Type the topic in any language to check out real time results of Who's Talking on Social Media Sites

• Twitter + Facebook
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Flickr
• Youtube
• Picasa
• Google+
• Digg
• Blog
• Forums
• Yahoo Answers

Most recent 18 results returned for keyword: Queen Victoria (Search this on MAP)

Sajid Khan : My Family History. Tolerance runs in my family. The Oudh rulers built many Hindu temples and donated... My Family History. Tolerance runs in my family. The Oudh rulers built many Hindu temples and donated land for the church and the first Christian school in the kingdom. Tippu Sultan was a very tolerant leader. Not only did he allow all the festivals at the Srinagapatnam temple he participated in them. He even donated huge lands to not only this temple, he donated to all the major temples of India like the temple of Jagatnathpuri. These temples still have these lands today and have a huge source of income from them.He also built a church for the French. It was the first church in Mysore. Today there is a huge thriving Christian community there. I am a member of the Royal family of Oudh. There is an interesting story about one of my ancestors, Nawab Safdar Jung. The same guy after whom is named in New Delhi an airport, railway station, hospital, enclave, road and of course his tomb. He was married to the adopted daughter of the Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah. At the time of Safdar Jung’s marriage the Emperor was at the height of his power and he gave away his daughter with a super huge dowry the likes of which had not been seen since the more powerful emperors several generation ago. It is said that the dowry of jewels stretched for over a mile on oxen carts, horse carriages and dozens of elephants. When the time came for the emperor’s own daughter’s marriage he was broke. The Afghan invader Ahmad Shah Abdali had just defeated the forces of the Mughal kingdom and had ransacked Delhi. One time the Afghan victor was sitting along with Muhammad Shah, the Mughal emperor negotiating peace. The Afghan absent mindedly pulled out his sword. As he could not show it as a mistake he called with his finger one of his soldiers and chopped off the soldiers head. Then he called another and then another and did the same. Then he wiped the blade of his sword with his cloak and put it back in its mane. Now Muhammad Shah had to show that he too had such loyal followers. So he took his sword out and called with his finger one of his soldiers. The soldier turned his head away and did not come forward, so the emperor called the next one and then the next one and they all refused. My ancestor, Sadat Ali Khan the father of Safdar Jung came forward and put his head down. The emperor pulled his sword to strike Khan’s head off. Ahmad Shah stopped the emperor by taking his sword away and saying to him that he had just this one loyal soldier whom he was about to kill, no way would the Afghan allow that. In fact this jewelry that came to us as dowry was so famous that a long line of English officials made a stream line to get their hands on it. The most famous of them was Governor General Warren Hastings. In fact he was later impeached for accepting our jewels. One of the top two shahnamas in the world (manuscript of the story of kings with paintings) belonged to us. The other was the famous Persian shahnama. The British were so obsessed with it that they finally, over many generations persuaded my family to give it as a gift to the British royal family. Today it is a part of the British royal collection. It was recently on show at the Metropolitan museum in New York City. When we were ruling the British started as the East India Company. The East India Company was gobbling up kingdoms so we bought huge shares in the company to insure that we would not be annexed. When the company was dissolved and Queen Victoria took over she later annexed the kingdom anyway. I sometimes wonder when the East India Company was taken over were the share holders compensated? For if they were then the current British government owes my family billions of dollars! With the Mughal kingdom becoming weak and our Oudh kingdom enriched with wealth the cultural capital of Mughal India soon shifted from Delhi to Lucknow, the capital of Oudh. The Mughal culture thrived in Lucknow under the patronage of my ancestors to the extent that my family is credited for the embellishment and development of an entirely new language which is called Urdu. It is now spoken by over 300 million people and is understood by over a billion people. It is the national language of Pakistan. The cultural capital of Urdu is still Lucknow. We ‘Luchnavies’ are born poets. The music and songs, poetry and literature of all India is still heavily influenced by the culture developed by my family. It is no surprise that the foundations of script writing and dialogue writing were established for Bollywood by my late uncle Wajahat Mirza Chengezi. He won the early Indian Filmfare awards -the Indian Oscars. Some of us had added the surname Chengezi to signify our blood line going all the way to the Mughals and further to Chengiz Khan the Mongol Emperor. I once heard my uncle say that he had got a medium to summon the spirit of Chengiz Khan and when his experience was very scary he dropped the surname of Chegenzi. The spirit of Chengiz Khan was furious as he said that his descendant could not be such a weakling! ‘For crying out loud holding a pen instead of a sword!’ He felt that Chengiz Khan was ready to kill him from the other side. This is a group portrait of a long line of kings of Oudh.This painting was made before the last of the line.   Most royal families are connected. The Oudh family is from my fathers side. OUDH (AWADH) My mothers side is from the family of Tippu Sultan, who is considered India’s first freedom fighter. He was a very unique ruler. When he heard that his enemies the British were fighting the Americans he sent money to support the American war of independence! He was the first ruler, perhaps the only one from Asia to support  American independence. And thanks to the fact that America authentically respects all those whose ancestors helped in the American war of independence my family has a special status here. Tippu was a great friend of Napoleon. Napoleon sent a 100 military experts including engineers and doctors. Some of these French soldiers got together and made a mechanical automation that is known as Tippu’s tiger, for Tippu. This is the most popular item in the Prince Albert museum in London. He is even credited with inventing the rocket technology. There is an interesting story that there was a French captain who was spying for him against the British. He was captured by the British who threatened to kill him. Tippu paid a huge ransom for his freedom. This Frenchman went back to France, he rose to become a general in the French army. He married Napoleon’s sister and Napoleon made him King Charles XIV of Sweden! I wonder if it the same family that is now ruling Sweden.(If it is the same family then my family is a VIP in Sweden too, because my ancestor saved the life of their king and even the life of the line of kings to the present day). Some of the new laws Tippu introduced are still in effect today and have been copied by other states all the way to Pakistan and Bangladesh. Sir Walter Scott hailed him as a legendary warrior. Prof. Harry Cahill considers Tippu to be one of the greatest ever rulers of the sub continent. There were two great things that he did for our family. One was the huge lands that he bought for us. The other was an act by his father Hyder Ali. Hyder was looking to marry Tippu to some filthy rich (billionaire of that time) family to secure wealth. The richest in all India was the Nizam of Hyderabad. He sent word to the Nizam that he wanted to marry his son Tippu into the Nizam’s family. Tippu’s marriage was settled with the daughter of the Nizam’s brother. The engagement took place in Hyderabad, the Nizams capital. Tippu went there with gifts for his future in laws. He was there for a few days where gifts of jewels were exchanged and lavish parties were thrown. The Nizam held a party where everything looked like dishes of goat, beef and chicken. On tasting everything was a dessert. Tippu threw a party where every thing looked like dessert but was regular food made with meat, wheat, rice and vegetables. In a few months the political winds shifted. The engagement was canceled. So Hyder started looking for another bride for his son. By now his kingdom had expanded and he himself became filthy rich. He was no more looking for wealth through marriage. This time around he was looking for a family with ancestral dignity and proven pure blood lines of Prophet Mohammad. In the French territory of Pondecherry was a family that was not just descended from the Muslim prophet they had a mausoleum of their ancestor Sufi saint who was known for his wisdom and scholarship. To this day an annual religious festival and fair takes place that celebrates the birthday of this pious saint. It is believed that the French lost their lands to the British all over India but not in Pondicherry because of their respect for this saint and as a result the saint protected Pondicherry from the British. Hyder engaged a daughter in marriage from the then current head of this holy family.  An intriguing thing happened on the wedding day. Hyder arranged to marry Tippu with this noble bride. Tippu was in love with another girl. You see a decade earlier an assassination attempt was made on Hyder and all his kin were made a target. Hyder’s family was all scattered. One of Hyder’s faithful servants took the ten year old Tippu and his brother and hid them in a broken boat on the river. The enemies were looking all over but no one thought of the abandoned and marooned boat. Tippu was hiding in the boat for a few days till the rebels were over powered. During his stay in the boat the servants daughter was the one who brought him food twice a day. Tippu took an instant liking to her and gradually fell in love with her. On the wedding day Hyder, Tippu, the brides family and the French guests were all gathered in Pondicherry. When the Mullah asked Tippu for his marriage vows Tippu refused; he said that he would only take the vows if he was also allowed to marry his sweet heart too. Hyder said he would allow that but it would be done later when they returned to their kingdom as the girl was back in Mysore. Tippu had cleverly brought his girl friend along disguised as a maid servant. So Tippu had his way. He was married twice on the same day, first to the decendent of prophet Mohammad and a few minutes later to his childhood sweetheart! But the point of all this is that my family has the blood of the Prophet of Islam in our veins thanks to Hyder Ali’s vision of securing a proven pure blood line direct from the holy prophet himself! There are hundreds of thousands who claim to have descended from the prophet of Islam. But the real documented cases are only perhaps in the hundreds. We are from amongst the documented ones. This places our family as cousins to the premier Muslim families around the world including the royal families of Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Iraq as well as the Agha Khan and the billionaire Bara Mullah, the high priest of the Bories. As the prophet himself descended directly from Abraham … Tippu was a very tolerant leader. Not only did he allow all the festivals at the Srinagapatnam temple he participated in them. He even donated huge lands to not only this temple, he donated to all the major temples of India like the temple of Jagatnathpuri. These temples still have these lands today and have a huge source of income from them. He also built a church for the French. It was the first church in Mysore. Today there is a huge thriving Christian community there. As two of his sons were taken as hostages to Calcutta; Tippu bought huge chunks of land there. Today these lands along with major built properties on them are still part of the Prince Mohammad Ali (son of Tippu Sultan) trust. On paper our trust owns about Rupees 25,000,00,000,000.00  worth of properties in Kolkata alone! (according to The Mamta Banerji Commission set up to investigate the legal status of this trust). This is $50 billion. It is over 400+ acres of land in Kolkata, where land values in the heart of Kolkata are as expensive as in New York. In reality our family except for a few of us are mostly middle class and lower as others are controlling our lands and we are getting nothing from it. I have been fighting, along with my cousin, Prince Asif Ali Shah to have our royal privileges restored that were abolished by Indra Gandhi. Finally some of our symbolic privileges have been restored. Karnataka Government to restore symbolic royal respect to Tipu … Tippu even started a company in which people could own stocks. He heard of silk and he introduced silk plants which he imported from Burma. His having brought the silk industry to India has today created billions of dollars of trade and tens of thousands of jobs. Today Mysore is the silk producing capital of India. He also introduced rubber plants from Malaysia. Sandal wood trees were mostly growing in the wild. He aggressively expanded the cultivation of sandal wood trees. One of the most amazing events happened under his leadership. Under his President-ship was founded the Jacobean Club of France. The very organization that was behind the French revolution. But it is not the family background that is as important; for I believe all humans across the board are equal. KS and SKS and even the poor beggar around the corner on your street are as important and valuable as I am, not more not less. For me what is important is how much of my time/life I have spent in creating eternal values for all times to come. And I have quite a list of original ideas that I want to make sure that these are implemented before I pass away. I am hoping others will join me in my quest to make the world wise. And it is for this reason that Krishan and co. is a source of irritation. After all our objectives are the same. We all knollers want to change the world. Why can’t we support each others agendas. I want to invite readers and fellow knollers to become founding members of the Wisdom Express. Around a dozen slots are reserved for my KAF insiders. The rest are open. You can apply with your brief bio. Please read my knol, THE WISDOM EXPRESS and if you agree with its agenda then please leave a comment with a link to your bio on my knol:I am thinking; how can I advance the agenda of the Wisdom Express?. This will be a moderated knol. One of the things I want to do apart from celebrating Wisdom Day on Gandhi’s birthday on 2nd October every year is to start with giving a certificate of wisdom to as many people as possible who can take my wisdom test and pass it. Others will be given a wisdom potential certificate and shown how to become worthy of the wisdom certificate. The objective is to make more and more people aware of wisdom as an unactualized potential in them. Tipu’s Tiger – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Tipu’s Tiger (a.k.a. Tippoo’s Tiger) is an automaton, representing a tiger savaging a European soldier, or employee of the British East India Company. … en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipu’s_Tiger – Cached – Similar Image results for Tipu’s tiger  - Report imagesThank you for the feedback. Report another imagePlease report the offensive image. CancelDone     Video results for Tipu’s tiger Tipu’s Tiger – Part 1 10 min – Oct 21, 2009 http://www.youtube.com Tipu’s Tiger – Part 2 9 min – Oct 21, 2009 http://www.youtube.com     3 hours ago - Via Google+ - View - Print & Mail 4U : #Postage #Stamps: Penny Black Estimated value: US$5 million The UK's 1840 issued Penny Black is the... #Postage #Stamps: Penny Black Estimated value: US$5 million The UK's 1840 issued Penny Black is the first stamp in the world. It was designed by Rowland Hill, who proposed the reform of the British postal system. He was called the Father of the Postage Stamp. Before the Penny Black was issued, post offices had to take payments for mail delivery in cash. People had to wait in line to deliver every piece of mail. Postage was charged by the number of letter papers and the amount of distance traveled. Following Rowland Hill's suggestion, a letter was wrapped in an extra piece of paper (envelope) and an adhesive stamp was attached to indicate the prepayment of postage. The stamp was the Penny Black. The picture in the stamp shows Queen Victoria, based on a sketch of her by William Wyon when she visited London in 1837. The Penny Black Stamp was only used for one year because the red cancellation mark was hard to spot on its black background. As a result of this, nine months later, the stamp was reprinted as a red stamp so that the black cancellation marks were easier to see and harder to remove. The Penny Black was scheduled to be issued on May 6. However, in some cities, a number of the copies were issued on May 2. Only two pieces of the early issue can be found now and these are regarded as real treasures. A few years ago, a rich businessman bought a copy from a US auction house at the price of US$5 million. Source: http://bit.ly/19h6GgM 3 hours ago - Via Google+ - View - Wayne Marner : Queen Victoria Monument Buckingham Palace - London Queen Victoria Monument Buckingham Palace - London 5 hours ago - Via Community - View - Crick Crack Ek Nawa Kahani : In Crick-Crack, Ek Nawa Kahani legend collides with life. This story is laced with sorcery and intrigue... In Crick-Crack, Ek Nawa Kahani legend collides with life. This story is laced with sorcery and intrigue as Mayaro 'soucouyants' Matilda and Loretta shed their skins and take off for England to steal a golden spoon from Queen Victoria's royal cutlery.  But the lives of these two old hags are changed forever when their obeah fails and a disoriented Loretta returns to Mayaro just before daybreak to a 'sound cut arse' while Matilda comes back with the golden spoon that ignites the greed of Lionel, her "saga boy" lover. 5 hours ago - Via Google+ - View - Picturile mele : Queen Victoria's sketches and watercolours go on display at Windsor Castle http://owl.li/2xGTkM Queen Victoria's sketches and watercolours go on display at Windsor Castle http://owl.li/2xGTkM Queen Victoria's sketches and watercolours go on display at Windsor Castle Intimate sketches by Queen Victoria of her children will be one of the highlights of a new exhibition featuring artwork by the royal family through the centuries. 10 hours ago - Via HootSuite - View - Denmark Pictures : During the siege of Copenhagen in 1807, two British soldiers stole and buried the regiment's coffers ... During the siege of Copenhagen in 1807, two British soldiers stole and buried the regiment's coffers by this oak tree in Jægersborg Deer Park. Years later - at the request of Queen Victoria - the coffers were searched for... but in vain. The old oak is called Englænderegen (The Englishman Oak) and stands near the Eremitage Hunting Lodge. 11 hours ago - Via Google+ - View - Jesse McCormack : EUROVISION AND BEYOND Part 14 - Window to the Past My first night in Killarney was spent familiarising... EUROVISION AND BEYOND Part 14 - Window to the Past My first night in Killarney was spent familiarising myself with the town, and settling into the Railway Hostel (so named because of it's proximity to the bus and train stations). I am becoming more and more efficient at cooking my basic but delicious pasta dish. It requires me buying only 5 items from a supermarket for less than €5, which lasts me 2 nights, or three if I don't stuff myself (I normally get two very generous helpings out of half the ingredients). I spent most of my time at the hostel avoiding one of my room-mates, a 50 or 60-something-year-old man who seemed to be perpetually drunk and/or stoned, and was a loud snorer to boot. I'm also completely convinced that he stole some of my Belgian Seashells (once again, a quote from Catherine Tate is immensely appropriate: "Thieving bastard! What a f***ing liberty!") I was excited to be in Killarney earlier than I anticipated, as I thouht it would make moving on to the far south-west a lot easier; I could stay in Ballinskelligs or Portmagee for two nights, giving me a full day in between to catch a ferry out to the Skelligs. Unfortunately, it turned out that all the boats going out to the famous rocks were booked out for several days, and the weather was looking like it was going to be too rough for any boats to make the crossing anyway. This left a large gap in my itinerary, and I had quite a frustrating time trying to figure out how to fill it. I mulled this over in my head (among many other things) during my second day as I was walking outside of the town towards one of Killarney's main nearby attractions. Ross Castle is situated in Killarney National Park, and is the ancestral home of the O'Donoghue clan, although it was later owned by the Brownes of Killarney, an English family. Sometime in the 1800s, a law was in existance which stated that every family richer than a certain threshold was required to pay an additional roof tax for every building which they owned outside of the family home. As the Brownes still owned the castle, but never used it, let alone lived in it, they removed the roof of the stronghold to create a tax dodge. It's interior exposed to the elements, the castle fell into ruin, and was almost unrecognizable by the end of Queen Victoria's reign. The castle has now been fully restored using materials and techniques of the time, as far as possible, and refurbished with genuine 15th-17th century furniture, tapestries and ornaments, althogh none of them originally belonged to the castle. Photography was prohibited on the castle tours, so those curious will have to just go and visit themselves! There was nothing to stop me from taking photos of the outside, however... On my third day, I was planning to leave but still completely unsure of where I would go. My problem was sold when I saw a sign on a pub door advertising a session that night, so I decided to stay for a bit longer (and I was jumping for joy when they put me in a different room away from "Mr Drunken Snorring!). I went busking that afternoon, which, while not as profitable as I would have liked, almost covered the entire cost of my extra night's stay. When I got back to the pub that night, it became clear that the "session" which was advertised was actually an exclusive group of musicians playing generic tunes for the tourists. Feeling rather swindled by Killarney's heavy-duty tourism industry, I returned to the Railway Hostel with my proverbial tail between my legs, plonked myself on the couch and watched a few +Jo Quail videos on YouTube until I started a conversation with a fellow guest who I'd met that morning. Her name is Joy, she's about the same age as the chocolate-thieving drunkard, but the similarities completely end there. She is kind and generous, very chatty, passionate, and has a great taste in music. She reminded my very much of my friend Kerrie whom I sing with from time to time. Originally from the north-east of the US she travels so frequently that she now describes herself as "a citizen of Planet Earth." Her accent intrigued me and kept me on my toes while we were talking; it seemed to change with every word, from Californian, to Canadian, to Irish, Northern English, Scottish, Australian, Southern US, Kiwi, and once or twice I even heard some continental European accent as well - all within the same sentance, as often as not! This was not confusing, as one might expect, but actually rather delightful! We talked for hours, and then several hours more the next morning as I was preparing to leave. We decided that, should our schedules allow, we would meet again in county Wicklow, or failing that somewhere in Europe next year - which for both of us will largely depend on finaces! Before leaving Killarney, I popped over to the Friary next door to the hostel, which had a rather immaculate garden, as I know my mother is likely to throttle me if she knew I was in the vicinity of such a place wihout taking a single photograph... Where: Killarney Population: 14,200 Notable for: As the usual starting point for the Ring of Kerry, its BLOODY TOURISM INDUSTRY! Favourite Food: I ran out of my liquorice teabags from København while I was still in Galway, so now I have some apple and cinammon...nomnomnom Funniest/Best Moment: talking with Joy until well after midnight. It made the third night well worth the extra money, and really perked me up after... Worst Moment: ...finding out that the so-called "session" was actually not a session at all. The four or five musicians were sitting around a table with microphones shoved up their instruments and giving me suspicious looks at soon as it became obvious that I had instruments as well. I left straightaway in disgust without so much as a word spoken between us Biggest Regret: not being organized enough to go horse-riding through Killarney National Park. That would have been awesome. I Highly Recommend: the scenery around County Kerry is gorgeous, especially in the rain. Looking out the window on the top floor of Ross Castle over the nearby lake was (apart from the tourist boats) probably the best view I've got since being in Ireland (I think I ever preferred it to viewing the Cliffs of Moher from Inis Oírr, but as the latter experience was marred by the presence of a rusty shipwreck that smelled like dead fish, I can't be entirely sure) I Didn't Expect: to have to put up with as much snorring as I did. If I have to share a room with a snorrer in Cork, there's a strong possibility that I will have to call the police and ask them to prevent me from committing a murder! Will Miss Most: Joy Will Miss Least: the seashell-swindling stoner Lesson Learned: spontaneously finding oneself with extra time to play with in one's itinerary, one should use that time to relax for a bit, instead of trying to cram as many things as possible into the extra days. Once I stopped worrying about what to do instead of going to the Skelligs, everything fell into place... Photo: Ross Castle 13 hours ago - Via Mobile - View - Rahat khan : 16 hours ago - Via Google+ - View - Roy Manterfield : 18 June 1897 ► #Nottingham was granted City status by Queen Victoria during her Diamond Jubilee. #Not... 18 June 1897 ► #Nottingham was granted City status by Queen Victoria during her Diamond Jubilee. #NottinghamHistory 18 hours ago - Via Google+ - View - Suzi Love : Regency Roof Rack: The imperial was a spacious, and usually expensive, form of luggage carrier from the... Regency Roof Rack: The imperial was a spacious, and usually expensive, form of luggage carrier from the latter eighteenth century right into the reign of Queen Victoria. http://ow.ly/m8bcS Regency Roof Rack:   The Imperial Did you think all those roof racks and cargo boxes that are mounted on all those car roofs every year for summer vacation road trips are an invention of the twentieth century? Then you will be quit... 23 hours ago - Via HootSuite - View - John Shallo : Queen Victoria Debuts New Dining Venue Cunard has now opened a second version of their newest alternative dining spot, the Verandah, aboard the Queen Victoria. The Verandah aboard the Queen Victoria was opened to guests for the first time on the ship's June 1st St. Petersburg & Baltics Cruise. The new dining venue has replaced the Todd English Restaurant aboard the Queen Victoria and features a more upscale menu, designed entirely by Michelin-starred Chef Patron Jean-Marie Zimmerma... 1 day ago - Via Google+ - View - Bernadette Thompson : Here's my latest doll.  She's a bridal doll, influenced by Queen Victoria's wedding dress.  http://do... Here's my latest doll.  She's a bridal doll, influenced by Queen Victoria's wedding dress.  http://dollcherie.com/bridal-doll-victoria/ Bridal Doll - Victoria - dollcherie.com OOAK fabric art doll by Bernadette Thompson, inspired by Queen Victoria's wedding dress. She's made from vintage fabrics & recycled fabrics 1 day ago - Via Google+ - View - Rob Granatstein : Queen Victoria’s father deserves greater role in Canadian history, new biography says 1 day ago - Via Google+ - View - Clifton Hill Niagara Falls : Love this shot of the Sunday evening Fireworks display from the Dinosaur Adventure Golf course on Clifton... Love this shot of the Sunday evening Fireworks display from the Dinosaur Adventure Golf course on Clifton Hill in Niagara Falls. Every Friday, Sunday and holidays at 10:00 are free Fireworks displays until September 1st, 2013 at Queen Victoria Park in Niagara Falls. http://www.cliftonhill.com/events/niagara-falls-fireworks 1 day ago - Via Community - View - WIST - Wish I'd Said That : All marriage is such a lottery — the happiness is always an exchange — though it may be a very happy ... All marriage is such a lottery — the happiness is always an exchange — though it may be a very happy one — still the poor woman is bodily and morally the husband’s slave. That always sticks in my throat. When I think of a merry, happy, and free young girl — and look at the ailing aching state a young wife is generally doomed to — which you can’t deny is the penalty of marriage. -- Queen Victoria (1819-1901) British monarch (1837-1901) [Alexandrina Victoria Wettin, née Hanover] #quote   #quotation   Letter to her daughter, Victoria (16 May 1860) All marriage is such a lottery — the happiness is always an exchange — though it may be a very happy one — still the poor woman is bodily and morally the husband’s slave. That always sticks in my throat. When I think of a merry, happy, and free young girl — and look at [...] 1 day ago - Via Google+ - View - Robert Kekeye : +Cunard Line #cruises #culinary http://www.robertsleading.com/wordpress/queen-victorias-new-verandah... +Cunard Line #cruises #culinary   http://www.robertsleading.com/wordpress/queen-victorias-new-verandah-cunards-dining-new-restaurant-option/ QUEEN VICTORIA`S NEW VERANDAH. CUNARD`S DINING REFRESHED WITH NEW RESTAURANT | Robert`s Cruise & Tour Leading e.U. Photo: Monkfish and Scallops in Brown Butter, Spinach and Parmesan Ravioli, and Smoked Bacon Velouté, from the new Verandah Restaurant menu. A new alternative dining venue, The Verandah, opened aboard Cunard Line's Queen Victoria for her St. Petersburg & Baltic Explorer cruise, which departed ... 1 day ago - Via Reshared Post - View - todaysmemory : #onthisday , 171 years ago, two British intelligence officers, Colonel Charles Stoddart and Captain Arthur... #onthisday , 171 years ago, two British intelligence officers, Colonel Charles Stoddart and Captain Arthur Conolly, were condemned as spies at the court of Emir Nasrullah Khan, ruler of Bukhara, and publicly decapitated in the square in front of the Ark Fortress. “Now I shall go far and far into the North playing the Great Game.“ (Rudyard Kipling, “Kim“)  When the Russian Empire began to push into Central Asia during the mid 1830s to gain an ice-free harbour on the shores of the Indian Ocean and threaten the British Raj in India, a pretence like Russian subjects sold as slaves into the Transoxanian emirates and khanates east of the Caspian, Khiva, Bukhara, Khwarezm, Kokand and Fergana, came handy to mobilise an army and intervene in the area between the Oxus (Amu Darya) and Jaxartes (Syr Daya) rivers. Col Stoddart was sent to Bukhara in the autumn of 1838 to negotiate for ann alliance with the British and for the slaves’ release at least deprive the Tsar of this pretext, but obviously couldn’t agree with local customs, refusing to dismount from his horse in the palace court, slapping a courtier for good measure and trying to draw his sword when forced to bow before the Emir, not a very bright idea with the next contingent of John Company’s Army 500 miles away and rather occupied with conquering Afghanistan during the first Anglo-Afghan War. Stoddart was promptly imprisoned. The next envoy charged with negotiating for the release of the Russians and Stoddart was Cpt Conolly. He was already active in the region, sometimes travelling in native garb as “Khan Ali”, trying to persuade the local princes to refrain from taking slaves and ally with the British. Conolly arrived at Bukhara in October 1841 and received a friendly welcome at first. Then Emir Nasrullah Khan did not receive an answer to his letter to Queen Victoria and was quite miffed. Over and above that, the first Anglo-Afghan War ended in a disaster for the British at the same time. On the retreat from Kabul, General Elphinstone’s Army of the Indus was massacred literally to the last man in January 1842 by Afghan tribesmen, casting a poor light on the power of British arms in the vicinity. Not the best going-in position a diplomat could find himself in. Both British officers were executed under the pretext of espionage, probably to curry a favour with the Russians. The news of the subsequent destruction of Kabul by Pollock’s “Army of Retribution” in September 1842 came too late to change Nasrullah Khan’s mind. News of the officers’ deaths reached Britain via the “Eccentric Missionary” Joseph Wolff who inquired after their fate a year later and, according to his own account, barely escaped with his life because Nasrullah Khan had laughed about him appearing in full canonical garb. Conolly himself can be credited with coining the term “Great Game” for the strategic conflict between the Russian and the British Empire in a letter to Sir Henry Rawlinson: “If the British Government would only play the grand game — help Russia cordially to all that she has a right to expect — shake hands with Persia — get her all possible amends from Oosbegs — force the Bokhara Amir to be just to us, the Afghans, and other Oosbeg states, and his own kingdom — but why go on; you know my, at any rate in one sense, enlarged views. Inshallah! The expediency, nay the necessity of them will be seen, and we shall play the noble part that the first Christian nation of the world ought to fill." – the expression became finally popular through the quite inflationary use of it in Rudyard Kipling’s novel “Kim” (1901). Depicted below are (top left to right) a contemporary Victorian imagination of Connolly and Stoddart walking to their execution, a portrait of Connolly (By James Atkinson, ca 1840) and Stoddart (William Brockedon, ca 1835) and a photo of Fortress Ark, Bukhara, present day Uzbekistan from 2009 (found on http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ark_Bukhara.jpg)   And more on  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Game http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Conolly http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emirate_of_Bukhara #history   #greatgame   1 day ago - Via Reshared Post - View - Brian Scott : Queen Victoria in Her square, Birmingham, UK Queen Victoria in Her square, Birmingham, UK 1 day ago - Via Google+ - View -