After the dinner, Earl of Derby climbed into his carriage and suddenly felt that the blank check the Baring family had offered him didn't seem so appealing anymore.
Besides the fine dishes and wine at the dinner, Lionel had also gifted Earl of Derby two super-luxury yachts moored at Portsmouth Harbor as birthday presents for his younger son.
The two yachts had cost £75,000 and £83,000 respectively. A third-rate ship of the line cost only £100,000 at the time.
Add in their decorations, furnishings, and the like, and the total price of the two yachts was at least £200,000. For an ordinary British farmer, amassing such a fortune might take ten thousand years of hard work.
On top of that, Lionel was willing to use a 1% stake in the Suez Canal Company to establish a foundation dedicated to supporting the Tory Party.
At the time, the Suez Canal Company's total share value exceeded £1,600, meaning the stake was worth at least £160,000—and it still had room to appreciate in the future.
By contrast, that so-called blank check had a maximum value of only £100,000. Of course, even that sum would take a British farmer five thousand years to save up.
Earl of Derby was delighted. Today, he had not only secured Britain's future and hope, but also fulfilled his life's purpose. He couldn't help feeling that he had reached the very peak of his life.
In Vienna, the conference had essentially settled all its agenda items. The European Monetary Union and the Suez Canal Company had instead become the conference's main attractions.
Although Britain had opposed the former, its opposition had prompted economists throughout Europe to discuss it extensively.
The conclusion was that Europe—and indeed the world—needed such a union. It could greatly increase the liquidity of markets and