Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796

Chapter 273 040 Slave owners also advocated the abolition of slavery

Speaking of which, whether it is Mr. Carroll, his son-in-law Mr. Carton, or Mr. Patterson, although they were all British in the past and are now Americans, they are more particular about French life.

No wonder wealthy Americans always hope to be more European, rather than being country bumpkins in America.

"Mr. Carroll, you speak French very well, and sound like a Parisian."

"I studied at a church school in Bruges, then at the Lycée Louis the Great, and then went to London to study law."

"Studying law always requires familiarity with legal provisions, Mr. Carroll."

Soloviev's tone of voice also needs to take into account that the other party is more than 40 years older than him, and he always has to be respectful at such times.

"Yes, whether it is case law or statutory law, you need to be familiar with the provisions."

"But economics and political science"

"Those people don't have to understand political science, especially in the current bad political environment. If everything has to be passed by vote, it will be very unstable. Some regulations should be passed directly by the executive branch, not the parliament."

"Which aspect do you mean?"

"I want to talk about slavery. This kind of system should not be discussed, but should be abolished directly. Young man, I can read from your expression that you are surprised, but you also agree."

Speaking of which, these respectable people with high social status in Baltimore, although they have inherited some estates, they themselves do not seem to agree with slavery.

Even Mr. Carroll submitted such bills to the Senate of Maryland on a daily basis, whether he was a state senator or he served in various associations.

"Because I used the Emperor's edict to free the serfs with my father, but they didn't leave our estate."

"It's a good idea, but it's a pity that we need a long discussion here, and there's no one to discuss. The estate I own has the largest number of slaves, but I often submit bills to gradually abolish slavery. Whether it's to restore the freedom of black slaves to their hometowns, or to make them free people in the United States, there must be a place to go. Everyone should know that slavery itself is full of sins."

When he said this, Solovyov applauded the former senator, the richest man in Maryland.

"You are right, but I can also imagine that such a bill is not easy to pass. If it is abolished immediately, it will seem too radical, and some people will not agree to gradually abolish it."

"That's true. Your St. Petersburg is too far away from the United States, but your emperor has at least realized the problem."

"But the resistance is the same. Even my own friends are supporters of the serfdom system. This kind of wrangling will last for a long time. In the United States, it is a meeting, and it may be more troublesome in Russia. As for you, why don't you just free the slaves?"

Mr. Carroll was also quite helpless. He could only say this: "In our United States, if you do some things without legislation, it may cause trouble. In other words, someone will sue. There are too many lawyers here, and I realized this problem when I was studying law in London."

Considering that Mr. Carroll was an Irish American and a Catholic, he could not hold public office during the British colonial period. After the independence of the United States, even though he was one of the drafters of the Declaration of Independence and lived through the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration, he has never been able to get rid of trouble in his life.

"If there are too many lawyers, there will be all kinds of lawyers, which sounds scary, especially in the maritime law system."

"That's right, young man, you still have a lot to learn."

"Yes, Mr. Carroll."

"Charles, I actually agree with you, but those congressmen have been arguing for too long. In this case, I will make a will now. If I go to God one day, the slaves in my estate will be freed when they reach the age of 30."

"That's fine, Bill. But you are still very young, at least compared to me. Of course, the will can be finalized very early, but it is also To make changes, to revise again. "

"That's the same. Our solution to the problem is nothing more than a will."

"But if you live long enough, to 70, 80 or even 90 years old, I think slavery may have been abolished before this will takes effect."

"That's a good thing. My son-in-law doesn't have to worry about this problem. He is a cotton merchant and lives in the city to do business."

"Me too, but Jerome, when I was a military attaché at the embassy in Paris, I had the honor of meeting your brother."

Speaking of which, this made Jerome a little embarrassed. Napoleon advocated the restoration of slavery in the West Indies, which was more or less a step backward in history.

He said this, which embarrassed Jerome for a while, but made Mr. Patterson a little proud.

After all, a little bastard who came here from France for only a few months abducted his precious daughter.

Even more terrible, Elizabeth told him that if he didn't agree to this marriage, she would choose to elope with Jerome.

So he had to succumb to his daughter's opinion and let them get married in Baltimore.

The son-in-law could not satisfy his father-in-law, but this new Russian acquaintance made Jérôme a little embarrassed.

"Mike, did you meet that illustrious general in Paris?"

"It was at a reception attended by ambassadors from various countries. I followed our country's ambassador, Count Morkov. Speaking of which, he was not as short as the British said. It was obviously a slanderous propaganda. The British directly To use their feet instead of feet is to change the concept. The First Consul should be about the same height as me, right, Jérôme?”

Jerome just felt that this handsome Russian was too familiar, and he never thought that he was one of his second sister's boyfriends, and that the two were relatives.

Solovyov promised Polina that things between the two of them must be kept secret, but after learning about the relationship between Josephine and his stepmother in Martinique, his tone would inevitably change.

"It's true. British newspapers always love to tell lies. They even arranged that my sister-in-law also went to the guillotine. The fact is that my brother wanted his sister-in-law to have a title that is exclusive to him, as if she was getting married for the first time. Newlyweds Elisa and I too.”

"You have indeed called me that now, Jérôme."

"But what about you, Lieutenant Colonel, are you married?"

"I'm not married."

"You should try to love a woman then"

When Jerome spoke, he seemed to be somewhat disinterested in today's occasion. After Elizabeth Patterson coughed, he also found that something was inappropriate.

"This is still a family gathering, but you are trying to persuade a new friend to get married."

"In Italy and France, many people are like this. I have lived in Paris for a long time, and I can also understand it. When my stepmother was looking for a fiancée for me in Petersburg, it is a bit funny to say that she was always slow to others. step."

"It's rare to be able to maintain a good relationship with my stepmother."

"Yes, Mr. Carroll. In fact, we Russians are not so particular about this aspect. I am also responsible for sending my sisters to the nobles of Smolny Palace when they are of appropriate age. I go to a girls’ school because I am an active military member and if I am a guardian, I will attend at public expense.”

"Girls' education is indeed crucial, and you have performed well as an older brother. I can imagine that your family is very harmonious."

"Mr. Carroll, it's just that I am the eldest son in my family. Even my sister Yulia, who has the same mother as me, is 10 years younger than me. If I were older, I would be a generation ahead of them. What's more, I My stepmother gave birth to a younger brother, Anton, and I was at home helping the doctors and midwives to bring him into this world.”

And he did it more than once

Later at the dinner table, we mostly talked about what happened in Baltimore.

However, the two largest local slave owners in Baltimore both supported the abolition of slavery. This kind of thing would be somewhat surprising if you hadn't seen it in person.

Solovyov also noticed that the relationship between Jerome and his wife was actually quite good. When the time came to divorce, Napoleon would have to go out and beat the couple.

After the dinner, Solovyov was also invited to stay at Mr. Patterson's house. The room they had here was still enough.

"Thank you, Mr. Patterson. We just met for the first time. Your hospitality was so warm."

"When you come to Maryland, this is like your home. Mike, it's just that you have to go back soon. Maybe we can maintain long-term contact in the future. I'm even interested in communicating with your father. After all, we are both businessmen. It’s not that appropriate to discuss business matters with soldiers.”

"Yes. The wine at your house is good, but my drinking capacity is limited."

"But you like my food very much, which is good. It proves that you like our place very much."

"Perhaps I can do something for you in the future. In Petersburg we are studying steam-powered ships and vehicles, and we will build railways in the United States in the future."

"Ah, you only drank a little rum and that's it. You can't drink more in the future."

"Yeah, that's not good for the liver. I know medical skills."

"I heard it, and what you said at the dinner table even scared Betsy."

"Betsy?"

"My daughter Elizabeth, I call her Betsy and the boy calls her Elisa."

"I also know this kind of special name. The famous painter Madame Le Brun, she calls her daughter Brunette, the same."

"Well, it's time for you to rest. I hope you can come to Baltimore again."

Speaking of which, if we talk about business matters, Baron Sergei is about the same age as Mr. Carroll. Although Solovyov does not want his father to travel far away to the United States, if there is really a hanging rope that can be sold at a good price , he will come too.

After all, their family worked as a housekeeper for Prince Menshikov and as a profiteer in Arkhangelsk, so they must have this sense.

As for American slavery, even if a group of slave owners submit bills all day long, the abolition of slavery will eventually be solved by fighting a civil war. As for racial discrimination, it has always been an unsolvable problem.

Then how Americans will solve it in the future

Regardless of these considerations, Solovyov knew many local famous figures in Baltimore.

After all, Americans are like this. After hearing Solovyov's resume, even if he is so young, these rich people are willing to make friends.

Mr. Patterson even believed that this young man had some potential. He had served as a Guards Battalion Commander and Aide-de-camp for the Tsar himself at a young age, which was better than his son-in-law Jerome, who had a position in the navy through his brother who was the First Consul. There is some promise.

Of course, he never imagined that his daughter and son-in-law would be forced to divorce. If Miss Patterson followed her husband to Paris, perhaps her ambition would be satisfied.

She was really suited to the situation in Paris, and she had even learned how to do it in Baltimore.

But for Solovyov, what he was more concerned about was how to pack Jerome and his wife to France.

This guy is really very popular with women in his life. He has married three wives in his life, and even more lovers.

Except for Louis, who fell ill in Egypt, and excluding the money-obsessed Elisa, the rest of the Bonaparte family seemed to share a template in the relationship between men and women, and everyone was very lustful.

He doesn't know much about Polina's situation now. It's almost time to give birth to a baby at this time.

As for him always encountering this kind of high-end game of "Where are we going, daddy?", it really makes people laugh or cry.

Polina's health is really good and she gave birth to a son in Paris

When Prince Camilo Borghese opened his child's eyes, he saw eyes that were very similar to those of his wife, so he relaxed his vigilance. However, he could not avoid being a father this time, and he was quite happy.

But the day when the child was born is somewhat funny. It was April 1, 1804, which is not easy to remember according to the Republican calendar.

As for this child, it was not a surprise that Prince Borghese named him Leonardo.

It just sounds like he's using Napoleon's name in a word-matching game.

Napoleon was very happy with the birth of this child. After all, having a son in marriage was also a good thing in aristocratic marriages and could serve as a link to maintain the marriage.

Even if Polina is still so ridiculous, considering the child's face, and having a representative of Pope Pius VII preside over the event, the result shouldn't be too bad.

Of course, Solovyov is still in Baltimore at the moment and wants to pull some pranks as he prepares to return to Europe.

Although he didn't target Jérôme, he still wanted to make a living in London.