1796.4 
liable to miftake, a learned profeffor in 
Germany propofed to fhorten the num- 
bers employed, by ufing the quarternary 
inftead of the decennary arithmetic. 
Thus according to his fyftem, the units 
' were placed as 12 common arithmetic; a 
ficure in the next place to the left hand 
was inftead of a ten, or a multiple of 
ten, four ora multiple of four, denoted 
by the figure; in the third place, the 
figure denoted a multiple of 4 or 16, 
and foon. Thus, ta write down 95, he 
placed his figures thus, 1133, the three 
in the place of units denoted three ; the 
next three denoted 3X4, or 125 the 
next figure 1, denoted 4 or 16, the 
next figure 1, denoted gor 64; con{e- 
quently, 1333 im the quaternary arith- 
metic, was equivalent to 95 in the com- 
mon arithmetic, The advantage gained 
by thus changing the figures is this 5 
in making the fignal gs, there muft be 
fourteen firings or appearances of {moke, 
which, in the other mode, is done by 
eight firings, confequently time is gain- 
ed in the firings, and there is Icfs danger 
of mifcounting fo {mall a number as 
three, and, in this arithmetic, a greater 
number never appears. 
Thefe numbers may alfo reprefent the 
letters of the alphabet, and thus words 
may be made, or the words of a diction- 
ary may be numbered; and thus icn- 
tences may be communicated, from one 
perfon to another, by this mode of 
making fignals. . 
There is an inconvenience attending 
the making of fignals by numbers. The 
meaning of every number muft be previ- 
oufly agreed on; and unlefs in the cate 
of a dictionary, which has never been 
practiled, if any thing new occurs, it 
‘cannot be communicated by the fignals. 
To remedy this inconvenience, the 
French mace ufe of a new mode, the in- 
vention of which they aicribe to them- 
felves, but their pretenfions to the merit 
of the difcovery may be juftly called in 
queftion. By means of fome upright 
poles and crofs bars, they had different 
figures for every letter in the alphabet, 
and others to mark abbreviations or words. 
Thefe were placed at proper ftations, 
and in the day time were feen through 
telefcopes, and the pofition of the bars 
at one place, was repeated through all 
the tations with wonderful celerity. 
The advantages derived from this 
mode of communicating intelligence, 
was, like moft o'her things, firft laughed 
at, and then adopted, in England. Upon 
the admiralty, is erected a frame, not 
Admiralty Telegraph. 
133 
like the poles and .bars of the French, 
but with fix moveable ectagonal frames, | 
by the change in the pofition of which, 
any letter may be made, and in certain 
pofitions a variety of things may be figni- 
fied, according to the will of the persons 
at the two extreme pofts, employed in 
making the fignals. Thus one frame 
being in an horizontal poftion, and the 
others fhat, or in a perpendicular fitua- 
tion, may denote the letter a; two 
frames only being in an horizontal pon. 
tion may give the letter b; three in the 
fame manner, the letter c, and fo or. As 
there may be made as many changes 
with thete frames, as with the fame 
number of bells, the letters of the alpha- 
bet may be made with eafe, and a fuf- 
ficient number of fignals may be formed 
for extraordinary purpofes. 
The annexed plate reprefents one of 
thefe fignal-frames. The octagons 
marked, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, all move on an 
axis, are railed perpendicular, as 2, 354, S» 
and returned to their original fation as 
1, 6, by means of the ropes A fixed at 
the ends of the crofs bars B, which are 
attached to the extremities of the axles 
C, on which the o¢tagons move; to each 
crois bar, there are attached two ropes; 
one at each extremity: at one end to 
raife the oflagon -pefpendicular, and at 
the other to return it: theie ropes pafs 
through the roof of the houfe into the 
room D, where perions are fationed 
continually to watch and work the ma~ 
chine. Similar frames are erected on a 
chain of pofts, from London to Deal; 
and it is faid, that adminiftration by 
mean of thefe fignal-pofts, obtained 
very early intelligence of the failing of 
the Dutch fleet, and by the fame mode 
conveyed its orders to the admiral in the 
Downs. That this may be done, we can- 
not doubt, in clear weather; but if there 
is a mift or fog’in the heavens, there is 
an end to the obfervations, and it does 
not appear that they have any plan for 
repeating the fignals at night. Mr, 
Northtmore has, indeed, propoied a plan, 
which feems to be as ealy im its con- 
ftruétion and management, as by the 
prefent frames. He propofes to have 
rgand’s lamps, placed in a proper mane 
ner, and by fimHar changes 1m their po~ 
fition, letters and other fighals may be 
denoted, But, probably, before any ate 
tempt is made to bring night fiynals 
into ufe, the admiralty will with to 
be expert in the management, and con- 
vinced of the ule, of the fignal-frames 
upon their _prefent conftruction. 
ORIGINAL 
