Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-08-25
THE YHiy ATE SECRETARY.
An Incident of NapOleun's Thre
RH1asion OF England.

An incident of Na.o,eon's Thre
RH1asion OF England.
About the beginning Of this century
while the Revolutionary Wars were rag
ing, communication in cipher was natur-
ally very prevalent; and ingenuity was
taxed to the almost On one hand to ia
vent and on the other to detect, the
medium used in secret correspondence.
As rule tle 2ecipherer had beaten the
cipher; and 10 known method was secure
OF detection. Unconventional signs mere
ly were used, tae recurrence of the differ
ent symbols gave a key easily followed
out. Some Ingenious spirits correspond
ed hy reference to the pages and lines of
particular editions of particular books
others by an agfeeaon vocabulary. But
these last methods, although they might
preserve the secret, disclo8ed what was
often quite as dangerous, that there was a
secret. ! am about to tell you of a plan
which for long rtime was rot only unde-
tected. but unsupported.
It was at that ti.Ac when the first Ma
poleon had assem- bled his fleets and tran
sports at Brest, with the osLenslb.e, and
as.ig generally belisued the cal, view of
making a descent on England. The
greatest precautions were observed by
the English Government in regard to
correspondence with France, and an
amount 0f espionage was pract-ced at the
post-oflice which left.Sir Jamea Graham S
spbse' uent performances III thst line far
behind. The national excitement was
intensa, and the political department was
administered witit an iron sway.
My &ncle, Sir George Trevor was, as
all the world then knew, high in the Ad :
miralty; and as it was from hin that |
heard this anecdote, tic @eracity, may be
depended on.
The dispatches to and from tho Adj
miralty G7ere the SUBJECTED the greatest
vigilance and the most stringent tagula-
tons The clerks were not permitted to
send or receive letters waich were not
first subm-tted to the chief clerk, aud it
was believed that letters addressed even
to their PMvate residences were frequent
~ opened ct the post Office.
At the tssne l speak OF, tbs chief clerk
was an elderly man of the name of Park
era Wizeaed, wiry, dapper individual,
so imbued with the official tlncture of
Whitehall th2t it had become seconds IA
sture to him. lie was genial and kindly
soul, keen ans, energetic ID the affairs eff
his office. and in all others a mere child.
aie had engaged as private secretary
young fellow by the name of Beaumont,
who was one OF the most promising sub
,ordinates in the establishment He was
q modest, unasst,ning man, very good
~,
suggestive of depression and melancholy.
He was evidently, of good education, and
proba5ly well-born also, for his manners
were easy, and indicated good breeding.
He was native of Jersey, and had been
introduced to the notice of the Admiral
ty authorities by some influential mem-
Der OF Parliament. Ee was much Liked
IN the office, and dicharged his duties to
perfection.
One morning Parker presented himself
before my uncle with q usage pale with
woe, and Trembling with excitement
why, what is the matter, Parker? Has
Bonaparte Gomez"
"He may have, for aught know said
Parker Taings are all wrong, Sir
Georgc!"
what are Wrong"
THE letters are wrong. There is a spy
among us. l have known it for long;
now am quite sure: but can not find
him out"
Parker went on to explain that he had
Tor some time suspected that some one in
the office communicated their private in
formation and dispatches outside. He
had redoubled his precautions; but more
than ever confirmed in his suspicious,
was entirely baffled in his endeavors to
detect the culprit.
"But, Parker" said my uncle, chow do
you come to be so sure that your secrets
have transpired?"
'By the funds, Sir George. They an
swer to the news as surely as the bell
down stairs does to the bell-rope. l find
them going up and down as if they were
sitting in The Office" said Parker, person.
flying the Stock Exchange for the moment.
"Have all the letters to the clerks been
examined strictly9"
''Yes, | read them all myself.n
Find nothing in them?'
'.Mighty little. Some are from home.
some from friends, and most of them
from sweethearts," said Parker, twisting
his face into a grim smile, land rum
things they say in them
"And the young mems letters. Are
they rum, too?"
''They are more careful like, as they
know [ am to see them; but, Lord save
you, sir, they are all stuff; not haporth
Of harm in them.''
This matter must be seen to-" said my
uncle; II have had my own misgivings on
the same subject Bring me all the letters
which come to, and are sent by, the clerks
for the next week. There is no reason
why you should have all the rum things
to yourself"
So my uncle had the letters for a week,