IGS revisits Sheepleas despite heavy rain

The Imperial Geographical Society (IGS) today conducted an expedition to Sheepleas, attempting to retrace a route last taken in 2010. In a sign of his continued involvement in some non-governmental institutions following the recent implementation of a regency, the expedition was led by Emperor Jonathan I, the Society’s Director-General. The 2010 IGS expedition had first explored Sheepleas, a nature reserve in Surrey, before walking through woods and farmland in West Horsely, forming a figure-of-eight route centred on the 11th century St Mary’s Church. However, today’s expedition was unable to follow the whole of 2010’s route due to torrential rain significantly impeding their progress. The expedition reached the church in double the time it had expected to take, and so had lunch there in the shelter of its porch before deciding to cancel the northern circuit of the route and head back via another path through the nature reserve. Sheepleas is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, notable for the diversity of its plants and wildlife as well as being of geological interest. Ten people were on today’s expedition. The IGS has conducted an expedition to areas of countryside in Surrey on the first Monday of May every year since 2009, with the exceptions of 2018, 2020 and 2021. The Emperor and his parents were joined by Emperor Mother Margaret’s brother Lord Michael and his wife Lady Rosalind, as well as five members of Carshalton Methodist Church. The heavy rain made it difficult for recording equipment to be used, but a short video of the expedition composed of what was able to be filmed will be uploaded in the coming days.

Fifteen years of independence celebrated

The Empire of Austenasia yesterday celebrated Independence Day, marking fifteen years since the Declaration of Independence was sent in September 2008. Independence Day is celebrated annually on the third Saturday in September. An special commemorative Act of Parliament passed yesterday – the two hundredth of the current reign – extended the public holiday to Wednesday 20th, the actual anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. To mark the occasion, a broadcast has been published by Lord William Wilson, the Prime Minister, reflecting on ideas of identity and legacy, praising the Empire’s governmental system, and encouraging Austenasians to play a role in the civic and cultural life of the nation. Lord Wilson used the broadcast to reveal that he will not be running in next year’s general election. In the capital city, Wrythe, Emperor Jonathan I hosted the Reylan emperor Taeglan I and King Calum I of the Grove for a semi-formal diplomatic reception. Both monarchs hold the rank of Caesar. Wrythe Public Park also saw a time capsule buried to commemorate the occasion. This replaced an earlier capsule buried in 2012, which was unearthed and opened, with its contents to be studied by the Imperial Geographical Society. Celebrations will continue until Wednesday 20th, when an honours list will be released by the Throne.

Emperor and Empress return from honeymoon

Emperor Jonathan I and Empress Hannah yesterday returned from a belated honeymoon on the Isle of Wight. The imperial couple, who were wed in November last year, travelled to the Isle of Wight on the evening of Tuesday 22nd and arrived back in the afternoon of Saturday 26th. The Emperor and Empress visited several sites of historical and cultural importance to the island, including Osborne House and Farringford House – the former residences respectively of Queen Victoria and her poet laureate Alfred, Lord Tennyson – as well as the Needles, a famous landmark comprised of three stacks of chalk. Many of the couple’s excursions were done on behalf of the Imperial Geographical Society at the request of Empress Hannah, making a three-day-long IGS expedition (only the second to have lasted more than a day) part of their time away.

IGS Expedition revisits Banstead Heath

Monday 1st May saw an expedition of the Imperial Geographical Society (IGS) explore an area of Surrey countryside first visited by the Society in 2011. The expedition – led by Emperor Jonathan I – consisted of nine people, including Emperor Father Terry, Emperor Mother Margaret, and the latter’s sister-in-law Lady Boxall. The former Lord Marshal William had been planning to join the expedition along with his mother, which would have pushed the numbers up to eleven, but could not do so due to car problems. The IGS has long had an annual tradition of launching an expedition on the first Monday of May to explore countryside in the British county of Surrey, with the first of said expeditions taking place in 2009. Monday’s expedition revisited the same area explored by the 2011 expedition, with some slight adjustments to the route. The expedition explored Banstead Heath and adjoining wooded areas with a mostly circular route, then briefly headed south over the M25 motorway to see the view from the top of local vantage point Colley Hill before heading back to the start point. The expedition stopped for lunch in a sunny clearing, and later on stopped again for a tea and coffee break at The Sportsman, a nearby pub which is also of significance to the Imperial Family for having hosted the wake of Dame Bette (Emperor Mother to the former Terry I) in 2012. The route taken also encountered several coal tax posts, nineteenth century structures marking a boundary around London for tax purposes. While 2011’s expedition was remembered as being very windy, Monday’s was much less so, although the weather was somewhat mercurial, alternating between brilliant sunshine and heavy showers. It was also noted that various footpaths were far muddier than remembered! A video of the expedition will be published shortly.

Imperial Geographical Society returns to Woldingham

The Imperial Geographical Society (IGS) has conducted an expedition through woods and farmland south-west of the British town of Woldingham. The expedition re-traced the route of a previous expedition, held in 2014. The expedition was planned and led by His Imperial Majesty the Emperor, who was joined by twelve other people, including the Imperial Family, Princess Hannah, Lady Boxall (the former Dame Rosalind), and the former residents of Zephyria. Although Princess Hannah has been on two IGS expeditions in the past, this was the first time that she had joined one of the larger May excursions. It was also the first time that the former Lord Marshal William had joined an IGS expedition since the very first, in 2009. Re-tracing the steps of the 2014 expedition, the participants were able to compare aspects of the route to their encounter eight years ago; for example, a well-known viewpoint was partially obscured by new tree growth, and various landmarks noted along the way in 2014 were no longer there this time round. The IGS, since 2009, has customarily launched an annual expedition at the start of May exploring an area of countryside in Surrey. Due to restrictions on gatherings in the United Kingdom implemented as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the annual May expedition could not go ahead as usual in 2020 and 2021 (although May 2020 did see an IGS expedition in North America). However, with all legal restrictions in the UK now lifted, the annual expedition was able to be resumed. With thirteen participants in this expedition, it was larger than the original 2014 one, which had ten. After the expedition, Emperor Jonathan I and his parents joined Princess Hannah and John of Zephyria for refreshments in a garden centre café on the way back to Carshalton. A video of today’s expedition will be uploaded shortly.

IGS Expedition to Plemstall

His Imperial Majesty the Emperor yesterday undertook an expedition of the Imperial Geographical Society (IGS) to Plemstall via the Millennium Greenway. Although some previous IGS expeditions have had two participants, this is the first expedition to have been composed of a single person. An Imperial Decree of March 2018 authorised excursions by a single member of the society to be given expedition status. The Millennium Greenway – often known locally as Chester Greenway – is a former railway line which now functions as a footpath between Connor’s Quay and Mickle Trafford, spanning several miles north of the city of Chester. The Emperor joined the Greenway just under three miles from its eastern-most point, walking along to the village of Mickle Trafford. Once there, he continued on to Plemstall, an adjoining hamlet. Plemstall is home to St. Peter’s Church, built on the site of a hermitage inhabited by St. Plegmund. Famed for his holy life living as a hermit at Plemstall, St. Plegmund was elected Archbishop of Canterbury in 890 after being chosen by King Alfred the Great. As Archbishop, St. Plegmund worked to support a flourishing of scholarship until his death in 923. The Emperor also visited the nearby St. Plegmund’s Well, a nearby holy well. It was used by the saint for baptisms during his time as a hermit, and remains a site of Christian pilgrimage to this day. A video of the expedition can be seen here.

IGS Expedition undertaken to Centennial Park

At the end of last month, Lord William Wilson led an expedition of the Imperial Geographical Society (IGS) to Centennial Park in Nashville, Tennessee. The visit to the park itself took place on 30 May, although the expedition began two days earlier, on the 28th, making it the only IGS expedition to date to have spanned more than one day. Lord Wilson and his mother Lady Nicole, who serve as Representative and Baroness of Nahona respectively, set off from Nahona on 28 May, crossing the Mississippi River and visiting the village of Whites Creek. While in Whites Creek, the expedition visited a grocery building where a member of the outlaw Jesse James’ gang was captured in 1881. On 30 May, the expedition arrived at Centennial Park and viewed the Tennessee Women’s Suffrage Monument before heading to the main feature in the park, a lifesized replica of the Athenian Parthenon. Once there, Lord Wilson explored the various art exhibits displayed within the Parthenon, including a large statue of Athena. The expedition ended after walking around Lake Watauga, the reservoir in the park, and naming the northern island Insula Viatorem. A video of the expedition’s exploration of Centennial Park can be seen here.

Imperial Geographical Society’s May Expedition goes ahead to Navasota River

Friday 1st May saw a small expedition of the Imperial Geographical Expedition (IGS) undertaken to the Navasota River in Texas. The expedition consisted of two people, namely King William I of Gradonia and his father. William I, who in Austenasia serves as Representative of Nahona, put forward the idea after it was noted that the traditional IGS expedition annually undertaken at the start of each May would be unable to take place due to restrictions on movement enacted in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Every May since 2009 (not including 2018, when the Emperor was in Spain) has seen the IGS launch an expedition to an area of countryside in Surrey. This year, however, the traditional expedition was cancelled due to a lockdown being in force in the United Kingdom to combat the transmission of the coronavirus. William I and his father were, however, able under American regulations to travel to an isolated spot by the Navasota River. While there, they went fishing, and King William made a catch – a 6.1 pound bass – at an area which the expedition named Peter’s Promontory in honour of the fish-related miracle related in Matthew 17:24-27. Some pieces of citrine quartz were also found in the area. King William also led a small IGS expedition of two members on 9 February earlier this year, which explored the city of San Antonio and its Alamo Mission and river walk.

Coronavirus measures implemented as pandemic continues

On 16 March, three cases of suspected coronavirus infection were reported by the Austenasian Times. All three individuals have by now either tested negative for the coronavirus or stopped displaying symptoms. Despite this good news, the ongoing pandemic and the reactions of governments around the world continue to affect life for all Austenasians, both residential and non-residential. Palasia and Bregusland restricted travel last month, a fact reported by Lonely Planet in a recent article about the reactions of various “micronations” to the pandemic. However, these are not the only towns of Austenasia to have implemented a response to the disease. The Austenasian capital Wrythe, the towns of Theodosiopolis and Dragovina, and the Harlemum March are all under lockdown. Theodosiopolis and Harlemum, which are both represented by Dionisiy I, have furthermore stocked up on protective masks and anti-viral medicine. Kingeston, which consists of uninhabited parkland bordered by Canada, has declared a state of emergency, and is encouraging visitors to observe social distancing and wash their hands. Peach Ponds meanwhile, which likewise consists of parkland (albeit bordered by the USA) has taken a stricter approach, enforcing a stay-at-home and not accepting visitors. In Mouzilo, the sole resident – Manolis Afentoulis, Duke of Thessalia – has implemented strict social distancing and remained within the borders of the crown dependency for over three weeks, working on various cultural projects. With lockdowns and social distancing being enforced in the United Kingdom, United States, and other countries around the world, many activities which Austenasians would usually join outside the borders of Austenasia itself have also been cancelled. Last weekend saw Western Easter unable to be celebrated by the Imperial Family by attending church with other Austenasians, as is customary. Likewise, Emperor Jonathan I and the other Orthodox Christians of Austenasia will be unable to observe Orthodox Easter this upcoming Sunday 19th with church attendance. The Emperor will instead be listening to a livestreamed service from the safety of the Imperial Residence. Likewise, the Imperial Geographical Society conducts an expedition on the first Monday of May, but will not be doing so this year. As long as the pandemic continues, similar measures and precautions will unfortunately have to be taken in order to ensure public health.

IGS Expedition to Tarsus

The Imperial Geographical Society yesterday conducted an expedition to Tarsus, the biblical hometown of St Paul the Apostle. The expedition was comprised of Lord Dionisiy Tezdzhan-Smahin and his wife Lady Mariia. It was the first expedition to take place outside of Europe, and the first to not have included Emperor Jonathan I amongst its participants. This is a major step for the IGS, which since 2017 has been aiming to conduct an expedition not requiring the personal direction of the Emperor. Tarsus is an ancient settlement, dating back to the Neolithic period and named by the Hittites. The expedition first encountered the Danyal Makami or Mausoleum of Daniel, one of several claimants to be the tomb of the Prophet Daniel. This site is thought to have been identified as the prophet’s tomb by the Caliph Umar (r. 634-644). The expedition then continued past a Roman section of the city walls to Saint Paul’s Well, a well situated next to the ruin of a Roman house claimed to have been that of St Paul himself. The well is twenty metres deep and still yields drinkable water. It is supposed that St Paul would have drunk from the well during his lifetime. The Duke and Duchess continued by car to the Tarsus Waterfall, where the expedition concluded with lunch.