He Opened A Matchmaking Agency In 18Th Century London [EN]: Chapter 164

164. The Sanderson Treaty

Late September, 1782

As the hot summer waned and autumn approached, Lucy and Captain Rogers’ love also blossomed.

Though they had only known each other for five months, their affection was strong, and they soon decided to marry.

Captain Jude Rogers’ parents were delighted when Theo offered to be Lucy’s patron [a wealthy or influential person who supports someone’s career or endeavors].

With Theo Sanderson as the patron of their future daughter-in-law, they anticipated significant assistance with their son’s military career.

In this era, a patron held a significance quite different from modern times.

Lucy Hayes’ parents were also greatly pleased with Captain Rogers’ honorable and sincere demeanor.

Lucy’s mother even shed tears, deeply thanking Theo for introducing her to such a wonderful man.

The wedding was a modest affair held at Theo’s wedding hall, but the congratulatory song drew more attention from the guests than any lavish decorations.

Sir Patrick Bogart, now a rising star in Europe, had gladly accepted Theo’s request to sing.

Sir Patrick’s beautiful song greatly enhanced the wedding’s atmosphere.

“Sir Patrick! That was a truly wonderful song. Your skills seem to improve with each passing day! Haha!”

Patrick blushed at Theo’s sincere praise.

“Not at all, I still have much to learn. By the way, I heard that you introduced them, Lord Sanderson. They make such a well-suited couple.

It’s truly amazing how you find and connect people who are such a perfect match. It seems Lord Sanderson has an eye for things that are invisible to ordinary people.”

As he was talking with Patrick, he spotted Director Scipio Marshall in the distance.

He was enjoying the wedding party with Colin Peterson, Viscount Simon Hughes, and other members of the negotiating team.

These were the key figures in the crucial trade agreement that would determine England’s fate.

In particular, without Director Scipio’s extensive knowledge and insight, it would have been impossible to properly prepare for the negotiations.

Even the other members of the negotiating team, who had initially distanced themselves due to prejudice against his background as a formerly enslaved person, were now greatly impressed by his scholarship and analytical skills, and they all listened to him attentively.

However, he was holding a glass of punch and gazing longingly at someone.

‘……?’

Following his gaze, he saw Miss Margaret Spencer, Mr. Spencer’s twin daughter, standing there.

Although they were a bit far away, Theo could clearly sense Scipio’s subtle expressions and gestures, and he could easily tell that his heart was completely set on Margaret.

Perhaps he had developed feelings for Margaret over the past few months since coming to London from Manchester.

Shortly after, Margaret, sensing Scipio’s gaze, shyly approached him, and they began to converse intimately.

Margaret was also sending strong signals of affection to Scipio.

It was an unexpected pairing, but upon closer inspection, the two seemed to be a good match.

‘They’ve been nurturing their feelings amidst their busy schedules. The power of love is truly amazing. Still… they would make a pretty good couple, wouldn’t they?’

A faint smile spread across Theo’s face as he discovered another future happy couple at Lucy’s wedding.

February 1783, Versailles Palace, France.

In October 1782, Theo completed all the preliminary work for the free trade agreement with France and addressed any remaining issues.

And in February of the following year, 1783, the first round of talks finally took place at the Palace of Versailles in France.

The negotiating team, upon entering the Palace of Versailles for the talks, couldn’t help but gape in awe.

“Good heavens. It’s truly enormous. Compared to this, the palaces in England are quite modest.”

One aide exclaimed in admiration. Though he didn’t say anything, Theo also seemed surprised by the scale.

Including the vast gardens, the Palace of Versailles covered an area of 8 million square meters, an unimaginable size of approximately 2.42 million *pyeong* [a Korean unit of area, roughly 3.3 square meters].

It was a single garden, but it was so large that one could get lost without a map, and every path was adorned with magnificent sculptures and fountains, giving the illusion of visiting an art exhibition.

Inside the palace, there were several separate palaces built by Louis XIV, each boasting great beauty and scale.

The historic first meeting with France began in the seven rooms known as the ‘King’s Apartments (Grands Appartements du Roi).’

Each room was named after a god from ancient Greece and Rome and was used for various purposes such as conferences, concerts, and balls.

Viscount Simon Hughes, while preparing for the talks in the conference room, looked around at the ornately decorated walls, windows, and sculptures and said,

“I think I understand why they wanted to hold the first meeting in a place like this. It seems they’re trying to intimidate us with the atmosphere.

Since it’s their home turf, they intend to suppress our spirits in this huge and lavish conference room and take the lead in the negotiations.”

Theo nodded.

“The French have great pride in their culture and architecture. We shouldn’t be swayed by such things and proceed with the negotiations as planned.”

The five committee members and two aides nodded in agreement with Theo’s words, renewing their determination.

Clunk-

The door soon opened, and Charles de Calonne, the Comptroller-General of Finances, and several French committee members entered the conference room.

Thus began the historic first meeting between England and France.

* * *

The first trade agreement talks between England and France, which took place over several days, involved a general exchange of opinions.

And as Dr. Scipio Marshall had predicted, the French side strongly demanded that tariffs on agricultural products, in which they had an absolute advantage, be lowered as much as possible.

The British negotiating team acted according to plan. At first, they staunchly resisted, as if it were absolutely impossible.

Then, the anxious French side became more proactive.

They offered to lower tariffs on British textiles and manufactured goods even further, continuously demanding that tariffs on French agricultural products be lowered to the lowest possible level.

Thus, the first round of negotiations concluded with a tense tug-of-war.

Later, at the second round of negotiations held at Windsor Castle in England in May 1783, the British side adopted an attitude as if they could not overcome the French demands and were willing to concede.

Encouraged by this, the French negotiating team even proposed to lower tariffs on British textiles and manufactured goods even further than the initial 15%.

As Director Scipio had predicted, the French side, desperate to impose the lowest tariffs on agricultural products and wine, fell into their own trap.

In the end, at the final agreement reached at the Palace of Versailles in October 1783, France was subject to the lowest tariffs on agricultural products and wine, while England saw the trade agreement come to fruition with favorable tariff benefits on textiles and manufactured goods.

And on February 1 of the following year, 1784, the treaty related to the world’s first free trade agreement (FTA) came into effect, and the name of this treaty was named ‘The Sanderson Treaty’ after the surname of Lord Theo Sanderson, who played a major role in the agreement.

March 1784. Windsor Castle, Special Banquet Hall.

As the agreement was concluded as planned, King George invited the negotiating team, who had put in all their efforts for the trade agreement for a long time, to the palace and held a grand banquet.

Dr. Scipio Marshall was with his fiancée, Miss Margaret Spencer, and Lord Colin Peterson attended with his wife, Catherine Peterson, and Viscount Simon Hughes with his wife, Christina Hughes, sharing their joy.

For Theo, it was especially meaningful because they were all couples he had personally brought together.

At that moment, King George III, who was sitting at the head of the banquet hall, raised his glass and stood up.

“As the King of this country today, I am overjoyed that a very important agreement has been successfully concluded, which will make the lives of all my people a little more prosperous.

And I will bestow appropriate rewards and positions on all of our negotiating team who have worked so hard for over a year to achieve this. Especially Lord Theo Sanderson, who oversaw and led the treaty as the head of this negotiating team….”

As Theo Sanderson’s name was called, the attendees buzzed with interest.

“I regard him as the greatest contributor to this negotiation and the one who brilliantly completed this ‘Sanderson Treaty.’

Therefore, I hereby declare in advance that I will bestow the title of Viscount on Lord Theo Sanderson, who is currently a Baron, at the investiture ceremony this week!”

The banquet hall was greatly stirred.

Lord Littleton showed his displeasure at King George’s declaration.

“Your Majesty! I fully understand Your Majesty’s joy, and I also think it is fortunate that the treaty has been successfully concluded as planned.

However, we have only just concluded the treaty, and no results have yet been seen. No one knows whether this treaty will turn out to be as advantageous as Lord Sanderson predicts, or whether we will suffer greater damage. I am deeply concerned that we are celebrating too hastily.”

However, rumors had long circulated that he would be granted the title of Earl for suppressing the rebels and saving King George.

Rather, it felt overdue, so no one else raised objections to the conferment of the Viscount title.

King George ignored Lord Littleton’s words and expressed his will to proceed.

Then, the surrounding ministers and nobles poured out their congratulations.

– Congratulations, Lord Sanderson!

– Lord Sanderson! No, Viscount, haha. Congratulations!

Theo felt dazed by the congratulations coming from all directions.

He raised his glass and offered his gratitude to them all.

However, a sense of unease gradually grew in Theo’s heart as he emptied his glass.

The free trade agreement between France and England in actual history, as Theo remembered it, was initially touted as a great benefit to both sides.

Many believed that France, confident in its agricultural production due to its fertile soil, would export grain to England, and conversely, England, with its developed industry, would export manufactured goods to France, resulting in mutually beneficial trade.

However, the decisive factor that France overlooked was the difference in the added value of the two goods.

From France’s perspective, the value of grain exported at a low price was cheap, whereas the value of manufactured goods or textiles imported from England was higher and more expensive than agricultural products.

As a result, they had to hand over much cheaper agricultural products in large quantities to import relatively more expensive but valuable British manufactured goods for daily life, leading to a trade imbalance that far exceeded France’s initial predictions.

In addition, a major crop failure due to the climate further worsened France’s national finances, as he remembered.

If all these things were reproduced as they were, even though history had changed, the accumulation of bad results would enrage the French citizens and create a great uprising that would be deeply etched in French history.

‘The French Revolution… is that event finally coming…?’

Theo, caught in the vortex of history that was constantly changing, had no choice but to be more cautious.

Three months later. June 1784, Theo Commercial Education Research Institute Conference Room.

“The hotel building near Covent Garden seems to be the most suitable.”

Director Scipio Marshall nodded at Theo’s words.

“I think it’s the best place too. Does anyone have any objections?”

The other research committee members all looked like they had no objections to Director Scipio’s question.

To establish a proper educational institution, the research institute staff had been searching for school sites for several months.

London, with a population of nearly one million, had seen the emergence of slums due to the rapidly increasing population, and many areas lacked adequate sanitation facilities, making them unsuitable for an educational environment.

Therefore, they tried to find a good location to build a clean educational environment and buildings, and they selected several candidate areas.

During this process, Lambeth and Kennington, south of the River Thames, were also considered.

The most promising school site was near the British Museum in the Bloomsbury area.

Despite the city’s disorderly expansion, this area had relatively well-preserved green spaces, and most of the residential areas were occupied by professionals and upper-middle-class residents, making it a quiet and pleasant learning environment.

However, Theo’s thoughts differed from those of the research committee members.

The purpose of the school itself was for children in difficult educational environments.

It was to give educational opportunities to a nine-year-old chimney sweep, not to provide better benefits to well-off children.

So, after much deliberation, he chose the slum of Covent Garden.

There, a large hotel building had been halted due to financial difficulties.

The plan was to renovate that building and build a new educational building to establish Theo School.