Pioneer Column

 

Everyone's heard of Cecil Rhodes, mining magnate and driven son of the Empire, but perhaps you've forgotten his Pioneer Column, guided by the legendary Frederick Selous. The Column set north from today's South Africa to what would become Rhodesia in 1890. According to something called "Pindula":

The Pioneer Column was made up of individuals of various expertise. It was led by Frank Johnson who was formerly of the Bechuanaland Protectorate Police, and Rhodes's military advisor, before he became leader of the column. Johnson employed the services of Fredrick Selous who was a professional hunter with vast knowledge of Mashonaland. He was the guide for the Column. 

He then began to recruit volunteers to take part in the colonisation of Mashonaland. The volunteers were to be offered 3000 hectares of arable land and 15 mining claims as a reward for their services. The Pioneer Column was placed under the military directorship of an Irish Commander Lieutenant Colonel Edward Pennefather. 

The Pioneer Column was made up of 180 sappers, 200 volunteers and 62 wagons. No women were allowed. Another group soon joined the Column. It added 110 men, 16 wagons, 130 horses and 250 cattle. They set out from Mcloutsie (Fort Tuli, on the Shashe River, border with Bechuanaland) on 28 June 1890 and arrived at Fort Victoria on 12 September. The British flag was hoisted, symbolising occupation.

 

 

It's said that the 200 volunteers were chosen from amongst thousands of applicants for their exceptional qualities of character and ability. And go figure, their immediate descendants went on to create a civilised state from land occupied by hunter gatherers and savages.

Remarkable men, not least Selous himself, and, let the record show, Great Britain sold those pioneers down the river, ceding a once prosperous nation into the hands of corrupt communists, it's laughably called Zimbabwe now. What a betrayal.

That aside, and it's a large aside, can you imagine Rhodes and Curzon meeting, perhaps in the "Secret Society" or over a brandy at the Rand Club or at White's in London. "I say, Rhodes, you do try hard," pan to cigar smoke, flashing eyes and, "Yes!" Or something like that. And what can we say.

Dear Lord, Kyrie Elieson, but well done nonetheless

There were giants in those days,

LSP

All Hail The Power

 

Wow. What would Curzon say?

Empire.

LSP

Artificial Intelligence

 

Note incorrect salute -- oh, maybe the RSF is Navy... hmmmm

Have you heard of these new supercomputer mind brains, artificial intelligences?  If you have or haven't, they're terrifyingly there and I asked one tonight, a Chatbot, "Write a story about the British Empire's expansion to the stars, Openai Chatbot."

What a sensible request and the happy bot replied:

Once upon a time, in an alternate reality, (ahem) the British Empire was not content with its earthly conquests. Its leaders and scientists were determined to expand their empire to the stars.

In the year 1875, a team of British scientists led by Professor James Rutherford unveiled their latest invention, a spacecraft capable of traveling beyond Earth's atmosphere. The spacecraft, named the HMS Victoria, was equipped with advanced technology that allowed it to withstand the harsh conditions of space travel.

Excitement and anticipation ran high as the British Empire announced its plans to launch the HMS Victoria on a mission to explore the solar system. The ship was manned by a crew of brave and skilled astronauts, led by Captain William Anderson.

As the HMS Victoria blasted off from Earth, it marked a new era of British dominance beyond the planet's surface. The ship journeyed through the asteroid belt, passed by Jupiter and its moons, and explored the depths of the Kuiper Belt.

The crew of the HMS Victoria encountered new life forms and planets with untold resources that could fuel the British Empire's expansion further. They made contact with aliens who welcomed them with curiosity and hospitality.

The British Empire's expansion to the stars was not without its challenges, as they also encountered hostile alien races and uncharted territories that threatened their survival. However, with their advanced technology and British ingenuity, the crew was able to overcome these obstacles.

As the HMS Victoria returned to Earth, the crew were hailed as heroes, and their achievements were celebrated by the entire British Empire. The British Empire's expansion to the stars had become a reality, and it marked the beginning of a new age of exploration and expansion beyond the boundaries of Earth.

With this new frontier, the British Empire had secured its place in history as the greatest empire that ever was, spanning not only the globe but the stars as well. And they looked to the future, knowing that there were still many more worlds and civilizations to explore, conquer and exploit.

 

Yes, there were giants in those days

Well done, Chatbot! See you at #1 Whitehall.

Ad Astra,

LSP

A Parable

 

Have you noticed that an Italian artist has sold nothing for 18k? Make of this parable what you will. In the meanwhile, here's a random all hail Lord Curzon.

Your Pal,

LSP

All Hail The Empire

 

Behold the glory of Lord Curzon and the Raj. Of course people, especially the English, say the Empire was a terrible, heinous thing, because medicine, roads, no slavery, schools, law and all the rest was wicked and racist, unlike suttee and thugee.

And you know what those things mean. Chucking living widows on funeral pyres and strangling people, to the tune of 20,000 a year to the goddess Kali. Wicked? Yes. Racist? Hardly, it was homegrown, but don't talk about the equitable caste system.

Regardless, if you go to Trafalgar Square, even now, you'll be struck by the triumph of the thing, an exuberance of Union Jacks. I love that and I suspect a lot of English people do too, even as they're scorned by the dead hand of Blairite globalist leftism.

So, fire Cressida Dick, Sadiq Khan and all the other comsymp lefties who've taken over the sceptered isle with a view to destroying it.

Your call, Great Britain. Rise to it, please.

Emp. Ind.

LSP

Apropos of Awesome

There he was, on Peshawar's train station pavement, wearing a blazer, straw panama, grey slacks, some sort of dam tie and, to cap it off, an umbrella, furled. Take note, natives, here am I.

And they did, by saluting sharply. The Raj, you see, had returned. Perhaps you think this some kind of made up, ha-ha joke. Think again. No, early 1980s.

Lord Curzon forever,

LSP

Ring Of Fire

You may have been following the Russian Collusion probe against against our President, which has so far busted Manafort for 12 year old tax skulduggery and a GIANT RAT for giving money to prostitutes.

That's appalling, you say as you reach for the smelling salts in a shocked fit of Victoriana, all the while wondering where is this Russian Collusion, where's the evidence? 

But don't be dismayed, sit back, take a load off, listen to Ring of Fire and set your mind at rest.

Your Old Friend,

LSP