Reply To: Challenge 10B
It it just me or is it a bit weird how the Charles’ featured last year as well?:
My Dear Lord Palmerston, It is with relief that I am able to report that our efforts to thwart Kaiser’s plot have been successful. Following the successful decypherment of the final page in the Janus project files, the detonators were discovered and retrieved without incident. I must admit that when the Countess and Miss Warne first outlined the plot to me, I was sceptical. My scepticism was fully shared by Wheatstone who, as an experienced engineer, remarked that the quantity of explosives contained within a single crate would have only the slightest effect on the integrity of the steel frame housing the Pavilion. As you may imagine, the ladies pressed their point, and Wheatstone turned a peculiar colour when they explained that, under the cumulative effect of thousands of charges, the steel might survive but the glass canopy most certainly would not. The vibrations across the structure would have set up shock waves that would, in turn, have led to a rain of glass shards upon the crowds beneath. I shudder to think of the casualties. It now seems clear that the terror following such an explosion was intended to lead to chaos in the hall. It would have been easy for conspirators to steal away the Koh-I-Noor diamond in the guise of bystanders rushing to aid the wounded. Things would have been dramatically worse had our Queen, or her family, been in attendance at the time of the explosion. She has already indicated that she will visit the exhibition regularly throughout the season and even the urging of King Ernest has failed to dissuade her. His letter outlining the threat seemed persuasive to me, almost prescient in his assertion that “I am astonished the ministers themselves do not insist on her at least going to Osborne during the Exhibition, as no human being can possibly answer for what may occur on the occasion.” Nonetheless we feel that this was not the intention of the plotters. The assassination of our treasured Monarch would have enraged her subjects and provoked a deep and wide investigation, increasing the risk to the conspirators and in any case, the little proof we do have of Kaiser’s intentions suggest a more mercantile approach. The efforts to implicate the Hindu community in the theft would undoubtedly have resulted in much unrest in India. The loss of the diamond would have also infuriated the Maharajah increasing the likelihood of an uprising that would have been, at best, difficult to manage. Herr Kaiser stood to gain significantly from any ensuing, drawn-out conflict, as he equipped all sides. A war would have been more vicious, but in all likelihood much shorter and he stood to gain far less from it. It is only because of the tenacity and curiosity of Kate Warne that this plot was ever uncovered, and we owe her an enormous debt. The countess has done her very best to persuade Miss Warne to remain here and to continue working with us, but I am afraid that even she could not prevent our American friend from returning to the places she knows best. We are very reluctant to see her leave, however I understand that our friend Mr. Allan Pinkerton is setting up an agency that may have use for her particular skills. I wonder if we should perhaps write to him. As for Kaiser, we have wrestled mightily to determine what would be best. The evidence against him as an individual is at best circumstantial. No court would allow us to adduce documents reproduced only from Kate’s recollection, and it is highly unlikely that we will be able to obtain the originals now. We are left, therefore, with the unpleasant conclusion that he and his co-conspirators are likely to escape punishment. He will not, however, avoid the consequences of his treachery. You have already agreed to cancel the contract of supply with his firm, and I believe that the India Company has agreed to follow your lead. Kaiser may be free to sell his weapons in his own country, but we will continue to use more traditional rifles and ammunition unsullied with the mineral oils and greases of which he is so proud. Tallow has provided a suitable lubricant for us until now, and Wheatstone assures us that there is no good reason to change that. With our best wishes to you and the government, and our loyal best wishes to Her Majesty. Your humble servants, CHARLES BABBAGE, Ada Lovelace, Kate Warne, CHARLES WHEATSTONE.
Not at all weird. They appear throughout the history of the National Cipher Challenge and they and Ada Lovelace were principal characters in the very first competition. They are major players in the history of BOSS and you can probably expect to find them in future challenges as well! Harry