Chapter 777 Continuation of the multi-standard system
After listening to Jérôme Bonaparte's words, Count Argoux hesitated for a moment, and then replied to Jérôme Bonaparte: "Your Majesty, I think the best policy is for the French Empire to still maintain the bimetallic system.
!”
"Tell me your reasons!" Jérôme Bonaparte replied calmly to Count Argoux.
"Your Majesty, as far as the gold reserves when I was president of the Bank of France are concerned, there is a big gap between us and the Kingdom of Britain!
What's more, our bank also reserves about 2,000 tons of silver, and rashly changing the standard system may cause great trouble to the silver in our hands!" Count Argu explained to Jérôme Bonaparte.
But what Count Argoux didn't know was that the gold reserves of the Bank of France were no longer 40 tons when he left (historically, in 1855, the gold reserves of the Bank of France were 32.5 tons), but nearly one hundred tons (to be precise)
is 101 tons) gold.
Part of this gold came from France's crazy exchange during the war, and the other part came from the treasury of the Russian Empire.
It can be said that the French Empire currently holds the largest gold reserves in Europe. (Historically, Britain's gold reserves have dropped from 104 to 74 tons. During this period, due to Jérôme Bonaparte's exchange, Britain's gold reserves
The gold reserve will only be less than this value.)
"Mr. Argoux!" Jerome Bonaparte asked Count Argoux with a smile, "How long has it been since you learned about the gold reserves of the Bank of France?"
Count Algu was stunned for a moment, and then replied cautiously: "Since I resigned from the position of president, I have never had the opportunity to understand him again!"
"Then let me tell you the current gold reserves!" Jérôme Bonaparte informed Count Argoux of the current gold reserves of the Bank of France.
There was a surprised expression on Count Argu's face. He could not understand how the Bank of France managed to more than double the bank's reserves in less than a year after he left the post of president.
"The current gold and silver reserves of the Bank of France are about 1:20," Jérôme Bonaparte responded to Count Argu, "and according to my intelligence in the United States of America, there may be a large bank in California.
mine!"
"Ah!" Count Argu showed a shocked expression on his face.
Count Argoux did not believe the information told by Jérôme Bonaparte, but Jérôme Bonaparte's previous operations made him have no choice but to believe these things.
Because Jérôme Bonaparte really had a gold mine in California!
"Although the gold-to-silver ratio is still at 1:15 now, once this silver mine is discovered, the price of silver in the international market will plummet like the previous price of gold!
By that time, the exchange ratio of gold and silver will be far from this figure!" Jérôme Bonaparte replied to Count Argoux in a solemn tone.
"Your Majesty, who is in the hands of that silver mine now?" Count Argoux asked Jerome Bonaparte urgently.
This news is simply too important for him!
"What? You want to kill people and silence them!" Jérôme Bonaparte asked Count Argoux half-jokingly.
"Your Majesty, I think this silver mine must be in our hands, otherwise it will cause great conflict with the silver reserves in our hands!" Count Argu said bluntly to Jerome Bonaparte.
.
"Don't worry! The silver mine has been blocked by my people! At least for a year or two, no news will leak out!" Jerome Bonaparte patted Count Argu's shoulder and comforted him.
Count Algu couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief. Now it seemed that he had to hurry up and exchange all the silver stored in the bank into gold.
"Mr. Argoux, do you still think that our implementation of bimetallism is better than the gold standard system?" Jérôme Bonaparte asked Count Argoux again.
"Your Majesty, I still think that France still implements the bimetallic system!" Count Argoux replied to Jérôme Bonaparte again.
"Huh?" Jérôme Bonaparte glanced at Count Argoux curiously and asked, "Why?"
"If France is the only country in the currency union, then I will definitely recommend that France complete the transition from bimetallic to gold standard!" Count Argu said eloquently, "But we are not the only country in the currency union. Belgium,
Switzerland, Sardinia, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Kingdom of Württemberg (after Jérôme Bonaparte’s day-and-night persuasion, the Kingdom of Württemberg agreed to join the French Monetary Union) still use the silver standard system, and it is beneficial to maintain the bistandard system.
Trade between the French Empire and them!”
"What are you going to do if the price of silver plummets in the international market?" Jérôme Bonaparte asked Count Argoux.
"Your Majesty! At that time, we can adjust the gold-to-silver ratio of silver coins, or stop the free casting of silver coins! In this case, France can still conduct trade with them!" Count Argu responded to Jérôme Bonaparte.
said one sentence.
"It sounds reasonable!" Jérôme Bonaparte's obsession with the gold standard gradually disappeared under Count Argu's persuasion.
In his mind, the priority of forming an international organization similar to the European Union is far greater than France's transformation into a gold standard.
Count Algu smiled slightly and did not speak.
"Just do what you said!" Jérôme Bonaparte said again, "When you go back, make some preparations!
You will be the representative of France at the Monetary Union Conference in early September!"
"Yes!" Earl Argu replied hastily.
Subsequently, Count Argoux was expelled from the country by Jérôme Bonaparte.
…
A few days passed, and Jerome Bonaparte finally received news that Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were coming.
It rained that day, so Jérôme Bonaparte sent a message to General Vaillant to blockade the Paris train station until the arrival of Queen Victoria and his wife.
At the same time, Jerome Bonaparte also summoned Baron Ottoman, a senior official in the Seine Province, and Marshal Pelissier, the "hero" in the Crimean War.
In the exchange with Baron Haussmann, Jérôme Bonaparte issued an order to Baron Haussmann, ordering him to block the World Exposition that night after Queen Victoria and his wife arrived.
On the second day, the number of people attending the World Expo will also be strictly limited. In short, the personal safety of Queen Victoria and his wife must be ensured when they visit the World Expo.
"Your Majesty, how about Victoria declare the World Expo closed for one day!" Baron Osman put forward his own suggestion.
"What should we do with the people at the World Expo? There can't be only a few people in the entire expo," Jérôme Bonaparte retorted to Baron Haussmann.
"Your Majesty, we can find someone to pretend to be someone participating in the expo! This way we can not only protect the safety of the Queen and his wife, but also make the expo look less empty!" Baron Osman once again proposed a solution.
"This method..." Jerome Bonaparte pondered for a moment, and then said to Baron Osman: "This method is indeed good, but I don't like it!
So just do as I say!"
"Yes! Your Majesty!" Baron Osman had no choice but to obey the willful monarch in front of him.
After speaking to Baron Haussmann, Jérôme Bonaparte turned his attention to Pelissier.
"Marshal Pélissier, wait until the day Victoria and Albert arrive, and you and I will go there to greet them!" Jérôme Bonaparte said to Pélissier.
"It's my honor!" Marshal Pellissier said respectfully to Jérôme Bonaparte.
Time soon came to the day when Queen Victoria and his wife arrived. At 10 noon on this day, Jérôme Bonaparte, Augusta and Frederick and their entourage took a train from the Tuileries Palace.
The carriage set off and arrived at the train station at 10:30 under the escort of dragoons.
At this time, there was still half an hour before the arrival of the Victoria couple's train. Since Augusta had been holding Frederic in his arms, Jerome Bonaparte asked Augusta and Frederic to remain seated.
On the carriage, when the train arrives, he will send someone to notify them, and they will get off the carriage to greet them.
Half an hour later, with the sound of a whistle in the distance, Jérôme Bonaparte immediately gave an order to Vaillant beside him, "Hurry up and call Augusta over!"
After a while, Augusta appeared on the platform with Friedrich in his arms.
The train carrying the Victoria couple also slowed down slowly and finally stopped in front of the platform.
Immediately afterwards, the Victoria couple got off the train, and several children followed them.
The oldest one is about ten years old, while the youngest one is only 5 or 6 years old.
They are Victoria and Albert's children.
"Welcome to France again, my friend!" Jerome Bonaparte stepped forward and gave Prince Albert a warm embrace.
"I'm really happy that my friend can come to greet him in person!" Albert also responded to Jerome Bonaparte with a smile.
"You are my best friend, how could I not come to greet you!" Jerome Bonaparte said to Albert, and then he turned his attention to the oldest (boy) child next to Albert.
I couldn't help but sigh, "This is Prince Edward, he's already so old!"
The person who was watched by Jérôme Bonaparte was Albert's eldest son and the future British monarch Edward VII.
At this time, Edward VII was looking at Jerome Bonaparte with longing eyes.
