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

NE W 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 signalising between ships at sea.
The defects had long been patent and palpable, for all
the signal codes in use appear to have been designed aad
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 zonfined the
range of which four flags aro capable, even with the
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 rep( at
this number of 9,999 in several divisions by the exhi ai-
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 ot which was that
what with the care necessary for placing the substitutes
in their proper positions, of distinguishing the index flag
and 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 sy s-
tem, not only on account of those complications of whiele
he must have been aware, but because the late Sir .;I.
Popham had at the close of the war (1816) amended this
defect in his "Telegraphic Vocabulary," used in tee
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 affords
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 (xi:ress the 10 digits, with the necessary ad-
juncts of telegraph, numeral, geographical, and other see-
tional flags, contingent en that system, and involving a
display ot 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 figure de-
signating the 18 Pigs used in the code authorised by the
Board of Trade, is not the only improvement. Being
divided into two parts, the message 9 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, &a.,
which form the substance of all signal books, expressed
without reference to alphabetical arrangement. These
are claased into subjects, and every signal is intimated
by the s;ane letters placed against it. In all languages
the signal 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 vocabn.
,and.the words being placed in alphabetical WUCC3w
sion it is applicable to national use only, or to vatic na
such as England and America, using the same langua te.
This forms also au index to the first part, for alt the t ig.
nala therein are enumerated in the second part, with -tut)
two or three letters which denote them, and can there-
fore be readily referred to.
There are other advantages, such as the intimabion of
the nature of a signal by the shape of the uppermost fl-vg;
but the most important feature is the means which the
vast scope of this code affords of giving to every ind_vi-
dual vessel a distinctive signal, by the exoosition of
which its identity can be made known and conciselycon-
veyed by letter or by electric telegraph, in Order to be
correctly reported in the shipping, lists. The preparation
and maintenance of a list of 40,000 or 50,000 merchant
vessels renders necessary a separate bock, which coats ins
this and other matter interesting. to nautical persons, 2,nd
is puiilished annually under the title of The Mercantile
Nary List. There are also monthly supplements to pro-
claim the names of vessels supplied with distinctive eig-
nals in the interval between the yearly publication 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 Governm!mt
departments. Tlacy will also be supplied by shipping
masters in every port to captains of vessels when whenma
ejangements for' a voyage ; and owners
ships shouldma
v essel's
provide the four particular flags which signify
tied snake it iwperative that
they shall
j onify
be h.oiatect
name,
whenever opportunity offers.

His Majesty the Emperor of Austria has conferred on
Mr. Paul Pretsh, the inventor of the art of photo-ral.
vanography, the grand gold medal for arts and scien.:es
in recognition of his artisticnl perfection of the specimen
behio SOCIETY.
prints which Mr. Pretsh has submitted to his Majesty.
ill
SACRED
Handel's oratorio
Judas
performed at Exeter-hall on
Froay mxt, preparatory to the production of the same
rf facc liabAcit u3si °
oratorio at the great Handel Festival at the Crystal
Palace. The orchestra for this grand musical congress
is new erected at the Palace, and is daily inspected by
hundreds of visitors, who contemplate its giant proper.
tions with surprise. Some idea of its extent may be
formed when it is stated that it covers considerably
' !artier space than auy music-hall in the country.