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Jji ESSAY on the ART of CONVEYING SECRET and 

 SWIFT IN FELLIGENCE. By RICHARD LOVELL. 

 EDGE WORTH, Ffq. F.A\S. and MR. I. A. 



1 HE art of conveying intelligence by founds and fignals is Rgaj june 

 of the highefl antiquity. — It was pradifed by Thefeus in the ^''^^ "'^S- 

 Argonautic expedition, by Agamemnon at the fiege of Troy, 

 and by Mardonius in the time of Xerxes. It is mentioned fre- 

 quently in Thucydides ; it was ufed by Tamerlane*, who had 

 probably never heard of the black fails of Thefeus ; by the Moors 

 in Spain, and by the Welch in Britain ; by the Irifh, and by the 

 Chinefe on that famous wall, by which they feparated them- 

 felves from Tartary. 



Theseus furnifhed his fhip Argo with black fails as prophetic 

 mourning for his expected fate ; but he promifed, that if he were 

 fuccefsful he would upon his return put up a white fail to 

 inform his father and his countrymen of his fafety. Flufhed with 

 vi£tory the young telegrapher forgot his fignal. The Athenians 



on. 



* Vertot's Knights of Malta. 



