Chapter 3171 The Floating Island (Part 2)

The Spitalfields area of ​​London in the 20th century was a business district with wide commercial streets and a shopping mall converted from a vegetable market. If it weren't for an old pub in it that was said to be haunted by Jack the Ripper, it would be difficult to describe that area. Neighborhoods that shine with golden light are associated with poverty, evil, and crime.

This is actually the "reformed" appearance. In The Wealth of Nations, Spitalfields is a silk manufacturing area as famous as Lyon. In the early days of the Elizabethan Dynasty, the woolen textile industry was introduced. After Louis XIV revoked the "Southern After the "Special Edict", he soon got his wish, and there were almost no Protestants in France. But many Huguenot silk workers from Lyon came to London and settled in Spitalfields, bringing with them advanced silk weaving techniques.

Silk was not produced based on egalitarianism. The ancient Romans spent astronomical amounts on Eastern fabrics based on their "pragmatism". They were not even willing to spend energy on improving their existing textile industry.

Justinian of the Byzantine Empire found that both the upper and lower classes were extremely crazy about silk, and even the church was using it, so he tried every means to develop the silk weaving industry in the country. However, the first thing he needed to solve was the problem of raw materials.

Like the cotton textile industry, Spitalfields' silk fabrics need to be imported from abroad, such as Sicily and the Levant. Once a cold summer occurs, the price of silk will remain high because such weather will hinder the Italian mulberry leaves. To grow, there is no way to feed silkworms without mulberry leaves, and without silk, the amount of silk will be reduced.

 Silk was not created based on egalitarianism. Those who can afford silk can always afford it. No matter how high the price rises, there is no need to sacrifice other aspects of the quality of life to buy it.

 So the British silk manufacturers warmly welcomed the Huguenot refugees.

 But despite their ambitions, the silk industry did not thrive. In the early days, there was fierce competition between silk fabrics and cotton fabrics, especially in summer. In the hot season, whether it was breathable cotton or silk that was cool to the touch, it was the choice of customers.

The East India Company shipped a large amount of Indian cotton cloth to Britain. In 1690, Parliament tried to pass the "Prohibition of Wearing Indian Textiles Act". Although it was rejected early, the protests did not stop.

If someone shows up in Spitalfields wearing cotton, they might be lucky enough to be doused with an unknown substance. By 1700, after unremitting efforts, the Prohibition Law was passed, which led to the import of more Indian textiles. Because the Prohibition Law only prohibited the import of cotton fabrics that had not been single-dyed or color-dyed, a large amount of white cotton fabrics poured into the United Kingdom. Instead, the dyeing and printing industry developed and expanded, fully in line with William III's law to increase the employment rate of the poor.

Along with this act was passed a ban on the wearing of any silk products from Persia, East India, and later all Asiatic textiles in the Kingdom of England, Wales, and the mouth of the Tweed.

 During the height of the protests in 1719, some people even stripped people wearing cotton clothing from the ground, and even broke into houses to expose the owner's possession of cotton fabrics.

 In addition to London, other cities and colonies were also developing silk weaving industries. For weavers, the import of cotton textiles would lead to unemployment, and factory owners would use mechanical production to replace household handicrafts.

 There were riots against machinery in Spitalfields in 1675, and the abolition of the Edict of Nantes occurred in 1685.

 In order to quell the riots, Parliament passed a series of legislation, forming the Spitalfields Act, which at that time mainly protected the woolen textile industry. With the influx of the silk industry, it was also included, and now a bill to protect British silk tariffs and weavers has been formed. One of the contents of this bill is to impose a 40% to 50% tariff on imported silk.

There is a city called Berwick at the mouth of the Tweed River. It is located at the junction of Scotland and England. It is often used as a smuggling base for traders. In 1700, Scotland was still an independent country, and it is not clear which country the Tweed River belongs to.

 If you are in other cities, the customs will seize the prohibited items and then transport them to the market for auction. During this period, they are not allowed to be moved out of the customs.

The Beauxbatons girls wore silk to Hogwarts in Scotland and shivered in the cold. So is it necessary for Scotland to import silk?

So the silk imported from Lyon, France to the UK must first be cleared in Scotland and then shipped to London?

Later, people discovered that it was not so difficult, because wearing foreign silk was now legal, and Britain and France could "freely" exchange sugar and silk. Even if it was smuggled, passers-by would not be able to tell whether it had been cleared through customs.

 This resulted in widespread unemployment among silk workers in the Spitalfields area, which was already a slum. Residents could not afford the rent. Nearly 2,500 people were displaced. 1,500 people were admitted to the Spitalfields workhouse overnight.

Supporters of the last Prohibition bill likened the cotton textile industry to the Black Death, which spread like the Black Death and crept silently into people's homes.

This time they took the child out. The little boy cried and said to the reporter, "Sir, why are we always driven away? Where else can we go?"

The information comes with a cartoon, in which a woman has horns on her head and holds her hand against Napoleon's head, as if she is casting magic on him.

 If there is trade friction, it proves that there are contacts. During the French Revolution, there was no trade between Britain and France. The two were in a hostile relationship. Of course, there was no trade friction.

In addition, during this trip, she originally wanted to go to the Republic of Batavia to see Rembrandt's tomb on a whim, but later she did not go due to "scheduling issues" and only stayed in Antwerp for a few days before turning around.

Anyway, across a river, the Dutch could come over on their own. The Treaty of Amiens was signed and ceded Ceylon to Britain. However, as early as 1795, England had contacted the Kingdom of Kandy, which ruled central Ceylon, and was willing to provide him with "Protect".

The terrain of Ceylon is roughly like this. The surrounding coastline is in a ring, with humid highlands in the middle, rich in species. The Dutch never went near that area, which was fatal to them.

Hence this area was ruled by the Kingdom of Kandyan, which used lax border controls to regulate goods.

 In this case, how did the King of Kandy need “protection”?

 An excellent salesman could sell ice to the Eskimos. First, the British got the King of Kandy to recognize the Dutch conquest of Kandy, and then granted the British a monopoly on cinnamon.

This treaty also stipulated that the King of Kandy could not hold talks with "foreigners" and would not allow Europeans to enter Kandy unless they obtained a special pass from the British Governor. The King of Kandy will sponsor a British army to be stationed in Kandy and provide logistical support to "better fulfill His Majesty's agreement to protect the people of Kandy and the authority of the King."

Of course Kandy's advisors rejected the treaty. The Kandy king was an outsider. In the mid-18th century, a "suitable" monarch was introduced from mainland India because the original ruler had no direct descendants.

 After several generations of rule, the Kandy kings gradually established themselves and brought advisors and confidants from the Indian mainland, replacing the local Sinhalese dignitaries and introducing Buddhism to the area.

Building a Buddhist temple means destroying trees, regardless of whether they are rare or not. Anyway, the "natural defense line" to stop Europeans will be gone. There is a local "chief minister" named Tavrao who claims that the king has repeatedly violated local customs and refutes the legitimacy of his rule by citing the king's alien origins.

 Many people supported him. During his meeting with the British, he stated that Kandy was in chaos and hoped that the British would help overthrow the king's rule.

The British then "whispered" this information to the King of Kandy, and then the King of Kandy accepted the "protection" treaty.

After discovering the route to the "Spice Island", Europeans soon discovered that cheap spices were of little value, while high-grade spices could be sold at high prices through auctions.

There are many kinds of cinnamon, but not all cinnamon is Ceylon cinnamon. The ones available on the market are cheap cinnamon. According to the Greek letter classification, it can be divided into 10 levels. The highest-grade cinnamon is Alpha, and the time to produce it is 4 times that of the lowest-grade cinnamon.

However, what causes the huge price difference between them is not the working hours. For people who don’t like the smell of cinnamon, they will not pay a high price to buy it, just like some people don’t like tulips and prefer other flowers.

 People who don’t eat cinnamon don’t have to worry about cinnamon’s damage to the liver. People who eat cinnamon have heard that “eating too much” can damage the liver. People who like this bite but are worried about their health would rather spend more money.

  Luxury goods auctions are not the same concept as the East India Company's tea auctions. If the tea auction price is high, the selling price will be high. If the tea merchant's customer base is ordinary workers, it will be difficult for him to make back his money.

After reading the information, Georgiana looked at Bonaparte, who was "pretending" in the same manner as when he was drinking in Rambouillet last time.

She knew what he wanted to do, but she was no longer as ignorant as she was the last time she heard that he wanted to help him look after his Belgian assets and signed the contract in a daze.

Instead, she thought of Masaccio's fresco "Expulsion from the Garden of Eden", in which Adam and Eve were naked and being driven away by angels in clothes. The scene was like a parade...

 “How do you feel?” he asked confidently.

Georgiana touched the ring on her finger, which he had exchanged for half of Bey's family property in Egypt.

Cicero said that love is attachment to the person you love, not the benefits it brings. Although friendship can also bring benefits, that is not its purpose.

 She still hopes to go back to the day when she woke up from her dream and he was reading the documents beside the bed, so that she felt that she was being protected.

 The fusion of two hearts is not simple and consistent, but volatile and complex.

There is much fiction or half-truth on the stage, but as long as it is true, as long as it is revealed and exposed to the light of day, it will prevail.

Concerning friendship, Cicero advocated respect, because once respect is lost, friendship loses its most brilliant "jewel".

There was a roar of a lion in the distance, and then a real lion ran out of the dressing mirror and stood between the two of them.

It is so huge that one cannot believe that it ran out of the mirror.

 “You need me?” the Sphinx said in Greek as he came up to her.

 Georgiana was a little dizzy, and then she looked at Bonaparte. He was also very shocked.

"I need your protection." Georgiana said to the Sphinx immediately, "Don't let him come near me tonight!"

 The Sphinx turned his head and looked at Bonaparte who had not yet recovered.

“You can sleep here tonight, but if you dare to touch me, it will bite you.” Georgiana warned, sitting upright on the chair.

The Sphinx's teeth are not like Josephine's dog... Bonaparte should have remembered it anyway.

So she hummed a song, stood up and went to make the bed to sleep.

 (End of this chapter)