The Sun.
London, England, 1804-11-28 00:00:00

rhvirrEs4t siGNALI.

:4
.4 -

- - •

A C ,rtesp'nndent having; put into our, hands a
inost ingenious work, in.3t pages ,quartu, printed
the _brgtunin of October, for private use only, cu-
ries of which, we understand, were distributed by,
the Author: to his Royal Highness the
.Duak of

VA:uric, the Lards Commissioners of the Admiralty,

_•
.and to the principal Naval and, Military characters
iO the kingdom ; we deem it so highly interesting,
not only to the Naval, and Military profession of
this Country, but also to the Mercantile World in
:general,; that we have thought it might be ac.
fceptable to our Readers to give a brief review of
' the suhjett. The Work is entitled " Thoughts
several Plans combining' a System of Universal Sir.
nalt,by day and night, adapted for Naval, 14.
tart', Commercial,and Political Purposes; 'with Sug-
gestions for the general extension and improvement
of day and night relegraphs andlignalt, opt princi.
pies adapted to tarry on public or private • Corre.
rpondence by the Symbols of Flags and Lights, be.
tnneen the Maritime Nations of the Universe."
The Author we understand to be Mr. M'Alt.
Twill, a Gentleman who some time ago published an
original -work on Courtr.Martia, now out of print ;
and recently, “financial and Political Fads of the
Eighteenth Century ;" which has run through four
successive editions.' His Thoughts on Universal'
Signals, contains seven different Plana':
t. Telegraphic Sivals, by Day and Night,- pre-
sented to the Admiralifin 1797. The principal ob.
jed of this Plan is to establish Nocturnal Telegra.
phic Signals by.the combination of. six lights, and
on
_similar principles to improve the present Day

Telegraph.:
The one he has propose& is' extremely simple in
theconstrualOn, may he easily transported from one
place to,anotller, is made to move in any direttion
_ _

of the Compass, and is peculiarly adapted for Camps,
or Military Stations. The Telegraph is construct.
ed with two posts or poles, having grooves on each
post,_ o admit of frames. ;or screens of canvas to
slide up or down, to denote similar movements as
the boards in present use ; and by having lamps
with refleaors.:placed in the spaces at night, the
obscurations.prexposures of the lights'can be easily
effeaed by hoisting or
.lowering• the
,respettive
'screens. An imrrovement is also suggested to the
Tcle:,cope, in observations by night, by having
placed in the common focus of the °Ned and eye.
glasses, two vertical brass wires parallel to each.
other.; also two horizontal wires crossing the
other,,,equi.distant, at right angles, which would
rendce the obscurations of the lights on the_ right
or left of the operator more easily
.and accurately
defined by the observer.
. .
Plan a, contains Additional SriggestioNs for ma..
curbing a NoTharnid Telegraph, which are princi.
pally by the contrivance of a simple apparatus to be
fixed to a lamp, which will obscure or expose the
lights, and supersede the necessity of the boaris or
I screens.

By a curious and easy combination of movements,
the-letters of the alphabet, or any word in the
Diclionary, may be quickly denoted. •
Plati,3... it new Arrangement for Communicating
,sht Words sf a Dictionary, by adhering. to'the-Com:
binations of the Day Telegraph NOIV in tar, and
which may he equally applied to the Day and Night
Telegraph proposed in Plans 't and 2. There being
only 63 mutations, or movements, ofour Telegraph
as at present established, the Authtir, by an inge.
nious arrangement of these mutations, in seven
series, or ranks, having nine movements in each
series, can express, if necessary, 9999,999 words,
Of ideas. He has given a table of the combinations,
alnl examples illustrative of the application to any
word of a Diiionary, in the English or any other
language.
Plan 4... On tbt Extension and Improvemeni 'of
Day Signals in. His Majthy's Navy, adapted' alto
to a Military Code. By an arrangement Of the
identical flags used in the Navy, the plan is, in the
first instance, susceptible of denoting no less than
zp,ooo Signals, and
.by means of two auxiliary
flags, the twenty.six letters of the alphabet can,
at' the same time, be denoted, whereby the arrange.
ment proposed, will be susceptible of 260,000 mu-
tations, or Signals, which 1, mute than double the
number of svortisin any Dieliortary •of the. English
langnage; and exceeds, by 170,000, the number
of 4yrn49ls, or hieroglyphics, in the Chinese
`guage.
Plan 5.' On the Communication, of Signals by Day;
with five. Flags only in the System, in an easy and
expeditious ,manner,- adapted for Naval, Military;.
or Commercial Purposes.
The principles of this plan will,obviate the ex.
pence of having a great variety of Flags, and any
,Merchant Vessel,- provided with five Flags only,
Sean make Signals,to a, va'r extent, and may 'even
denote the., numbers aurt6unced of words of a Dic-
tionary in shy language. This plan, from Its
cheapniss and simplicity, is worthy the notice of
the MerCantile • World in general, and leo re ewe.;
daily that of Insurers'and Adventurers of this Or
any other Ctsuntty, and is pecaliarly adapted as a
bisis for a general Code amongst' all 'Maritime Na.
. tions, and may be applied to' exercising ads of•
• humaniny, in saving. Mariners from iiitipwr(!ck.—
The Author has, in this and ..the preceding Plan,
suggested the..facility with which a Foreigner of
any nation can communicate his ideas to an English.
man; or to any other of a Nation different toshim.
self, and whose language he might be ignorant of.
The basis, extent, and combinations at the Plan,
with never more, than three Flags,' used at a
time, is she wn in a, Table, whereby 999 dif-
, (crew Signals may be expressed, and by making
two Signals in succession, numbers to the extent of
999,999 are, with facility, expressed. !fence this
cheap, and easy Plan. is not only applicable to vati_
. taus purposes of. peblic utility, hut may bc male
subserStient to. the :convenience and amusement of
Ctiuntry Gentlemen in
,sight of each others' Seats,
or Signal.posts. The principles of, this Plan is' put
in Fr•tittice either by chewing the Flags at 111,1“..01
yard across, or three Signal.pOsts, Of tfCO th,C three
arms of a Windmill.
Plan $6..1s a .mtthotof etrtadingligna 1 Fliegs in
light air: or calm weather. This plan wish a model

accarnpanicd * Cade
,of clay •
ptesentett t;),
the Autlitn. t^ titc Admiralty In' 1790, and wlti
Ircquently et in make. on. board the eitiory,
&c.

Plan 7. Outhart of •a general plan rf Night
adapted for Naval or Military purposes by
lbs; 6mbinatrok of four_ lights. It appears frorn the
'Author's prefatory observations, that the numeraiy
Night Signals by the combination of guns, fake
fires and lights, first brought into pradice at the
commencement of the Wit 3793., since, used in the
Navy, were originally prepared by him in-the sum-
mer 3792, and tried at sea by Admiral Lord
Hoota's' Evolution Squadron. The ohjed of the
system no* proposed is to remedy the disadvantages.
of making Signals by guns, and false fires in the
night, more especially when in expedation of fall-
ing in with an Enemy. This is effeded by the
combination of four lights ; and the mode proposed-
may be occasionally employed as a Nodurnal—rele.
graph-at sea or on shore, and the numbers applicable
to the words in a didiunary of the English or any
other language may be denoted.
The Author has justly remarked, "- That th&
reciprocity of commercial interests between Mani-
time Nations, might make a-code of Signals estab.
lished on similar principles as his Plan No. 5, an
objed of the greatest importance. The voyages
of trading Ships might be performed with greater,
celerity 'by communicating their wants and corn..
missions by Signals before it was pradicable for the
Master to get on shore, and a still more important
consitieratiOn naturally presents itself, namely, that
of humanity.—Ships in danger of lr.i.ng shipwreck-
ed, or reduced by long voyages, of contrary winds
to the last extremity, might,. easily cOrtvnuniCale
their wants by this universal code of Signals, est4b...
'limbed for the best purposes, that of. saving the'
lives of individuals; and affotding protection and
security to their property."
We trust fur the benefit cof 'mankind, that every
publicity will he given to a system of the nature
proposed, and which if translated into the several
languages of Europe, hopes may he entertained that
an universal code of Signals would be one day
'established among all Maui= Nations, without
, militafi against their Naval or Military systems.
,--

, .
DUNDER.---,Ott the morning of Friday last a
Detachment of the ul Battalion of Irish Reserve,
consisting of 17c men, marched from Dudhope
tie Barracks for Leith, there to he emhatked for
Jersey, to join the za Battalion of the 1801 Regi.
went. At -the same time another I).,...tachment of

that Regiment; cot4isting- Of 147 men, marched,
under the command of Captain liocAN, on Alictir
route. for Glasgow, .where they are to be. embowlied
with the 2d Batteilion of the 27 tlt Regimenr. now.
quartered there. ;Tl)4,.rpnaining part (tithe bitted.
lion is under orders to join the 88th Regiment,
,and
will do duty at .. Dudhope Barracks atut..in
only until they can , he relic:v.ed...Wheu
General IYI'DoNAt.c,, save orders 10: t.lieotenant-
Colonel STRICKLAND for the above Detachments to
march, he was pleased to Say,
. .
" I seize on this occasion with great pleasure, to repeat
the expressions <Amy satistAion with the good orderly coin -
dut of the Battalion under your command, during.the )•ieriod
in which it has been under my immediate observation."

• The Military of the Chatham Distria, viz. the
Royal Marines, the Staff, West Essex, Cambridge,
and York Regiments, are supplied with the best ox
beef anti wether mutton at six-pence per pound, like.
wise the inhabitants at seven-penee.

The 14th Light Dragoons marched Owing!
Maidstone last week on their route to Guitdfutd
The i tth Light Dragoons, from the Stistiex. Coast,
are arrived in Kent, and have re.placed the 14..1

Regiment ()Nate Kentish Coast. The rod) Light
Dragooni, from Guildford, have also replaced the
lib Regiment on the Sussex Coast.
The Second Battalion of the 27th Foot is to
be embodied at Glasgow. On Tuesday above. too
-very fine Recruits fur the Regiment, Volunteers
from the 2d Regiment of Reserve, marched into
Glasgow;
On Monday se'lioight the Wakefield Volunteers
were reviewed, on lleath Common, by Col. Bet,h.
After the manoeuvres of the day were. finished,

.the men whose pieces had not been discharged, were
called out to disehatge them : the rain-rod :of one'
was unfortunately shot from his piece, which
ly wounded Serjraot John Clapham in the forehead,
and afterwards struck private Hind on the breast,
and.laid it open very considerably. The latter
declared completely Out of danger, and the former
is in a fair way of recovery.
GOLD:MTH,. in.ine charming little Work, the
Vicar ,of Wukefield,-makos—ane of his citaratfiers
say, speaking of the Drama, that the Public Taste
had gone back a whole century. \Vli it would he
now say of that which prevails in Romances ?
That it has retrograded a century or twcymore.l—
Readers areglati to be relieved with such
works as the VI t,t.io ANEOD rtes. Ar•few in

that
,style, by proving that scenes in Common. Life
may be so managed, Ar tali:: highly-interesting,
would, perhaps, recover 09 once more to Nature,
Probability, and Common Sense.
It is said that the Empress of France is to meet
the Pope at Fontainbleati. His Ilidiness will, no
doubt, be highly gratified by an interview with so
much purity and illaore!ae.
For the amusement olNaturalitts and others of
our Readers, we give the following description of a
bird, of the hawk or eagle tribe, which was shot
last week at Stockeld Park, near Wetherhy, by
Mr. Cummins, game.kceper to the •Countess of.
Aberdeen, in the grounds near the houie. It is of
,
such enormous size and strength us to tereivc the
sinit of three discharges before it was seemed, and
it then defended itself so powerfully, as to elude
every device Mr. Cummins could exercise to seize
it,' till he 'olTried the muzzle of his gun, which it
seized witli such avidity ;h to hang that pnsi--
lion till he reached the honse. it is yet alive
and merures t 3 feet
.4 indles (ion) the
of the wingi, and its beak, talons, &c. display asto.
nivhing strength.
On Sunday night—an unstrecessful attempt was
made to rob the house of E q. in the
I.,!)wer Road, :Chelsea, by some villains, woo forced
the .street !thior, and in. so doing alarintil the loot.
L man who slept• in the servants' hall. They were
pursued, but unfortunately without,effen,