Chapter V: In Which A New Species Of Funds, Unknown To The Moneyed Men, Appears On 'Change

Phileas Fogg rightly suspected that his departure from London would create a lively sensation at the West End. The news of the bet spread through the Reform Club, and afforded an exciting topic of conversation to its members. From the club it soon got into the papers throughout England. The boasted "tour of the world" was talked about, disputed, argued with as much warmth as if the subject were another Alabama claim. Some took sides with Phileas Fogg, but the large majority shook their heads and declared against him; it was absurd, impossible, they declared, that the tour of the world could be made, except theoretically and on paper, in this minimum of time, and with the existing means of travelling. The Times, Standard, Morning Post, and Daily News, and twenty other highly respectable newspapers scouted Mr. Fogg's project as madness; the Daily Telegraph alone hesitatingly supported him. People in general thought him a lunatic, and blamed his Reform Club friends for having accepted a wager which betrayed the mental aberration of its proposer.

Articles no less passionate than logical appeared on the question, for geography is one of the pet subjects of the English; and the columns devoted to Phileas Fogg's venture were eagerly devoured by all classes of readers. At first some rash individuals, principally of the gentler sex, espoused his cause, which became still more popular when the Illustrated London News came out with his portrait, copied from a photograph in the Reform Club. A few readers of the Daily Telegraph even dared to say, "Why not, after all? Stranger things have come to pass."

At last a long article appeared, on the 7th of October, in the bulletin of the Royal Geographical Society, which treated the question from every point of view, and demonstrated the utter folly of the enterprise.

Everything, it said, was against the travellers, every obstacle imposed alike by man and by nature. A miraculous agreement of the times of departure and arrival, which was impossible, was absolutely necessary to his success. He might, perhaps, reckon on the arrival of trains at the designated hours, in Europe, where the distances were relatively moderate; but when he calculated upon crossing India in three days, and the United States in seven, could he rely beyond misgiving upon accomplishing his task? There were accidents to machinery, the liability of trains to run off the line, collisions, bad weather, the blocking up by snow—were not all these against Phileas Fogg? Would he not find himself, when travelling by steamer in winter, at the mercy of the winds and fogs? Is it uncommon for the best ocean steamers to be two or three days behind time? But a single delay would suffice to fatally break the chain of communication; should Phileas Fogg once miss, even by an hour; a steamer, he would have to wait for the next, and that would irrevocably render his attempt vain.

This article made a great deal of noise, and, being copied into all the papers, seriously depressed the advocates of the rash tourist.

Everybody knows that England is the world of betting men, who are of a higher class than mere gamblers; to bet is in the English temperament. Not only the members of the Reform, but the general public, made heavy wagers for or against Phileas Fogg, who was set down in the betting books as if he were a race-horse. Bonds were issued, and made their appearance on 'Change; "Phileas Fogg bonds" were offered at par or at a premium, and a great business was done in them. But five days after the article in the bulletin of the Geographical Society appeared, the demand began to subside: "Phileas Fogg" declined. They were offered by packages, at first of five, then of ten, until at last nobody would take less than twenty, fifty, a hundred!

Lord Albemarle, an elderly paralytic gentleman, was now the only advocate of Phileas Fogg left. This noble lord, who was fastened to his chair, would have given his fortune to be able to make the tour of the world, if it took ten years; and he bet five thousand pounds on Phileas Fogg. When the folly as well as the uselessness of the adventure was pointed out to him, he contented himself with replying, "If the thing is feasible, the first to do it ought to be an Englishman."

The Fogg party dwindled more and more, everybody was going against him, and the bets stood a hundred and fifty and two hundred to one; and a week after his departure an incident occurred which deprived him of backers at any price.

The commissioner of police was sitting in his office at nine o'clock one evening, when the following telegraphic dispatch was put into his hands:

Suez to London.

Rowan, Commissioner of Police, Scotland Yard:

I've found the bank robber, Phileas Fogg. Send with out delay warrant of arrest to Bombay.

Fix, Detective.

The effect of this dispatch was instantaneous. The polished gentleman disappeared to give place to the bank robber. His photograph, which was hung with those of the rest of the members at the Reform Club, was minutely examined, and it betrayed, feature by feature, the description of the robber which had been provided to the police. The mysterious habits of Phileas Fogg were recalled; his solitary ways, his sudden departure; and it seemed clear that, in undertaking a tour round the world on the pretext of a wager, he had had no other end in view than to elude the detectives, and throw them off his track.

Chapter VI: In Which Fix, The Detective, Betrays A Very Natural Impatience
Chapter IV: In Which Phileas Fogg Astounds Passepartout, His Servant

Footnotes

  1. figurative use of "fatally": permanently disrupt the needed flow of transfer from one means of transportation to the next

    If Fogg were delayed on one mode of transportation so that he missed the next, then his whole schedule would be thrown of by hours if not days and he would never hope to finish the journey in the required time.

    fatally, adjective: to have a permanent end as in death

    communication, noun: a means of connection between modes of transportation, between people, places, or things

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  2. This is the consequence of the dispatch: the reputation of Fogg as a refined gentleman of breeding and good taste (albeit oddly precise habits) was immediately forgotten and his resemblance to a notorious bank robber was all that remained in the minds of all who heard about Detective Fix's dispatch.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  3. adjective: done in the briefest of time possible; occurring in an instant of time

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  4. noun: official message sent, often from some faraway place

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  5. verb (old fashioned): to dismiss with scorn; to mock, deride; to reject at once as laughable

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  6. adverb: according to supposed facts but not proven to be possible; in theory

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  7. Became know to all members of the Reform Club, even those who did not play whist with Fogg.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  8. In the 1800s, London's fashionable area to the west portion of Charing Cross. The location of business, government and entertainment centers.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  9. noun: a reaction of interest or excitement, usually a widespread reaction, not limited in scope

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  10. noun: the fact of leaving, usually for a journey; the start of a journey (to depart is the verb form)

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  11. Idiom, figure of speech: meaning to divert someone from or to confuse someone about the right path, idea, or pursuit

    Fogg, suspected bank robber, is being said to have gone round the world to divert Scotland Yard detectives from suspecting, pursuing and apprehending him: He is thought to have thrown them of the track of his guilt.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  12. verb: to evade (dodge) detection or escape apprehension (arrest), especially in a clever way

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  13. An official document issued by a judge on behalf of the government authorizing the arrest, detention, or the search of a person.

    Fogg is believed by Scotland Yard crime detectives to be the illusive robber of the Bank of England. [See Chapter III "A package of banknotes ...."]

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  14. A message generated by means of a telegraph relay.

    telegraphic, adjective
    of or relating to a message by telegraph

    dispatch, noun
    official communication in a message sent to someone holding an official capacity

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  15. The senior ranking officer of a police force: the chief commander of a police force for a given metropolitan area.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  16. Fogg lost all supporters, backers, advocates: everyone believed he would fail.

    deprive, verb
    to lose the possession or benefit of something, i.e., Fogg lost the possession and benefit of people believing in his chance of success

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  17. The betting odds at the wagering establishments were against him by 150 British pounds-200 British pounds versus 1 British pound for him.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  18. The number of supporters of Fogg's journey decreased steadily.

    dwindled, verb
    gradually but steadily decreased in quantity (amount, size or strength)

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  19. adjective: relating to paralysis; somone affected by paralysis

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  20. George Thomas Keppel, 6th Earl of Albemarle (1799 – 1891), grandson of General George Keppel, 3rd Earl of Albemarle KG PC (London, 8 April 1724 – 13 October 1772).

    [Current descendant: Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, wife of Prince Charles.]

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  21. "Phileas Fogg" bonds just mentioned began to decline in buyer appeal because the definitive article appearing in the authoritative journal of the Royal Geographical Society made investors lose confidence in Fogg's chances of success.

    As a result, "Phileas Fogg" bonds could not be sold at all unless sold at a discounted rate in bundles of 5, 10 and then 100!

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  22. Bonds trade between buyers and sellers at par when the interest rate offered is the same as the standard banking interest rate: e.g., savings account at 6%; bond interest rate ("coupon") at 6%.

    Bonds trade at premium when the interest rate offered is higher than the standard banking interest rate: e.g., savings account at 6%; bond interest rate at 10%. The higher interest offered prompts buyers to pay more than the actual asking price ("face value") of the bond.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  23. The London Stock and Bond Exchange where stocks and bonds were and are exchanged between buyers and sellers. [See Ch. 1 "He was never seen on 'Change."]

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  24. A bond promises the buyer a repayment of the purchase price plus a set amount of interest, unless the bond defaults, in which case the investment price and interest are lost.

    A Phileas Fogg bond is issued in favor of Fogg's success. A bond differs from a wager in that a wager offers winnings at variable odds that change with Fogg's degree of success whereas a bond has a fixed repayment price increased by a fixed interest amount.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  25. noun: one's permanent nature that affects behavior; natural propensities and behavioral inclinations; innate qualities, including mood and talents, e.g., an even temperament that was never agitated

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  26. adjective: lacking in careful consideration; unheeding of consequences; unthinking choice or action

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  27. noun: those who publicly support an action, idea, or recommendation on a cause or policy i.e., those who were in favor of and supported Fogg's attempt to go around the world

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  28. verb phrase: to be permanently set without ability to be changed or altered.

    irrevocably, adjective
    unable to be changed; permanent; unchangeable

    render, verb
    to cause to be or to make to be something

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  29. noun: foolishness; some action or person lacking in good sense

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  30. Enland's royal society for geography research and education and for geographers, founded in 1830.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  31. A weekly newspaper, London. The first newspaper to be published with illustrations of the stories. First appearing on Saturday May 24, 1842.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  32. Implied metaphor, figure of speech: news articles were read with great enthusiasm as though they were delicacies of food (metaphor: comparing news articles about Fogg to greedily eaten food)

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  33. News articles that were passionately opposed and that were logical in equal parts: "no less passionate than logical."

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  34. noun: one who proposes something; one who initiates the consideration of an original idea, action or event

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  35. noun: something that departs from what is normal, from what is expected; an inexplicable act

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  36. adjective (informal): someone who is thinking irrationally; derived from the mythological powers of the moon (la luna)

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  37. A morning issue newspaper in London that reports the news from overnight.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  38. The Alabama was a war ship disguised as a merchant ship that the Confederate government had built in Liverpool, England. In total these disguised ships, flouting England's neutrality laws, sank more than 150 Northern ships. The U.S. government demanded reparations from England for the damage done by the ships initiating nation-wide discussion in England (and a new era of international diplomacy).

    — Karen P.L. Hardison