SGB Chapter 318

## Chapter 318: The Commercial Metropolis of Liverpool

As an island nation built upon commerce and trade, Britain possessed countless commercial harbors scattered across its land. However, during the medieval period, the most significant ports were located in the southeast, with the founding port of the Cinque Ports, Sandwich, Dover, Hythe, Romney, and Hastings, serving as representative cities.

The Cinque Ports, situated across the English Channel from France, benefited from their proximity to the fertile southeastern plains of England, along with a gentle coastline conducive to docking. During the technologically limited medieval era, these easily accessible ports naturally became Britain’s preferred centers for foreign trade.

As the world progressed into the Renaissance, the development of the Americas, the rise of the slave trade, the unification of Ireland with the Kingdom of Great Britain, the unfolding of the First Industrial Revolution, and the emergence of Far East transshipment trade, the once small fishing village of Liverpool in southwestern Britain finally entered its golden age of development.

Adjacent to the Lancashire and Yorkshire textile industry centers, Liverpool’s northwestern industrial district experienced rapid growth in the late 18th century. This former forward base for England’s invasion of Ireland transformed, surpassing both Newcastle, centered on coal, and Bristol, focused on import-export trade, to become Britain’s second-largest economic center after London.

Following the abolition of slavery in Britain, Liverpool quickly found its new niche, focusing primarily on commercial trade between Britain and the West Indies. Its imports of raw materials such as tobacco, sugar, cotton, and textiles ranked first in the nation.

The construction of inland canals, such as the Mersey and the Weaver, along with the development of rail transportation connecting Liverpool to industrial areas like Manchester, further solidified its pivotal role in domestic transportation.

Currently, over 1,200 merchant ships, totaling over 160,000 tons, were registered in Liverpool, with over 18,000 sailors residing in the city.

This bustling trade naturally fostered widespread illegal activity. Turbulent sailors from across the globe contributed to soaring crime rates, while the thriving commercial activity fueled large-scale smuggling operations.

Furthermore, many of the commercial families who rose from humble beginnings in Liverpool had their origins in the slave trade or privateering, making it an almost impossible dream to expect them to abide by the law.

In the meeting room of the Liverpool Customs House, Arthur stood and read the documents in his hand. These were administrative orders issued by the Cabinet the previous day, requiring ports like Liverpool to strictly enforce quarantine measures for merchant ships and severely crack down on smuggling during the cholera outbreak.

Sunlight streamed through the glass windows of the meeting room, offering a glimpse of the azure Irish Sea. However, the gentlemen gathered within exhibited no trace of the sun’s warmth, their expressions shifting between uncertainty and gloom.

Before arriving, Arthur had already gathered background information on the gentlemen present. While he had initially guessed that the power brokers in a large port like Liverpool would likely have ties to commercial trade, he was still taken aback by the sheer number of merchants holding sway within the city council.

The merchant class occupied over 76% of the seats in the Liverpool City Council, and this proportion climbed to 77% among municipal officials.

In essence, this meeting was less about Arthur delivering administrative orders to the Liverpool officials and more about him representing the central government at Whitehall Street in London, engaging in commercial negotiations with the Liverpool Transnational Trade Federation.

As expected, someone raised their hand to question Arthur’s pronouncements.

“I do not wish to criticize the Privy Council or the Cabinet’s decision, but for Liverpool, commercial trade is the city’s bedrock. We understand and fully support the Cabinet’s decision to crack down on smuggling to prevent the importation of cases. However, we do not understand why it should affect the normal entry of ordinary merchant ships. A 40-day quarantine policy will have a devastating impact on Liverpool’s commercial prosperity, which will in turn affect the normal production of the Lancashire and Yorkshire textile industries and lead to an increase in the prices of everyday consumer goods for the British people.”

At this point, the official suddenly asked, “Inspector Hastings, may I ask a presumptuous question? Do you smoke?”

Arthur nodded slightly, “Of course, sometimes I need some tobacco to relieve stress. Doctors say smoking is good for your health, and they have even invented an intestinal smoke therapy device for it.”

The official chuckled and said, “You see, implementing quarantine measures in Liverpool will also affect you. Liverpool’s tobacco imports account for 40% of the entire England. According to statistics, the average tobacco consumption per capita in Britain is around 8 ounces. Can you accept smoking half as much every day?”

Louis, serving as the meeting secretary, picked up his pen and jotted down a few notes in his notebook before turning his gaze to Arthur. He was eager to see how his superior would handle this group of troublesome municipal officials.

Arthur simply waved his hand and said, “Mr. Will, I fully understand your concerns. However, I must emphasize one point. I am here today to announce the latest decisions of the Court of Chancery, the Home Office, the Customs House, and the Central Health Committee, not to negotiate with you. As we all know, the Royal Chancellor holds the highest decision-making power in the field of public health. This decision has also been approved by His Majesty at the Privy Council and formed into a Privy Council order through joint voting by members of the Privy Council. We are not members of Parliament, but civil servants, so all we can do is execute the final decisions from higher levels.”

As soon as Arthur finished his remarks, another official from the Liverpool Customs House asked, “But it will be difficult to convince the City Council to accept such an administrative order.”

Arthur raised his hand to interrupt him, “If the City Council has any objections to the Cabinet’s orders, they can send someone to London to communicate with the Court of Chancery and the Central Health Committee. That is not my responsibility. As I have already emphasized, I am only here in Liverpool to do one thing, and that is to ensure that we minimize the number of cases imported into Britain through smuggling during the cholera outbreak. The gentlemen present may not know how determined the Cabinet is to crack down on smuggling this time.

The Admiralty ordered two fast warships, the Black Jester and the Rosamund Beauty, which were engaged in combating the slave trade on the Ivory Coast of West Africa, to return to British mainland half a month ago, and officially placed them under the command of the anti-smuggling operation in Liverpool. Gentlemen, you may have learned from newspapers over the years about the great contributions these two warships have made to the abolition movement.

If you don’t know, I can also introduce them to you. The Black Jester and the Rosamund Beauty have captured a total of 9 slave ships and freed nearly 3,000 slaves in their efforts to combat the slave trade in recent years. Although Liverpool was built on the slave trade, it was also a pioneer in the abolition movement when it emerged in Britain. I believe you gentlemen will be happy to know this information.”

Upon hearing this, the officials present all changed their expressions. Some looked slightly worried, some seemed to be enjoying the spectacle, and some even revealed a hint of excitement.

The Royal Navy officers were all jubilant, “The Black Jester and the Rosamund Beauty are back? So, the Admiralty is serious this time? Mr. Hastings, may I ask, did the Admiralty issue a fire ban for this interception on the high seas?”

Looking at this group of sharks who had already caught a whiff of blood, Arthur knew that these reserve officers who were stuck on land had long been bored out of their minds.

He said, “For merchant ships flying foreign flags, we cannot open fire without verifying their smuggling activities.”

“Uh…” The officers deflated upon hearing this.

Seeing this, Arthur added, “However, once the Royal Navy has conveyed a request for boarding inspection, and the merchant ship refuses to comply after three warnings, the Admiralty will authorize the anti-smuggling fleet to use a certain degree of force. If we simply use the ram on the bow to open a hole in their cargo hold, I think that should be considered reasonable.”

The officers’ spirits fluctuated, their drooping lips instantly curving upwards again, “Mr. Hastings, you really know how to keep us on our toes. But we understand what you mean.”

Hearing this, the officials from the Customs House and the Liverpool City Hall finally grasped the Cabinet’s resolve.

They had initially assumed that they could handle this cholera quarantine with the usual nonchalance, but it seemed that the Cabinet was truly furious due to the emergency situation unfolding across the nation.

Especially considering the recent dock riots in Liverpool, they had no grounds to refute the Cabinet’s decision at this juncture.

The officials rose one after another to bid farewell to Arthur. They left the meeting room in a flurry, their actions indicating that they couldn’t wait to warn the various companies that a cold winter was coming.

Gazing at the empty meeting room, Arthur picked up his teacup and approached the window. Outside, the old Liverpool docks, built in 1715, stretched out before him.

On either side of the docks, red brick buildings lined up in a row, with a constant stream of cargo carts and dock workers carrying large bundles coming and going.

Suddenly, Arthur heard the sound of the door opening behind him. He turned to see Alexander Dumas, now clad in a standard police uniform.

Although Arthur had chosen an extra-large size for him, Dumas’s belly clearly exceeded the worst-case estimate in the initial design of the uniform.

Faced with this situation, Arthur could only lie through his teeth and say, “Alexander, it fits you perfectly!”

Haines emerged from behind him, tapping his hat with his cane and saying, “Who would have thought that wearing a police uniform would feel like this?”

Louis chuckled and asked, “So, you two came here specifically to insult this uniform?”

“Not really, we are here for real business.” Dumas winked at Arthur and said, “Arthur, there’s a middle-aged man at the entrance of the Customs House. He claims to be an importer-exporter, with a company called Schweyer & Sons. He seems to know something about smuggling. Do you think we should meet with him?”

(End of Chapter)