the government and political figures’ belief in conspiracy theories. If the big figures firmly believe in subversion conspiracies, informants can quickly conjure up opposition from half the country. If you lock these people up in prison, they will soon become genuine opposition.

——Mr. Victor candidly told me that during the Bourbon restoration period, police informants frequently established ’some kind of political mousetrap.’ These bounty hunters would mingle with manual laborers, drink and sing, teach workers to sing songs offending the Bourbon Royal Family, place them in fictitious subversive activities, and then inform the police to arrest these drunken people.

——In Toulouse, the local police even deliberately incited food price riots. They secretly printed pamphlets condemning the Bourbon Royal Family and sent people to distribute them at the market, allowing them to openly arrest citizens who, without knowing the cause, and without any organization, were simply cursing the government out of dissatisfaction.

——In the demise of the Bourbon Dynasty during the July Revolution, I think those French citizens dissatisfied with food price hikes only accounted for two-thirds of the cause. The social conflict exacerbated by the management approach of the Bourbon Dynasty accounted for one-third, while those professional political activists merely kicked the door open when the vehicle was about to arrive at the station.

——In response to such behavior, I think that in the development and construction process at Scotland Yard, the police reform process in the Kingdom of Hanover must draw caution from this.

Arthur wrote eloquently on police reform and development insight; he had just put down the pen, thinking of having a drink to relax, but before he could raise the glass, he heard a voice of appreciation in his ear.

”Lord Brougham suggested to His Majesty to send you to Hanover to draft the police reform section of the new constitution. He truly made the right choice.”

Arthur looked up; the Earl of Dalmo had come to Arthur’s side at some point, accompanied by a lady, a beautiful woman Arthur had seen in London—the wife of the Russian Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Lady Levin.

Lady Levin looked at this outstanding young man in his twenties with a smile and, as usual, greeted him with her cheerful tone: ”Mr. Hastings, uh, no, it should be Sir now. The gramophone you sent me and Lady Cooper earlier is quite handy; I can’t go a day without it now and brought it along when I came to Paris this time.”

If Arthur looked at this deeply hidden Russian female spy, he immediately thought of the Liverpool bombing case that opened his eyes. Even if Lady Levin wasn’t the mastermind behind the case, she at least had deeply involved in it. Yet today, she stood serenely beside him with her elegant long gown, as if nothing had happened.

If Arthur didn’t have a vague understanding of the bombing incident, he might have been deceived by her today.

It must be said, even among the many ruthless upper-class ladies, Lady Levin can be considered quite outstanding.

Arthur took off his hat, stood up, and saluted: ”Madam, I didn’t expect to see you in Paris. It’s currently London’s social season, how do you have time to come to Paris for leisure?”

Lady Levin smiled pleasantly: ”I usually spend half my time in London and the other half in Paris. But because of cholera last year, I nearly spent the whole year without coming to Paris, so now, with spring just starting, I couldn’t wait to come over and reconnect with some of my good friends.”

Just as Lady Levin finished speaking, they heard the rustling of long skirts brushing the carpet, accompanied by a strong perfume scent, as several dignified ladies approached Lady Levin with cheerful expressions.

Arthur thought: ”It seems these are her old sisters in Paris?”

Sure enough, Lady Levin noticed someone approaching and immediately smiled to bid farewell to the Earl of Dalmo: ”Your Excellency, it’s the ladies’ tea time now.”

The Earl of Dalmo heard her words and only joked with a smile: ”I was planning to invite you for a dance. Everyone says your German Waltz at Almack’s Club is the most authentic and splendid.”