Chapter 145
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 145
Chapter Title: British Dominion of Canada (2)
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“Booo! The incompetent president must resign immediately!”
“The South must abolish slavery!”
“The North must guarantee the freedom of the states!”
“This is all because of barbaric slavery! Abolish slavery now!”
“Slavery is a tradition of the United States! Let us defend our traditions!”
Day after day, the number of protestors creating a racket on the streets only grew, showing no signs of dwindling.
The United States failed to properly address this unprecedented and shocking political vacuum.
John Tyler had abruptly left a shocking record in history: the first vice president to be elevated to the presidency had resigned before completing his term.
And now that even the vice president who had become president had quit, how was this chaos supposed to be managed?
Of course, there was a law.
According to the current law enacted in 1792, the line of succession after the vice president fell to the President of the Senate, but since no one had ever anticipated such a situation, not a single person was capable of handling matters properly.
With the president gone, the vice president became president. So, did the President of the Senate now become president?
Or was the President of the Senate merely the acting president, not to be called president at all?
No one offered a clear answer. Everyone was too busy blaming each other to think about setting the country right, failing to present a blueprint for the future.
It was understandable.
The United States had suffered a tremendous loss of prestige from this incident, and an unbridgeable emotional chasm had formed between the North and the South.
But that was precisely why. In a situation like this, wasn't a leader with firm convictions needed to hold the center of this country?
Abraham Lincoln—who, thanks to this exposé, had instantly risen to become a leading politician in the North and a villain in the South who deserved to be torn limb from limb—watched the citizens and congressmen fighting at opposite extremes and renewed his vow.
He had once considered it a distant dream, but now that this incident had given him a favorable wind, it was no longer so far-fetched.
As quickly as possible.
I will become the president of this country and make the divided United States one again.
***
With the signing of the treaty that would later be called the Kingston Treaty, the long and drawn-out territorial dispute in the New World entered a temporary lull.
I described it as a lull because, while others might not know, I knew very well this was not the end.
It wasn't just because Canada, unlike in the original history, had swallowed California and the Oregon region whole.
Texas, which should have joined the United States, still maintained its independence as a republic, and parts of New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado also remained in Mexican hands.
For the United States, which was bound to grow even stronger, there was no way it would leave these yet-unclaimed territories alone.
In fact, the reason I hadn't bothered to buy those additional regions from Mexico was to create a buffer zone against a United States crazed with territorial expansion.
Even for Americans, who were mad for land, if they had to choose between fighting the British Empire and Mexico, the choice would be obvious, wouldn't it?
For now, they would be busy putting their house in order, but once they were done, there was a 1000 percent chance they would turn their eyes outward.
When that time comes, if I throw Mexico to the ravenous United States, we can buy a little more time.
In other words, no matter how you looked at it, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas were destined to fall into the hands of the United States.
But from my perspective, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
The truth was, while it wasn't a problem now, if our economy continued to grow in the distant future, sharing a long border with Mexico would become an unwelcome situation.
After all, we would inevitably face the same problem of illegal immigrants crossing the border that the 21st-century United States had experienced.
So, in the current state of affairs, if the United States seized Mexican land and came to share a border with Mexico, the first wave of refugees would all be directed toward the American side.
The United States could deal with the illegal immigration problem, while the British Empire and Canada could rest easy.
Anyway... looking at the map, a pleased smile spread across my face as I took in the immense size of it all.
“...Looking at it like this, it’s become ridiculously large.”
“Yes. It was decided that along with purchasing Alaska and the California region, we would also acquire Rupert's Land in the north. But looking at it now, Canada has grown astonishingly large. Isn't this much bigger than India?”
“It’s incomparably larger. Of course, if you exclude the useless frozen lands of the north, the amount of usable territory decreases significantly, but most of the lands we’ve acquired this time are perfectly habitable. So, in a practical sense, you could say it’s bigger than India.”
Disraeli and Palmerston were looking at a world map recently commissioned by the British Royal Family and the Navy, on which the territory I had gained through negotiations was marked as part of Canada. They couldn't stop exclaiming in admiration.
Even I found the territory vast and beautiful; I could only imagine how they saw it.
It was as if Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, and Utah had been added to the existing Canada. The sheer presence on the map was overwhelming.
“Your Highness, the territory you’ve incorporated into the British Empire this time is, by itself, far larger than the British mainland including Ireland. And if you add Alaska to that... I daresay British Canada may have become larger than the British mainland and all its other colonies combined.”
“Even I didn't expect it to turn out this well.”
“Looking at it now, I see it was an excellent decision to purchase Alaska. With this, the western part of North America has become completely British, has it not? I’ve also heard that various mineral resources have recently been discovered in Alaska. Surely Your Highness didn't predict that as well…?”
“Not at all. I am no god; how could I have known all that? I simply dedicated myself to the national interest of the British Empire, and I suppose God saw my devotion and answered with abundant resources.”
Though it wasn't yet known in the British mainland, the fact that an enormous amount of coal was buried in Alaska was slowly spreading throughout Canada.
However, when the land was bought from Russia, most of the resources found there were to belong to the Royal Family and the private investors who had paid for the purchase, so those who would profit were already decided.
Of course, the citizens didn't criticize me or the Royal Family for this.
On the contrary, the majority saw it as a blessing from God bestowed upon the Royal Family for spending their own funds to drive out the Russians, and they offered their congratulations.
However, Palmerston did voice some concern about Canada continuing on this path of unchecked growth.
“But, Your Highness. If Canada continues to grow like this for another ten or twenty years, it will become the most prominent of all the British Empire's colonies. And if fifty or a hundred years pass, Canada alone might possess an economy nearly equal to that of the mother country.”
“I imagine it will, won't it?”
“In that case, various controversies could arise over how the mother country should treat Canada. Given the precedent of the United States, voices within Canada might even call for independence.”
When a colony grows large enough to rival its mother country, it's only natural for talk to start.
Moreover, Canada was increasingly taking the shape of a multi-ethnic, immigrant nation, with a continuous influx of Irish and Black immigrants rather than just British settlers.
To cover that ridiculously vast land, it would be necessary to draw immigrants from Asia as well, so this trend would only intensify in the future, never weaken.
In other words, if this trend continued, Canada was highly likely to become a very heterogeneous type of colony, one the British Empire had never managed before.
In fact, I was intentionally making it that way.
“It is still a matter for the distant future, but as you say, we do need to start thinking about it now. However, you need not worry too much. I will do my best to lay the groundwork during my time as Plenipotentiary to Canada.”
“But when Your Highness’s term ends, the person who succeeds you…”
As Palmerston showed a troubled reaction, Disraeli, who had been listening quietly, interjected with a smirk.
“Why worry about such a thing? We can simply extend His Highness’s position as Plenipotentiary to Canada indefinitely. I shall submit a bill as soon as I return.”
“Indefinite extension? Does that mean His Highness would have to remain in Canada permanently?”
“No. The important thing is to place someone who can be the center of Canada in a suitable position. Once that position is established, Canada will run itself. Don't we just need to make them feel that this country exists as a part of the British Empire?”
“So you mean to establish His Highness the Prince Consort as a symbolic figure.”
“Alternatively, we could consider creating a title for the colony, as other countries do. If we were to honor His Highness the Prince Consort with a title like Grand Duke of Canada, the Canadian people would be pleased, we would be reassured, and wouldn't it be a happy ending for everyone?”
Currently, unlike in other countries, the British peerage system did not include titles named after colonial regions.
Therefore, if the British Empire were to grant a title like Grand Duke of Canada, named after a colony for the first time, it would certainly set it apart from other places, and wouldn't the local people also see it as something special?
As expected of the man who made Victoria the Empress of India in the original history, his mind works well in these matters.
“But as they say, give an inch and they'll take a mile. If this special treatment continues, Canada might start making demands that cross the line.”
“Demands that cross the line?”
“For example, they might demand voting rights, or incorporation into the mother country, or something of that sort.”
“For it to reach that point, Canada would at least need an economy on par with the mother country's. When that time comes, we will need to re-evaluate our colonial policy from various angles, but I see no need to be afraid so soon. Besides, though it was unintentional, isn't the heir to the British Empire due to be born in Canada? If we use this, we can form an even deeper bond between Canada and the mother country.”
At Disraeli’s eloquent argument, Palmerston ultimately fell silent, offering no further objections.
Mmm, excellent. He said exactly what I wanted to say.
The truth is, it would look bad if I were to ask for such a thing myself, so I needed someone to take the lead. With Disraeli championing the cause, it couldn't be more convenient.
Canada's prestige will continue to rise endlessly, and my influence as the face of Canada will grow in direct proportion.
Whether it's Plenipotentiary for life or Grand Duke of Canada, the name doesn't matter.
Canada was now inextricably linked to the British Royal Family and to me, and I would soon become the very face of this nation.
And that position would be inherited by the child Victoria and I would have here.
The moment that child ascends to the throne of the British Empire, Great Britain, Ireland, and Canada will be perfectly united in the truest sense.
In that case, shall I go hear the doctor's opinion on how our child, born with such a momentous destiny, is growing?
The stable period of her pregnancy had long passed, and as time went on, Victoria's belly grew more prominent than I had expected, so I was consulting the doctor regularly.
I had already decided on names depending on whether the child was a boy or a girl. All that was left was for the baby to be born healthy.
That should have been all...
“Your Majesty, and Your Highness. Um... I cannot say for certain, and it is something we will only know for sure at birth, so I am hesitant to say, but…”
“...?”
One day, after a regular check-up, the doctor trailed off, looking troubled. Victoria's and my expressions grew heavy.
What is it? Could there be a problem with the baby?
Could it be what I had worried about? No. With the technology of this era, there was no way to know the exact condition of an unborn child.
Or perhaps an experienced doctor could tell whether a fetus had a disability?
“Is there some kind of problem with the child…?”
“Ah, no, not at all. You need not worry about that. It’s just that, in the current state, it’s not certain, so I am cautious about mentioning it…”
The doctor, trailing off again, scratched his head and continued in a somewhat unconfident tone.
“It seems that... the fetus in the womb is not alone.”
“...Hm?”
“So, what you’re saying is…”
“Yes.”
The doctor glanced at Victoria's belly and nodded.
“Just in case, I consulted other physicians, and most of them were in agreement. It seems they are twins.”
As if on cue, Victoria and I looked at each other and blinked.
Does this mean not one, but two members of this country's royalty would be born in Canada?
I hadn't considered a situation like this.
I had only considered the case of a son or a daughter. Now I had to think about twin sons or twin daughters.
Victoria and I immediately put our heads together and began a discussion to decide on names for the new babies.
And just like that, Canada suddenly faced an unexpected double celebration that no one had foreseen.