Chapter 3171 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 goes, there is no need to sacrifice other aspects of the quality of life to buy it.

So the British silk manufacturers welcomed the Huguenot refugees warmly.

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 showed up in the Spitalfields area wearing cotton, they would be doused with an unknown substance if they were lucky. 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, the East Indies, and later all Asiatic textiles in the Kingdom of England, Wales, and the mouth of the Tweed.

During the peak 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 also developed 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.

To quell the riots, Parliament passed a series of legislation that constituted the Spitalfields Acts, which at the time primarily 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 in other cities, the customs will seize the prohibited goods 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, can silk imported from Lyon, France, be cleared in Scotland first 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. The residents could not afford the rent. Nearly 2,500 people were displaced. 1,500 people flooded into 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, creeping silently into people's homes.

This time they took the child out. The little boy cried and said to reporters, "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, Britain and France had no trade contacts and they were in a hostile relationship. Of course, there would be 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 didn't 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.

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

How did the King of Kandy need “protection” under these circumstances?

A good salesman could sell ice to the Eskimos, and 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 that Europeans could not be allowed to enter Kandy unless they obtained a special pass from the British Governor-General.

The King of Kandy wanted to fund a British army 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 this treaty. The Kandy king was an outsider. In the mid-18th century, because the original ruler had no direct descendants, a "suitable" monarch was introduced from the Indian mainland.

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

Building a Buddhist temple meant destroying trees, regardless of whether they were rare or not. Anyway, the "natural line of defense" that stopped Europeans would 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-end spices could be sold at auction for a good price.

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, the reason for the huge price difference 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, while 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.

The luxury goods auction and the East India Company's tea auction are not the same concept. If the tea auction price is high, the selling price will be high. If the tea merchant's customer group 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 the last time she heard that he was going to help him look after his Belgian assets and signed the contract in a daze.

Instead, she remembered Masaccio's fresco "Expulsion from the Garden of Eden", in which Adam and Eve were naked and were 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 hand, 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, and although friendship can bring benefits, that is not its purpose.

She still hoped to go back to the day when she woke up from her dream and he was reading the documents by the bed, so that she felt 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 still prevail.

Regarding 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 makeup mirror and stood between the two.

It was so huge that you couldn't believe it was coming out of the mirror.

"You want me?" the Sphinx said in Greek as he came up to her.

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

"I need your protection." Georgiana immediately said to the Sphinx, "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 sat on the chair and warned.

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

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