Chapter 3266 niche king (Part 1)

Charles Bennett's resume is actually not that bad. He was born in Devonshire and is the fourth baronet. He also has a stepbrother who was born to his father and his first wife, but it is said that he did not grow up. He was educated at Eton and the University of Leipzig, and in 1761, while serving as a councilor in his family's borough, he inherited a title and an estate of 80,000 pounds from his father.

After his marriage, he received 80,000 pounds and another fortune from his wife, and he became a Privy Councilor.

As early as the 13th century, kings had used the official donation system to raise money. At first, it was just a short-term appointment. Later, they found that people were willing to pay more money to permanently enjoy the power of royal officials. Selling official positions became a kind of System, people will be willing to buy an official position only when they feel that the ownership of the official position they have purchased is guaranteed.

Many people have analyzed the decline of Rome, including Montesquieu, but few have analyzed it from the perspective of the "privatization" of public offices.

Cicero once listed that the lowest official is called a captain of ten, because the smallest military unit is a group of ten people. They do the dirtiest and most tiring work under the chief, usually shared by slaves and free men.

However, once the minor officials who held these positions decided to quit, or their successors sold the positions, there were always those who were willing to scrimp and save money to purchase these titles. Even though they were the smallest officials, they also had their own meeting place and fixed seats in the theater. The Romans even criticized non-citizens for wearing toga. Some people who were self-made or from shady backgrounds wanted to be respected in the Roman world. So I took a fancy to the exclusive positions of these petty officials.

Of course they will not do the dirty work, which leads to the separation of the rights and obligations of official positions.

St. Augustine was born in North Africa in the late Roman Empire. When he was young, he lived a dissolute life until his mother's death made him repent and become a theologian.

In a sermon, he once said about his experience in finding a way to get a job in Italy: "If you want to be a judge but lack the corresponding qualifications, then you will pay bribes. If you want to be useful to society, then you will buy bribes." The next judge title that will come in handy.”

He had planned to marry a wealthy Italian woman in order to save enough money to buy a judgeship.

Bennett became a member of the Privy Council when Britain was severely weakened after the Seven Years' War and was about to start a war with the United States. This situation was very common. In 1784, he became a member of the Royal Society and the Society of Antiquaries, and was considered an expert on Roman roads. expert, and then he was sent to South Africa as governor-general.

Since Vasco da Gama opened a new channel around the Cape of Good Hope, the new channel with the Cape of Good Hope port as its center did not immediately become lively, but remained deserted for more than 100 years. If 800 ships rounded the Cape of Good Hope, then only 400 ships passed the Cape of Good Hope on the return trip, 300 ships stayed in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, and 100 ships sank forever at the bottom of the sea.

In 1652, the Dutch East India Company established a supply depot at the Cape of Good Hope. This did not cause much resistance from Portugal, because the Portuguese never stayed here for too long, let alone established any colony.

There is a "Table Mountain" at the Cape of Good Hope, and there is a bay at the foot of the mountain, called Table Bay. Dutch ships passing through the Cape of Good Hope will anchor there. In the 1650s, the Dutch East India Company felt the need to establish a seaport on the Cape Peninsula. The supply station is located at 31 degrees south latitude and 23 degrees east longitude. It has a Mediterranean climate and is very pleasant.

After the supply depot was established, the company recruited a group of employees to set up a farm in Cape Town to produce fresh fruits and vegetables. It soon became clear that this type of system of farm operation that was not linked to economic benefits was a complete failure. More work but less gain, so the company let some employees work. Employees and dependents operate the nursery and farm as "free citizens" and are responsible for their own profits and losses.

As the number of "free citizens" increased and employees decreased, the "supply depots" gradually became cities, and the idyll of the Cape of Good Hope came to an end.

Meat not only provides more energy, but also tastes much better than vegetables and fruits. At first, the colonists in Cape Town, South Africa, traded livestock with the local Khoi people, just like the fur trade with the Indians in North America.

They also used tobacco, alcohol and other materials to exchange livestock with the Khoi people, and could plunder 2,000 cattle or 2,500 sheep at a time.

This kind of "business" is no different from robbery. The Khoi people drove their cattle and sheep into the deep mountains and forests, and hid as soon as they saw the Europeans.

However, Cape Town's land expansion was slow. Until the early 18th century, the area they expanded remained within a Mediterranean climate area.

The first was the end of war in Europe, whether it was the Eighty Years' War or later the English Civil War and the War for the Spanish Crown.

Second was Britain's demand for lumber. In addition to New England, South Africa was also an important source of naval munitions.

During the War of the Austrian Crown, Britain and France went to war in India, and the British fleet frequently stationed in Cape Town. Since the Khoi people's livestock had been completely drained, the South African version of the enclosure movement began.

According to the "rental farm system" formulated by the East India Company, farmers only need to pay a nominal "rent" and can "rent land" unlimitedly. The land on the South African plateau is infinitely vast, reaching to the sky. Since it can be invaded unlimitedly, Half of the farms are more than 7,000 acres in size, and some even reach 20,000 to 30,000 acres.

However, as soon as you leave the "winter rain area", you will enter the dry Karoo zone. "Karoo" is a Khoi language, which means "without water".

The rainfall here is scarce, water sources are insufficient, roads are lacking, and traffic is blocked. It is only suitable for raising sheep. July and August are summer in the northern hemisphere, but winter in the southern hemisphere. When snow covers the pastures at 31 degrees south latitude, farmers will Drive livestock to the Karoo area for the winter.

The Seven Years' War saw Britain and France go to war again in India, and the French also sailed into Table Bay to search for supplies, and all the meat in Cape Town was sold out. After the Seven Years' War ended with British victories in many places in America and India, Britain's power in South Africa increased significantly.

Meat consumption was also high when the French fleet was stationed at the Cape during the American Revolutionary War, and new land expansion began eastward in search of meat.

Charles Bennett remained in South Africa until 1794, when he moved to London and became War Secretary.

The War Secretary is different from the Secretary of War. It can be understood as a position second only to the Secretary of State, but occasionally it is a cabinet-level position. It has certain responsibilities for the management and organization of the Army, but is not responsible for military policy. The Secretary of War is responsible for Manage the War Office.

The order in Gibraltar is very bad. The troops are often drunk. The previous governor not only did not prohibit alcohol, but also opened more bars. After arriving in Gibraltar, Charles proposed 169 new regulations. He was a bit like the captain of the Bundy and hoped that the sailors could live a "healthy" life. However, his approach did not leave a deep good impression on the army.

In addition to the mutiny in England's Channel Fleet in 1797, the navy at Plymouth Naval Port in the southwest also refused to carry out outbound missions and requested negotiations with the Admiralty to improve treatment, improve ship conditions, etc. Their demands were met, the matter was resolved peacefully, and the mutiny took part. The person is forgiven.

Perhaps stimulated and encouraged by this incident, Noel's 15 warships also refused to perform their duties at the anchorage at the Thames estuary and blocked the estuary, blocking London's outward trade channels.

These ships came from different naval bases, and former Lord of the Admiralty Parker was selected as the leader without his knowledge, responsible for organizing and coordinating negotiations between the ships and the Admiralty.

However, because the positions of the two sides were too different, the Navy Department was angered and food and drinking water were cut off on the ship. Two weeks later, some warships announced their withdrawal, leaving 10 ships remaining to resist.

In the Military Discipline Act of 1689, because a sentry fired live ammunition at a ship trying to approach a warship, resulting in the death of one person, the trial result was that the sentry was guilty but not punished because the deceased attempted to launch a mutiny, and the sentry's behavior was necessary to protect the warship. Obeying orders is no longer a defense when a soldier is charged in court.

In 1797, this law was repealed, and Parliament quickly passed the Sedition Act, which made inciting disloyalty a felony and criminalized instigators who tried to deliberately induce armed men to desert their posts and be disloyal to the king. The Nore mutiny ended with the hanging of 29 mutiny representatives, the remaining participants were imprisoned or flogged, and most of the participating soldiers were pardoned.

O'Hara had a fiancée who was a female writer. However, when she heard that O'Hara was going to serve as the Governor of Gibraltar, she did not go with her. Instead, she stayed in London and continued to be close friends with the Duke's mistress.

Later, it was through her connections that Charles Bennett was recommended.

He was indeed good at music, not only composing his own music but also playing the flute.

Fox's brother had been stationed in Boston and worked in the New Brunswick colony after the American Revolution. He next served as quartermaster general on the Duke of York's staff in Flanders, then as inspector general of the recruiting department, etc. After the island was recaptured from the French, he became commander-in-chief of all Mediterranean fleets except Gibraltar.

After the Treaty of Amiens was signed, the Cape of Good Hope was open to all ships, and Charles Bennett was unwilling to return to South Africa as governor.

In fact, Georgiana was too worried, and the person who could enter the "dining table" to share a meal would never be someone like Lockhart.

Now she needs to think about why two colonial governors compete for the governorship of Gibraltar?

Although Spain is obviously not as good as before, why do the British still need Spain's consent to land just like the South China Sea bubble?

During the American War of Independence, Spain and France tried to seize Gibraltar from Britain and conducted a siege of Gibraltar for three years and seven months. The Spanish were in charge of the land. They built huge forts and forts, and the combined fleets of Spain and France implemented the blockade. , the British Navy made several attempts to rescue the base.

Although the naval base in Nassau has just been built, it is so important. Whoever controls it will not only control the United States' outlet, but will also turn the Gulf of Mexico into an "inland lake."

Georgiana wrote to Bonaparte, telling him that there was a sea monster named Lucas in the Bahamas, which lived in the blue hole. He asked everyone at the Navy House if they were afraid of the sea monster?

How could a sailor who was not afraid of sea monsters be afraid of Joseph Fouche?

He is now idle at home, like an honest and friendly country nobleman, usually reading, listening to his new wife and friends playing music, or taking his three children for a peaceful walk on the grass. Just now, Bougainville was in Doi I saw him on the lawn of Leri Garden, but I didn't expect that he disappeared after a while.

Otherwise, the French are said to be lazy. The British would use lawn mowers to make their lawns look neat and tidy, but the French let their sheep graze on them, chewing the grass until they looked like scabies.

Look for it, keep looking.

She and Bougainville turned back to the Louvre. It was already getting dark, and it was almost closing time. She didn't want to be a guest at Fouche's house, not to mention that Paulina had promised to entertain her for dinner.