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Art. X. On an easy and secure Method of Secret 

 Correspondence. 



To the Editor of the Quarterly Journal. 



London, Dec. II th, 1821. 

 Sir, 



The ingenious paper on secret writing, in your last Num- 

 ber, by Mr. Hincks, shews how little reliance can be placed on 

 the methods suggested by Mr. Chenevix ; and the dot-writing, 

 as described in the elaborate article on Cipher, in Rees' Cyclo- 

 pcedia, is not only equally insecure, but would be liable to great 

 perplexity if separate keys were furnished to several correspond- 

 ents. Ministers and Generals, however, are often obliged to 

 communicate in cipher with many agents at the same time, and 

 perhaps with more than one person even in the same mission. 



The mode to which I am about to advert was given to me 

 many years ago by my father ; but whether it has ever been pub- 

 lished I do not know. Its pretensions are simplicity, impossi- 

 bility of detection, and the capability of multiplying its keys to 

 infinity. 



Let the key for each of the correspondents be a line of poetry, 

 or the name of some memorable person or place, that cannot be 

 forgotten ; and let them all be provided with a copy of the fol- 

 lowing table ; which may be printed, as it matters not into whose 

 hands it falls. 



When the despatch is composed, write the key-sentence un- 

 derneath the text, letter for letter, repeating it as often as it 

 may be necessary. For example, suppose the key-sentence to 

 /be " Sir Humphry Davy," and the secret clause of the despatch 

 to be " Protract the negociation as much as possible." These, 

 when written ixs above directed, will stand thus : 



Protract the negociation as much as possible 

 Sirhumphryd avysirhumph r ;i d a v y si rhumpkry 



