The Shadow of Great Britain

Royal Navy of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

Whitehall, London

July 15, 1837

By the gracious permission of His Majesty the King, the Royal Navy Commission of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland hereby decrees:

Eld Carter is hereby promoted to the position of Second-class Clerk of the Navy Department and appointed as Deputy Director of the Hydrographic Office of the Navy Department, where he is to directly assist Captain Francis Beaufort, Director of the Hydrographic Office, in managing all matters concerning nautical charts, surveys, and maritime data.

All subordinate officials and relevant departments must be informed of this appointment and adhere strictly to its directives, awaiting further instructions as required by the responsibilities of this post.

During the execution of duties, Eld Carter should enjoy and exercise all the rights, privileges, and benefits commensurate with this position.

This decree is issued as a warrant and basis for action.

By order of the Navy Department Committee

Signature:

Sir John Barrow

Second Secretary of the Navy Department of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (Permanent Secretary of the Navy Department)

...

Eld stared at the appointment letter, his fingertips tightly gripping the bright red wax seal, his knuckles slightly whitening from the pressure.

His breathing became rapid, his chest swollen as if baked by a furnace.

The paper rustled in his trembling hands, the appointment letter shaking incessantly.

”Second-class Clerk, Deputy Director handling routine tasks...” Eld murmured, as if he couldn’t believe that these black printed words were truly written on the parchment. His mind was in turmoil, and he could hardly recall how he received this letter of appointment from Arthur.

Across from him, Arthur gently placed the tea saucer back on the table, his fingers elegantly clutching the handle of the teacup, sipping a mouthful of hot tea leisurely. Reflected by the firelight, his expression was so calm as to be almost indifferent, as if this appointment was nothing to be surprised by, but something long anticipated.

”Just a Second-class Clerk, if he pleases,” he said, ”considering he persuaded Victoria to give up the power of death penalty review, even if he helped Eld to secure a First-class Clerk position, the Home Office would have to find a way to resolve it.”

”But, firstly, that would make Lord John Russell and Mr. Phillips, the Permanent Secretary of the Home Office, feel his appetite is too large, possibly causing unnecessary resentment and attention.”

Secondly, sometimes, it’s not that the bigger your position, the more power you have.

The position in the Navy Department overseeing the Greenwich Observatory and the Cape of Good Hope Observatory is indeed a First-class Clerk, but clearly, that First-class Clerk doesn’t have as much power as the Deputy Director of the Hydrographic Office, the Second-class Clerk.

The power of the Deputy Director of the Hydrographic Office mainly lies in being right beside Captain Beaufort’s chair.

Don’t forget, although Captain Francis Beaufort’s rank isn’t prominent, this 63-year-old Royal Navy technical officer is the nucleus of the entire Royal Navy Science Department. Even the Royal Navy Commission, known for its arrogance, must acknowledge: ”In our forces, few officers possess half of Beaufort’s professional knowledge and ability, and his enthusiasm and perseverance are unparalleled.”

Unlike those adept at winning battles, Captain Beaufort, despite having battle honors as a participant of the ”Glorious First of June,” his greatest abilities lie in depth measurements and positional determinations.

The hydrographic data of the River Plate in South America and the southern region of Little Asia were entirely surveyed by Beaufort’s team. The Royal Navy’s first edition of the ”Navy Tide Table,” the internally used Wind Force Scale (Beaufort Scale), and weather symbol coding are all Beaufort’s creations.

According to the ”use it till you drop” British practice, in 1829, Beaufort, who should have retired at the age of 55, was appointed as Director of the Hydrographic Office by the Navy Department. Two years later, he was further advanced, given full charge of the newly established scientific department of the Navy Department, overseeing the Hydrographic Office, the Greenwich and Cape of Good Hope Observatories, as well as the Nautical Almanac and Chronometer Office.

When Beaufort first took office, the annual production of new naval charts was only 19. Last year, however, the number exceeded 600, and the geographical range of chart surveys expanded significantly, not only covering home waters but also reaching the Pacific and Indian Ocean coasts overseas.

More importantly, Beaufort has also excelled in promoting scientific talent within the Royal Navy. Those he discovered and utilized include Colonel Robert FitzRoy, Charles Darwin, and Eld Carter, who completed the global circumnavigation mission; Colonel John Franklin, responsible for exploring the Arctic Northwest Passage; and William Huxell, who conducted tidal table measurements in Europe and North America.

However, even with Beaufort’s boundless energy and enthusiasm for naval scientific work, he is, after all, already a 63-year-old man.

Therefore, starting a few years ago, Beaufort gradually ceased active management of daily affairs. He’s steered broad strategic directions, been meticulous about the details of the scientific results he loved, and left the minor administrative execution work mainly to be handled by the civil servants below him.

As Beaufort ages and his energy wanes, the power that falls into Eld’s hands as Deputy Director of the Hydrographic Office will likely increase.

Even looking at the situation now, Eld’s power is not insignificant.