1803. ] Account of Sir Home Popham’s Telegraphic Signals. ra 
private work, and in feleét hands, few of 
your readers may have an opportunity of 
ever feeing it. ‘ ; 
It is divided into three parts ; the firft 
and fecond confift of a thoufand words 
alphabetically arranged, and the third of 
as many fentences, alfo arranged alphabeti- 
cally from a leading word. he original 
work was printed with one part only ; the 
fecond and third are now added. 
The firtt number of the firft part be- 
gins with 26 ; the preceding 25 comprize 
the letters of the alphabet, from A to Z, 
and numbers from 1 to 25. Flags are 
made to reprefent thefe. 
‘The words in the firft part are thofe 
mottly made ule of in converfation and 
writing. »The fecond begins with 1026, 
and confifts of words next ufeful to thofe 
in the firft, or which have been forgot.— 
The third part begins with 2026, and is 
made up of fhort fentences, applicable to 
military or general converfation. Thefe 
are intended to fave the ufe of many fig- 
nals ; as by one flag a whole meffage may 
be conveyed. 
I have already mentioned, that flags re- 
prefent the alphabet and figures: there 
are alfo the following made ufe of :— 
a cypher-flag, a fubftitute-flag, a prepa- 
rative-flag, and flags to diftinguifh a mef- 
fage, finifhed, underftood, not underftood, 
or meflage to be anfwered, and a numeri- 
cal-pennant. A flag hoifted alone, or 
under another, reprefents units ; when 
two flags are hoifted, the upper reprefents 
tens; when three are hoifted, the upper- 
moft is to reprefent hundreds, the next 
tens, and the loweft units. The thou- 
fands are denoted by bails,.or pennants, 
as may appear moft fikely to be feen, in- 
ferior and fuperior; fuperior 1000, in- 
ferior 2000 5 as for exrmple : 
No. 1926—Aback. 
No. 2026—Shall I leave off aétion ? 
When the fubftitute-flag is hoifted un- 
der other flags, it isto reprefent the fame 
figure asthe flag immediately above it— 
For example : to reprefent the number 33, 
the fubjtitute-flag mult be placed under 
that reprefenting 3. When the cypher is 
put under other flags, it reprefents the 
cypher; as under 3, it ftands for 30. 
Words not in the vocabulary may: be 
fpelt by the numerical-alphabet from 1 to 
25. When it is neceflary to exprefsnum- 
bersin a meflage, the numerical-pennant 
muft be hoifted with the fignal. Ships 
names are to be made with the Union- 
jack and the number, as in the Lift of the 
~ Royal Navy. 
When much fail is fet, or in blowing 
weather, it may be inconvenient to hoift 
three flags and a pennant at the fame 
place; the two upper may be at one place, 
and the two others at another ; taking 
places progreffively, as follows: firft, 
main ; fecond, fore ; third, mizen; fourth, 
gaft; fifth, enfign-ftaff. ; 
It fometimes happens, that, from blow- 
ing weather and a high fea, a boat 
cannot be hoifted out; by means of this 
invention, a correfpondence may at all 
times be kept up with the commander in 
chief, or the fhores and fecret keys, num= 
bered, to be opened according to fignals, 
to communicate fecret orders with any 
particular fhips. For example, if it thould 
be neceflary to detach a frigate lying at 
Spithead, under fecret orders, to fail im- 
mediately to the Welt Indies, and from 
too great a fea, or fevere gale of wind, a 
boat cannot go from Portimouth, the Port 
Admiral may, by fignal known only ta 
that frigate, communicate his withes. 
All fignals thrown out mutt be kept fly- 
ing till they reach the commander in chief, — 
and that by the fhips of a (quadron in 
fucceffion when he is not in a pofition te 
fee them when firft made. In cafes of 
doubt, a fhip is to repeat the fignal in- 
ftead of the anfwering-pennant ; or when 
any particular number in a meflage is not 
underitood, it is to be expreffed by hoift- 
ing the numerical-pennant with the werd 
or fentence, beginning from the firft word, 
For example: if it was the fifth word, 
when the meflage was finifhed, the nume- 
rical-pennant (4) muft be hoifted by the 
fhip not underftanding. ‘The fhip mak-. 
ing fignal is then to repeat that word; and 
if then not comprehended, to change it 
for one neareft and fynonymous. Wher 
the cypher-flag is hoifted fingly, it is to 
annul the fignal made or making. 
As there are a fet of fignals eftablifhed 
by the Admiralty for his Majefty’s Navy, 
and ordered to be made ule of, it may be 
neceffary toremark, that Sir Home Pop- 
ham’s marine-telegraph does notin any 
degree inteifere withthem. Befides thefe 
there are compals-fignals, the flags of — 
which are not in his numerical-code, but 
may be made ule of occafionally. 
Such is the plan for a fea telegraph, of 
which this is meant asa {ketch ; anu from 
the very ingenious efforts of this en-er- 
prizing officer, whofe fervices dyring the 
Jate war with the army on the continent 
under his Royal HighnefsS the Duke of 
York, the expedition to Otend wi h Ge- 
neral Sir Eyre Coote, his yoyage up the 
Red 
