## Chapter 141: Faraday’s New Discovery
The laboratory of the Royal Society buzzed with an air of scientific curiosity. Henry Goulburn, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, leaned on his cane, peering intently at a needle spinning on a galvanometer. He pushed his spectacles up his nose, a thoughtful frown creasing his brow.
“So… Mr. Faraday,” he inquired, straightening his back with a slight awkwardness, “what exactly is the significance of this electromagnetic induction phenomenon?”
Faraday, his eyes twinkling with amusement, responded, “My lord, it is of great significance. So significant that your Treasury might soon be collecting taxes on it. Have you forgotten the steam engine?”
“Good heavens!” Goulburn exclaimed, a hint of self-deprecation in his voice. “Thanks to science, and thanks to the steam engine, we recently lost a brilliant leader in the House of Commons – William Huskisson. But this electromagnetic induction phenomenon might be a little safer than a steam locomotive, wouldn’t you say?
Mr. Faraday, I implore you, please don’t create anything like artificial lightning. The locomotive killing Huskisson already threw the Cabinet into chaos. If you create artificial lightning and accidentally strike Buckingham Palace, even if the Duke of Wellington wins two more battles of Waterloo or twists Napoleon’s head off, it wouldn’t be enough to explain the situation to the public.”
Faraday chuckled, “Electricity is indeed dangerous, but I believe it can be handled safely with proper care. If you don’t believe me, I can demonstrate its safety personally.”
“Really?” Goulburn reached out and pinched the wire in front of him. A snap echoed through the room, and a small white spot appeared on his thumb.
Wincing, he quickly bit his finger and complained, “Mr. Faraday, is this what you call safe?”
Faraday shook his head, a smile playing on his lips. “Sir, you’re too hasty. The safety of electricity requires another experiment to be presented and explained.”
Just as Faraday finished speaking, he spotted Arthur entering from the open space outside the laboratory.
Before Arthur could even react, Faraday grabbed him, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
“Arthur, you’re just in time. Could you please drag that spherical iron cage from the corner of the lab and connect it to the electricity later?”
“Huh?” Arthur looked at the iron cage made of fine wire in the corner and asked, “Is this some new invention?”
Faraday shook his head, a chuckle escaping his lips. “No, Arthur. The new invention is over here. Remember the disc generator I mentioned before? I recently finished making it, but the current prototype is hand-cranked. I will be getting into that large iron cage later, and you will be cranking the disc generator’s handle outside, using the end of the wire to send electricity to me.”
Arthur looked at the disc generator in front of Faraday and then at the spherical iron cage beside him. A frown appeared on his face, as if he were recalling something.
He tentatively asked, “Mr. Faraday, you wouldn’t be trying to perform that, would you? The absolute domain? Controlling lightning?”
Faraday was astonished, “Arthur, I increasingly feel you should be involved in the field of science. You could also benefit the public in Scotland Yard, but your talent in scientific research is truly unmatched. You must have noticed that phenomenon, haven’t you?”
Arthur mumbled, “It’s not exactly a discovery, just a strange experience. You know, if someone gets struck by lightning and survives, if it can’t be explained by God’s intervention, then it has to be considered from other perspectives.”
Goulburn listened to their conversation, growing increasingly confused.
He turned to Faraday, “Mr. Faraday, who is this young gentleman, a new scientific talent in the Royal Society?”
Faraday chuckled and explained, “My lord, this is Mr. Arthur Hastings. He is indeed a rising star in electromagnetism research in Great Britain, but unfortunately, he doesn’t work for the Royal Society. He is a righteous and selfless Scotland Yard officer under Sir Peel’s command.”
Upon hearing the name, Goulburn felt a sense of familiarity. After a moment of reflection, he suddenly realized, “Arthur Hastings, Scotland Yard, so it’s you.”
Goulburn extended his hand to Arthur in a friendly gesture, “Young man, Robert mentioned you. I thought you were just a talented detective, but I didn’t expect you to have such an aptitude for scientific research that even Mr. Faraday acknowledges. You know, after Sir Humphry Davy’s passing, Mr. Faraday is practically the brightest star in British science today. Young man, I must admit, I may have underestimated you.”
Arthur, naturally, responded with humility to such high praise.
He clasped Goulburn’s hand and complimented him subtly, “You may have underestimated me, but I have never underestimated you. When I was a child, I heard about your significant contributions to the British-American war in 1812. The Treaty of Ghent, signed by both countries in 1814, was drafted by you.
When I was studying history at the University of London, I read the records of your negotiations. It wasn’t until I came here that I realized the deep-rooted determination of every American to eliminate the Indians and occupy their land.
Although your determination to prevent the Americans from encroaching on Indian territory was ultimately not reflected in the treaty, we can still see your efforts in the historical records.”
Goulburn, delighted to hear that Arthur knew his past so well, couldn’t help but be surprised.
He praised, “It seems that some members of Parliament do have a prejudice against the University of London. Mr. Hastings, from your speech and demeanor, I deeply feel the profound academic atmosphere and excellent education at the University of London. To be honest, I also admire Mr. Jeremy Bentham’s ideas. His arguments have had a profound impact on the formation of my worldview and political views.”
Arthur smiled, subtly probing, “Perhaps you should consider persuading the members of Parliament to grant our school a teaching charter, at least for Mr. Bentham’s sake.”
Goulburn, a seasoned fox, responded with a smile, “If the Cabinet can last until your school’s next academic year, I will certainly consider your suggestion.”
With that, Goulburn naturally steered the conversation away. He looked at the round iron cage that Arthur had brought over, bending down to examine it carefully. “So, Mr. Faraday, what exactly are you going to demonstrate to me today?”
Faraday didn’t say anything. He just smiled and nodded to Arthur, then opened the door of the cage and stepped inside.
Arthur, recalling the magic video he had seen, followed suit. He held the disc generator’s handle in one hand and the end of the wire with a pointed electrode in the other.
Then, he politely nodded to Goulburn and said, “My lord, please step back a distance. This experiment might be a bit dangerous.”
“Dangerous?” Goulburn was confused. “Didn’t Mr. Faraday say this experiment was safe?”
Arthur smirked, “Yes, it’s safe for Mr. Faraday inside the cage. But if you insist on standing between the electrode and Mr. Faraday, then you will be in danger. How should I describe it?
Well… let’s say you’re like the former Secretary of State, Mr. William Huskisson, standing on the railway tracks. If you don’t want to be thrown back a few meters, you’d better listen to the advice of professionals.
Of course, I might be exaggerating a bit. After all, I don’t know how powerful Mr. Faraday’s disc generator is.
However, I’m asking you to leave that position for my own sake as well. After all, we just had a Scotland Yard inspector fired because of the death of an outstanding politician.”
“Oh, my God!” Goulburn, upon hearing this, quickly stepped back seven or eight paces. He adjusted his tilted hat and said, “There are always so many strange things happening in the Royal Society.”
Seeing him move away, Arthur took a deep breath.
He cranked the disc generator’s handle with one hand and brought the electrode closer to the cage with the other.
As the two almost touched, a long, winding, bright spark appeared between the tip of the electrode and the surface of the cage.
The crackling sound of electricity in the air made Goulburn jump, but before he could recover, he saw Faraday smiling as he placed his gloved hands against the inner surface of the cage.
“Mr. Faraday, danger!” Goulburn shouted, but the expected electrocution of Faraday did not occur.
“This?” Goulburn scratched his chin, then looked at his finger, which had been electrocuted, and asked Arthur, “Are you guys generating fake electricity?”
Arthur glanced at the workbench behind him and said, “Whether it’s fake electricity or not, we don’t get to decide. So, I suggest you pick up the mop next to the workbench and poke the outer surface of the cage.”
The gray-haired Goulburn hesitated, but curiosity ultimately overcame his fear.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer of Great Britain, like a mischievous eight- or nine-year-old, picked up the mop and pointed it at the cage.
“Should I really poke it?”
Arthur sighed, his arms already starting to ache. “You better hurry. This disc generator is quite tiring to crank. Maybe next time the Treasury decides to allocate funds to the Royal Society, they can consider sending a few squirrels over. Those little guys are naturally suited for running in circles.”
As Arthur finished speaking, Goulburn gritted his teeth and thrust the mop against the cage.
A bang echoed through the lab, and a ball of fire erupted from the mop’s cloth, startling Goulburn so much that he dropped the stick and collapsed to the floor.
After a while, the sixty-year-old Goulburn, clutching his pounding heart, pushed himself up against the workbench.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead, swallowed, and asked, “What… what is this?”
Arthur smiled and shrugged, “If I remember correctly, this is called the ‘Faraday cage effect’.”
(End of Chapter)