Britannia provincial report MMDCCLX

Salvete Conscript Fathers

As we are currently without a governor in Britannia a core of leading citizens have taken it upon themselves to file the year end report on behalf of the province. I for one welcome the innovative and resourcefulness of these citizens and I would treat the report with the respect it deserves. It is submitted to the Senate for your consideration.

Valete

Tiberius Galerius Paulinus

From: "A. Apollonius Cordus" <a_apollonius_cordus@... To: "Ti. Galerius Paulinus" <spqr753@... Subject: Britannia's budget and report Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2007 16:48:36 +0000 (GMT)

Cordus Paulino sal.

Apologies if this comes slightly late.

BUDGET

1. Anticipated revenue from the province:

It is expected that about seven or eight citizens will pay their taxes next year. The province will reclaim its full share. This is expected to generate about £20 to £24 for the province. Additional donations may be made, but these are not relied upon.

It is also hoped that the aerarium will remit £11.70 to the province, being the share of last year's taxes to which the province was entitled and which was claimed on behalf of the province but which was never delivered.

2. Description of fund-raising activities planned:

No fund-raising activities are planned.

3. Anticipated expenses within the province:

No specific expenses are planned. The possibility of publishing the provincial newsletter Inter Alia in paper form may be considered. No estimate is currently available for this.

4. Description of provincial activities necessitating expenditure:

Inter Alia is a newsletter which is currently published solely in electronic form.

REPORT

The year from November C. Buteone Po. Minucia cos. to November L. Arminio Ti. Galerio cos. has been relatively quiet, but in the latter part of the year the province has shown signs of increased activity.

Kal. Feb. Fausto Paulino cos. the governor C. Livia stepped down. She had been governor since Cn. Salice Cn. Equitio cos. and had overseen the creation of a provincial emblem and of a new provincial e-mail list and website, the province's subscription of the pactum de conventu, and the successful hosting of the fifth conventus.

Mense Martio a number of citizens paid their taxes. Some of these were collected at a provincial level by A. Apollonius and paid together to the aerarium through the online payment system. The online payment system appeared to provide no mechanism for the province to keep 50% of the money as it was entitled to do; accordingly it was all paid, and A. Apollonius requested that 50% be returned to him to be kept on behalf of the province. This was not done, and it is hoped that it will be settled as part of the next tax settlement.

Mense Quinctile there was some discussion of the need (or not) for a new governor. It was felt desirable to choose a member of the provincial community with seniority in age and / or rank and with experience of provincial life and organization of activities. Ultimately it was agreed that Cn. Salvius would be put forward as the province's preferred candidate, but that this would be delayed until December in order to allow him time to settle into his new surroundings.

A. d. III Kal. Oct. the province was pleased to welcome Ti. Galerius consul and his brother as special guests in Londinium. First C. Marcius showed them the Museum of London and some Roman remains in London; later the three of them met up with Cn. Salvius and A.Apollonius in central London for a walk around Leicester Square and Chinatown, along with visits to pubs and bookshops.

A. d. V Non. Oct. the provincial e-mail list received what appeared to be a cross-posted message from a Mr Keller, a former citizen of Nova Roma. He had joined the e-mail list under a previously unknown e-mail address at an unknown prior date. After some discussion, it was felt best, in the absence of a governor with official executive power, to allow Keller to remain on the e-mail list but to block his messages if they became persistently irrelevant. They did so, and Non. Oct. he was warned that further messages of the kind would not be approved. He has been silent since then.

This year the province has gained several new citizens, notably C. Marcius Crispus, C. Octavia Agrippa, and M. Sergius Catalina, all new to Nova Roma, and Cn. Salvius Astur, who moved from Hispania to live in Britannia this year. Several citizens, new and old, have been involved in public life beyond the province throughout the year, including C. Marcius, who has assisted in preparing ludi, and C. Octavia, who has won a competition in another set of ludi.

The province continues to make good progress in the use of Latin. A. Gratius Avitus has again taught his acclaimed courses in conversational Latin in the Academia Thules, and has also supervised the translation of his course materials into English and Spanish so that the course can be offered easily in those languages as well as in Italian and French.

With Cn. Salvius the province has gained another Latin-speaker, and C. Moravius Laureatus has also begun to speak the language. It is hoped that further progress will be made in the coming year, especially now that four of the province's Latin-speakers now live in Londinium.

With C. Livia's departure the provincial website ceased to be maintained; to remedy this, some work has been done on the relevant pages of the Nova Roma website, and Britannia now has a number of pages in the website containing information which it is hoped will be helpful to citizens and prospective citizens.

There is a sense of renewal in the provincial community as a whole, and it is hoped and expected that next year will be a good one for Britannia.