Chapter 1045: Rubber, Explosives, and Batteries
Coulomb walked out of the South Wing of the Tuileries Palace alone, his dejection starkly visible under the brilliant glow of the gas streetlights.
Celebrations continued in the hall behind him, the rhythmic strains of music and the echoes of praise for the winners drifting out. To Coulomb’s ears, however, every cheer felt like a cruel mockery.
"Mr. Monge shouldn't have lied to me..." he muttered.
He pulled up his collar and gestured to the servant waiting by the door. "Martin, bring the carriage around."
Half a month ago, Monge, the French mathematician serving on the judging committee, had privately assured him that this year's Physics prize was essentially his.
But when Mr. Le Roy announced the Physics award earlier, Coulomb had already begun to stand up, only to hear the name of that Englishman instead!
The sound of hooves approached.
Just as Coulomb was about to board the carriage, a voice called out from behind him. "Mr. Coulomb, is that you?"
"Ah, it is you. I’ve been looking for you everywhere. Why are you leaving so early?"
He quickly turned and bowed. "Ah, I’m afraid I’ve had a bit too much to drink. You know how it is—the wine provided by the Academy is simply too exquisite. I thought it best to head home and rest."
"That’s a pity," Le Roy remarked. "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wishes to grant you an audience tomorrow morning. I hope you won't be nursing a hangover then."
...
The following day.
Inside the Crown Prince’s reception room at the Palace of Versailles.
Coulomb stared at the Crown Prince, his eyes wide with shock. "You are saying... you were the one who revoked my eligibility for the award?"
"It was due to certain political considerations," Joseph replied with a nod. He gestured toward the teacup Eman had just set down. "Please, try some. It’s from the Orient."
"Of course, your contributions to the field of electricity are beyond doubt. Next year’s Physics prize will certainly belong to you."
Coulomb was instantly overjoyed. Though the award would be delayed by a year, receiving a personal explanation from the Crown Prince was an immense honor. Any lingering resentment vanished instantly.
However, the Crown Prince continued, "I would like to offer you some compensation for this inconvenience."
Coulomb was about to decline, but then he heard a few words that were impossible to refuse. "An electricity laboratory," Joseph stated. "Specifically, I want you to head the Royal Third Laboratory. The government will allocate at least one hundred thousand francs annually to the facility and provide you with every possible convenience."
Coulomb blinked in surprise. "The Royal Third Laboratory?"
"Indeed. It is a facility dedicated to research under the highest level of secrecy. None of the experimental results may be published for at least ten years."
As France’s high-tech R&D projects grew in number, the difficulty of managing them increased as well. To streamline oversight, Joseph had established three high-secrecy laboratories under the French Academy of Sciences, located in the Paris New District, less than three kilometers from Versailles.
The first was the biomedical laboratory headed by Lamarck, with its core project being the development of antibiotics.
The second was the chemistry laboratory led by Lavoisier. Its primary focus was picric acid—a high-energy explosive. Driven by the flourishing coal tar industry, organic chemistry in France had moved past its embryonic stage. The next step was to transition from mere separation and purification to full-scale artificial synthesis.
In this era, military applications always took top priority.
However, the laboratory’s director, Lavoisier, was currently so busy his feet barely touched the ground, so the facility was not yet fully operational.
The Royal Third Laboratory was the electromagnetism facility currently in preparation. Its core mission would be the exploration of the fundamental principles of electricity.
At this time, electricity could hardly be called a formal discipline. Most scholars had to rely on the weak static electricity provided by Leyden jars for their research, making significant breakthroughs difficult to achieve.
Joseph was well aware that until vulcanized rubber was invented, the problem of wire insulation would remain unsolved, which meant practical applications for electricity would be limited.
Nevertheless, electricity was a vital and complex field that required years of technical exploration to build a foundation. Joseph had decided to jumpstart this research early.
His goal was to conduct preliminary research into practical technologies like batteries, relays, telegraphs, and even electric lights. Once vulcanized rubber was perfected, these technologies could be brought to market in a short time.
Coulomb was clearly tempted by the annual research budget of one hundred thousand francs, but the restriction on publishing his findings for over a decade made him hesitate.
Joseph caught the look on his face and smiled. "The reason for such high secrecy is that I have several entirely new theories regarding electricity that I will provide to the laboratory as a reference. For instance, the true nature of electric current."
Coulomb blurted out, "Mr. Franklin has already discussed this. Electric current is a 'weightless fluid'..."
He stopped abruptly and looked at Joseph. "Wait, is that incorrect?"
"I would say it is a bit rudimentary," Joseph replied. "To be precise, electric current is the directional movement of a large number of electric charges that can move freely within a conductor under the influence of an electric field."
Coulomb’s eyes widened. "Directional movement of... charges? Wait, what is an electric field?"
Joseph put on a conflicted expression. "I’m sorry, but I can only say this much. Any more would be a breach of the Third Laboratory’s internal data."
Coulomb immediately stood up from the sofa and exclaimed, "Your Highness, I accept the position! What I mean is, you must let me into that laboratory!"
"Are you sure you don't want to consider it further? You may be under constant protection from the Intelligence Bureau from now on."
"There is no need. I am certain!"
"I am glad to hear it," Joseph said with a smile. "In a few days, an Italian scholar named Alessandro Giuseppe Volta will arrive in Paris to serve as your assistant."
Indeed, to advance the study of electricity, a titan like Volta had to be recruited. Thanks to France’s massive influence in Italy, Joseph only had to send a single letter for Volta to pack up his entire family and rush to Paris.
Coulomb was thrilled. "I know of him! He is an excellent scholar. His electrometer is a truly remarkable invention."
Joseph continued, "Your first priority will be setting up the laboratory, which includes designing or purchasing the necessary equipment and recruiting scholars.
"After that, your first assignment will be the design and construction of a Vol—"
Joseph caught himself and quickly corrected, "—a 'Voltaic Pile Battery'."
He had almost called it the Voltaic pile. In history, it was this Mr. Volta—whom he had just assigned as Coulomb’s assistant—who would invent the world’s first battery capable of providing a continuous current five years from now, thus opening a new era in electrical research.
Coulomb was used to being surprised by now, but he couldn't help but ask, "A Voltaic Pile... Battery? What is that?"
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