Readers Letters

My Dear Sir I am writing to express my sincere approval for the splendid display of the Angel Corps through Kendal this last weekend. It brings pride to the heart of every true Englishman to see such a fine body of women, in all of their Amazonian prime, ready to defend this great nation of ours. I was however rather concerned to hear that there were so-called clocks whispering sedition to passers-by. I do hope that our good constabulary will… Read more.

I was one of locals at the town hall meeting hosted by two mysterious men from Her Majesty's Airship Force, and have lived in this quiet little town all my life. Violence isn't a big issue here, the only time I've seen trouble is when the local men have had a bit too much to drink, other than that this is a peaceful part of the country. During the meeting we were informed that the all-female force will be arriving in… Read more.

Hello Gazette. I'm a member of Squadron 108 in Her Majesty's Angel Corps, and our new airship base is Kendal Town. My squadron leader asked if I would write an article on a past experience of mine in the force to get the locals of Kendal excited for our imminent arrival. While in Singapore a few years back, my mission was to be a personal bodyguard for a VIP while she attended the opening of the Raffles Hotel. Unfortunately her… Read more.

Well, I for one am elated to hear the news that Her Majesty’s Angel Corps are returning to Kendal. A fine, upstanding squadron as ever I saw. Upon their last visit I was privy to a scene in the New Union Bar where they demonstrated their audacious and virtuous spirit. A poor serving girl was being harassed by some rather unscrupulous patrons, when the Angel Corps entered the establishment. Upon witnessing this behaviour, they did not hesitate to intervene, and… Read more.

Mr Hardie, My warmest congratulations my, dear dear friend. Whispers on the breeze inform me that not only have you managed to dupe the world into believing you to have set your disreputable past behind you, but that the Royal Society itself has extended an invitation to its ranks. I could not be prouder; though if it pleases you, I shall always remember you as the card-rigging back street alchemist, I had to doggedly pursue at some considerable cost, may… Read more.

Dearest Uncle, I trust that this finds you in robust health and spirits, and that life as a diplomatic delegate has not been too taxing.  Perish the thought you should leave the lavish court of your bosom friend, the Most Noble and Glorious Padishah, and get some real work done gathering information and resources.  Or was the IPA theft something to do with you after all?  The Family all send their best, as does Mr Stirling, that is, he would… Read more.

Dearest Sasha, Do you remember I had told you about my friend Mr Edgar who works at the difference engine factory as an engineer? Recently I had not seen or heard from him for a significant number of days. As I began to become concerned I started trying to trace him through various contacts. Eventually I found a friend of his who worked at the same factory. It turned out Mr Edgar had been the victim of an industrial accident.… Read more.

Dear James, I am writing to tell you the company hired its first clock last week? On your recommendation I got in touch with that Factory owner you said had an older model clock he considered defective. He turned up on Monday answering to the name of Gerald. I decided to employ him in bookeeping rather than manual labour as clocks seem to have something of a natural affinity for numbers, although that may be a gross generalisation, and I… Read more.

To be truthful, I sympathise with the Clockwork Twins, I do. Had I been subject to Zachary’s perpetual torment then I would have most likely found a much messier and nastier way to end him than dragging him to The Thames. After all, what creature with a mind of its own would not retaliate when sufficiently provoked? The lad knew exactly what he was doing and deserved what he got. Locking Clocks in boxes! What was he thinking? Even if… Read more.

Dearest Sasha, You will never guess who I met last night in town? Saccadius Cartwright, the government scientist who presented the first clock parts back some ten years ago, at the Department for the Advancement of Science's exposition Tomorrow's World Today. I'm afraid Canada has not been kind to him. He seemed to be drinking heavily and was ranting and raving to anyone who would listen about this and that. He seemed most upset about how things are turning out… Read more.

While on most given days I would be as inclined to trust that spiv, Hargreaves about as far as I could throw him; it does appear he has a rather apt imagination well suited to the world of hospitality and entertainment. The Den has proved to be a hit, not only with the lowly ‘Forgotten’ of our Sanctuary of Whitechapel, but also several of my former esteemed colleagues on the Clean Air Committee, Fairfax in particular. Takings were so high… Read more.

Master Hargreaves, Much as I have enjoyed our little bouts in the Fog veiled streets of the Borough, I feel it is about time we stopped dancing around each other and behaved. For one, there are only too many windows one can replace before losing patience. Secondly, events in the Commons have accelerated the return of the Clockwork Project and brought the state of our relationship to a head; I fear I may have to forego the gavottes, the moonlight… Read more.

Sir, I trust that you are well and hope that your journey with the delegation’s first wave was not too dull nor perilous. Your personal Mayhems have been updating Father and I with regular telegraphs concerning what we can only deduce has become somewhat of a holiday for you. The Old Boy proclaimed that you should “take less interest in the hot nights, exotic food and dusky maidens and concentrate on generating some bloody capital like the Beer Baron”. He… Read more.

Indeed we live in truly interesting times: in a hitherto inconceivable intellectual coup we, former competitors, have rallied to clear the skies. Between our organisations we have simplified respirator manufacture, perfected exhaust filter technology and made promising progress in finding suitable replacements for "dirty fuels". The Royal Society today reported that their own neutralisation and weather experiments have been yielding encouraging results and I have been permitted to share with you respected Sirs that a means of collecting The Fog… Read more.

Mayhems All, Minutes from our Post-Curfew briefing have now been encrypted and will make their ways to your districts with the next Twilight Drop. You will also all be given updates on the Sifter Redelopment being researched in colaboration with Wentworth Holdings. Following the open floor discussion we feel that the time and public mood is ideal to incite a little revolutionary thought; and to provide a suitable public distraction from the efforts of The Anatomist and The Chemist. The… Read more.

Dearest Sasha, I hope this letter finds you well now that the fog seems to have engulfed the entirety of our little island. I had hoped Father would avoid the worst of it by staying with you but it seems it was not to be. Please give him and Aunty Marjory my love. Business is slow and difficult. Not only does the fog mean most airships across the country are gorunded but it also means the wealthiest citizens have gone,… Read more.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Firstly let me take the opportunity on behalf of myself and RM to thank all of you thus far your steadfastness, your creativity and your tenacity. You are all truly inspiring. Following the Government’s radical reaction to the nationwide rioting we have come to the decision to shuffle the Division’s objectives accordingly: As Mr Stevenson’s representation in town, RM and EM are to receive Curfew Waivers. Henceforth RM and EM shall endeavour to remain as mobile as… Read more.

To the Citizenry of London, Laborers, industrialists, aesthetics, royalists, theologists; you need not look far to see that the struggle between these differing worldviews has disturbed many lives. Indeed, the distrust between us still simmers, even as a demon-fog threatens to choke us all to death. Therefore, my friends, I ask you: would it not be perfection if, in our hour of struggle, we cast aside all of this inane debate? Wouldn't everyone prosper if one faction took the helm… Read more.

Oi Up Broms, I've just gotten the letter you've sent in response to mine. Glad to hear that you and the boys are still breathin'. My beloved Annie's well also, thanks for askin', though her mum's beginnin' to show a sign or two of not bein' able to fight the fog much longer. Annie's a nurse, as you know, though, so she's got the best chance of anyone with me sweetheart lookin' after 'er. Now onto graver matters, bruv. Just… Read more.

I continue to be both awestruck and humbled by the dedication and efficiency of this city's developing Network Proxies though I do wonder whether such an elaborate cipher is really all that neccessary.  I suppose I had best use my Sunday name for this Shaun Hardie chap; chemists can be such slippery characters when not handled correctly. Ella Mayhem Read more.

To Me Old Mate Bromley, Proud as I am to be a working man, methinks now that we'd have been proper to have chosen a different life. This bleedin' fog coverin' the city has shut down all the work that was to be had, meanin' we Union boys haven't got toss-all to do with ourselves. Thems that ain't dyin' from starvin' are chokin' to death on the yellow air! Families are going hungry, and thems that ain't dyin' from starvin'… Read more.

Sir, My warmest congratulations on the Snowdonian Project. I knew it was simply a matter of time before the mighty Caledonian Bronze and Steam extended across the border and proved itself as one of the big players. How I wish I could have been present for your coup de grace but, as you know it simply would not have been the done thing, I had to be publicly present at the merger as part of my apprenticeship. I cannot begin… Read more.

It's the end of the week, and I have yet to travel back to my fragile mother's house. My father and I remain patient while waiting for this fog to reduce in viscosity and thickness. However, he has grown tired and is anxious to learn of my mother's condition. He has been experimenting with certain mechanical filters, in the hopes that mundane lungs are given a chance to breathe through the thick air. His experiments have yet to reach a… Read more.

Dearest Sasha, So I find myself confined to the house. This wretched fog has grounded all airships and there is no way for me to get out of London. Not that it is advisable to go outside at the moment. The atmosphere outside is more like a soup than breathable air. I am incredibly grateful that neither myself nor Papa suffer from any sort of respiratory distress. For the moment all we can do is wait and hope it clears… Read more.

With the close of the war and the rise of the many blessings of industry that multiply under Her Majesty's care, the world lays out a multitude of guises for the working wife, or even the unmarriageable lady, under which to better herself and others. She may be employed in one of our countless factories, making everything from horseless carriages to airships to sky palaces, for which many able bodied folk are needed, and in which endeavour those of character… Read more.

The Marquess Mallen and his family summoned me to clarify on my last statement. Thusly I will write several further statements from the perspective of The Aesthetics, each one punctiliously addressed to every dignitary respectively. Respondence to The Most Honourable: The Marquess of Mallen I answer duly to your summons for a depction of a decent collaboration between science and religion. According to my credo (diligentia quam suis rebus) I disclose in this affair Mr. Priestly. Joseph Priestley, (13 March… Read more.

Ladies and Gentlemen, My name is Dr. Mortimer Granville and I am a doctor renowned for the medically treatment of hysteria, a diagnosis of women displaying an array of symptoms including nervousness, insomnia, exhaustion, depression, cramps, and sexual frustration. The only known method of treatment is to elicit paroxysmal convulsions. The usual manual method is extremely strenuous. So in about 1883 I invented Granville's Hammer, which was a huge relief for the doctors who found themselves suffering from fatigued wrists… Read more.

I write this note in some haste after being released from the clutches of Government agents. I apologise for any ramblings and confusion in advance. I am sore exhausted and will clarify the events after some sleep. Last Wednesday, some 5 days ago, as I was leaving my lodgings to attend a weekly reading group  I was seized in the street by plain clothes policemen, thrown into the back of a van and hauled off to a cell. (I have… Read more.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I must admit I find myself perplexed and indeed somewhat dismayed by the show of hostility that the scientific community appears to have engendered with its latest advance. Change is coming... The creation of a tireless labourer needing neither food, water, nor surcease from its toil should be seen as a liberation of mankind. Yet some persist in viewing such an advance as a frightening attack on their complacent adherence to the status-quo. Yes, the coal miner… Read more.

I'm sure I don't need to remind you all that our strength comes through unity. We look after our own. When you ask the authorities for help or you offer them assistance remember that they are not your friends. They don't have your best interests to heart. They are possessed by the Law, by the spirit of "The good", they won't see you they will see a subject to be catalogued, recorded and filed away under "suspect". As you will… Read more.

Dear Sir, I would like to test the waters of interest in such a perambulation in one of Her Majesty's Parks of the Capital. Should such a gathering pique your interest, do let me now and I will arrange further leave form my Regimental duties. Yours Edward Urquart Secretary of the Reform Club Royalist Faction Read more.