Filibusters?]
Andrew Fitzgerald assembled a group of Americans in Vancouver, where some Anglo-Canadians were also joined by promises of economic success. The group had some barrels of gunpowder and weapons, furs, and provisions for their journey.
"Are you sure of this?". Hugh Henry, Anglo-Canadian asks the 'commander'.
"Yes, we just have to cross the border and proclaim an independent Alaska to reap the profits." The 'Commander' Fitzgerald exclaims.
"But what about the Russian army, or the natives?" Henry asks one more time.
"Listen friend, will you go up or down? It will not be difficult at all, that inhospitable and barbaric land is not inhabited enough, we just have to enter and defeat some natives." The 'Commander' Fitzgerald proclaims.
A group of 300 Americans and Anglo-Canadians left from the Canadian Confederation to the east of Alyáska, because the south was where the main border posts and cities were, to invade there was suicide.
So the group began their trek to the east of Alyáska through frozen and inhospitable lands, accompanied by a few pack animals.
*******
A member of the Alyáska Native Americans in the local militia observed through a telescope the column of 300 Americans walking towards the border.
The Native American made a call to other members of the militia, alerting soldiers and Cossacks of nearby forts through messages.
The militia left their camp without leaving behind any valuable supplies to consolidate with other members of the border defense. They were joined by the Finns, Russians and Cossacks.
While 'Commander' Fitzgerald crossed the border with his men, heading through the snow and arctic forest of Russia. The expedition flew a red flag with seven white stars for the proclamation of the 'Republic of Alaska'.
*******
In a short time the group had found the traces of some camps, but there were no traces of fire, food or something else. The steps in the snow had been lost or covered.
At night (most of the time of the day is occupied in reaching the Russian-Canadian border) the group of filibusters continues to advance inland in Alyáska, however they only find apparently empty campsites, and a fortress without people.
"This is very strange." An Anglo-Canadian mentioned Henry.
"They won't have enough population to keep all of this going, this region is rich but its people are not, they just need a little bit of the American touch." One of the Americans under Fitzgerald exclaims.
After hours the darkness took over the view of the group, who had to stop to rest, deciding to take one of the Russian fortresses. Hoisting the flag of the Republic of Alaska overhead to represent 'victory'.
The Anglo-American group drank and seemed to celebrate, they were not even 10 kilometers deep in Russian territory, they had only 'taken' a fortress from the Russians.
Then one of the Anglo-American lookouts is shot, falling wounded to the concern of the rest, who tries to prepare his tools. Then flaming arrows begin to be shot towards the fortress.
The Anglo-American group tries to save themselves inside the fortress while they try to observe that it is attacking them, but in the dark of the night it is difficult.
Some points of light appear and disappear, he indicated from the flaming arrows. One of the Anglo-Americans loads his rifle next to an opening to shoot into the forest but then another shot comes out of the enemies.
After a while the rain of fire stopped, the Anglo-Americans were silent. "They have not left." Fitzgerald supposes.
"How are you so sure?". Hugh Henry asks.
"They have rifles, they must be setting up an ambush." Fitzgerald responds.
*******
The Fitzgerald expedition gets little sleep their first night in Alyáska, fearful of retaliation from what they assume are simply Native Americans.
During the night it starts to snow, complicating the temperature issue even inside the fortress that was emptied by the Russians.
"Eventually we will have to leave." The 'Commander' Fitzgerald exclaims.
The Anglo-American group looks abroad trying to conceal the possibility that the enemies are still there. The Anglo-Americans were unaware that the Russian forces regrouped to surround them (in a wide radius).
In a contingent of at least 1000 men, which included Cossacks, Russians, Native Americans, and Finns (even some English-speaking Americans).
Fitzgerald's expedition left the abandoned fortress in two columns of 150 men to gain a better chance that at least part of the army will be alerted or survive in the event of an ambush.
Both forces advance to the west, initially without encountering problems until they go deeper into one of the boreal forests of Alyáska, there the groups were trying to cover their flanks and rear, but then the Cossacks and Russians began to appear quickly to shoot the invaders.
The Anglo-Americans responded, but supported by the Russians were various riflemen-snipers firing at them, more importantly other Native Americans did as well, firing flaming arrows at the supplies of the American group.
The fighting was swift after one of the powder barrels suddenly exploded, the natives of Alyáska ran off leaving the Anglo-American group in complete chaos due to the loss and destruction of their supplies.
The group was coordinated under 'Commander' Fitzgerald, attempts to return to the east encountered traps and fire from Russian forces, so the Anglo-Americans were forced to go deeper into the boreal forest.
From 300 men the group dropped to 231.
*******
The Anglo-Americans lost numerous furs and food.
"I heard they made a reservation for bison in Alaska. Do you think we could find one to eat?" Hugh Henry asks his friend John Glass.
"I don't know. If we're where they raise bison, maybe." Glass responds, somewhat sore after being shot in the arm by him from the confrontation with the Russians.
One of the US men froze to death, others were in a similar state as they tried to huddle near the fire. The 'commander' Fitzgerald motivated his team to look for some of the animals to hunt and get furs and food.
Those who stayed in the camp tried to cut down some trees to form a better fortified camp, it was clear that relying on Russian forts was not an option.
*******
Hugh Henry was with the hunting party, they found traces of a moose and some rabbits. But then suddenly one of the men from the hunting expedition steps on something.
A trap designed for bears nearly took her foot off him. The rest of the Anglo-Americans try to help their partner but then the Russian shots start again.
One of the members falls dead. Henry runs off to hide between the blows, but he soon notices one of the Russians hiding there.
Henry tries to shoot, then a shot hits him in his hand, forcing the Anglo-Canadian to flee as best he can from there. He abandoning his companions to ask for help in the main camp, but there the Russian militiamen were already attacking again with arrows and bullets.
*******
It had been almost a week since the Fitzgerald expedition began, some American newspapers at home commented on it as sensational and exciting, perhaps even amusing.
Manifest Destiny being fulfilled, or something like that.
Actually young Hugh Henry was now nearly starving and cold near a river, there were a total of 43 men there, including John Glass and Andrew Fitzgerald.
For a week the Russians gave them little rest time, usually resting only a few quiet hours until Native Americans began trying to set fire to the new camp.
The group had just barely managed to eat some salmon.
Glass lost his eye and Fitzgerald's leadership crumbled from the loss of 'officers' and low morale.
The group was officially lost for a few days, like cattle, the Russian militias forced them to move away from population centers. They only found empty places.
The emptied forts and camps left behind were reoccupied, and the logistics of people who lived there for years were simply superior.
In the distance another group of Native Americans, Russians and Eurasians approached to defeat the last remnants of the Fitzgerald expedition.
*******
Glass and Henry got out of the river, blood pouring from their wounds as they tried to escape the Russian militias once more. The American, Fitzgerald was there, scared, reduced to a simple animal that seeks to survive like the last of his companions.
Then a Native American had appeared to capture Fitzgerald, the American was resisting while Glass and Henry tried to surrender.
Fitzgerald's head became dirty with the rocks and dirt on the other side of the river, while a Cossack and his companions appeared to finally arrest the last survivors of the Fitzgerald expedition.
By illegally invading territories with which the British or Americans were at peace (Russia), the law of neutrality was violated.
Of 300 men, only 13 survived.
*******
"Well, at the moment it appears that an invasion from eastern Alyáska is counterproductive." War Minister Dmitry Milyutin exclaims, the Russian navy could deploy troops on the coast in case of problems but the Russian militia took care of the filibuster.
"To attack the south and the coast is to attack the most populated area, it seems that Alyáska is safe for now. As long as it is not an overwhelmingly superior force." Emperor Alexander III exclaims.
"Yes, but we must not sleep, precisely we must continue to improve the Pacific fleet and the coastal defenses." Milyutin says.
The first filibuster attempt in Alyáska failed quite catastrophically, after which people lost interest in Andrew Fitzgerald even when the press more or less painted it in a positive light.
Perhaps the American public did not completely lose interest in Alyáska (people were neutral or supported obtaining Alyaska) but the first show of filibusters would undoubtedly be an example that Russia and Alyaska are not the same as Mexico.
*******
[The Ministry of War]
After the Russo-Turkish war of 76 obviously there was no need to rest on your laurels, Emperor Alexander III appoints Mikhail Dmitriyevich Skobelev and Iosif Vladimirovich Romeiko-Gurko were appointed general aides of the emperor.
Dmitry Milyutin was already in his 60s, but in the Russo-Turkish war he proved that he is still smart and calculating enough to establish a good military administration in the assault on Pleven.
But even so there are new veterans and military rising within the Russian imperial army and staff, eventually someone is going to replace Dmitry Milyutin, it is just the natural order of things.
Someone is also going to replace Tsar Alexander III eventually.
Romeiko-Gurko and Skobelev were the most notable of the new Russian military elite (the rest of the new veterans and army officials were still relatively too young).
*******
[Aceh and Bali?]
With the death of William III, and the 'libertine' William IV, the Dutch colonial administration had little time to tighten its grip on the still independent Indonesian regions.
These territories included Aceh and the island of Bali.
On the one hand, the growth of the Novaya Gvineya colony implied the need to seek new economic opportunities to precisely increase this growth and continue it.
The Russian authorities offered trade to the small island of Bali, with its own culture and population. The island's monarchy accepted, and Novaya Gvineya began to bring some products to the island of Bali.
This was also useful because it could facilitate trade with the Aceh Sultanate. Sultan Alauddin Muhammad Da'ud Syah II had managed to unify the religious and tribal leaders in a stable way within Aceh, but he obviously still could not compete economically and technologically with the Dutch.
The Russians continued to arm the Acehnese natives through Siam and now through Bali, taking care of possible Dutch action against Novaya Gvineya or other Russian possessions.
However weapons were not enough by themselves, Aceh still needs modernization work, the problem being the geographic limitations of the sultanate and the economy.
*******
[Novaya Gvineya Militia]
The increase in the Russian naval presence in Novaya Gvineya needed to be accompanied by a military increase, the problem being distances. Why was no one trying to seize Russian gold in Papua New Guinea, or was they looking for the possibility of stealing German gold or the gold of Dutch vassals?
Very simply, New Guinea was still a largely unexplored place in its interior, European power was based mainly on the coast, and the jungle and other areas were full of relatively dangerous animals or natives.
Spending resources, even if you could get gold, could be more harmful than fruitful in the short term (at a time when most people think short term).
But just in case, similar to the Alyáska model, the military governor Ivan Shestakov joined with the hill tribes the first militia regiment of the Papuans.
Although Miklouho-Maclay could be opposed at first, Shestakov's military authority gave the final word, and also Shestakov managed to convince the scientist that the militia would be to defend the Papuans and their territory.
The hill tribes received uniforms (if they wanted it) and more modern weaponry, periodically coming and going to replenish or take care of the logistical needs of the militias.
The surveying teams managed to assemble some observation posts for the native Papuan people.
The Russian and Creole Nash-Russkiy was simply expanded further by such action, because the elements that now made up the militia had to communicate and message each other almost daily, and interact with Cape Maclay.
Consequently a unifying language was needed, which was found precisely in Russian.
The hill tribes, the jungle and the coastal dwellers were different, partly for cultural and geophgraphic reasons, but they could still find spaces to unite (although socially they would evolve something different in the future).
Also the militia allowed some degree of further advances in infrastructure and medicine for the Novaya Gvineya tribes, would defend the border from possible foreign violations, etc.
There was also a logistical objective, the more tribes were in favor of Russia, the less opportunity there would be to divide and conquer.
*******
[Textile industry: Hemp]
One of the products that Russia exported before oil and industrial material is hemp, there were previous plantations but the first great expansion occurred under Tsar Peter I.
With economic reforms and industrial growth under Alexander III, the hemp textile industry also expanded (as did silk in southern Siberia).
But in this case there are more possible terrains and cultivation history within Russia, allowing more industrial production of industrial cannabi, which can expand beyond its traditional materials (material for sailboats) now that international fleets are changing and therefore hemp is less necessary for ships (which is why Peter I noticed hemp by the way).
The industrialization of the hemp-based textile industry expanded with more industrial material, reaching 72% of industrialized factories in 1880 (previous years of reform and growth caused the earlier industrialization that laid the foundation for the remarkable expansion in 1878).
In addition to this, hemp has many other uses that help the Russian economy in a way, hemp seeds can be a source of food, clothing production (as mentioned above, the Russian hemp industry focused more on rope) and even in later uses the purification of the water and the soil, and even weed control.
Russia in general was experiencing growth in its textile industry, Central Asia in cotton cultivation, Vladivostok in the silk and hemp industry.
*******
[International]
July 13, Sultan Abdul Hamid II cannot initiate his reforms as he must send one of his Pasha against the Albanian guerrilla army that wants full Albanian autonomy.
On August 9, the Ottoman army actually suffers a defeat at the hands of the Albanian rebels in present-day Kosovo.
In London the Cleopatra's Needle is erected on September 12. The obelisk was actually erected in 1450 BC by Pharaoh Thutmose III, but Claopatra moved it to Alexandria.
And in 1877 an Englishman named Sir William James Erasmus Wilson sponsored her transport from Alexandria to London for £ 10,000.
September 20, in India the newspaper The Hindu starts. With the aim of supporting Sir Thiruvarur Muthuswamy Iyer in his position as the first Native Indian in the prestigious position at Madras High Court, against the Anglo-Indian propaganda (The Native Public Opinion) against T. Muthuswamy Iyer.