New York mail 2/2/1901

At the time of the Paris incident London had an approximate population of just under four million souls. The great quake and subsequent fire killed an unimaginable number, some guessing as much as quarter of the inhabitants. This is probably over estimated but nonetheless London became a shadow of its former glory.

Thirty years on and once again the city is the centre of a powerful nation. The population behind it's massive walls are now more than what is was. Citizens from all over the world shelter is this,  the greatest of fortresses.

But today it is a sad city, a city in mourning for its queen, for its mother. Today Queen Victoria is laid to rest at Windsor alongside her beloved Albert, attended by her heir Edward, and

Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany who made the dangerous  journey through wild Frisia to spend a last Christmas with the Queen.
Ambassador Anthony Hart from the Confederated Free States and vice president Roosevelt were also seen amongst the mourners. 

Thule

What do we know about Thule?

As the king has formally recognized Thule as an independent nation we now have a new neighbour to the east.

The Greek explorer Pytheas is the first to have written of Thule, doing so in his now lost work, On the Ocean, after his travels between 330 BC and 320 BC. for many years it was thought to be mythology, but then so were many other things. Thule of today is a high plateaux and highlands situated in what was the north sea bed, once known as Dogger Bank. The inhabitants appear to be a short but strong people given to big beards and tattoos, many have called them dwarfs for their resemblance to fairy tale characters.

Unofficial trading has been going on since not long after the Event, with residents of Essex make first contact.

The folk of Thule are a civilized and honourable people with an aptitude for mechanical devices and building, they have found work in many walks of British life with some even enlisting in the royal navy, they have a professor in the royal institute, the member of parliament for Thanet is dwarven and they run a school of engineering in Edinburgh for bright candidates taken purely on merit.
according to doctor Isaac Bellings the famed historical linguistic says Thulian language is closely related to early Germanic tongues, and cultural similarities can be found with early north sea cultures and that of the Thule.

Birmingham post Friday march 19th 1886

Debate in the Birmingham Town chambers reached a furious heat last Thursday when deciding what to do with the Giant discovered earlier that day. Councillor Jameson's argued that the creature be arrested while Councillor  Walsh wanted it sent to a zoo. More level heads put forward that the giant had done nothing illegal and to put another intelligent creature in a zoo would itself be a crime.

The emissary of Thule - Thanet times 23rd June 1900

Amongst the dignitaries attending the opening of the new Viking skydock at Broadstairs was an unusual character listed as the emissary of Thule. Who or what Thule is was not explained but the gentleman in question was of a short stocky build, no more then four feet six, and with a magnificent beard braided and brushed that reached beyond his waistcoat. Tattoos covered him in the manner of the pacific island natives though his  rather sophisticated fashion gave a much more civilised look. Aside from his modern dress he was the image of the noble viking himself with an air of dignity and authority.

Silver Standards

The 1889 Havana treaty confirmed the standardisation of an international currency to encourage trade between the major powers. Signatories of the initial treaty included the empires of Spain, Britain  and  Germany, and the United States  and Confederacy.
The success of the silver standard as it became know  encouraged other countries to join, until almost the entire world was using the standard.
In many places this has now replaced local currency, you can go into a gentleman's outfitters in Truro and spend Standards or Sterling.

News Of The World 1st December 1896

‘The awful catastrophe which occurred at the Boyne railway bridge on the last Sunday of November  is still the all-absorbing theme of conversation in the community…’

A section of the Boyne Bridge collapsed during heavy rain on the night of 29th November 1896, and, tragically, a Dublin-bound train plunged into the freezing waters of the river, with the loss of 57 lives (although some estimate the loss to have been 75 lives).
Initial investigation  believes subsidence under the support columns led to the collapse with some experts saying the old seabed needs longer to settle before buildings such  things.
A memorial service is to be held this Sunday at Christ church cathedral at 7 o'clock. 

Mr Arthur De Bausset unveils his new airship 1889

Mr Arthur De Bausset’s new hybrid airship uses a combination of revolutionary vacuum cells alongside existing hydrogen cells to create a safer ship with greater lift than any previous types.  Working alongside German designer Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, the two remarkable men have created a revolution in modern transport.

Tickets for the maiden voyage of the AS Artemis have already sold out and the ship is still being fitted for passengers, the demand has seen tickets changing hands for handsome sums.

United States navy has apparently expressed interest as has the Imperial German navy.

These new craft should reopen the broken communications that once tied us altogether, we are looking at a turning point in the history of the world.

Ladies and gentlemen, the future has arrived.