Provincia Britannia - Annual report - 1999 (Nova Roma)

Patribus Conscriptis Senati Novae Romae Nicolai Moravii Vadoni Britanniae Propraetor Salutem

Ante Diem octem Iduum Mensis Sextilis in anno MMDCCLIII ab Urbe Condita

Honourable Fathers of the Senate,

I have the honour to present for your information my annual report from the Province of Britannia, with apologies for the two months' delay (caused by illnesses and unavoidable absences both in Britannia and in the Domus Censoris).

POPULATION

Current citizen population: 19, comprising the following gentes:

Claudia Lucentia (6), Moravia (2), Mucia Scaevola (2), Caecilia (1), Caledonia (1), Caselia (1), Claudia Tertia (1), Etruscia (1), Furia (1), Gellia (1), Iulia Caesaria (1), Petria (1).

I am informed by the Censors that several further applications for citizenship are in process.

Non-citizen population: 59,999,981 (Atrebates, Belgae, Brigantes, Cantiaci, Catuvellauni, et alii).(Tribal population analysis available on request).

Although the Album Gentilii is now reasonably up-to-date, this gives an indication only of the existence of gentes in Britannia. There is no information available to a provincial administrator to ascertain cives' places of residence, nor is there anything requiring patres/matresfamiliae or the government to inform provincial administrators of such. If memory serves, the outcome of the privacy issue debated a while ago resolved that personal details would be available as a matter of right to Censors and Consuls. Frequent queries to these senior magistrates would place a further onerous burden on their already heavy workload. It is the consensus of the Propraetor and his Legati that we need to look at ways of addressing this issue. Perhaps a quarterly report from the Censores to Praetores Provinicae listing current citizens by Regio might be useful, without being too much of a burden. Such information would then be subject to internal dissemination (subject to the provisions of the British 1998 Data Protection Act).

RECRUITMENT

My Lords of the Senate will observe from the figures cited above that the potential for recruitment is high, but remains as yet largely unrealised. My previously announced programme of sending NR flyers to municipal and university and college libraries, and places of historic Roman interest progresses, and a low-cost advertising programme in pagan bookstores and periodicals is under discussion.

I regret to report that 2 enquiries regarding citizenship application received in the past year bore no fruit, despite the Legate's investment of much time providing information and other assistance. Each enquiry came during a particularly fractious period on the NR Main List, and both cited the behaviour there as their main reason for not wishing to participate further.

One of these applicants has subsequently subscribed to the Britannia List requesting (and receiving helpful and civil answers to) several questions, and so the good repute of the Respublica is evidently not quite as vulnerable to heated Main List debates as might first appear.

Four public lectures on the Religio Romana in two Regiones, including distribution of NR flyers, have been organised in the past year and two more (one in each of two Regiones)are planned for the near future.

Booklets containing local and global information on Nova Roma and local information on Roma Antiqua, to inform local citizens and attract interest, are under compilation. Publication is expected this summer. Tourist Information offices and civic libraries are to be principally targeted.

A car rear window sticker has been produced, bearing a motif of Iuppiter's eagle clutching lightning-bolts in its talons (and looking conveniently also like a phoenix rising from a nest of flames), with the legend: 'ANCIENT ROME REBORN' and NR's URL beneath. The propraetor is currently urging his fellow Brittones to employ them.

Following the Honourable Conscript Fathers' ratification of the Consul Marcus Minucius Audens' Outreach Sodalitas, its policies and procedures, both Legati Regionales and the Propraetor are collecting details of possible contact points for use in an official programme for forwarding to Scriba Consulis Pompeia Cornelia Strabo as a Provincial Outreach dossier.

Now Outreach guidelines have been finalised, there may be any mileage in fostering links (especially from Britannia Cymrica) via the Celtic connection, and possibly even a Gaulish. The Region of Caledonia as yet has no cives, nor does the (potential) province of Hibernia. If the existence of a Nova Roman community in Cymrica, say, can be used in some way to attract or interest those in other culturally similar regions, then the consensus in Britannia is that we should do so. However, this implies, inter alia, the possibility of quasi-diplomatic relations with other virtual communities, and once research is completed the Outreach Sodalitas will be informed and the matter discussed at Sodalitas level.

RELIGIO

A public celebration of Floralia was conducted by the Propraetor and two other citizens before 150 onlookers, as the opening ceremony of the Pagan Federation's Southern Regional Beltane Camp. Another ritual (Eponalia) is planned for a similar camp in August, and performance of rituals at a Roman site in Britannia Septentrionalis is also being negotiated. A precedent has already been made by the V Cohors Gallorum (non-citizens) with English Heritage at Arbeia on Hadrian's Wall. Citizen T. Claudius Lucentius Vindex of the Legio II Augusta is about to begin presentations on the Religio Romana at events sponsored by the Legion this year.

WEBSITES

A revised version of the Britannia website (i.e., independent of the Claudia Lucentia gentile website) is under construction but is likely to remain so until the Propraetor gets a minute to himself after the cider-apple harvest (late October). This is less than satisfactory as both regional websites (see below) require links both to and from, the Provincial website. Delegation of the task to a Curator (vel Curatrix) Aranei Britannici is under active consideration.

Websites for the Regiones B. Septentrionalis and B. Cymrica are online and undergoing continual improvement. Relatively slow loadtime may necessitate relocation of the B. Cymrica website.

ADMINISTRATION

The offices of Legati Britanniae Caledonica, Britanniae Media and Britanniae Meridianalis are vacant. The Propraetor has proposed that Legata A.I.C. Nocturnia assume responsibility for B. Caledonia as well as B. Septentrionalis, that Legatus Appius Claudius Lucentius Nigellus do so for B. Media in addition to B. Cymrica, while the Propraetor continue to act as Legatus Britanniae Meridianalis. Current citizenship population does not make these additional responsibilities unduly onerous, while an increase in population will, ipso facto, provide new aspirant Legati eager to serve the state.

P. Claudius Lucentius Severus has been appointed Praefectus Aerarii Provinciae Britanniae by Edictum Propraetoris.

The current number of administrative staff and posts is deemed adequate for the current level of civil population, although the appointment of a Curator vel Curatrix Aranei Britanniae is desirable as aforementioned.

FINANCE

Heretofore the monies for distribution of 'The Eagle' in Europe (formerly undertaken by Q. Claudia Lucentia Aprica and now assumed by A. I. C. Nocturnia) resided in the same account the Provincial treasury. The account has now been divided into two, the one in the keeping of A. I. C. Nocturnia and the other in that of Praefectus Aerarii P. Claudius Lucentius Severus.

At time of writing, an online meeting of the Cives Britanniae is being held to vote on the placement of the new account. If the meeting is in favour, the new account should be open by the Kalendas Mensis Septilis.

CONCLUSION

Lastly, Honoured Fathers, I commend to your favourable attention the energetic and praiseworthy efforts of Legati Augustina Iulia Caesaria Nocturnia and Appius Claudius Lucentius Nigellus, and of Praefectus Aerarii Britanniae Publius Claudius Lucentius Severus, without whose diligence and dedication to the Provincia and the Respublica this Relatio, which it is my pleasure as well as my duty to submit for your Honours' approbation, would not have been possible.

Sint divi Geniique Britanniae atque Dii Deaeque Romae Sempiternae volentis vobis semper propitii in operibus vostris,

Vado Propraetor.