Chapter 146
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 146
Chapter Title: The Duke of Canada
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The year 1842, a memorable one for the British Empire in many ways, came to a close, and a new year dawned.
The unprecedented event of the Queen's visit to a colony had hit a snag and escalated into the Mexican-American War, but in the end, the British Empire reaped virtually all the benefits.
As this news belatedly spread throughout Britain via the newspapers, the citizens of the Empire, filled with another surge of national pride, flocked to pubs in groups.
[The Majesty of the British Empire, Swallowing America! Canada, Now Larger Than India!]
[His Highness the Prince Consort, Conqueror of the New World After Asia!]
[The Entire Pacific in the Hands of the British Empire! The True Meaning of the Treaty of Kingston!]
The *Morning Post*, which James had acquired under Killian's orders, went so far as to print a rough map right on the front page and distribute it throughout London.
After all, talking endlessly about Oregon or Alaska was no match for the simple clarity of a map.
To show just how much British Canada had expanded, the *Morning Post* even included a rough size comparison of Great Britain and India next to the map of Canada.
Already reigning as Europe's greatest power, the British Empire had secured India and, through the war with the Qing Dynasty, emerged as the undisputed hegemon in Asia.
In the Americas, however, it was hard to deny that they had lost the upper hand with the independence of the United States.
Therefore, the fact that they had regained influence there was highly significant.
Besides, even without any prior knowledge, a single glance at the map made it glaringly obvious that the British Empire now controlled the entire Pacific coast.
Above all, the sheer, staggering size of Canada's landmass had such an impact that the common citizens were even more enthusiastic about this achievement than the intellectuals.
"I heard the new territory alone is bigger than our entire country, is that right?"
"Bigger? They say it's several times larger, even if you include Ireland!"
"Wait, America and Mexico fought the war, but we ended up with the most land? What in the world happened?"
"They say His Highness the Prince Consort handled it. Isn't that to be expected? They sent him to resolve the trade dispute with the Qing, and he ended up turning all the prime ports into British territory."
"When you think about it, Her Majesty the Queen really married well, didn't she? She certainly has an eye for men."
Then as now, the simplest and most effective way to capture the public's adoration is territorial expansion.
Why else would people be so enthralled by countless conquering monarchs?
The economic ripple effects of this expanded territory? The tangible benefits?
Of course, future scholars and contemporary intellectuals would consider all that, but most people are thrilled by the simple fact that their country's territory has grown.
This tendency was even stronger in cases like this, with intuitive phrases like 'the new land is several times the size of the British mainland' or 'British Canada is now larger than India'.
When Disraeli and Palmerston returned to the home country, this fervent praise was at its peak.
Judging it the perfect time, Disraeli reported the outcome of the negotiations to Parliament, openly highlighting Killian's achievements.
"Honorable members of Parliament, as I have said, Lord Palmerston and I played virtually no significant role in this matter. Therefore, I will not claim that the credit for the Treaty of Kingston belongs to the ruling Conservative Party. I trust that Lord Palmerston, who attended as a representative of the Whig Party, feels the same."
"I concur. In this affair, Mr. Disraeli and I merely carried out the requests of His Highness the Prince Consort. The one who actually pressured and persuaded Mexico and the United States, who purchased that vast territory from Mexico for a mere 2.5 million pounds, and who resolved the Oregon border dispute all at once—the credit belongs entirely to His Highness."
Palmerston had said this to prevent the immense success in Canada from being credited to the Conservative Party, but if neither the Conservatives nor the Whigs had any real influence, the conclusion was singular.
The Treaty of Kingston was, from start to finish, the result of Killian Gore's individual brilliance.
Having established this as an undeniable fact in Parliament, Disraeli cleared his throat and began a lengthy speech.
"Honorable members, I trust none of you are unaware of what this achievement signifies, of the immense opportunity it brings us. Nevertheless, should any further explanation be needed, allow me to say that we have now secured not only the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, but the Pacific as well. In other words, it has become far easier to expand our influence toward Asia in the future.
Not only that, but we are now able to naturally check the United States' ambition of swallowing all of North America and extending its reach to the Pacific!"
"But in any case, did we not purchase Alaska and the Pacific coast with our own money?"
"Alaska was purchased by the Royal Family with private investments, so not a single penny of tax money was spent. And reports are already coming in from Canada; I am sure many members here have heard that the amount of resources pouring out of Alaska is extraordinary."
"I have heard talk of immense coal deposits. The exact amount has not yet been determined, I presume?"
"The precise scale is unknown, of course, but it is said to be on a level that rivals any other land held by the British Empire. And resources of incomparable value, even next to coal, are also being discovered."
There were not many resources more important than coal, for which demand was growing daily.
Disraeli himself had been astonished when he heard that gold had been found in Alaska.
But now was not the time to reveal this publicly, so he merely hinted at it.
"It is a relief that the new territory is not worthless. However, I sense that is not the main point you wish to make, Mr. Disraeli."
"Indeed. The important thing is how we develop and protect this valuable land. As the old saying goes, it is easier to conquer land than to hold it. Canada has now become an indispensable place that the British Empire must embrace and protect."
Due to its inherent limitation as an island nation, the British Empire had long staked its survival on seizing and defending strategic points abroad.
Gibraltar, south of Spain, was a prime example.
It was an undeniable fact that the possession of Gibraltar played a significant role in allowing the British Empire to act as the de facto ruler of the Atlantic.
And was not the Empire's vigilance against Russia also due to the potential threat they posed to India?
If Canada had become such a treasure trove of resources and the key to controlling the Pacific, it had to be protected at all costs.
At Disraeli's impassioned speech, members of both parties nodded in agreement, offering no significant dissent.
After all, this was not a measure solely for the benefit of the Conservatives. Protecting Canada served the national interests of the British Empire while simultaneously checking the United States—a way to kill two birds with one stone.
Therefore, there was naturally no reason to oppose it.
"However, through this recent incident, I have come to realize one certain fact: the United States will never abandon its ambition for territorial expansion. When His Highness the Prince Consort was purchasing the entire Pacific region from Mexico, the Americans intervened, offering to pay more than three times the price to have it sold to them instead. This alone makes their desires perfectly clear."
Gladstone frowned, feeling this was fearmongering.
"Are you suggesting the United States might attack Canada to secure the Pacific? That would mean war with the British Empire. They may be greedy, but they are not foolish."
"Of course, there is no such concern at present. I am speaking of the distant future, decades from now. Lord Palmerston, you will recall this from your conversations with His Highness."
Suddenly singled out, Palmerston scratched his head for a moment before nodding.
"Yes. It was a line of reasoning I found quite plausible at the time."
"You see, His Highness feared a time when the balance of power in Europe might shatter. Frankly, who is to say another man like Napoleon will not emerge? Even without such a figure, Russia has not abandoned its expansionist ambitions. If Russia were to one day plunge Europe into the flames of war again, and the United States chose that moment to push west to expand its territory, would we have the capacity to defend it?"
"Russia is certainly a variable."
Indeed, as the Great Game between the British Empire and Russia intensified, predictions were already emerging that a major conflict could erupt at any time.
"Furthermore, His Highness expressed concern that if Germany were to unify, it could become a power greater than France, and that such a time might once again engulf Europe in war."
"That seems a bit... the German states will never unify. If they could, they would have done so long ago."
"I, too, believe it to be an excessive worry, but has history not always been filled with events that were dismissed as impossible? The point is, situations where the British Empire is too focused on European affairs to spare troops for elsewhere can certainly arise in the future. Therefore, we must elevate Canada to a level where it can, at the very least, check the United States on its own."
"But if the colony becomes too powerful..."
"Was it not that very perspective that led to the great rebellion of the United States and their separation from the British Empire? A repeat of the failure with the United States must never, ever happen again."
At the mention of the British Empire's most painful chapter, Gladstone let out a soft sigh and did not press his counterargument.
Instead, he shifted his line of questioning to focus on the practicalities of how Canada could be developed.
"Canada currently has vast lands and infinite potential, but it utterly lacks the population to support it. Without a sufficient population, it will be difficult to match the growth of the United States, no matter what we do."
"Which is precisely why we must actively promote an immigration policy."
"Of course, settling the Irish and Black populations to secure a basic number of inhabitants was the best choice. But the absolute numbers are still far from sufficient, are they not?"
"That is why His Highness insists we must also actively accept immigrants from Asia. He was confident of good results, stating that he has already prepared sufficient bait to attract them. And we must not forget to form the best possible relations with the native peoples already living there, to integrate them as well."
Until now, the things Killian said he would do had not just mostly, but *all* ended well.
If he said it would be so this time as well, they had little choice but to trust him, but there was one problem.
"However... is not His Highness's term as Plenipotentiary Ambassador about to expire?"
"Indeed. In my opinion, pushing forward with an immigration policy would be too much. No, even before that, the newly acquired lands must be stabilized. If His Highness is moved to a position no longer related to Canada, I predict there will be considerable chaos. I subtly inquired with the Governor-General, and he said he could never handle it alone. It would be one thing if it were only immigrants from the mainland, but the majority of people living in Canada now have no connection to England."
"That is understandable. The people from the British mainland will mostly be of Irish descent, the rest will be Black, and in the future, you said you will accept Asian immigrants. It would be a headache to figure out how to assimilate them all."
"Then the answer is clear. The English immigrants, the Irish immigrants, the Black population, and the Asians who will pour in in the future. Forcibly binding them all together is practically impossible. Would it not be more important to present a symbolic figure whom they can all trust and follow? As I see it, there is only one person who can fill this role."
Naturally, there was no one in this chamber so obtuse as to not know who that one person was.
Not only does he have the absolute support of the Irish and Black communities, but half the blood in his veins is that of an Asian royal family.
Who could be more suitable to become a symbolic figure for Asian immigrants within the British Empire?
"Then we should extend His Highness's term as Plenipotentiary Ambassador indefinitely..."
"That alone is insufficient. Plenipotentiary Ambassador to Canada—a fine title, certainly, but does it not lack symbolic weight? Therefore, though it goes against tradition, I propose we create the new title of Duke of Canada and subordinate the role of Plenipotentiary Ambassador to it."
"Then it would not be an ordinary title. In effect, though he would be called a Duke, he would be no different from a European king, would he not? That is too much."
"Not at all. The Plenipotentiary Ambassador would not wield all power alone; we can fix the role as one that sets the direction while entrusting practical matters to the Governor-General of Canada and officials recommended in equal number by both parties. His Highness is taking the lead now because his abilities are so outstanding. In any case, once he returns to the home country, the practical administration of Canada will inevitably fall to the local officials."
"...That is true."
In the end, Disraeli's proposal was to create a symbol that could embrace all immigrants in a Canada that was transforming into a nation of immigrants.
And if that symbol was the Prince Consort of the British Royal Family, there could be no more effective policy for local assimilation.
Besides, if Killian were to die, the new title of Duke of Canada would pass to his son—and who was his son?
The next king of the British Empire.
"Bestowing titles is originally the right of Her Majesty, but I believe creating an unprecedented colonial title requires the consent of Parliament, which is why I am proposing it here first. So that Canada may remain a part of the British Empire not just for ten years, but for a hundred, two hundred years to come! Now is the time for this Parliament to take the necessary action!"
"I agree!"
"We must never cede the Pacific to the United States. The Pacific must belong solely to our British Empire!"
A thunderous wave of applause erupted.
With even Palmerston having acknowledged that Canada was best left in Killian's hands, no one from the Whig Party voiced opposition.
It was not the home country, after all, and the colonies already had a position like Governor-General, so there was little resistance to the idea.
However, what synergistic effect the creation of the new title of Duke of Canada, the development of Canada, and the flood of immigrants would bring about in the distant future was something that not even Disraeli, let alone Palmerston or Gladstone, could foresee.