The Shadow of Great Britain

Arthur raised an eyebrow upon hearing this: ”A 12-gun ship turned into a 6-gun ship? Didn’t the Navy Department go after the ship designer? That’s not like them.”

”Go after the ship designer?” Eld scoffed at this: ”Come on, who would risk offending Sir William Symonds? A 12-gun ship turning into a 6-gun ship only cost less than several thousand pounds, and it’s not even their money, no one would be foolish enough to be the scapegoat.”

Arthur immediately understood what was going on as soon as Eld said this.

Sir William Symonds was the Navy Department’s Surveyor of the Navy, and at the same time, he was a crucial assistant to Sir James Graham, the Whig Party Naval Minister in 1832, implementing reforms in the Navy Department. He was also a favorite of the late King William IV; last year, King William IV even conferred the title of Junior Knight upon him at St. James’s Palace without prior notice to the Navy Department.

Because of this, although Symonds’ responsibility was to oversee the shipbuilding plans at naval shipyards, this famous yacht designer repeatedly overstepped his bounds due to his position as Surveyor of the Navy, forcibly insisting that the Royal Navy adopt his design plans.

Indeed, Symonds had once designed luxury yachts for many of Britain’s nobility and even served as the Royal Yacht designer at one point, but even though both yachts and warships float on water, they are fundamentally different vessels with different requirements.

Therefore, it is not particularly difficult to understand that warships designed by Symonds would have issues with excessive draught.

Moreover, in a certain sense, you can’t entirely blame him for the excessive draught, because some ships weren’t designed with the consideration that the Royal Navy would suddenly start pushing for steam-sail hybrid vessels.

When you arbitrarily cram two 160 horsepower engines and four copper boilers, manufactured by Seward Company, into a sailing warship, how could it not have excessive draught?

Nonetheless, this is still a design flaw, and if the designer of this ship were not Sir William Symonds, they would undoubtedly face severe consequences. After all, all new ships entering service in the Royal Navy are approved and reviewed by him as the Surveyor of the Navy; even if the Royal Navy were extremely dissatisfied, they would have to grit their teeth and accept it.

This incident also shows that the Navy Department does indeed have much more lucrative opportunities than the police system. The cost of a single ship easily starts at twenty thousand pounds, and the Royal Navy can issue orders to shipyards that amount to Scotland Yard’s entire annual operating budget.

And with so much money circulating, anyone who handles the transactions is likely to reap considerable benefits.

Arthur patted Eld’s bulging pocket: ”So, did Sir William Symonds give you any heads-up?”

”Heads-up?” Eld stared at Arthur and said with a righteous face: ”Arthur, the Navy Department isn’t a place for corruption!”

Arthur almost couldn’t help but laugh out loud: ”Alright then, I’ll just assume your new house is entirely from your hard-earned savings.”

Eld snorted, lifted his travel bag onto his shoulder: ”Don’t jest about me; even though I speak that way, the obligations in the Navy Department aren’t easy to handle either. Today you help me out, tomorrow I help you. If I don’t take it, Symonds might think I’m harboring bad intentions, planning to stab him in the back.”

Arthur laughed heartily: ”The way you talk, Eld, if I didn’t know you just received your appointment not long ago, I’d think you’ve been a senior bureaucrat in the Navy Department for twenty years.”

”No choice.” Eld replied with a calm and composed face: ”Isn’t it because the overall situation is unfavorable?”

The two of them slowly ascended the gangway with the crowd, the wooden planks beneath their feet creaking and swaying with the ship.

Arthur looked up and saw several crew members on the deck urging passengers to move aside, allowing coal workers to push a cart full of coal up the gangway.

They found their cabin with their tickets, and as soon as they put down their things, they headed straight for the ship’s dining area, ordering two cups of refreshing sweet tea.

”Speaking of...” Eld took a sip of tea, looked around surreptitiously, and then opened his mouth: ”Have you heard? On the day Parliament adjourned...”

”Why don’t you just say what you have to say?” Arthur said as he picked up his teacup: ”You look like a French spy.”

”You said it! So I’ll just say it directly.” Eld began: ”Did you say something to Lord Brougham after you returned from Windsor?”

”Say something?” Arthur frowned: ”The last time I met him was before His Majesty the King’s demise.”

”That can’t be right!” Eld was puzzled: ”Then why did Lord Brougham use the term ’Queen Mother’ to refer to the Duchess of Kent during his speech in the House of Lords on the day Parliament adjourned?”

Arthur almost spat out his tea onto Eld’s face upon hearing this: ”Are you kidding me?”

However, Arthur’s surprise was understandable; the title ”Queen Mother” cannot be used casually in Britain. To qualify for this title, one must first be the widow of the former king and secondly, the mother of the new king or queen.

If she is merely the widow of a former king, like Queen Adelaide, she can only use the title ”Queen Dowager” rather than ”Queen Mother.”

In the case of the Duchess of Kent, neither ”Queen Mother” nor ”Queen Dowager” could be used; at most, she could be addressed as ”the Queen’s Mother” but not ”Queen Mother.”

For a noble in the Upper House like Lord Brougham to refer to the Duchess of Kent as ”Queen Mother” in such a setting really makes one think, especially since his speech was made in front of Victoria during the Parliament’s closing ceremony.

In the past, Arthur couldn’t understand what Lord Brougham and the Earl of Dalmo thought when he caused a blunder.

But now, he finally understood.

Eld spoke sullenly: ”I heard from others that after the closing ceremony, Viscount Melbourne indignantly confronted Lord Brougham, demanding an apology for using such an inappropriate title to refer to Her Majesty the Queen’s mother.”

Although Arthur wasn’t in the House of Lords at the time, just imagining the scene made him feel goosebumps all over: ”Then... what happened next?”

”What next?” Eld rolled his eyes: ”Do you even need to ask? Don’t you know our school board chairman, Lord Brougham? How could he indulge Melbourne? He left in a carriage.”

Eld muttered: ”If you ask me, he’s committing political suicide. In the past, he had a good relationship with the Duchess of Kent, and he probably disapproves of the way the Queen has been treating her mother recently, so he chose such a way to subtly express his opinion. However, he probably didn’t expect Melbourne to make such a big deal out of it.”

”And...” at this point, Eld began to criticize the Prime Minister: ”I’m just saying, does Viscount Melbourne really take himself too seriously? Where was he hiding when the Parliamentary Reform was underway? Where was he during the Ramsgate incident? Yet now, he’s become the leader of the Whig Party, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, and Her Majesty the Queen’s most loyal subject.”

Arthur put down his teacup, his gaze not following the bottom of the cup to the tablecloth: ”I can understand Lord Brougham’s thoughts, but as it happens, Viscount Melbourne also needed an opportunity to prove himself as Her Majesty the Queen’s defender, so of course, he’s not going to let it go.”

Eld spat: ”Such people are truly disgusting. Arthur, haven’t you thought about going to Windsor and reporting him in front of Her Majesty the Queen? What’s this old sleepyhead’s basis?”