The Sun.
London, England, 1857-04-11 00:00:00

NEW CODE OF SIGNALS.

The Board of Trade could not have performed a more
useful and acceptable service to the mercantile marine
of this country, and, indeed, of all nations, than when it
undertook an investigation of the means of improving
the mode of sigualsing between ships at sea.
The defects had long been patent and palpable, for all
the signal codes in use appear to have been designed and
perpetuated upon the vicious principle of numerals,
which, confined to ten digits only, made it necessary to
provide either duplicate flags or substitutes to represent
those already used in a signal, and also confined the
range of which four flags are capable, even with the aid
of these substitutes, to 9,999 separate signals—a number
totally insufficient to effect what is necessary.
Hence means were obliged to be adopted to repeat
this number of 9,999 in several divisions by the exhibi-
tion of class or index flags, to denote the divisions re-
ferred to, hoisted over or under the signal, or at some
other masthead ; the consequence of which was that
whit u ith the care necessary for placing the substitutes
in their proper positions, of distinguishing the index flag
:mud the rules and complications involved, signalising was
seldom resorted to, and many desirable opportunities of
communicating at sea declined on account of the diffi-
culty of adjusting and deciphering these combinations.
It is remarkable that the late Capt. Marryatt, a highly
intelligent officer, who published a code of signals about
30 years ago, should have adhered to the numeral sys-
tem, not only on account of those complications of which
lie must have been aware, but because the late Sir H.
Popham bad at the close of the war (1816) amended this
defect in his "Telegraphic Vocabulary," used in the
Royal Navy, by the introduction of flags distinguished
by alphabetical letters, so as to enable him, by the in-
creased number of permutations made available by a
larger number of digits than the ten numerals afforded,
to increase the scope of his vocabulary.
The advantage of this course is palpable ; for we find
that whereas in the numeral plan 17 or 18 symbols are
required to express the 10 digits, with the necessary ad-
juncts of telegraph, numeral, geographical, and other sec-
tional flags, contingent en that system, and involving a
display of five or more symbols to express one signal, by
giving to 18 flags independent significations, such as let-
ters of the alphabet, their permutations will produce no
less than 78,642 separate signals, and that without a ne-
cessity for exhibiting more than four in any one signal.
The substitution of letters for numeral figures, in de.
signating the 18 flags used in the code authorised by the
Board of Trade, is not the only improvement. Being
divided into two parts, the messages in the first intimated
by three, and those in the second by four flags, a means
of international communication is made available.

The first part is composed of the messages, words, geo-
graphical names, latitude, longitude, compass signals, &c.,
which form the substance of all signal books, expressed
without reference to alphabetical arrangement. These
are classed into subjects, and every signal is intimated
by the same letters placed against it. In all languages
the sign-. 1 will have the same meaning, and it can be
made known either by the same or corresponding flags
adopted by previous arrangement.
The second part comprises a more extensive vocabu-
lary, and the words being placed in alphabetical succes-
sion it is applicable to national use only, or to nations
such as England and America, using the same language.
This forms also an index to the first part, for all the sig-
nals therein are enumerated in the second part, with the
two or three letters which denote them, and can there-
fore be readily referred to.
There are other advantages, such as the intimation of
the nature of a signal by the shape of the uppermost flag;
but the most important feature is the means which the
vast scope of this code affords of giving to every indivi-
dual vessel a distinctive signal, by the exposition of
which its identity can be made known and concisely con-
veyed by letter or by electric telegraph, in order to be
correctly reported in the shippin,,, lists. The preparation
and maintenance of a list of 40,000 or 50,000 merchant
vessels renders necessary a separate bock, which contains
this and other matter interesting to nautical persons, and
is published annually under the title of The Mercantile
Nary List. There are also monthly supplements to pro-
claim the names of vessels supplied with distinctive sig-
nals in the interval between the yearlypublication of the
book, in which they become eventually incorporated.
An alphabetical index, available for reference to any
particular vessel, the distinctive signal of which it is
wished to ascertain, adds greatly to the utility of the
scheme.
These books with the supplements will be placed in
ships of war, Coast Guard stations, and all Government
departments. Th€y will also be supplied by slipping
masters in every port to captains of vessels when making
arrangements for a voyage ; and owners of ships should
provide the four particular flags which signify a vessel's
name, and make it imperative that they shall be hoisted
whenever opportunity offers.

His Majesty the Emperor of Austria has conferred on
Mr. Paul Pretsh, the inventor of the art of photo-gal-
vanography, the grand gold medal for arts and sciences
in recognition of his artistical perfection of the specimen
prints which Mr. Pretsh has submitted to his Majesty.
SACRED HARMONIC SOCIETY. Handel's oratorio
Judas Naccabcus will be performed at Exeter-hall on
Friday next, preparatory to the production of the same
oratorio at the great Handel Festival at the Crystal
Palace. The orchestra for this grand musical congress
is now erected at the Palace, and is daily inspected by
hundreds of visitors, who contemplate its giant propor-
tions with surprise. Some idea of its extent may be
formed when it is stated that it covers considerably
larger space than any music-ball in the country.