New Edirn - Part 1Introduction New Edirn is an independent island country situated in the Southern Ocean about 500 miles southeast of Thirland. From 1950 to 2007 it was a Republic, but in 2007 after a referendum has reverted to its former status of a Commonwealth with the King of Arransia as the titular Head of State. It has a land area of 27,400 square miles (about 10% larger than Arransia) and in 2007 has a population of about 740,000, giving a very low population density of 27 people per square mile. The population reached a peak of 905,000 in the 1920s and throughout most of the 20th century emigration and depopulation were major problems. It has a temperate, wet and windy climate, with annual rainfall about 50% higher than Arransia. Summer temperatures are similar but winter temperatures are about 2° C higher, and it is rare to get lying snow in winter below about 750’. Geographically it is mostly a low undulating table-land with little tree cover, its highest point being only 1,958 feet above sea level in the ironically named Mount Lofty. The coast is mostly iron-bound by low sea cliffs and offers few sheltered anchorages. It is mainly an agricultural country, mostly given over to sheep rearing, but also supporting cattle ranching and the growing of barley, oats and root vegetables. Its main exploitable mineral resources are nickel and uranium and in recent years its low labour costs and improvements in telecommunications have made it attractive as a location for Sabrantian-speaking call centres. Beginnings New Edirn was “discovered” by Randle Scullion in 1783 on his epic round-the-world voyage in the Porpoise, and identified as somewhere potentially suitable for colonisation. As with Whitsun Island, the Arransian government kept the discovery secret until they were in a position to send out a force to make a formal claim, as they knew the Brunswickians were also active in the area and had already discovered Thirland a few years earlier. In 1788 a squadron of two warships and two transports was sent out under the overall command of Major-General Matthew Hobbes with the aim of establishing a colony. Hobbes unfortunately died on the voyage, leaving Captain Allan Muirhead as the senior remaining officer. They had a skirmish with a Brunswickian convoy heading for Thirland, but Muirhead negotiated an agreement with them that so long as they kept out of Thirland the Arransians would be given a free hand in what was initially referred to as “Southerland” but quickly was christened New Edirn. This was eventually tacitly accepted by the respective governments, and the Brunswickians were quite happy that they had got the better end of the deal. Nevertheless, the Arransians successfully established their colony, setting up a base on a fine natural harbour at the north-western corner of the island, which originally was named New Danby but was soon (rather vainly) renamed Muirhead, which it is still called today. Two other settlements followed – Hobbes on the north coast towards the eastern end, and Sophia – named after the then Queen of Arransia – on the western side of where New Edirn’s T-tail intersected the crossbar, the island being roughly T-shaped. The Arransians quickly encountered the Roatangi people who numbered about 5,000 and occupied an area of land in eastern New Edirn near to what became the town of Hobbes. They had not spread out over the entire island which is why Scullion had failed to spot them and had pronounced the island uninhabited. The Roatangi were not a very successful community as they had migrated from much warmer islands and struggled to adapt their typical pattern of farming, added to which they had failed to bring any pigs with them which in other areas were a staple part of their diet. Initially they welcomed the Arransians and obtaining pigs and potatoes from them transformed their agriculture. The name in their language for the Arransians (and by implication any other “white” people from the Northern hemisphere) is “pig-men”, which is not meant as an insult. In the early days, the Roatangi got hold of muskets from the Arransians and engaged in a bout of bloody tribal warfare. However, it soon became clear that this was counter-productive, and they settled their differences and began to be more concerned to defend their ancestral lands against the settlers who were now arriving in increasing numbers. The Arransians sensibly took the view that there was enough land for everyone, and in 1829 signed an agreement under which, in return for swearing allegiance to the King of Arransia, the Roatangi chieftains were confirmed as formal owners of all the land they could reasonably claim to have occupied in 1800, plus about another 20% in the south of the country, with the lesser members of their tribes effectively occupying the status of feudal tenants. With access to temperate-climate crops imported from Arransia, Roatangi agriculture was transformed and they developed a successful form of semi-subsistence crofting that in some areas persists to this day. The Arransians also provided them with the tools to quarry stone effectively and they started building distinctive single-storey longhouses with stone walls and thatched roofs. In the early years of New Edirn the Roatangi were largely left to their own devices and it was only later that moves towards greater integration brought some problems. The Roatangi population also began to increase and it is estimated that from 1800 to 1850 it rose from 5,000 to 12,000. Growth and Success It soon became clear that New Edirn’s damp, temperate climate led to some extremely lush grass and it was ideal for sheep and cattle rearing. This was before the days of refrigeration, but that did not effect the wool trade and by 1850 the island had become one of the world's major producers of wool, with twenty times as many sheep as people. Wool clippers engaged in some famous races around the world to Brunswick and Arransia, and New Edirn wool became the staple raw material of Arransia’s textile industry. By 1850 the population had risen to almost 200,000 and Muirhead, Hobbes and Sophia had become substantial towns. 1859 saw all three linked by a 3’6” gauge railway. The final third of the 19th century saw the introduction of the refrigerated steamship which brought about a further transformation in New Edirn’s economy, as beef, lamb and butter could now be sent around the world as well as wool. Much of this was supplied to the countries of mainland Beruna rather than Brunswick and Arransia which already had a successful livestock industry. The same was true of Thirland, but it was generally felt that New Edirn’s cooler, damper climate led to higher quality meat. Pork, although widely reared for domestic consumption, was never exported in significant quantities. This resulted in an astounding economic boom, with the population rising from 200,000 in 1850 to 850,000 in 1910. Many immigrants were now coming from Beruna, some from Waldenberg, Rolvia and Gorania, but mostly from Skania. The juxtaposition of the upright and staunchly Protestant Skanians with the more rumbustious, mostly Catholic Arransians resulted in a significant cultural clash. By 1910 Muirhead was a smart, spacious city of 150,000 people, with electric trams gliding along tree-lined boulevards lined by handsome stone buildings. It was described as what an Arransian city would look like if it had been properly planned rather than growing haphazardly. Although New Edirn remained a Crown Colony, an increasing degree of self-government was granted, and from 1889 onwards the colony raised its own taxes and effectively ran its own domestic affairs. From 1894 to 1915, the Chief Minister was Donald Pirrie (1846-1920) who was renowned as a capable and far-sighted leader and even for a brief period regarded as a major world statesman. In 1911 he crowned his career by gaining full independence for New Edirn as a free-standing Commonwealth, retaining the King of Arransia as head of state. Rather than establish her own armed forces, New Edirn agreed to pay Arransia an annual defence levy and encourage her own citizens to enlist in Arransia’s Army and Navy. Since, realistically, Arransia could not effectively defend the country against an attack by a Great Power, this ultimately proved to be a misguided move. There are now only a handful of people alive who witnessed the event as small children, but the independence celebrations of February 1911 are still seen by many as the high point of New Edirn’s history. Anchored in Muirhead harbour were a pair of Arransian battleships and the then-new Royal Yacht Queen Isabella, dressed overall with bunting. Crown Prince Andrew and his beautiful red-headed consort Princess Emilia were present, the sun shone, bands played, children waved flags and the Chancellor of Arransia, Andrew Cochrane, gave what now seems a rather pompous speech about children growing up and being allowed to make their own way in the world. Nevertheless, it was seen as a great achievement for Arransia to have successfully established a daughter country on the other side of the world. With hindsight, things would never be as good again.
|