America - Albion's Orphan - A history of the conquest of Britain - 1760

[Alt History Buff]

1810 - Summer

Russian America

Over the first decade of the 19th century, the Russian migration to Russian America picked up modestly. While the initial reason for the colony was originally fur trading (diminishing on a yearly basis), the bounty of the region would encourage the Czar to continue settling the region. By 1810, over 59,000 Russians were spread across the coastline of North America. Few tended to migrate too far inland but there were the occasional pioneer communities entering the hinterlands.

Unfortunately, as with virtually any meeting of cultures, the spread of disease severely damaged the local sedentary Indian peoples. Unlike in Alyeska, the Russians often maintained good relations with these peoples but the death of so many would wound this particular relationship.

California

After the defeat of the British Empire in 1763, the Spanish Empire would do little to settle the remote (and, to their minds, worthless) northern regions of New Spain. This cost the Empire greatly as the Americans spread across the Mississippi into Tejas and across the plains all the way to Santa Fe. Much of the land east of the Rockies was now granted to British North America.

It would be obvious to any who thought about it that putting as many Spanish citizens in California would better protect it from incursion. However, both the rebel government of Valladolid and the Imperial government in Puebla would have more important things to worry about.

But this did not mean that the Spanish locals were not slowly filtering into California (particularly San Diego). Many came as refugees merely seeking an escape from the war convulsing New Spain. Sonora and Nuevo Vizcaya similarly saw a sudden influx of population.

Indiana Territory

One of the handful of territories east of the Mississippi, Indiana, would reach sufficient population and development as to be elevated to Dominion Status.

Rumor had it that Michigan, Miami, East Florida, Caledonia and Aethiopia may follow within the decade.

Alevistan

Augmented by Russian troops, the eastern Anatolian regions most associated with Alevism would form its own government independent of the Porte. Alevis from the rest of Anatolia would flee east while the Sunni Turks would often be pushed west. Like Transylvania and Serbia, there was a mass movement of humanity along religious or ethnic lines.

Luzon and Mindanao

Though less dramatic than in Anatolia, there was a steady migration of Han to Luzon and Mindanao, the former domains of Spain (as part of the Philippines). Chinese already dominated Manila. In short order, they would control the larger coastal towns of both major islands.

 

[Alt History Buff]

1810 - Fall

Manhattan

The economy of British North America would recover quickly after the long (and largely pointless) Spanish-American war. The new territories conceded to America were so remote (the western plains) or worthless (the Bahama islands) as to have no immediate impact upon America's economy. Indeed, many felt "Mr. Adams' war" was fought more to prove to the world that America was a power in its own right rather than having any tangible benefit.

Fortunately, the nation's finances had been on sound footing prior to the war and the nation's debt wasn't overwhelming. The loss of trade was almost more difficult to navigate than the physical costs to the war.

The new First Lord of the Treasury, John Jay, was now in his mid-sixties and hardly expected to be the leader of the government for long. Already, younger men were angling for his position. But, for the moment, Jay was in command and had no intention of being bullied by his own Ministers.

Well-respected in Manhattan, Jay wanted to make sure his own legacy would be remembered. Thus, Jay would propose a daring referendum upon the existence of slavery. He proposed a definitive time-line for the end of slavery in the Kingdom of British North America. In truth, Jay was willing to compromise on the details but wanted a "written in stone" date when the odious institution were to end. Several of his Ministers, including the similarly aging Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton and John Laurens, would whole-heartedly support the legislation.

Jay would taken the precaution of speaking with King Frederick first and, receiving the King's promise to support the Ministry's decision (and sign any approved legislation), Jay proposed a radical solution. He would propose to Parliament....JUST FOR CONSIDERATION....a 10 year timeline after which all slaves in the Kingdom were to be freed. As an enticement and attempt to be fair to the southern land barons whom invested a huge amount in human capital, he would go a step further and offer $50 for the liberation of any slave freed PRIOR to this date.

This last would prove somewhat controversial by the radical Abolitionists whom not only desired IMMEDIATE liberation but were aghast at the idea of rewarding slave-holders by PAYING them for their crime of holding men in bondage. Similarly, the slave-holding elites would rail against the idea as contrary to the Magna Carta (and the Bill of Rights) as confiscation of property.

Jay attempts to thread the needle would see criticism from BOTH sides.

Naturally, there was an enormous turmoil in Parliament, with many wondering why Jay was bringing such a controversial issue to the fore. Slavery appeared to be dying off anyway, why not just let it die a natural death?

The South Carolinians in particular felt they were being singled out and eagerly pointed out that the Dominion's exports of rice, indigo and cotton disproportionately affected the nation's balance of trade while the burgeoning textile mills of the north were largely supported by the institution of slavery. If there was ever a case of hypocritical behavior, this was it. However, the common American textile worker, while admitting their livelihoods depended upon cotton, would nevertheless almost uniformly back abolition.

Many Parliamentarians, whom had no dog in this fight, simply wanted the issue to go away so they could concentrate upon their own concerns. But Jay, at the risk of his majority, would steadfastly remain on target for manumission and his cabinet supported him. Young Parliamentary leaders like Andrew Jackson, John Calhoun, John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay would support the case for their own reasons (Jackson and Calhoun largely out of hatred toward the eastern Virginia slave-holders whom had led to the death of Samual Calhoun and Thomas Jefferson).

Eventually, enough moderates on the issues managed to force-through a compromise.

1. The date of full manumission would be pushed back to 1830. This would allow any slave-holder to "receive his return on investment" as 20 years greatly exceeded the expected useful life of a slave.
2. The cost of a "liberated" slave paid for by the nation would rise to $65 for any slave under the age of 40 and remain $50 for any slave over 40. This compensation would only be good through 1820.
3. Upon 1830, any slave remaining in bondage would be freed without encumbrance with no further compensation to the slave-holder (thus giving the slave-holders nearly two decades of service in theory per slave).

The expanded timeline also served to prevent any major annual hit to the budget of the Kingdom.

4. Though struck down in the courts, the Dominion laws restricting liberated slaves from residing within Dominion borders would remain in effect until 1830.
5. Any slaves liberated prior to this date would be "repatriated" back to Africa at national expense.
6. The Kingdom of British North America would subsidize the transport of European Christians whom desired, but could not afford, the passage to America in exchange for 4 year contracts of Indenture...provided that the terms of indenture were to the Dominions which were giving up their slaves.

Parliamentarians would rage back and forth over these terms. Some were outraged at any concession to slave-holders. Others fought any effort to restrict the social order of the south. Some southern slave-holders would secretly be happy to have a way out in which they may receive compensation of SOME sort for their slaves. The plague of escapees to the west was bankrupting some farmers.

Most flat-out didn't give a damn and just wanted the issue to go away.

By a thirty vote margin, Parliament passed the Act of Manumission, 1810.

It would NOT be the end of the matter as some plantation owners would decry the tyranny and mutter darkly about "independence" or rebellion.

 

[Alt History Buff]

1810 - August

Persia

After a generation of infighting, a truncated state would emerge from the Qajar dynasty. No longer part of Persia were the Baloches of the east, the Laristanis of the south, the Arabs of the southwest, the Turkmens of the northeast and the Shi'a Azeris of the northwest. After a decade of occupation, the Russian Army had withdrawn from Teheran bit by bit during the Balkan War (as the war with Austria was called) and when commitments to the closer Alevistan and Syria would demand Russian attention.

Exhausted, the Iranian peoples would retrench, almost cutting off the world. Among the first issues of the new Qajar Shah's list were ridding Persia of the remaining religious minorities (and racial minorities). Historically, the Christians, Jews, Mandaeans and Zoroastrians were tolerated for long periods between pograms. Even the Sunnis were often left alone. Most of the latter were now part of different nations but the tiny religious minorities soon fared very poorly.

Though they hardly presented a threat, the Shah opted to eject these peoples from Persia once and for all, leaving his nation "pure". Slaughtering them en masse may draw the ire of Russia, something the Shah wished to avoid. Instead, the property of these peoples were confiscated to pay for their "transportation" elsewhere, mostly to Mesopotamia. In truth, compared to other such forced migrations, relatively few of these minorities would be directly killed or die of various hardships while in transport. Most reached Baghdad in moderately good health, if not spirit.

However the King of Mesopotamia (a mix of Sunni and Shi'a Arabs, mostly) would not want a 100,000 new minorities in his Kingdom. Like the Shah, the King dared not slaughter them for fear of ending his support in Moscow (to whom he owed his throne). He sought a way to be rid of them and found a surprisingly eager destination.

With the end of slavery, the French West Indies had languished. Despite attempts to encourage European (particularly French) emigration, few people from the continent willingly chose to sail to the West Indies. Indeed, the largest single immigrant group had been those Gypsies dumped into the French West Indies by European monarchs happy to be rid of them. Once the Gypsy population began to wane, the labor shortage in Saint Domingue and other Caribbean islands became even more noticeable. When the Americans began debating emancipation the remainder of their own slaves (about 200,000 to 250,000 remained in bondage in America, the last nation in the west with legal slavery), the French Ambassador offered to transport as many as desired to work the fields of the Caribbean as "Free" labor. Eventually, some American Freedmen would migrate to the West Indies but seldom in great numbers.

When the King of Mesopotamia openly sought to "colonize" his unwanted immigrants somewhere, the French Colonial Office was elated. The French government offered to transport as many of these unwanted peoples to Saint Domingue as could find transport. Many of the Zorostrians and Mandaeans would migrate north to the Kurdistani lands where their co-religionists had long lived. But nearly 60,000 of the Persian-born would be forced upon ships to sail around Africa to port towns in Saint Domingue. Indeed, the whole process was so popular among the Mesopotamians that many of the Mesopotamian-born Jews, Christians, Mandaeans and Zorostrians would be forced on board as well, exiles from lands in which they'd dwelled for 3000 years. By the time, the Czar of Russia ordered the King to put an end to the process in 1818, nearly 90,000 Middle Easterners had departed for the pestilential hell of the American West Indies.

In truth, few of these peoples would take to the farms. Instead, these became the new merchant and tradesmen classes, often filling the same roles they had done under the Muslim regimes of the Middle East. Saint Domingue would quietly prosper as lowered trade barriers and a skilled workforce would make it the entrepot of the West Indies.

 

[Driftless]

In truth, few of these peoples would take to the farms. Instead, these became the new merchant and tradesmen classes, often filling the same roles they had done under the Muslim regimes of the Middle East. Saint Domingue would quietly prosper as lowered trade barriers and a skilled workforce

These changes appear to lead to a vastly different Ste. Domingue/Haiti than in our history.

 

[Alt History Buff]

These changes appear to lead to a vastly different Ste. Domingue/Haiti than in our history.

Yes, in recent TL's, I made the Near East a bizarre mix of ethno-religious tension. Here, I made Hispaniola the dumping ground of minorities.

 

[Alt History Buff]

1810 - September

Baton Rouge, Hanover Dominion

Private "James Smith" (AKA, Armstrong Hyman Thruston) had survived hostile Indians and cannibalism over the past years in his attempt to stay one step ahead of the law. Quietly reassigned to a Regiment in Hanover, the word of his involvement in the "Biddle Party" carnivorous escapades made him something of a legend among the common ranks and newspaper reporters frequently sought him out. As an attempted regicide whom had joined the army to find anonymity, this was not a good thing and "Smith" would frequently curse them away from him when approached in taverns. Indeed, the situation got so bad that Smith would avoid most taverns and wander out to the woods to get drunk alone. Naturally, this only increased his allure as reports of him stealing babies and consuming them at midnight were rampant.

After a particularly shoddy batch of moonshine was consumed with several mates whose presence he could tolerate, Smith ranted about the new legislation intended to slowly smother the institution of slavery. Though he'd never actually been part of the plantation owner class, Smith had aspired to be one of this society in time. Now...it appeared that this hope was dead.

Of course, his attempted regicide of King Frederick and accidental murder of General Washington might have been another reason for his dream failing to come to fruition. But Smith seldom dwelled upon that.

As none of his friends and hangers-on were interested in his political views (none of them came from "Slave Dominions" anyway and were either indifferent to or opposed to the institution), all would wander off to bed once the moonshine ran out.

Though Hanover was usually still stiflingly hot this time of year, there was an atypical cool this particular night and Smith had run out of firewood. He wandered over to the little creek feeding the Mississippi River (only about 500 yards to the west) in hopes of finding some fallen branches dry enough to maintain the flame. Presently, Smith felt the call of nature and lowered his trousers to relieve himself upon a large boulder sticking out of the water.

It wasn't until the boulder started to heave that he recognized his error. Years before, some intrepid scientists had encouraged the idea of importing "African River Cows" to the Mississippi to consume some of the ubiquitous weeds threatening so many of the mighty river's tributaries by making them unnavigable to small craft. Even the main body of the River often was so consumed by the pox that whole ships and rafts were trapped for days until the crews could cut their way out.

For the most part, the River Cows did their jobs. Unfortunately, the damned things were also about as ornery as any beast that walked the earth. Though not a predator, they seriously did not desire to be bothered. Dozens of attacks by the beasts would leave Americans dead or severely injured. Prohibitions upon killing the damned things were actually generally followed as the entirety of the Mississippi Basin communities knew that, without them, their precious artery of transportation may become completely bogged down in weeds. It helped that the things reportedly tasted terrible and a long-held joke that any American would prefer to consume their fellows than the River Cow would make the rounds in Smith's Regiment, usually when he could hear.

As it happened, this particular River Cow wasn't appreciative of being urinated upon and charged the drunken soldier with shocking speed, its gaping mouth open wide. With a shriek, Smith attempted to run but toppled backwards after belatedly realizing his trousers were still around his ankles. He never hit the ground. Just as he was falling, the River Cow's lunge struck the hapless soldier in the legs, cracking bone and propelling him nearly ten feet in the air. Smith's head struck a branch, knocking him senseless.

By the sheerest happenstance, Smith's body flipped at precisely the right angle to wrap him around the branch, folded neatly over it. This is how "James Smith" was found the following morning by his bemused sergeant whom had come looking for him: unconscious, two cracked tibias, his entire body folded over a branch 10 feet from the ground, trousers hanging from one foot, his bare bottom exposed to the Hanover morning sun (two hours exposure giving him quite the sunburn).

Eventually, the Sergeant would return with help (including several reporters whom sketched the comedic scene) and managed to get the man down. Smith would not wake up for three more hours, this time in the infirmary nursing a ghastly headache and two throbbing legs. Fortunately, some laudanum was available and the Private was able to drift back into slumber for the next two days.

 

[Driftless]

Yes, in recent TL's, I made the Near East a bizarre mix of ethno-religious tension. Here, I made Hispaniola the dumping ground of minorities.

The proverbial "Wretched Refuse" with little to lose in tight quarters in a challenging environment. That could be quite the explosive mix, or it could develop into a society of rough and tumble tolerance.

 

[Alt History Buff]

The proverbial "Wretched Refuse" with little to lose in tight quarters in a challenging environment. That could be quite the explosive mix, or it could develop into a society of rough and tumble tolerance.

It might help that most of these peoples were visible and oppressed minorities in their own regions (Freed Slaves, Roma, the assorted Persian Religious minorities, etc) for generations, if not thousands of years. Most tend to stay to their own (interbreeding would be largely discouraged for religious reasons).

With France their new landlord, they are likely to be left to their own devices. Their presence is an economic necessity for the French in a region where commerce is King, not religion, therefor the government would have no interest in suppressing them.

For example, several of the Dutch islands had seen Jewish domination of trade (St. Eustice) for generations. In OTL, only a British conquest during the American Revolutionary War (which later spread to France, Spain and the Dutch Republic) would result in the long-held Jewish presence being wiped out.

The peoples being settled in this TL would bring skills which would be welcomed. The Roma were laborers as well as having skilled trades like metallurgy. Like many minority groups in the Muslim world, the Christians, Zoroastrians, Mandaeans, Jews tended to be merchants, gold-smiths (the Zoroastrians), bankers and other professions not typically esteemed in Persia.

As Hispaniola is perfectly situated as a nexus for American, Spanish and French trade, I see no reason why it would not prosper, especially as this is the era when Malaria and Yellow Fever would soon be combatted with medicine (Quinine) and swamp-draining (which the French were expert at).

 

[Driftless]

^^^ If they manage to find a method of cross-accommodation over the next decades, the combination of skills could have them slowly develop into a Caribbean commercial center. That is, if the French manage to avoid another multi-continental war, where Ste. Domingue becomes a pawn.

 

[G-6]

What going on in Spain colonies specially OTL Mexico

 

[DTF955Baseballfan]

1810 - September

Baton Rouge, Hanover Dominion

Private "James Smith" (AKA, Armstrong Hyman Thruston) had survived hostile Indians and cannibalism over the past years in his attempt to stay one step ahead of the law....
By the sheerest happenstance, Smith's body flipped at precisely the right angle to wrap him around the branch, folded neatly over it. This is how "James Smith" was found the following morning by his bemused sergeant whom had come looking for him: unconscious, two cracked tibias, his entire body folded over a branch 10 feet from the ground, trousers hanging from one foot, his bare bottom exposed to the Hanover morning sun (two hours exposure giving him quite the sunburn).

You and @gap80 need to have some sort of competition for most creative writing of capture/botched robbery/whatever scene. I mean, this was just hilarious.

Or better yet, collaborate on a NaNoWriMo novel or something.

I can't wait to see how "Smith" is finally discovered - I actually thought he was going to rave about what he'd done the previous evening before the hippo attack. Well, with Christmas and all I'll be pretty busy so I'll have to but it will be interesting. I don't know how this can be topped. Although I suppose it could be sort of ana nticlimax - perhaps he deliriously mentioned something as he was waking up.

 

[Driftless]

I could see an ironic twist with Smith/Thruston's unmasking, depending on timing. If his role in the assassination of Washington/attempted assassination of the King gets connected with his past association with the ill-fated Biddle detachment and his drunken encounter with the hippo; those actions might be turned into a PR weapon by anti-slavery groups(decrying the depths of perversity in the slavers world...). Perhaps not key in the grander scheme of events, but certainly counter to what Thruston hoped for.

 

[Kloka]

Seems like Armstrong Thruston always gets the short end of the stick.

PS - I came here from Fritz just as you recommended in the last post there and I am really liking this story.

 

[Alt History Buff]

What going on in Spain colonies specially OTL Mexico

That will be a recurring topic in future chapters.

 

[Alt History Buff]

You and @gap80 need to have some sort of competition for most creative writing of capture/botched robbery/whatever scene. I mean, this was just hilarious.

Or better yet, collaborate on a NaNoWriMo novel or something.

I can't wait to see how "Smith" is finally discovered - I actually thought he was going to rave about what he'd done the previous evening before the hippo attack. Well, with Christmas and all I'll be pretty busy so I'll have to but it will be interesting. I don't know how this can be topped. Although I suppose it could be sort of ana nticlimax - perhaps he deliriously mentioned something as he was waking up.

We all get our cumuppance and Smith's Odyssey is not yet done.

 

[Alt History Buff]

I could see an ironic twist with Smith/Thruston's unmasking, depending on timing. If his role in the assassination of Washington/attempted assassination of the King gets connected with his past association with the ill-fated Biddle detachment and his drunken encounter with the hippo; those actions might be turned into a PR weapon by anti-slavery groups(decrying the depths of perversity in the slavers world...). Perhaps not key in the grander scheme of events, but certainly counter to what Thruston hoped for.

No doubt, I'm not done with him yet.

 

[Alt History Buff]

Seems like Armstrong Thruston always gets the short end of the stick.

PS - I came here from Fritz just as you recommended in the last post there and I am really liking this story.

Much appreciated.

 

[Alt History Buff]

1810 - December

Ruins of Mexico City

By the end of 1810, the bulk of the city of Mexico had been destroyed either by fire or flood. The local farmers which fed the city had seen their harvest confiscated and stock stolen by assorted Imperial or rebel armies, causing them to flee in all directions.

The rebel forced had, once again, managed to summon enough reserves to push the Imperials from the ruins of the city, gaining more of a political advantage than a martial one. This allowed them to summon reinforcements easier. The far greater problem as the lack of powder. Indeed, by 1810, without a pair of daring raids on Imperial supply stores, the entire rebel army may have collapsed.

Fortunately, the rebels found a willing supplier from an unexpected source.

The initial attempt by the rebels to procure powder and weapons was made to the Americans. However, the latter people had just concluded a war with Spain and were not interested in another. Besides, the only way the Americans could send powder to the western rebels of New Spain (the King's forces controlled the entire coast) was via along and tortuous route by land through the desert. The American commander in San Antonio would have no orders to help rebels nor would his King in Parliament in Manhattan when they received the request in early 1811. Some powder and other arms trickled in over the years from Santa Fe and other newly gained American locations but not terribly much and certainly not enough to make a tangible difference.

However, the Governor of Russian America had actually managed to acquire quite a sum of powder as part of the Imperial initiative to fortify Russian America. By 1810, the slow but steady trickle of Russian settlers into the region over the past four decades had yielded a Russian population of 82,000 from Alyeska to the southern towns along the nebulous border (the region the Spanish once called San Francisco). Indeed, another 5000 Russians were settling every year. A healthy birthrate by the settlers (which also had a high percentage of women, unlike the past) would continue this growth. Once constrained to a handful of coastal towns, the Russians were slowly filtering inland in the face of some Indian opposition.

Seeing the Spanish trickling up the coast in settlements like Los Angeles, it was becoming apparent that the Spanish were far closer to the Russian borders than the Americans (whom still had few settlements approaching the Rocky Mountains and were unlikely to launch any form of invasion from there.

Being overrun by one (or both) of their neighbors had long been a fear of the Russians. There were reportedly eight or ten million Americans by 1810 and probably many more Spanish (and Portuguese) colonials. One didn't need to be a mathematics prodigy to no like those odds. Indeed, only Spanish lethargy in settling California over the past three centuries had allowed the Russians to seize as much as they did. The Americans may have already reached the Pacific had the Rocky Mountains not existed.

A series of minor clashes at sea between Russian and Spanish ships at the Straights of Magellan had brought relations between the two nations to a low point. Several Russian supply ships sailing from Europe to Russian America via that route had been seized or turned back by local Spanish commanders. This was in the process of being worked out by diplomats in Europe but, locally, the problem had continued until 1810. The Russian Governor of Russian America realized this division of the Spanish Empire was perhaps in the best interests of Russian autonomy.

Thus, the large amounts of powder being held in Russian America, Siberia and Hawaii were delivered to the rebels in return for whatever they could pay (gold from the mines, assorted wheat or crops, coffee, etc). This kept the war going through 1811 and further savaged the Valley of Mexico.

 

[G-6]

What going on in Spain other colonies?

 

[Alt History Buff]

1811 - Spring

Manhattan

While his predecessors had each largely retired on their own terms, it looked increasingly likely that John Jay's days as First Lord would fail to last remotely as long as Franklin, Sherman and Adams. Jay's mere age alone ensured he would not last long in power (the first three First Lords controlled the government for almost half a century combined). But the proverbial buzzards were circling. Many talented young Parliamentarians were already jostling to replace Jay and the New Yorkers suspected several would not hesitate to crawl over his political corpse.

In truth, Jay brought much of this on himself. Much of the political capital he'd acquired over a lifetime of service to the King would be spent gaining votes for the national Abolition Act of 1810. Old favors were called in. Cabinet selections were made not for political expediency with an eye for a long-lasting Ministry but for unity on that one topic. Now, Jay was paying the price...not that he minded an early termination of his office. Jay was already exhausted attempting to herd these political felines infesting Manhattan.

Jay was more than ready to retire, only his duty to maintain order for as long as possible kept hi from offering his resignation. Indeed, Jay witnessed the divisiveness and outright crass political opportunism in the new generation which, even at its worst (and Jay plainly conceded there were opportunists aplenty in the nation's fifty year history), earlier generations tended to be focused upon their Loyalty to the crown and the nation they were building in the shadow of Spanish, French and even Russian Imperial ambitions.

Perhaps this was the true nature of man when no longer under imminent threat.

The population had exploded from 1.2 million at Independence (upon the death and dismemberment of the Hanoverian Kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland) in 1756 to nearly 9 million in the census of 1810. No longer merely waiting in fear for the Catholic Empires to decide the old British colonies were worth the time, effort and cost to invade (Jay still considered it both a humiliation and a relief that neither Bourbon power cared enough for the British colonies to waste the resources to conquer), America had actually fought, and for the most part WON, a border conflict with Spain itself. Granted, this latter was somewhat due to Spain's concerns elsewhere but it no doubt greatly aided American confidence.

By now, over 95% of living Americans had never known life under European rule and most had never felt particularly insecure in their nation's safety.

Perhaps it IS for the best that my generation is dying out, Jay mused. The political environment in which we were forged no longer exists.

Of course, who is to say what the next generation shall do? Jay thought wryly. The crass ambition of men like Daniel Webster and Henry Clay, though talented, no doubt hinted as a divisiveness which Jay's grandchildren would soon accept as the norm.

Who am I to say what future Americans shall be?

Laughing at his own maudlin attitude, the First Lord went back to work. His duties were not yet done.

1. New treaties must be forged with the Indians of the west if large-scale colonization of the fertile plains was to be done.
2. Army outposts must be set up along the Rocky Mountains to guard against future Russian or Spanish border conflicts.
3. The debts must be paid off sooner rather than later.
4. Spain must be approached to reopen trade with the Spanish Caribbean and Continental Empire.
5. Etc.
6. Etc.
7. Etc.

So much to do and so little time to do it. His majority faded by the day as the acclaim of his Peace Treaty with Spain and the Abolition Act died.

Sooner or later one of these little bastards would assume power. He just prayed it would be later.