shadow of britain

Chapter 140 The Frankenstein of the Royal Society
"Sir, the fare is one shilling and fourpence."

Arthur took out a few coins from his wallet and handed them to the driver, then opened the door and got out of the car.

For him, the biggest convenience gained after being promoted from inspector to superintendent may be that the fare of taking the stagecoach to Gresham College has become cheaper.

The Red Devil covered his nose, trying to prevent the smell of perfume from entering his nostrils. He complained, "Haven't you already finished your thesis on electricity? Why do you still come here? Rather than soaking me in this pile of human flesh perfume, which is more pungent than the Thames River, I'd rather be drowned in Baal's cesspool!"

Arthur lit his pipe and stepped on the burnt match on the sole of his shoe. He took a puff of the cigarette and said, "Come on, if you can't stand the smell, why don't you follow me to General Codlington's banquet this weekend. If the old butler of the Rothschild family didn't lie to me, there should be many aristocratic women at the banquet. For them who value their face, their perfume must be equally expensive. Of course, expensive naturally means a stronger smell."

Hearing this, Agares gradually understood.

"So, the reason why you made a special trip to the Royal Society today is to ask Faraday to teach you some scientific experiments that can be performed at the banquet?"

Arthur glanced at him, and asked back: "Otherwise? I can't show them the Hastings force I did in Tower Hamlets live again, right? After all, that experiment required a hemp rope to tie the wrists, and a flintlock pistol, and the preparations for the experiment were too exciting, which would frighten all the ladies and ladies."

Hearing this, the Red Devil couldn't help rubbing his palms and laughing: "Oh! My dear Arthur, you may have underestimated the tolerance of those noble ladies. Quite a few of them are far worse than you imagined. Compared to them, maybe you, a little villain, are clean."

After hearing this, Arthur just stared at the devil, and he said, "Although I'm not sure what you're going to say, I guess Elder might be very interested in what you're going to say later."

"how about you?"

Arthur didn't hide anything, he nodded and said, "Actually, I'm pretty much the same. If you have to tell me, I'm certainly willing to listen."

Hearing this, Agares couldn't help but smiled and extended his palm to him: "Well, a soul. If you agree, then I'll start with Mrs. Hamilton, Horatio Nelson's mistress who is popular among the British aristocracy."

Arthur nodded slightly when he heard the words, he pinched his chin for a moment, and then said: "Maybe it's better for me to listen to it when I get home. After all, this is the lover of Horatio Nelson, the soul of the Royal Navy. I believe Elder will be willing to give his soul to hear this story."

After finishing speaking, Arthur looked up at Gresham College in front of him. From the crowds of people leaving the venue one after another, he could conclude that a science lecture should have just ended here.

But what made Arthur feel a little curious was that besides a large number of beautiful ladies and gentlemen who showed their gentlemanly demeanor at the gate of Gresham College today, there were actually a few military police standing at the gate.

Before Arthur stepped forward, the leader of the military police had already greeted him first.

"Mr. Hastings, do you remember me?"

Arthur took a look at the other party. Fortunately, he had a good memory, which didn't make the atmosphere awkward.

"I seem to have seen you. You are Corporal John of the 10th Royal Infantry Regiment, right? I remember you. You left a deep impression on me in that corpse robbery case."

Hearing this, the other party couldn't help laughing and said: "No wonder the newspapers say that no criminal can escape your eyes. You really have a good memory."

Arthur joked: "The garrison company of the 10th Royal Infantry Regiment can be dispatched to guard the work. Is there any big person visiting the Royal Society today?"

Corporal John smiled and replied: "You really guessed right. You are indeed the detective of Scotland Yard. Yes, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, His Excellency Henry Goulburn, made a special visit today. Sir Peel proposed to set up annuities for scientists of the Royal Society. His Excellency Goulburn came here today to understand their living standards, so as to formulate an appropriate payment standard."

On the one hand, Arthur felt happy when he heard this, because he had long felt that the income of scientists currently working in the Royal Society was too low.

Faraday's black suit, which he only wore when giving a speech, was washed white, and there were even a few small cracks on the edge of the sleeves. The relatively low living standard was completely out of proportion to his contribution to the field of physical chemistry.

Even scientists like Faraday who are well-known and good at applied fields are like this, let alone those who specialize in theoretical fields.

In other words, even if he was as strong as Isaac Newton, he lived mainly on the income of his public office as director of the Royal Mint. The benefits brought to him by scientific research were almost all honors, not material ones.

On the other hand, this is enough to show the anxiety of the Wellington cabinet at present.From the promulgation of the "Beer Act" to the diplomatic victory on the high seas, and now planning to spend money to win over the scientists of the Royal Society.

The Duke of Wellington may indeed be a military commander who is not very good at attacking, but from this point of view, there is a reason why many French marshals were unable to break through his defense.

Arthur pondered the reason for Chancellor of the Exchequer Goulburn's sudden visit to the Royal Society, but just as he had some clues, he saw a sudden commotion among the surging crowd in the academy.

Accompanied by the exclamation of the ladies and a few shouts of 'Grab him', Arthur saw a young man in a neat suit rushing through a gap in the crowd and stumbling out.

Arthur glanced at him for a moment and almost recognized him as his old friend Elder of similar stature. He thought it might be Elder doing something he shouldn't have done in the lecture again, so he ignited the anger of the gentlemen.

But when the young man ran closer, Arthur realized that this guy was actually wearing a pair of oval gold-rimmed glasses, and his face was much softer than Elder's.

Could it be a thief?
Arthur thought of this, and his instinct as a Scotland Yard police officer forced him to stretch out his feet subconsciously.

Hearing a bang, the man fell to the ground in an instant, and then four or five Royal Society apprentices who were familiar with Arthur rushed up from behind and pushed the man to the ground.

While struggling, the young man shouted in fear: "Don't! Please, don't take me back. I don't have the guts to stand on the podium of the Royal Society, let alone stay in the small dark room you prepared for me."

Arthur looked at the situation and couldn't help asking, "What's going on here?"

The apprentices looked up at Arthur, and then said in surprise: "Mr. Hastings? Alas, today is really thanks to you, otherwise this gentleman would have to run away again! He has released our pigeons several times. If he slips out again this time, the president and the gentlemen and ladies who will come to the lecture tomorrow will definitely not spare us."

"Escape?" Arthur originally thought that the man who was pinned to the ground might be a criminal, but according to what they said, not only was this guy not a criminal, but he was also a special guest invited by the Royal Society to give a speech.

He took a look at the man. He looked gentle and quiet, and he was in his 20s. He had such a high achievement at such a young age. Why did the apprentices seem to hate him so much?

The apprentices also saw Arthur's doubts. They separated a few people to bring the young man back to Gresham College, and the remaining one explained to Arthur embarrassingly.

"In fact, Mr. Wheatstone cannot be completely blamed. After all, not everyone is as familiar with lectures as Mr. Faraday. Although it is a supreme honor to give a speech at the Royal Society, it will also bring an invisible pressure to the speaker.

Moreover, Mr. Wheatstone's character can be said to be the most shy one I have ever seen in my life. We have invited him to give lectures several times before, but every time he would sneak out before the lecture started.

Just in order to allow Mr. Wheatstone to give a lecture normally, the Duke of Sussex also deliberately modified the lecture regulations of the Royal Society, requiring the speaker to arrive one day in advance, and then be locked in a small room specially prepared for them by the Royal Society. We will not officially release him until the speech is over.

But unexpectedly, even though we had prepared so thoroughly, Mr. Wheatstone could still find the gap between our shifts and sneak out without anyone noticing.I even have some doubts now, if Mr. Wheatstone did not choose to study science, maybe he could inherit the mantle of Jack Shepard, the London thief king of the last century. After all, Shepard only managed to escape prison five times in his life, and Mr. Wheatstone is now very close to breaking this record. "

Arthur took a puff of cigarette and looked up at Mr. Wheatstone, who was being dragged forward by the apprentices, with a terrified expression and almost out-of-control physical behavior. He couldn't help being a little curious: "What field is this gentleman studying? Maybe I can ask him for advice, and I can also ease his tension by the way."

Arthur is willing to help, and the apprentices are of course also happy to relax: "Thank you for your enthusiastic help. Mr. Wheatstone came from a family of musical instruments. He was originally a musical instrument maker, so his research field naturally fell into the field of optics and acoustics. If you can calm his emotions, I believe he will be willing to teach you what he has mastered.

After all, you know, it's always easy to make friends with shy people.And the megaphone that Mr. Wheatstone made is really interesting. "

　After dinner last night, I thought about lying down for a while, but fell asleep.When I opened my eyes, it was already four o'clock in the morning. After finishing this chapter, there was still a chapter missing, which should be completed in the morning.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)