1882: Ashes
~1882: Ashes
January 1882: For years, criticism of the monopolistic practices of US businessmen known as 'robber barons' has been growing. While the US government itself has consistently failed to take action, many states have enacted laws to restrict these monopolies. In an effort to evade these laws, oil magnate John Rockefeller, organises the Standard Oil Trust. In a secret agreement the shareholders of a number of separate corporations, convey their shareholding to a single trust, thus avoiding state based anti monopoly laws. This model will rapidly be adopted by other 'robber barons' for the same purpose.
January 1882: After years of mismanagement and corruption by successive Khedive's, a revolt by Egyptian army officers led by Ahmed Urabi forces Khedive Tewfik Pasha to appoint Urabi Minister of War. The British and French respond with a diplomatic note asserting their support for the Khedive's primacy. The note infuriates the revolutionaries who expand their control and embark on a program of reform.
February 1882: With electrical lighting gradually becoming more common in Britain, the Electrical Lighting Act is passed allowing local authorities to regulate and licence the industry. The act is followed by the opening of the worlds first commercial coal powered electricity generating station in London.
March 1882: After a 98 day voyage the sailing ship Dunedin arrives in London from Port Chalmers in New Zealand with cargo of frozen beef, pork, lamb and mutton. Unlike earlier attempts the Dunedin is fitted with latest refrigeration machinery and only a single carcass is condemned. This markers the beginning of large scale refrigerated shipping, with the Dunedin being the first first recognised reefer ship. This trade will rapidly be dominated by Australian and New Zealand interests, contributing to their economic development.
April 1882: With the new Government of India Act in effect and increased opportunities now open to Indians in the civil service, Viceroy Richard Temple begins encouraging the provincial governments to establish an English public school style education system available to the middle classes in order to provide sufficient Indian candidates of a 'suitable background' to fill these roles. This will begin the creation of a highly Anglicised Indian middle class who will eventually come to replace the British in large parts of the administration of India.
May 1882: British and French warships begin arriving off Alexandria to 'protect' European civilians. Their arrival further increases tensions in the city. However the fleet takes no immediate action, though warships continue to arrive, reinforcing the fleet. In response Urabi's forces begin fortifying Alexandria.
May 1882: Radical Irish Nationalists assassinate the new Chief Secretary for Ireland Lord Frederick Cavendish. Irish Home Rule League leader William Shaw publicly condemns the attack in the house, greatly increasing his support both in England and Ireland. However as a result the Conservatives introduce the Criminal Law and Procedure (Ireland) Bill which will allow for the unlimited suspension of habeas corpus and right to jury trial in Ireland by proclamation of the Lord Lieutenant. Despite opposition from the Liberals, Irish Home Rule and many within Gladstone's Progressive Party the Bill will be narrowly passed in early August. Despite the Bill being opposed by the vast majority of Liberals, party leader William Forster speaks in favour of it, costing him the support of nearly a third of the radicals in the party. This, combined with the 50 remaining Whig Liberals, is sufficient to cost him his leadership. Henry Campbell-Bannerman is widely mentioned as his replacement. However his outspoken support for reforms such women's suffrage, abolition of the Lords, the disestablishment of the Church of England and Irish Home Rule are seen as too extreme given the current political climate. Joseph Chamberlain is also suggested but it is felt he lacks the necessary ministerial experience. Eventually the moderate radical, George Trevelyan is selected as a compromise.
June 1882: Rioting breaks out in Alexandria resulting in the death of at least 50 Europeans. The Anglo-French fleet begins and evacuation. Within a few days the European community has been safely evacuated and the French squadron departs. However the British under Admiral Beauchamp Seymour remains. With the British still off Alexandria, the fortification of the city continues.
June 1882: Under further pressure from Gladstone, Lord Salisbury agrees to reduce the Afghanistan garrison to permanent level of a single Indian infantry battalion, supported by a squadron of Indian cavalry, one British Infantry company and an Indian mountain artillery battery.
July 1882: The Cape Town Imperial Conference is discuses the matter of Imperial trade. The British propose a common system of Imperial preference be adopted on tariffs. The proposal finds support among the Australian and New Zealand delegates, but it is fiercely opposed by the Canadians, looking to preserve their National Policy of protectionism instituted after the US reneged on the Canadian-American Reciprocity Treaty of 1854 guaranteeing free trade in 1866. However agreement is reached on a submarine telegraph cable between Vancouver and Australia, with the British government agreeing to contribute half of the cost. The situation in Egypt is discussed, with the Australians and New Zealanders greatly concerned by the threat to the security of the Suez Canal. At the conference's close, it is agreed the next Imperial conference should be held in Sydney in 1884.
July 1882: In a major improvement of women's rights, the Married Women's Property Act is passed. This act allows married women to own property in their own right and prevents the automatic transfer of their possessions to their husbands upon marriage. The act establishes a wife's legal identity as separate from their husband.
July 1882: Throughout the Egyptian crisis, Admiral Seymour has been sending overly alarming reports of the progress of the Egyptian fortification work. As a result the Conservatives in cabinet have been pushing for action to protect British interests. Gladstone has continually rejected this, as many in his party is not in favour of such action. Lord Salisbury returns from the Cape Town Imperial Conference reporting the Australian and New Zealand Dominions concerns. Face with this development, Gladstone relents and the cabinet authorises Seymour to act to secure the Canal.
August 1882: Admiral Seymour commences a bombardment of Alexandria. The bombardment successfully silences the Egyptian forts. Two days latter Seymour lands sailors and marine to secure the city and eventually order is restored. Urabi responds by declaring war on Britain and obtaining a fatwa against the Khedive and British. However the Liberal Party seizes on this to call a vote of no confidence, savagely attacking Gladstone, comparing this to his outrage of Disraeli's handling of the Great Eastern War. Over the two years since the 1880 election 18 Progressive MP's have returned to the Liberal Party and now many vote in favour of the motion, leading to it narrowly passing. Consequently a new election is scheduled for September, with Lord Salisbury remaining as a caretaker government.
August 1882: Liberal Party leader George Trevelyan begins try to convince William Shaw to re-frame calls for Irish home rule within the larger Imperial Federation Movement. Shaw is initially dismissive of this approach, believing establishing an Imperial federation is unrealistic. However he does agree to postpone actively calling for home rule in the interim.
August 1882: The touring Australian cricket team comprehensively defeats the England team at the Oval in London. In a low scoring match on a difficult wicket, the Australians stun the crowd by making 55 runs off only 60 deliveries and taking four wickets for only two runs. The shocked British is full of praise for the “plucky colonials” and the “dismal luck” of the English side. The next day a group of supporter swill ceremonially burn at set of stumps on the ground to mark the “death of English cricket.” The ashes of this action will be stored in an urn and give the name “'the Ashes' to test competitions between England and Australia going forward.
September 1882: The Pearl Street coal powered station is the first power station to begin operation in the US. However, as with the earlier Holburn Viaduct station in London, its reliance on DC transmission limits it to only being able to supply power within a one mile radius. It will be followed by the Vulcan Street Plant in Appelton, Wisconsin, the world's first commercial hydroelectric power station.
September 1882: Since the occupation of Alexandria, a substantial force of British and India Indian troops under General Garnet Wolseley has been landed. These forces crush Urabi's rebels in the Battle of Tel El Kebir, capturing Cairo and largely restoring order to Egypt. This also leaves the British effectively in control of Egypt.
September 1882: The general election held after the fall of the Salisbury government again results in hung parliament, though support for Gladstone's Progressives has plummeted in favour of the Liberals. The election leaves the Liberals with 294 seats, the Conservatives 225. Progressives with 70 and Irish Home Rule League 63. Notably only 28 Whigs remain in the Liberal Party. Trevelyan eschews a formal coalition and forms a minority government with William Shaw's Irish Home Rule League, guaranteeing legislation furthering Irish land reform. The new government is immediately faced with the issue of the occupation of Egypt, having based its vote of no confidence around the situation. Trevelyan declares the occupation will be strictly limited and British forces will be withdrawn as soon as order is fully restored.
October 1882: Trevelyan appoints Lord Ripon as the new Viceroy of India with a mandate to continue reform to improve Indian participation in the administration of the Raj. One of his first acts will be to launch a comprehensive review of press censorship in India. Ripon's new Indian Press Act will noticeably reduce restrictions on freedom of the press in India. Lord Ripon also expands his predecessor Temple's unintentional Anglicisation policies by encouraging the establishment of scholarships for “worthy Indians from professional families” to be educated in Britain.
November 1882: Premier of New Zealand Frederick Whitaker uses the Colonial Capital Act to obtain a loan to complete the North Island Main Trunk Line railway. This will require putting the line through the King County and negotiations are begun with the Kīngitanga Movement in the Waikato. With the Kīngitanga Movement's influence among Māori waning an agreement is finally reached. The main sticking point was a pardon for Te Kooti, but finally the government agrees to enable the completion of the Main Trunk Line to go ahead.
December 1882: The submarine telegraph cable link from Perth, Australia to Bombay in India via the Cocos-Keeling Islands is completed. With this the sole remaining link in the hope for “All Red Line” circumnavigating the globe is a link from Canada to Australia. However this would require an almost 12,000km undersea cable, presenting formidable technical challenges.
January 1882: For years, criticism of the monopolistic practices of US businessmen known as 'robber barons' has been growing. While the US government itself has consistently failed to take action, many states have enacted laws to restrict these monopolies. In an effort to evade these laws, oil magnate John Rockefeller, organises the Standard Oil Trust. In a secret agreement the shareholders of a number of separate corporations, convey their shareholding to a single trust, thus avoiding state based anti monopoly laws. This model will rapidly be adopted by other 'robber barons' for the same purpose.
January 1882: After years of mismanagement and corruption by successive Khedive's, a revolt by Egyptian army officers led by Ahmed Urabi forces Khedive Tewfik Pasha to appoint Urabi Minister of War. The British and French respond with a diplomatic note asserting their support for the Khedive's primacy. The note infuriates the revolutionaries who expand their control and embark on a program of reform.
February 1882: With electrical lighting gradually becoming more common in Britain, the Electrical Lighting Act is passed allowing local authorities to regulate and licence the industry. The act is followed by the opening of the worlds first commercial coal powered electricity generating station in London.
March 1882: After a 98 day voyage the sailing ship Dunedin arrives in London from Port Chalmers in New Zealand with cargo of frozen beef, pork, lamb and mutton. Unlike earlier attempts the Dunedin is fitted with latest refrigeration machinery and only a single carcass is condemned. This markers the beginning of large scale refrigerated shipping, with the Dunedin being the first first recognised reefer ship. This trade will rapidly be dominated by Australian and New Zealand interests, contributing to their economic development.
April 1882: With the new Government of India Act in effect and increased opportunities now open to Indians in the civil service, Viceroy Richard Temple begins encouraging the provincial governments to establish an English public school style education system available to the middle classes in order to provide sufficient Indian candidates of a 'suitable background' to fill these roles. This will begin the creation of a highly Anglicised Indian middle class who will eventually come to replace the British in large parts of the administration of India.
May 1882: British and French warships begin arriving off Alexandria to 'protect' European civilians. Their arrival further increases tensions in the city. However the fleet takes no immediate action, though warships continue to arrive, reinforcing the fleet. In response Urabi's forces begin fortifying Alexandria.
May 1882: Radical Irish Nationalists assassinate the new Chief Secretary for Ireland Lord Frederick Cavendish. Irish Home Rule League leader William Shaw publicly condemns the attack in the house, greatly increasing his support both in England and Ireland. However as a result the Conservatives introduce the Criminal Law and Procedure (Ireland) Bill which will allow for the unlimited suspension of habeas corpus and right to jury trial in Ireland by proclamation of the Lord Lieutenant. Despite opposition from the Liberals, Irish Home Rule and many within Gladstone's Progressive Party the Bill will be narrowly passed in early August. Despite the Bill being opposed by the vast majority of Liberals, party leader William Forster speaks in favour of it, costing him the support of nearly a third of the radicals in the party. This, combined with the 50 remaining Whig Liberals, is sufficient to cost him his leadership. Henry Campbell-Bannerman is widely mentioned as his replacement. However his outspoken support for reforms such women's suffrage, abolition of the Lords, the disestablishment of the Church of England and Irish Home Rule are seen as too extreme given the current political climate. Joseph Chamberlain is also suggested but it is felt he lacks the necessary ministerial experience. Eventually the moderate radical, George Trevelyan is selected as a compromise.
June 1882: Rioting breaks out in Alexandria resulting in the death of at least 50 Europeans. The Anglo-French fleet begins and evacuation. Within a few days the European community has been safely evacuated and the French squadron departs. However the British under Admiral Beauchamp Seymour remains. With the British still off Alexandria, the fortification of the city continues.
June 1882: Under further pressure from Gladstone, Lord Salisbury agrees to reduce the Afghanistan garrison to permanent level of a single Indian infantry battalion, supported by a squadron of Indian cavalry, one British Infantry company and an Indian mountain artillery battery.
July 1882: The Cape Town Imperial Conference is discuses the matter of Imperial trade. The British propose a common system of Imperial preference be adopted on tariffs. The proposal finds support among the Australian and New Zealand delegates, but it is fiercely opposed by the Canadians, looking to preserve their National Policy of protectionism instituted after the US reneged on the Canadian-American Reciprocity Treaty of 1854 guaranteeing free trade in 1866. However agreement is reached on a submarine telegraph cable between Vancouver and Australia, with the British government agreeing to contribute half of the cost. The situation in Egypt is discussed, with the Australians and New Zealanders greatly concerned by the threat to the security of the Suez Canal. At the conference's close, it is agreed the next Imperial conference should be held in Sydney in 1884.
July 1882: In a major improvement of women's rights, the Married Women's Property Act is passed. This act allows married women to own property in their own right and prevents the automatic transfer of their possessions to their husbands upon marriage. The act establishes a wife's legal identity as separate from their husband.
July 1882: Throughout the Egyptian crisis, Admiral Seymour has been sending overly alarming reports of the progress of the Egyptian fortification work. As a result the Conservatives in cabinet have been pushing for action to protect British interests. Gladstone has continually rejected this, as many in his party is not in favour of such action. Lord Salisbury returns from the Cape Town Imperial Conference reporting the Australian and New Zealand Dominions concerns. Face with this development, Gladstone relents and the cabinet authorises Seymour to act to secure the Canal.
August 1882: Admiral Seymour commences a bombardment of Alexandria. The bombardment successfully silences the Egyptian forts. Two days latter Seymour lands sailors and marine to secure the city and eventually order is restored. Urabi responds by declaring war on Britain and obtaining a fatwa against the Khedive and British. However the Liberal Party seizes on this to call a vote of no confidence, savagely attacking Gladstone, comparing this to his outrage of Disraeli's handling of the Great Eastern War. Over the two years since the 1880 election 18 Progressive MP's have returned to the Liberal Party and now many vote in favour of the motion, leading to it narrowly passing. Consequently a new election is scheduled for September, with Lord Salisbury remaining as a caretaker government.
August 1882: Liberal Party leader George Trevelyan begins try to convince William Shaw to re-frame calls for Irish home rule within the larger Imperial Federation Movement. Shaw is initially dismissive of this approach, believing establishing an Imperial federation is unrealistic. However he does agree to postpone actively calling for home rule in the interim.
August 1882: The touring Australian cricket team comprehensively defeats the England team at the Oval in London. In a low scoring match on a difficult wicket, the Australians stun the crowd by making 55 runs off only 60 deliveries and taking four wickets for only two runs. The shocked British is full of praise for the “plucky colonials” and the “dismal luck” of the English side. The next day a group of supporter swill ceremonially burn at set of stumps on the ground to mark the “death of English cricket.” The ashes of this action will be stored in an urn and give the name “'the Ashes' to test competitions between England and Australia going forward.
September 1882: The Pearl Street coal powered station is the first power station to begin operation in the US. However, as with the earlier Holburn Viaduct station in London, its reliance on DC transmission limits it to only being able to supply power within a one mile radius. It will be followed by the Vulcan Street Plant in Appelton, Wisconsin, the world's first commercial hydroelectric power station.
September 1882: Since the occupation of Alexandria, a substantial force of British and India Indian troops under General Garnet Wolseley has been landed. These forces crush Urabi's rebels in the Battle of Tel El Kebir, capturing Cairo and largely restoring order to Egypt. This also leaves the British effectively in control of Egypt.
September 1882: The general election held after the fall of the Salisbury government again results in hung parliament, though support for Gladstone's Progressives has plummeted in favour of the Liberals. The election leaves the Liberals with 294 seats, the Conservatives 225. Progressives with 70 and Irish Home Rule League 63. Notably only 28 Whigs remain in the Liberal Party. Trevelyan eschews a formal coalition and forms a minority government with William Shaw's Irish Home Rule League, guaranteeing legislation furthering Irish land reform. The new government is immediately faced with the issue of the occupation of Egypt, having based its vote of no confidence around the situation. Trevelyan declares the occupation will be strictly limited and British forces will be withdrawn as soon as order is fully restored.
October 1882: Trevelyan appoints Lord Ripon as the new Viceroy of India with a mandate to continue reform to improve Indian participation in the administration of the Raj. One of his first acts will be to launch a comprehensive review of press censorship in India. Ripon's new Indian Press Act will noticeably reduce restrictions on freedom of the press in India. Lord Ripon also expands his predecessor Temple's unintentional Anglicisation policies by encouraging the establishment of scholarships for “worthy Indians from professional families” to be educated in Britain.
November 1882: Premier of New Zealand Frederick Whitaker uses the Colonial Capital Act to obtain a loan to complete the North Island Main Trunk Line railway. This will require putting the line through the King County and negotiations are begun with the Kīngitanga Movement in the Waikato. With the Kīngitanga Movement's influence among Māori waning an agreement is finally reached. The main sticking point was a pardon for Te Kooti, but finally the government agrees to enable the completion of the Main Trunk Line to go ahead.
December 1882: The submarine telegraph cable link from Perth, Australia to Bombay in India via the Cocos-Keeling Islands is completed. With this the sole remaining link in the hope for “All Red Line” circumnavigating the globe is a link from Canada to Australia. However this would require an almost 12,000km undersea cable, presenting formidable technical challenges.
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