The curse of Fu-Manchu and why Opium is bad for you

Feb 1862 Britannic Times has shown up and for non scabble players here are the low light:

1) No doubt hoping that the "Alexandrian" rebels would be distracted the probes of her HEIC allies from the south Queen Yehonala of Transoxania swept into her home province of Chitral from the East. Sadly for the Queen her cunning plan to reclaim her fortress of Ralchra and her city of Shangra-La has not worked as yet but at least the unknown black and red clad force known as the "Alexandrians" have set the Hon Tristan Huntley free.

- All in all it seem's a bit of a stamd-off with the Alexandrians holed up in the mighty (and brand new) mountain fortress top fortress of the Ralchra but lacking the artillery to dominate the city and valley of Shangra-la below. While the Queen has enough fire power to reduce any attempt to break out of the fortress into a red stain on the mountain but not enough to even scratch the Ralchra. So her options would be to sit tight and starve them out or bring up siege guns when the railway is restored.

2) More dark and dodgy doing's in Somerset.........but at least the Police from Taunton had the good manners to use the servents entrance when looking for Triad activity. Good grief what next? Mafia activity on the levels? the Union Corsa in Minehead? Is nothing sacred and off limits?

3) Some people are saying that an Election is over due in London. A fact which may worry some other people who fear that Lord Derby may need a "victory" over some Johnney Foreigner types to keep his majority in the House of Commons. Lord Derby it should be noted sits in the House of Lords in which he has a rock solid and loyal Tory majority.

4) Balhams solicitors in London have appealed the six month sentence against Mr James Cornel in Bombay and got it reduced to two months. The India Special Branch also want to charge General Wichung, Lord Farnworth and Mr Cornel with Triad and Thuggee activity and being involved with the murder of Flashman, but top legal opinion in India is that a Jury will take the word of a English Gentleman like James ahead of a bunch of Fu-Manchu hitmen turned Queens Evidence no doubt to save themselves a neck tie party.

- In Nagpur itself with the Cornel residence under siege by enough military back up to win a small war James was a bit concerned that if he stepped out it might end up like the end of Butch Cassidy and the Sun Dance Kid but he finally gave himself up to the ISB. With legal opinion against them getting a conviction for Flashman in a jury court the question now is do they play the white man and send James back to London as a witness to help sort out the complex corporate manslaughter charges against the Albion Corporation. Or do the reply to an request to send him to face charges in Transoxania?

- If James does end up before a Transoxanian Court how much will Balhams legal fee be?

5) In Rome after a period out of the public eye for unspecified medical reasons King Victor Emmanuel is reported to have made a full recovery and "to be back". His majesty has also put forward a theory about a man suitability for high office being mathematically linked to his ability to grow a moustache.

- This sounds worrying alike to the "logical" thinking of the last Emperor of the French and the Prime Minister of Nippon.

6) Germans still trying to ship troops to Tsing-Tao................very slowly.

7) British cable laying ship got to Kartoum.......but minus Cable. Lots more British ships sail into Bombay and their Officers & crews have a really nice time but do not take on any troops.

Keeping well out of the way of any judges who could send him to a meeting of the Flashy Fan Club and the Transoxanian Ladies sewing club Lord Francis Farnworth has been out and about in Washington. While his companies seem very active with mining and the modernization of the CSA. Is Lord Francis running with the fox and hunting with the hounds?

9) Meanwhile like a snake which has finally started to move again after a large meal the Russian Army of Siberia is on the move again, marching into the province of Paek with its simple message of "You have two hours to accept the supreme authority of the Great Khan of Khans, Czar Alexander or die!"........but what will happen when this message meets the Dread Words of Doctor Fu?

10) Italian diplomacy also seems to be active in Chin and Magdala but its result is not yet clear.

March 1862 Britannic Times has shown up and for non scabble players here are the highlights:

i) The infamous bunch of opium traders and other criminals known as the Albion Corporation are no longer head of the Prestige List. Probably hard to keep your place in society while hiding out with red necks and other good old boys in the deep south. While other gang menbers die in knife fights in Nippon or get done by the fuzz in Indea.

ii) New new number one on the Prestige list is the Czar of Rossia, also known as the Khan of Khans, the Supreme Hetman and about a dozen other titles which impress no one apart from a few cossacks (about 1,000,000 at the last count). Currently the Czar and his henchmen seem to turning all soft and cuddly. Putting up Orthodox Churches and even talking making the steppe bloom, even about second chances in the Rossian penal system and new progresive punishments instread of prison or the whip.........like a spot of soft and cuddlesome internal exile to Siberia instead.

While the picture of the Czar on the front of of the Britannic Times shows him sporting a moustache which would go down very well in Italy, not everyone would seem so sure of fluffy picture of the Rossian Bear even Doctor Fu-Manchu said a few words.

iii) The fair city of Bristol has seen rioting and mobs running around demanding an election........which is almost certain to result in the rest of the West Country voting in Tories running on a law and order ticket. After all you get some damn funny sorts like Scots, Irish and even the Welsh hanging out in places like St George, Kingswood, St Phillips, Knowle etc and the blighters need to be kept under control.

Actually the Election may be close to judge by the latest budget from the Lord Derby Govt which abolished personal taxes for the next five years. The fact that Lord Derby used a £5,000,000,000 surplus in the Britannic Treasury to get ride of personal taxes rather than lower or abolish corporation tax can probably be seen as an "Election" budget and a one in the eye for liberal charges that Lord Derby Government indulges in "Crony Capitalism" to favour it chums in the Tea Cartel and the HEIC.

iv) General Cesare Mussolini the Enlightener has been made head of the Italian Army in Rome. Nothing is currently know about this gentleman other than the fact that he has a really good moustache.

v) Kurt Kruger and German troops have finally left Port Said heading east.

vi) Thomas Glover and his friend Eric have finally made it to San Antonio.....oddly he seems to be working for a Russian Railway Company in the America's.

vii) Following a economic attack on Indian Culture including some of their favourite newspapers and cricket bat makers the HEIC chiefs had an attack of the vapours and then reached for a weapon even more feared than the Indea Pattern Lea Enfield......the HEIC corporate cheque book.

- The Times of Indea is now being sold for a very small cover price since its costs are more than covered by HEIC adverts while the Rawipindi Bat Company future is secured by orders from schools. Dr Fu-Manchu may claim that he has stopped the spread of the horror that is cricket but in this he rages against the dieing of the light. The Cobra has already struck and love of cricket "An Indian sport which just happens to have been invented in England" is seeping into the heart of Indea.

viii) Following the end of the "siege" at the Cornel Residence. James Cornel has basically been deported from India to face more serious charges in London with his two month prison term for contempt of court left for when (if) he returns to Indea. Perhaps as a gentle hint (well gentle by HEIC standards) that returning to Indea may not be that wise his Nagpuri bodyguards were identified as Thugee and after a drumhead military court hearing were hung from the battlements of Fort Wellington.

ix) In Chitral Queen Yehonala of Transoxania has reclaimed her city of Shangra-La without facing any opposition. In reply to the question of who the hell are the ***** in the black and red who invaded Chitral it transpires they are the royal troops of Prince Uygur of Urumqi, a Chinese descended warlord.

- The ****** in the black and red still occupy the Queens ultra modern and so new that its guns had not even been fitted fortress of Ralchara, and the Queen would like it back. Various plans from the gunh-ho use of a siege bridges to get across the ravine and then using ladders to just starving them out have been proposed. In worse case the Queen could restore her railways and bring up some of the mighty rail guns of her HEIC allies. But the damage these monsters will do to one of Transoxania most expensive fortresses is viewed as HEIC over-kill.

x) Also moaning about HEIC over-kill was Lord Admiral Alfred Cahill who currently has x6 Transports while the HEIC commanders want x18. The Royal Navy were also shocked at having their ships called boats and being referred to as a Taxi Service ! It would seem that the Regiments of Clive and Wellington continue their glorious traditions.

xi) The Port of Osaka has been finished.........only about a year late due to murdered Engineers and errors over cement.

xii) Finally we had more dread words from Dr Fu-Manchu claiming credit for everything from German delays to dodgy bellies in Bombay. It is also being said that Britannia and Ottonia are using fear of Dr Fu-Manchu to prepare to attack Rossia and that there are Royal Navy ships not far off St Petersburg and Ottonian troops have are crossing the border! In actual fact the Ottonian invaders would seem to be related to Eric in that no one can see them and its not clear people in fear of Dr Fu should attack Rossia. Surely an invasion of Chin would be more likely? Now were is the Cahill taxi service going?

April 1862 Britannic Times has shown up and for non scabble players here are the highlights:

- Lord Derby has declared that a snap election is going to be held in May 1862.  Since last month Lord Derby abolished a load of personal taxes and this month a whole bunch of infamous slums got replaced with new houses it would seem that Lord Derby hopes to get in his election before all of his good news stories get knocked off the front pages by the lastest actions of Dr Fu-Manchu or some other spoil sport.

- It would seem that local Tory parties and perhaps the HEIC may have had some advance notice of the Election as Lord Derby well oiled political machine went into full election mode across Britannia with posters, flags, demands for law and order to be restored in Bristol and the rioters brought to Justice! Cake, apple pie, pints of beer and kissing babies were no doubt involved as well but were not mentioned in the paper.

- Further backing for Lord Derby came from the business community in the form of the leaders of the Tea Cartel and the HEIC who launched savage attacks on the anti HEIC and anti business William Gladstone and the danger a Gladstone Govt will pose to HM tax revenue, jobs, investment and dividends.  With the HEIC even considering option to move its Head Office and tax base if Gladstone wins.

- The other concern raised by the Telegraph is that Gladstone is so dispised in the House of Lords as a sock puppet for Lord Farnworth and the Opium Cartel that he would find it impossible to get any legislation passed.  One way round this would be to get our Dear Queen Victoria to make hundreds of new liberal peers.......but would the Queen listen to that nasty oik Gladstone or her Dear Lord Derby?

- It would seem that Gladstone, Farnworth, Fu-Manchu have a month to re-act to Lord Derby........what will they do? will it be legal? and will it be enough to swing the election (Britannic security services are believed to be on high alert for groups of Chin carrying oddly full ballot boxes).

In other non election news:

- Someone had blown up the famous or should that be infamous German laboratory of Castle Niemcy.  Industrial accident or something more sinister?

- The well turned out men of General Cesare Mussolini staged a parade in Rome.  Fairly sure you are surposed to win some actual victories first before holding a victory parade but a good time was had by all with may shouts of "Hail Mussolini!"

- In reply to the recent reports (denied by the British this month) that the British and Ottomans intended to respond to the actions of Dr Fu-Manchu by using it as an excuse to attack Rossia.  Russian Prime Minister Polovtsov responded by saying he believed the Lord Derby Govt to be logical and while it might attack Chin due to Fu-Manchu killing its people why should it attack Rossia?  It remains to be seen if Grand Duke Polovtsov will be quite so calm if Mr Gladstone wins the election?!

- In reply to reports about the Jannissary Junta getting ready to attack the long winded reply from Polovtsov and Patriarch Vakulovsky can basically be summed up as "Bring it on if you think you are hard enough!" .........keen watchers of this Russian sabre rattling plus all the other sights of St Petersburg were the Chinese ambassador Ki-Ming and Max August Scipio from Germania.

- When not visiting the Kirov Ballet, Grand Central Station and the local branch of the Albion Bank the envoys found time to admire from a distance the Naval and Merchant Docks guarded by the Peter & Paul Fortress and the five new Czar Alexander II Fast Ironclads commissioned into the Rossian Navy by the Czar (yes I know it may come as a shock to Glory Players but in scabble the Rossians seem to have a perfectly OK Navy apart from their submarines which went down ok......they just did not come up!)

- In India the authorities have expelled James Cornel back to London to answer questions before the House of Lords.  They also hung his four bodyguards from the ramparts of Fort Wellington after they were identified as Thugee.  This is believed to have caused some shock back in Nagpur.....I mean just because a chap or four wear a gold strangling cord how does that prove he is a Thugee?

- Meanwhile Admiral Lord Cahill water taxi service transported a third of General Sir John Nicholson Brigade from Bombay to Colombo.  One hopes the Poona Light Horse and the Jaipur Grenadiers enjoy the trip more than the first group of Nicholson troops who are mostly locals but still went down from healthy to average condition just being moved from one modern British Port to another with no bad weather and on modern British Transport Ships.  Would be players of Scabble should note......yes you can move troops by sea but sea sickness in scabble is more dangerous than many battles!

- The other danger of the sea is drowning........a fate which caught up with Sir Samuel Smythe when his ship went down in a Pacific Typhoon.  The celebrated Engineer Henry Puttman was lucky to avoid the same fate as the good ship "Swan Song" since he was on another tea cartel ship caught up in the same Typhoon.

- Queen Yehonala of Transoxania and her HEIC allies have started a siege of the Ralchra fortress.  As the Queen tries to reclaim her fortress from the Chin bandits who took it over before it was really finished. Fortunately for the Queen the fortress lacks its guns otherwise it would be nearly impossible to take and currently her longer range field guns and snipers are able to slowly waer down the defenders from outside Jezzill range.  While her sappers are pushing the siege works towards the deep ravine before the fortress.

- No doubt trying to summon the spirit of grandmaster flash the Queen had her doe eyed hand maidens serve lemon drizzle and coffee and walnut cake with the very finest Darjeeling to her officers and plucky reporters from the Times of India and other papers covering the siege.  The Queen is also spending a fortune on bonus payments to her sappers.

- In the true spirit of Flashman the HEIC have sited maxim machine guns to guard against a break out or a sallee and some people think that after being challenged on its own ground the Queen and the HEIC are not so much intending to recover property as arrange the mass slaughter of followers of a Chin Warlord who may or may not have links with Fu-Manchu.

- According to Dr Fu-Manchu latest dread words his SiFi (thought it was SiFan?) stalk the streets of Bombay, Delhi and Nagpur and Englishmen should flee these cities if they value their lives.

- Finally Nippon is having problems with is Rice Exchange but nothing like the problems of Thomas Glover, Eric and their Cook Wie Sin Ding who tried to start work on the key Trans Pacific Railway Company San Antonio link.  First they almost got lynched and then got thrown into jail.  Clearly someone needs to re-sort the contract and compensation payments to land owners before their engineer ends up invited to a Texan neck tie party.  Which probably means Prince Gaia and Sancho Panza need to get back to San Antonio (avoiding Comanche War parties in Big Spring).  

All in all not a good month for Engineers or Diplomats.......both occupations which seem a bit more dangerous than being an Admiral or an Agent.  Oddly being a General seems fairly safe in scabble.

DON'T PANIC, DON'T PANIC, DON'T PANIC, DON'T PANIC, DON'T PANIC, DON'T PANIC, DON'T PANIC, DON'T PANIC, DON'T PANIC,
DON'T PANIC, DON'T PANIC, DON'T PANIC, DON'T PANIC, DON'T PANIC, DON'T PANIC, DON'T PANIC, DON'T PANIC, DON'T PANIC,

The French Republican hordes are back in the game

I am sure that this fact is not in any way related to the fact that other players are suddenly having a bad time and the Irish are revolting.

May 1862 Britannic Times has shown up and for non scabble players here are the hightlights or should that be the low lights?

1) Russian campaign to get everyone in Siberia to agree to the Czar being Khan or Khans, Supreme Hetman etc, etc got ambushed in the highhands of Yonwa by fanatic wild men of the hills. With the Russain Cavalry getting pushed into the Infantry, the Infantry getting pushed back onto the artillery and finally the whole lot ending up back in Paek.

For many Russians being chased down mountains by wild hill tribes was probably just like being back home on the Kuban, but this defeat will no doubt cheer up Fu-Manchu, the Ottoman Sultan and others who were getting a bit concerned that the Russian steam roller was getting up a head of steam.

- For people with this way of thinking it can even be said the May 1862 was a month when the Russian Steam Roller blew a head gasket since in other bad news for the Czar:

2) Russ Envoy Prince Gaia Dmitrievich rode into San Antonio to get his engineer out of clink and sort out legal problems for the Trans-Pacific Railway.....and someone shot him! The Prince is alive but very poorly, which means Mr Glover and Eric probably stay in prison. Which in turn means that various railways do not get laided.

3) Sultan Medmed Emin Rauf Pasha called the Russian Empire creaking and two faced just like their Romanov Eagle Flag while his senior scribe called them half-crazed beasts.

4) All of the above probably leave the Czar and his henchmen wondering if their run of bad fortune has anything to do with the suddenly active French Republicans - The Czar, like the Empire of Germania and the British have never accepted the overthrow of the 2nd Empire by Adolphe Thier republicans and still believe the Prince Imperial (in exile in Britannia) is the true ruler of France.

A view not very popular in Versailles and Brest where the French Navy is getting ready to sail after being cheered up by the Archbishop of Notre Dame......but sail to where? Are the French getting ready to take revenge for Germania taking over so many of their North African colonies? Help Louis Riel and the French speaking Metis people from being dragged into the British Empire? Or even to stop the Czar from taking over Constantinople? Or something else?

5) In other Naval news the Italian China Flotta of two lineships, two gun boats and six transports sailed into Taku. Is someone actually going to do something to protect Western Civilization from Dr Fu-Manchu?

6) In India the important news was the HEIC paid out £140m in interim dividends and the Oxford Old Boys actually managed to defeat the Cambridge chaps in a cricket match. Probably because a couple of Cambridge best bowlers were unable to make the game due to still being sat around the fortress of Ralchra, having a spiffing time rifle shooting and eating cake but sadly no cricket.

Queen Yehonala of Transoxania who just wants her fortress back without having to pay a ransom to the bandits who seized it before it was really complete did share some lemon drizzle with the black and red robed bandits while they considered their options

7) In the main new of the month Lord Derby and the Tory Party fought the British Election on a stunning economic record. Gladstone and the liberals fought it mostly on the Irish Question.......result Conservative and Unionists 290, Liberals (who support Home Rule for Ireland) 266, Charles Parnell's Irish Nationalists 59. Which leaves the balance in the House of Commons in the hands of 33 Independent members.

Lord Derby retains his rock solid majority in the Lords but now probably lacks the means to get a proposed cut in corporation tax rates through both the Lords and the Commons. The Irish Question remains up in the air........will Parnell back a Home Rule for Ireland bill? If a Home rule bill was to pass what then happens to Irish Votes in Westminster on matters which do not effect Ireland? Can even Lord Derby get Irish Home Rule through the Lords and past the Queen? And if he gives a degree of self Government to the Irish will he have to do the same in Canada and the other Dominions?

Or does he spend no political capital at all and just allow free votes in the Lords and Commons on the Irish Question which means it slowly drowns in red tape.

Finally some nasty person(s) broke into Kew Gardens and set fire to the place! Its an outrage!! Is it the first sign of French & Irish Republican terrorism? Or is it Dr Fu-Manchu who was oddly silent this month.

June 1862 Britannic Times has shown up and for non scabble players here are the hightlights or should that be the low lights?

1) The French have invented the "PALEOPHONE" not really sure how this differs from other sound reproduction systems but they seem very happy about this in Versailles and the whole front page of the Britannic times is taken up with a picture of one of these froggy music systems.........in the middle of the cricket season as well! Surely this must lead to letters of complaint from cricket loving readers?

2) In the wild woods of Germany someone dresses like a Moor and carrying a very old fashioned flintlock pistol decided to look round the Castle Nancy location of a recent "industrial accident" (or something else ?) in the middle of the night.  Clearly climbing around in a ruined castle in the dark with a gun with no safty catch  is not a safe thing to do as he may have fallen and really shot himself.  Even worse he landed on a pitch fork!

Clear moral of story.......wait for day light or carry a torch and carry a gun with a safty catch! Also Germans are nuts!!

3) In St Petersburg Grand Duke Polovstsov is very upset about the Ottomans calling the the Russian Empire two faced and full of half crazed beasts.  He has demanded a apology and control of Jerusalem in compensation for the Czar's hurt feelings.

- It was news to many that Emperor Alexander III Czar of all the Russ, Khan of Khans and Supreme Hetman is also a gentle little flower and so easily offended by the Junta but according to his loyal side kick Polovstsov such is indeed the case.

- The Janissary Junta running the Ottoman Empire ever since they overthrow and replaced the last Sultan for being too Francophone have yet to respond to the demands of the Grand Duke.  Ignore and hope he goes away may work. or it might not.

4) Following recent election Lord Derby has established a new government with backing from Unionists and Independents.  While he has a rock solid majority in the Lords his majority in the commons is only eight and based on the votes of partners.  William Gladstone is saying that as the liberals were the largest individual party in the House Commons he should have been given first chance to form a government.

- But how well would Gladstone have done trying to get a majority in a house of Lords dominated by chums of Lord Derby?  Men like Lord Weatherbee and the HEIC chiefs are never going to be influenced by an oik like Gladstone.

5) Investigations into the Arson attack on Kew Gardens continue under the leadship of Sir Quentin Lee.  Too date nothing has been shared with the press.

6) Archbishop Marie-Dominique-Auguste Sibour on board the French Line Ship Impetueux spent the month preaching and exhorting the faithful. Not content with limiting himself to the crew of the Impetueux the good bishop also used flags, loud hailers and even messages fired from canon to bombard passing ships and even the odd school of dolphins with his messages of comfort and joy.

One hates to think how the Royal Navy and some others will react to to French War Ship shooting "Papist Propaganda" at them.  Wars have started over lesser matters!

7) The French are building a new Office for the Bank of Commerce in Tripoli. It is unclear if the Mad Maddi their neigbour to the east while find French Banks on Islamic soil or the graven images of Badgers to be more offersive.

Russian Black Sea Fleet of eight Ironclads and a Cruiser sailed into the German Port of Tangier escorting 12 merchant ships and asked Field Marshal Model if he wanted that lift.  Either Marshal Model is bothered by the French Bankers to his east upsetting the locals or Berlin which has been looking for shipping to Chin for months has not passed on the message as it seems the Model no longer wants that lift.

Of course Model may just be too influenced by old accounts of the Russian Navy and unwilling to admitt he is scared to get on a Russian ship.  A rather unfair and dated believe since the modern Russian Navy has sunk hardly any of its own apart from submarines and they were designed to sink.  That part of the design worked perfectly, it was getting them back up which was the problem!

9) Russian bid to control the whole of Siberia seems to be back on track.  The wild men of Yonwa continued to fight like Hero's but they are being ground down my weight of numbers.

10) In other Russian linked news the famous diplomat Prince Gia was well enough to get Glover-san out of jail but then suffered a re-lapse so he will not be around to stop Polovstsov and the young Turks starting a war about a insulted flag.  Same goes for Louis Lamour and Duke William Hamilton who in the finest traditions of their respect diplomatic services are now a) up a mountain and b) up a mountain and lost!

11) Howver all is not lost in Diplomacy as Queen Yehonala managed to get her fortress of Ralchra back with only a few blood stains while Sir Ian Steele has signed an alliance between the tea cartel and Sultan Dravidi of Jafna.  But before anyone gets too happy about British diplomacy it should probably be noted that the HWIC Army were hanging around in the background, armed and looking dangerous.

12) In other news the Tata steel works rolling mill has gone on strike, Nippon is getting upset about the near Lynching of Glover-san and Dr Fu-Manchu has extended his list of people under threat to include Italians........what are the Si-fan planning? Heir remover in place of mustache wax? The Fiends!!

Ah merci mon ami for such an erudite summary, one hardly needs to spend one's hard-earned francs on the newspapers! Franconia is back under new -- well, old -- management and on behalf of our glorious people I clasp you all to my bosom and embrace you tightly until your lips turn blue. It's good to be back in this world of steampunk derring-do which frankly is less bizarre and more rational than the one we're all living in right now. Now, where did I leave those nuns...

That rabbit's dynamite wrote:Ah merci mon ami for such an erudite summary, one hardly needs to spend one's hard-earned francs on the newspapers! Franconia is back under new -- well, old -- management and on behalf of our glorious people I clasp you all to my bosom and embrace you tightly until your lips turn blue. It's good to be back in this world of steampunk derring-do which frankly is less bizarre and more rational than the one we're all living in right now. Now, where did I leave those nuns...

I think they were last seen heading "upwards" in a cross between a hot air balloon and a flying machine.

Which probably means they are going to come down in the most difficult place for you to find and "rescue" a group of French spy's from.

But if they are young, female and have good ankles the King of Siam Palace is probably a good place to start looking. After that the secret base of Dr Fu Manchu.

Seems I also need to carry on Mr Glovers Adventures. Eric will soon be returning from his holiday .

J Flower wrote:Seems I also need to carry on Mr Glovers Adventures. Eric will soon be returning from his holiday .

America - a land of opportunity for the daring duo of Glover San & Eric.

All they need to avoid are:

a) Cultists and large things with tentacles which seem to have taken over the sewers and large parts of New York and Washington etc
b) Large chunks of the British Army on a mission to spread cricket and fill Lord Farnworth with several tons of lead if they ever run into the Opium Cartel boss who seems to favour Amerika over places like Chin and India (trying to keep out of way of Fu-Manchu or the HEIC?)
c) Si-Fan who do not like sort of Nips after the invasion of Chin
d) Flying machines full of Nuns landing on them
e) Outlaws
f) Indians - esp after the HEIC fur trading subsidary lost 18 batches of one of the worlds most deadly rifles. Ok so they were nice friendly Christian Indians devoted to the good book and keeping their forest home as God intended and keeping large things with tentacles out. But who have they been trading with?

All it really needs now is for the French Foreign Legion to show up and put a Hapsburg on the Throne of Mexico City and life could get really complex for Glover San and Eric. That or the War between the States to start (restart?). Meanwhile a little corner of the Amerika's is flying a double headed Eagle and its not Hapsburg.

Mr Glover has heard rumours of Tee "Chilean Hot Dog" which is a distant relation to the wild Haggi of Scotland, he has been informed by a reliable source ( aka Eric) That the Prairie dog has evolved from them & that the sausage dog is a crude imitation of the wild animal.

Mean while "Qu" is still working on thing in Nippon's Natural Botanical Combat offices, Rumour has it that the key to room701 has been stolen by some Chin Doctor chappie.

J Flower wrote:Mr Glover has heard rumours of Tee "Chilean Hot Dog" which is a distant relation to the wild Haggi of Scotland, he has been informed by a reliable source ( aka Eric) That the Prairie dog has evolved from them & that the sausage dog is a crude imitation of the wild animal.

Mean while "Qu" is still working on thing in Nippon's Natural Botanical Combat  offices, Rumour has it that the key to room701 has been stolen by some Chin Doctor chappie.  

Wonder if with a strong east wind wild Haggi could have been blown across the Atlantic? Or been taken to the America's by early seafarers like Vikings, Irish Saints or Welsh Princes? Lot of Mountains in the America's were they would feel at home.

And since everything grows bigger in the America's this could even result in the Giant Haggi.

July 1862 Britannic Times has shown up and for non scabble players here are the highlights:

1) Prestige list now includes x2 British Trade Companies but not the HEIC, x2 Eastern Powers (Siam & Nippon) and one want to be eastern power.

2) The Alexander III effert to be accepted as the Great Khan as well as Czar and Supreme Hetman seems to be slowly grinding forward in the mountains of Yonwa but hard fighting managed to slow down a Russian attempt to out flank and trap their foes for long enough to allow the Yonwa tribesmen to withdraw.  Considering the number off warbands his men have now engaged General Yudenitch is of the opinion that the Yonwa are getting reinforcements from other Siberian clans.

3) The French Navy had a reorganization of its command structure and set sail from Brest - taking a full page in the paper to cover what the British would have taken up two lines in paper to cover.  Where the French fleet is going and its mission are unknown, hidden in a smoke screen of piffle by the cunning Frogs.

4) In another odd Naval move, the Germans have spent months trying to hire ships to take them to Chin so they can deal with the German Brewery burning fiend Dr Fu-Manchu.  German Model and his men finally got lift from the Russian Navy and on orders of German High Command  return to Wilhemshaven!  Which seems to be totally the wrong way!!  Is their a German colony in Chin called New Wilhemshaven and did someone mess up the order?

5) £100,000,000 of HEIC investment in Orient written off.......Lord Hardinge their Chairman had to order a large Sherry to get over the shock.  With any luck Lord Derby should cut the corporation tax rate during this Parliament allowing the HEIC to get its money back fairly quickly as it is currently paying almost £27,000,000 per month in corporation tax.  Money which might be better used to pay dividends to poor widows and orphans holding shares in the HEIC.  Lord Hardinge who owns 3% of company shares (and rather more in way of voting rights) is a disabled orphan and a widower but is not really poor.

6) As well as tax cuts the Government of Lord Derby is planning improvements to schooling, social housing and to make the trains run on time.

7) The French have invented "Sludgemite" with French reports for the Britannic Times taking two pages to say so.

In the favoured style of French reporters Victor Hugo showed up in Istamboul to report on the Turko-Rossian War.  But like with French reporting on everything else used a lot to newspaper space to confirm: "Ottoman Govt said no to Russian demands of last month for apology and compensation, war not yet started."

9) Showing its all round superior nature and ability to get things done the British Army marched into the province of Shammata and declared it part of the British Empire.  Frog trouble maker Louis David Riel failed to show up to take his oath of loyalty to the Queen!

10) Some weird stuff to do with Hermits and invisible friends going on in San Antonio.......probably down to the heat.

11) French diplomactic corp uses lots and lots of words in Oxaco for little result but may be building a wall round the place. Meanwhile the HEIC is still looking for its lost diplomat with reward of up to £50,000 now on offer to the lucky finder.

12) Japanese ambassador and party showed up in Tobasco....one man eat by alligator, one eat by a giant snake, one lost in swamp another in quick sand.  Shin Ebihara now feeling very lonely. 1862 seems to be turning into a very bad year to be a diplomat......its not all handing round little chocolates in a gold wrapper sometimes your countries service means you have to risk getting shot, lost, scalped, held to ransom, insulted and eat by giant snakes.

13) A Giant whale has been reported to have been sighted off Bombay.

14) Finally strange tales from Istamboul would seem to indicate that a strange, tall scientific type has occupied a castle overlooking the Dardanelles where his experiments have caused ice to form on the water. It seems that opium may be involved and the man name fills vistors with fear..........Lord Farnworth? Bismarck? or even Dr Fu Manchu? all three are tall, have been involved with Opium in some way and have names which cause fear.

Perhaps that famous newspaper man Victor Hugo can get an interview while waiting for the war to start?

August 1862 Britannic Times has shown up and for non scabble players here are the highlights:

1) General theme for month was dodgy French Coves showing up all over the globe and generally getting in the way and taking over large chunks of paper. Monsiur Potroe who is actually Belgian (not a frog but close enough) spent month looking at ruin of Castle Niemcy and proclaimed it to be a murder location with killer from the Orient.

2) Monsiur Potroe talents might have been better employed in London were someone gassed the whole Special Investigations Unit to death.

3) At home the French decided to have a referenda and have voted to : a) Abolish the Republic and restore the Empire b) Invite the whole of Europa to join the 3rd Empire which will have its capital in Paris.

- Republicans are already claiming that the 52% pro Royalist vote V 41% against and 7% spoilt ballots was a fix and in some places the Royalist vote was greater than the number of actual voters. No comment has yet be made by the Brits, Germans and other lucky people invited to join the 3rd French Empire with its wonderfull inventions in the field of musical science.

4) Mse Tausaud of Paris and a friend visited the site were Htut Saw Tin Chemicals once stood in Berlin. What is this current fasination with sites of industrial accidents? In this case a new Chemical Factory is being planned. Surprized that Berlin planners allow it considering what happened to the last one.

5) Russian Fleet after checking that Model and his Army really did not want that lift sailed out of Wilhelmshaven. Three days later orders arrived from Berlin for Model and his men to sail to Mismiyah. In the words of Marshal Model "Vot! Zat is tricksty now!" At least back in home port of German Merchant Marine and not in Oriental backwater Model should be able to get own lift sorted out.

6) Russians have joined the world wide British under-water cable system which seems to have been a snub aimed at the soon to be abolished French Republic.

7) Someone organized a demo in Moscow against "atrocities committed in Siberia" what is shocking is that the demonstration was not beaten to a pulp by the Cossacks and the Black Hundreds........What we demo's in Moscow and no reply to Ottoman insults is Polovtsov and the Russian Nationalist government going all soft and cuddly?????

French Engineer Paul Leygues showed up in Tripoli managed to insult the French Army and started work on Sewers. Digging Sewers in sand after a row with the military, seems like another industrial accident waiting to happen.

9) French Reporter Victor Hugo still in Istamboul writing flowery reports on a war which is not happening indeed according to Victor the Russians would be foolhardy indeed to threaten the city and its powerful battlements since the defending fleet is huge and the garrison enormous. Victor may however be on the trail of more interesting stories ref Dr Fu-Manchu and even Count Dracula.

- Oddly Grand Vizier Mohammed Selim seems to lack the confidence of the French in his forces since he has requested that the French supply them with modern rifles and artillery. An odd request from a man who helped the Janissary Corp overthrow the last Sultan because he was too pro-French but also one which puts Paris in a tricky position since the Ottomans have a recent history of wars with the Germans, exchanges of insults with the Russians and have been charged with sending weapons and volunteers to help the Madhi and Drost Muhammed, mortal foes of the British.

10) The British Military have taken over the province of Shammata in the Northern part of the America's. The local French speaking inhabitants (The Metis) are being very rude to the British and even pretending not to understand English! Even when its spoken very loudly and slowly to them.

11) Meanwhile down in the South West things are a lot more friendly and chatty. When Thomas Glover San and mates finish the railway/telegraph links which join the south west states/territories their is even talk of these states forming their own Union or Kingdom.
Early days but at current rate the America's could end up split into a) The USA b) The CSA c) Indian territory - esp that of the Christian fur trading Mohawks d) The British Empire and e) The Republic of California........which would seem to leave the Monroe doctrine proclaimed by various US Presidents in ruins.

- Other bits remain south of California occupied by Spain, Jungle, Swamps and various lost or confused Nipon and French diplomats. Yes that is correct Louis Lamour is active in the America's dishing out bribes and political advise in the name of the 4th Republic or is that the 3rd Empire of the French.

12) Oh my God.......not even Bombay is safe from the French plague as Monsiur Jules Vern and Monsiur Captain Nemo have shown up in the cultural and mercantile capital on India with the good ship Nautilus. They may be looking to loot (sorry explore) underwater sites linked to the Atlantis legand. Wonder if they have a licence and what HEIC customs will make of this?

13) In Jaipur strike at the Tata Steel Mill is now over after workers got their promised works canteen and sports fields. No French seemed to be involved but someone clearly was.

14) Also no French involved in Chitral were Queen Yehonala captives are claiming to be both Chinese and Macidonian. Too the general confusion of the Hon Tristan Huntley Esq who was trying to find out who ordered the attack and where it came from.

- The Queen and the HEIC may never find out who was to blame but in the normal way of the HEIC they will no doubt blame someone.

15) Normal HEIC practice is to consider anyone who is anti British in India as either a Thuggee or a agent of Drost. This certainly seems to be the case with Sultan Senanayake of Trincom the ruler who tortured and misused Sir Quentin in Trincom.

- The Sultan can claim as much as he wants that he is a Buddhist but to the Killing Gentlemen of the HEIC his treatment of Sir Quentin is proof enough that he and all his men are secret Thuggee.

- If being branded as Thuggee by the right paw of the British Lion was not bad enough the troops of the Sultan are also aware that some of the best looking fillies in Colombo have made a offering of a full bottle of London dry gin, some tonic amd a fruit cake to the spirit of Flashman! Which is never a good sign.

16) In Siberia with not a Frenchman in sight the hosts of the Czar are getting just a little niggled with people throwing Javalins at them and in the way of Russian Generals when faced with determined opposition General Yudenitch threw another Army into battle. Yudenitch is still fighting in Yonwa but has got to the upper waters of the river Irtusk which flows via Nagnim and Slavya to the Sea of Japan. While from out of Vladivostock a second Russian Army is fighting up the Irtusk valley to join him.

If they do link up Siberia will be cut in half and the clans who do not agree with the reforming of the Golden Horde under Alaxander III as Khan or Khans will have lost their winter grazing and fishing after spending most of the summer fighting.

17) In Nippon the Japanese seem to be trying to get in touch with their inner Samuri and recover their morale after their defeat in Chin, pity they have lost the key to room 701.

- Perhaps they need to get a Gasha to offer a Gin & Tonic plus cake to the ancestor Spirits?

18) HEIC still looking for missing diplomat.........some say he is now captive of Dr Fu-Manchu.

Britannic Times for September 1862 has shown up and for non scrabble players here are the highlights:

1) Too the great joy of the shades of its founders and those who went (down) before them the front page of the Times was dominated by Victor Hugo’s account with coloured picture of a naval battle outside Istamboul between the Rossian and Ottoman fleets.

- According to Victor the Rossian fleet showed up to issue final demand for the Ottoman’s to surrender Jerusalem and say sorry for insult to Rossian flag and got laughed at by Turks. In reply to being mocked the Rossian fleet fleet of 23 Ironclads and a Cruiser opened a long range plunging fire on the anchorage of the Ottoman fleet from outside the range of the shore fortifications.

- Admiral Piri Reis responded to this bombardment by taking his 29 Line ships to sea in order to close the range. An objective he achieved due to slow speed of the Rossian ships – heirs to 150 years of crashing into rocks, harbour sides, other ships clearly better not to hit at too high a speed.

- Ottoman broadsides crashed out slamming solid shot into Rossian ships only to see most of the shot bounce off steel armour designed with Rossian traditions of rocks, harbour sides and being rammed in mind. This combined with a mass of Rossian HE from QF guns caused Admiral Reis break off the action and flee south to Izmir. 18 other line ships followed the flag ship while 10 were sunk or exploded after fires reached their magazines.

2) Second Rossian fleet has showed up in Wilhelmshaven to collect Field Marshal Model and his army for transport to Mismiyah in the Ottoman Empire. It would seem that after years of fighting the Ottomans and the Ottoman Navy in particular, that Otto Von has called on his Rossian allies to clear the way for them. Question is what have they offered the eastern hordes for the lift?

3) Meanwhile the Ottomans have called on their French ally for help but the two leading French admirals would seem to be in the Pacific of the coast of Oxaco which may slow up any response and may even call into question the value of a French alliance. Oxaco does still seem keen on such an alliance but wants £4,100,000 while the French have only offered £100,000.

- Adolphe Thier has however offered to send an envoy to his good friend the grand vizier Mohammed Selim to “help chart a passage out of this quagmire!”

4) Having to sort out a problem with both Germania and Rossia would seem to add an extra complication to Adolphe Thier plan to restore the Prince Imperial so the crowned heads of Europe will at least consider his master plan for a free trade based European Union.

- Adolphe Thier would seem to have a majority in France to restore the monarchy, what worries his deputy who now wants to be called Nigel is the majority against in Paris against and they have gillatines.

- Oddly Adolphe Thier has invited not only the leaders of Europe to talk about his project but the leaders of the Hongs and Noble houses who are not very European. Not sure what many in Europe will think about allowing the British Hongs free trade – allowing the fox the keys to the hen coop?

5) In contrast to the thrills and spills across the Channel the English had a Charity Ball attended by the Queen herself and Lord Derby proposed a corporation tax reduction from 10% down to 8% or 7% if corporation has a charity arm like the Tea Cartel or the HEIC.


6) Not much sign of charity on the Island of Ceylon were someone launched a surprise night attack on the camp of Sir John Nicholson. Honourable Charles Percy was cut down but eventually the attack was thrown back and Nicholson was able to counter attack at first light. Sultan Senanayake of Trincom was hit by a shell and his army routed pursed by the crack HEIC cavalry upset about their disturbed beauty sleep! The feeling of the HEIC was summed up by by message left by pursing troops on burning ruin of one of one of the Sultans hunting lodges:

‘WE ARE THE JOHN COMPANY, CHOSEN HEROES OF THE GREAT WHITE QUEEN & THE LORD OF LIGHT, CHAMPIONS OF PROGRESS, TRAINS & CRICKET. TAKE
US ON AND BE CRUSHED.’

7) Carnage in the north may be adding to Sir John Steele problems elsewhere on the island concerning local authorities and their knocking down of “unlicenced” telegraph poles. No one has got shot yet but things are just a little on edge.

Concerning other diplomats in trouble Shin Ebihara has got out of the jungle and obtained an alliance between Nipon and Tobasco. He is also being viewed as a god by some of the locals. Not such good news ref the missing HEIC diplomat. He is still missing even with a whole regiment of mountain troops looking for him. Oddly they have found no one else either not even a single goat herder which is very spooky. The Rossians also seem to have lost an Engineer.

9) Monsieur Potroe has had better luck finding something in ruins of Castle Niemcy, just not clear what he has found.

10) Nippon companies in Germania trying to introduce eastern style relations with workers by putting fortune cookie messages in workers’s canteen sausages. Perhaps the HEIC should adopt this practice as Tata steel on strike again.

11) Rossian Govt decided to prove that its fairly modern & listens to the people. But is still keen on law and order by confirming that demonstrations are legal provided you give notice of route and numbers and obtain a licence costing £10,000. Following the new law to the letter the Black Hundreds set out to prove that they rather than a few liberals and reds own the streets of Holy Mother Russia:

- Someone torched a liberal book shop and the French Embassy got its windows smashed but sadly the troops on duty were too busy looking after young ladies who had fainted to note who did it these naughty deeds.

12) Compared to the simple message of Patriarch Vakulovsky - “Convert to Russian Orthodoxy or burn in hell fire” French Priests and Mullahs seem rather less clear. Probably struggle to explain why France may or may not be trying to stop the Christian recovery of Jerusalem.

- Sorting out religious problems another thing on Adolphe Thier to do list just as soon as he work’s out what the problems are.

13) Russian forces have linked up in Siberia but not much fighting

14) In North America 8 cowboys shot at Glover San and Eric but missed. Are these the same 8 who shot the Rossian envoy?



15) Much further north in North America British Crown forces probed into Shammata but withdrew after being shot at with muskets. The locals are claiming a great victory – the locals are probably stupid.

- While the French-Indian natives of Brochet have continued not to offer any co-operation with British Government in their territory and want Adolphe Thier to get the British to understand that not everyone wants to drink tea and play cricket let alone drink warm beer.

By my count before he has even had a chance to clash with Dr Fu-Manchu, Adolphe Thier in tray now includes:

1)- Restoration of the Prince Imperial and the French Monarchy. Without "Red Paris" settin g up a Commune and throwing up the baraccades.

2) - Establishment of free trade in Europe and a European Union based in Paris. Does this include free trade for the various powers colonies and trade companies based in colonies?

3) - Making Oxaco great again. Which would seem to include a £4m wall and a £100,000 Presidential Swimming Pool with gold fittings

4) - Helping the Ottomans to: "Chart a passage out of this quagmire!” - Has Adople Thier ever tried to deal with the government of Germania and our hero Otto Von? Let alone a The Supreme Hetman and Khan of Khans upset because someone called his double headed Eagle flag two faced!

5) - Sort out French Religious problems. Just as soon as anyone can sort out what these problems are? Are they linked to the declaration of the Islamic Republic of Franconia and how muslim majority area of Francona in North Africa and the Orient will react to the Republic being abolished and a Christian Monarchy being restored? Or the fact that many of Franconia religious leaders are nuts having been originally appointed by the Prince Imperials father

6) - Dealing with an Army which wants revenge on the Germans and a Navy which wants revenge on the Rossians

7) - Saving French settlers in North Amerika from being forced too speak English, drink tea and play CRICKET !!

- Saving everyone else from being forced too speak English, drink tea or warm beer and play CRICKET !! currently Chin is putting up a fight, Indea is looking doomed and Amerikia and Afrika could go either way.

Basically does the Great Man need a thread all of his own? And what are we going to call it? - "Just Adolphe" or "The adventures of Adolphe" or "What Adolphe did next?"

Sounds like a man who could do with a "Nipponese Army Walking Cane,§ a must for the modern Gentleman

Can some one please jog my memory, or generally help me out.

I seem to remember reports of Power Plants being built by some Nations in SFE, ( Or was it my imagination this is SFE after all)

Similarly there are Naval advancements in propulsion units that I don't think are all in the Rule book, is there please a way to find out some of the advancements that are possible?

Obviously Nippon has the " Extreme, Steam, Pressure, Recuperation, Excreting, Small, Solutions, Output machine" -(ESPRESSO)

"Transmission; With, Exotic; Aerial; Talking Device"
(TWEAT)

" Marine, Army, Ration Supplement,’"
(MARS) - Deep Fried only

Kamikaze Kite Catapults for Ships
(KKC)

The Imperial Nipponese Army Walking Cane with attachments is available for all officers & Gentlemen of note.


So Obviously other inventions are available,

As well as the developments noted in the main rule book we have also seen developments by Engineers (wacky inventors) of:

1) - Electric lights and Eddison Power Plants which can provide electric light/power to either a single base (like a grand railway station) or perhaps a town? If Nippon interested think you have to ask the Eddison Company for a quotation.

Not sure if electric light offers any advantage over gas (safer?) apart from the gosh/wow effect but may be important if you want to build: -

2) Underground railway - like the Metro or Tube system for your capital or other city.

Guess if someone wanted to build a really top of the range C19 European fortress you give it electric power and small underground railway to move troops/shells around. Probably should be noted that for most of the C19 up to WW1 the powers of Europe spent huge sums on fixed defences for their capitals/ports and the like but by the time they were finished advances in artillery and shell development had made them out of date.

But if Nippon wants to prove that its a modern up to date power it probably needs the Toyko Metro and a super fortress HQ to show the flag in Chin.

3) Other transport development have been various "Flying Machines" - Think hot air balloons with engines. Of limited range and very, very prone to crash. But if you want to show you are on the cutting edge of C19 Tec this is clearly the place to be.

4) You can also fit Turbine Steam engines to your ships......at £100,000 each and taking a year to build they effectively double the length of time it takes to raise your new war ship. But they allow ships double movement so Nippon to the Far East or Indea in one month rather than two.

In tactical use still slower than sailing ships with the wind but faster than normal steam powered Ironclads.

In Scrabble the British are known to have to have Steam Turbines and their great luxury liners race for prizes like the blue riband and to take the great and good from Britannia to New York or Bombay in the height of comfort. While their Battleships dominate the sea's while drapping debs over their guns for fashion shoots without getting them covered in coal dust.

The Rossians are also known to have tried to fit steam turbines to submarines in effort to improve their range. But the additional weight contributed too their inability to surface.

- Details of Turbine Steam Engines, various flying machines and Eddison power plants tend to be printed at the back of the Britannic Times on a fairly regular basis.

Thank you for the Information Stuart, just what I was looking for.

A Question on Diplomats;

Do you get a notification on the Turn Sheet if they have been successful in gaining an ally? Nippon Ambassador in Tabasco according to the Newspaper has an ally ,( admittedly it may well be that he has allied to a faction that is not actually in government )

So the question is under normal circumstances when you make friends & allies with the Legitimate Government of a province do you get notification of your diplomats success?

J Flower wrote:A Question on Diplomats;

Do you get a notification on the Turn Sheet if they have been successful in gaining an ally? Nippon Ambassador in Tabasco according to the Newspaper has an ally ,( admittedly it may well be that he has allied to a faction that is not actually in government )

So the question is under normal circumstances when you make friends & allies with the Legitimate Government of a province do you get notification of your diplomats success?  

Allies of the HEIC do not show up on its Turn Sheet as allies just as a mention in the newspaper. So I tend to build railways, telegraph lines and networks of schools with cricket grounds in all territories the HEIC is allied with and these do show up on my sheet. And thus act as a reminder of who is a spiffing chap and who is a possible bounder who may need shooting.

Scrabble has shown up and for Naval types and in particular players who seem to believe news should be divided up into "Important news about the Russian Navy" and "not very important - other stuff" the big story was:

- IT WAS A TERRIBLE MONTH FOR CRUISERS

First cruiser to go glug was the French Cruiser the Jeanne D'Arc sunk in a Typhoon which also stopped a French Naval landing in Oxaco.  Victor Hugo will no doubt blame this loss on French Admirals mucking around in the Pacific rather than helping their Ottoman allies.  Not that the Ottoman War with Germania and Rossia was any kinder on Cruisers.

Knowing that Admiral Piri Reis was now at sea with his lineships and posed a danger to the German Invasion force, but if he abandoned the blockade of Istamboul the Ottoman Cruisers based in this port would pose a perhaps worse risk.  Admiral Napenin of the Imperial Rossian Navy split his forces to try to deal with both risks.  While five Dairen Ironclads from the Rossian far east attacked Istamboul and the Ottoman Cruisers the rest of the fleet lead by the cruiser Kiev went looking for the troop convey and the Ottoman Lineships.

Attack on Ottoman Cruisers suffered damage when the defenders blew up a captured German merchant ship full of High Explosives but was otherwise a Rossian Naval Victory with the three Ottoman Cruisers blown up or sunk in the harbour.

Meanwhile at sea Admiral Reis found the German Troops ships escorted by Admiral Razvozov and the cruiser Minsk ahead of the Rossian fleet and ordered an attack.  It was expected not least by the rest of the Rossian Fleet that Admiral Razvozov would seek to evade the attack and lead the Ottoman pusuit onto the guns of the main Russian forces.

The fact that Admiral Reis ships had been in a major battle the month before lead to a belief that the Minsk and a majority of the transports would stay ahead of the pursuit esp if the long range guns of the Minsk could engage ship leading pursuit.  And if a few hired ships full of German Troops went down would STAVKA the Rossian High Command be that bothered?......probably not.

But instead the stupidly (?) brave and heroic Admiral Razvozov and the good ship Minsk decided to make sure all the transports got away and in the very finest traditions of the Russian Navy "We sink ships" charged the 19 Ottoman Lineships before finally sinking below the waves under a hell of Ottoman round shot with her double Eagle standard still flying.

Ref the "not very important - other stuff" which does not include Russians sinking ships. Other events covered in the October 1862 issue of the Britannic Times include:

1) The Government of Lord Derby got its reduction in corporation tax to 7% passed by the House of Commons but the house rejected some of the Governments amendments in favour of charitable donations. No doubt the poor, oppressed shareholders and directors of corporations like the HEIC, Tea Cartel & the Albion Corp will be suitably impressed by the reduction in their crushing tax burden. Any donations to reflect this can be sent to the Tory Party C/o Lord Derby, The House of Lords, London, W1

2) When not looking at their tax bills the great and the good in Britannia spent month doing great and good type things which included orphans and toadying to the Queen. Lord Derby and chums did find time to make comments to the press about the island of Sri Lanka and French proposals for a European Union. Basically Lord Derby wants local leaders in Sri Lanka to stop knocking down telegraph poles and do what they are told. As for a French lead European Union he seems to want free trade with it while not being a member.

3) What the French and other members of their union will think of allowing free trade to British Hong’s who use cheap colonial labour and raw materials and have just been given a huge tax cut and commercial advantage by Lord Derby is not yet known. But in Versailles Alaxandre Dupuy has stopped responding to the name of Nigel while in Italia King Victor Emmanuel was just about to catch a train to Paris when he cancelled the trip at the last minute.

4) Perhaps also linked to the French ambition to unite Europe into one trade block. The Japanese have set up a manufacturing base in Germania located at the Berlin Oil Manufacturing Building (BoMb for short) while the Kaiser has recalled Baron von Bismarck to represent Germania at trade talks in Paris. Which was a little bit vexing to our hero who had just made it to Tsing-Tao.

5) What the Empire of Rossia thinks of French plans for a European Union is not known. Probably because the Rossians still trying to figure out which bits will be inside the customs union and which bits outside. What is known however is that this month was a bad one for Rossian characters. As well as the sunk Admiral the tortured body of the famous Rossian engineer Alaxander Tolsky was found dumped at the gates of Pusan-nan.

6) Is the murder of Alexander Tolsky the work of Dr Fu-Manchu? The Doctor spent month holding a secret meeting (which still got into the papers) with Si-Fan leaders and made threats about opening his little black book. Meeting had to be in a secret location as the Albion Corporation is now offering £300,000 for the Doctor in connection with the murder of their engineer Mr Spelding. What exactly has the Doctor got against Engineers? And will the Rossian Government match the offer of the British Opium Lords?

7) Or is the killing of the Rossian engineer just a reflection of local discontent with the Czar slowly taking over Siberia? Also reflected in local school children in Slavya going on strike and asking “what have the Russians ever done for us?”. Doubt if the Rossian authorities will be that bothered by children being keen to get out of school and help their parents with work in the winter fields of Siberia.

- On actual Siberian battlefields armed opposition to the Czar seems to be rather less vigorous with the Rossian Army finally taking control of Nagnim this month. If the Czar and his merry men do fight their way to total victory in Siberia this may benefit sales of its new patterns by the Kanikaze House of Silk in Vladivostock.

Keeping with the theme of it being a hard game for engineers – Thomas Glover and his cook were washed ashore on the rocky coast of Diablo when the Japanese Merchant Steamer they were on was driven onto rocks by the same Typhoon was gave the French Fleet a problem. On the plus side they have gained a hat!

9) Even though they were mentioned by the Great Lord Derby himself not a lot actually seems to have happened on the Island of Sri Lanka. Troops of the Sultan Bandaran of Kandy and the Tea Cartel lead by Major-General Nigel Cavendish continue to face each other off while diplomacy continues.

- A possible distraction to these talks are messages from the north of the island and Sir John Nicholson listing a long list of promises he has made in Lord Flexner name to the good people of Trincom and wanting to know if Sultan Bandaran or Nigel want a game of cricket or Polo​? Meanwhile most of Sir John men are resting on northern beaches watching beach cricket, polo in the surf and over tipping waiting staff who bring them drinks in coconuts….its tough in the HEIC!

- Sultan Bandaran military may think they can take the Colombo troops but face the Poona Light Horse and other John Company troops afterwards? Esp if they are upset at being dragged off a really nice beach to get their equipment all covered in blood and smoke again!!

10) On the mainland of Indea it was more of the same, one archaeologist almost drowned himself in a Bombay boating accident but no one got shot. Life just continued in its usual swirl of insults (Gov of Bombay called Jaipur a hick town), strikes (Jaipur again) and legal cases. Major legal questions included decision of Queen Yehonala and a Durbar in Rawipindi to send the “Alexandrians” back to Macedonia. Also a demand that Lord Henry Temple as CEO of the HEIC that he over rules proper legal procedure and the sacred red tape of the HEIC so Nagesh Singh is not sent back to Bima and have to appeal from their.

- Some Strikers even insisted that they would not allow Nagesh to be taken away and that they would make a bonfire of HEIC red tape. You could almost hear the tea and crumpets being dropped and the click of rifles.

11) Tobasco is now an ally of Nippon

12) A French Bishop claims to have got a message from God in the Deserts of North Africa and has now retreated for 40 days and 40 nights to consider the message. Perhaps he is trying to figure out how to inform Paris that God is an Englishman?

13) The French have found a captive aeronautics engineer in Tripoli Prison. Since its not clear if Monsieur Giffard was locked up under the 3rd Republic, 2nd Empire, Islamic Empire or the 4th Republic and if he is entitled to one of the pardons passed following the changes of government they decided to let him out anyway. Monsieur Giffard may be a little bit mad following his long captivity but that may just be normal for an engineer who wants to fly and has a history of head injury after crashing into trees, mountains, lakes, buildings etc

14) The Royal Indian Rangers still looking for the Duke of Hamilton in Sira. They have not found him in fact they found no one and have actually lost a ten strong colour party which was putting up a flag to claim this empty land for the HEIC and the British Crown

"11) Tobasco is now an ally of Nippon" Interesting, Feels more like a Rebel / Freedom Fighter( Depending on viewpoint) Has made contact with the Ambassador of the Empire of the Rising Sun. Or is he really El President ?

Tad concerned that Mr Glover & Wie Sin Ding seem to have survived the ship wreck, but no mention of Mr Glovers friend Eric, could Eric be lost at sea?

Seems the Naughty Doctor has been up to no good, it is all going to end in tears I fear. Just a question of whose.

It is nice to see Russian naval traditions have spread to all corners of the Agema Gaming Empire "We Sink Ships "