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Urbi Et Orbi
Itdidnotseemtoherthatthemeredespatchofashottothemooncouldpossiblyestablishanyrelationofaffairswithher;anditdidnotseemprudenttohertoembarkhercapitalinsohazardousanenterprise.Afterall,perhapsshewasright.
AstoSpain,shecouldnotscrapetogethermorethan110reals.Shegaveasanexcusethatshehadherrailwaystofinish.Thetruthis,thatscienceisnotfavorablyregardedinthatcountry,itisstillinabackwardstate;andmoreover,certainSpaniards,notbyanymeanstheleasteducated,didnotformacorrectestimateofthebulkoftheprojectilecomparedwiththatofthemoon.Theyfearedthatitwoulddisturbtheestablishedorderofthings.Inthatcaseitwerebettertokeepaloof;whichtheydidtothetuneofsomereals.
ThereremainedbutEngland;andweknowthecontemptuousantipathywithwhichshereceivedBarbicane’sproposition.TheEnglishhavebutonesoulforthewholetwenty-sixmillionsofinhabitantswhichGreatBritaincontains.TheyhintedthattheenterpriseoftheGunClubwascontrarytothe"principleofnon-intervention."Andtheydidnotsubscribeasinglefarthing.
AtthisintimationtheGunClubmerelyshruggeditsshouldersandreturnedtoitsgreatwork.WhenSouthAmerica,thatistosay,Peru,Chili,Brazil,theprovincesofLaPlataandColumbia,hadpouredforththeirquotaintotheirhands,thesumof$300,000,itfounditselfinpossessionofaconsiderablecapital,ofwhichthefollowingisastatement:
UnitedStatessubscriptions,..$4,000,000
Foreignsubscriptions...
