Year: 1874

From the Cornhill Magazine.


Most people have tried their hand at
the so-called secret writing which is
effected by various vegetable juices, and
brought to light by fire or water-here
the use of sal ammoniac and juice of
onions, of solution OF gals, and of cop
peras, is well known. From the time OF
Ovid, who advised a young lady in his
Art of Love-as if, fois)oth, young
ladies required instruction, at least on
that subject-to deceive all prying eyes
by letter written with raw milk. Till
the present day receipts have been pre-
scribed of various values to this eud.
One of the most curious is that which
recommends an ink to be used made un-
der certain conditions with the ichor OF
glow worms. The writing, says the au-
thor, may be read in light Of the moon.
This is a sure recipe. 1t was by the use
of such strange terms as memilua, Gala,
lapolce, and Others which Trit.
hemius used when treating on this
branch of his subject, that he introduced
his book to the flames, and yet the said
uncouth terms we're but distortions of
the latin expressionA for alum, milk,
camphor, and onions. A certain sur
geon wishing to disclose a matter of
great Importance to a brother of his
craft, sent him live bulldog to be dis.
sected, to whom he had previously ad.
ministered bolus containing the letter
he wished kept secret. So his friend
was guided by that dumb dead dessected
beast, as the wise men were guided by a
star Another applied MS. to sore
leg instead of or under the bandage.
The sewing OF the letter in shoe is re-
commended by Ovid, and rolling thin
leaves of metal containing the secret
into earrings by another ancient author;
third directs the communication to
be written on a blown bladder, the
bladder to be afterwards placed in
a flask and filled with wine. Let
ters may be also written on the
inside of the sheath of sword, on an
arrow, on a bullet in an egg. or rolled
up in hollow stick; which last proceed
ing calls to mind the story of that un-
faithful depository, who hid the trust
money in this manner, and when called
before the Judge for breach of trust by
the depositor, asking the plaintiff to
hold his stick while he kissed the Bible
with fervent devotion, swore he had re-
turned the money, and it was at that
very time in the plaintiff s possession.
Another method, explained at large by
learned Dutchman, which consisted
in first writing the letter in lilliputian
character and enclosing it in hazelnut
cannot, for other reason than want of
space, be more than alluded to here.
Among a hundred other devices sug-
gested by affection or by fear, letters were
hidden in womens' hair, which would
now, we suppose, be represented by their
chignons. But we cannot refrain from
adding one more method which has been
proposed for secret transmission of
sound. Let man, says the ingenious
author, breathe his words slowly in a
long hollow cane Theoretically sealed at
the farthest end, then let him suddenly
and closely seal the end into which he
breathed. The voice will continue in
the tube until it has some vent. When
the seal is removed at the end which
was first sealed the words will come out
distinctly and in order, but If the seal at
the other end be removed their inverted
series will create confusion. This happy
conception, which seems to have been
proposed in all good faith by its author,
reminds US of that famous one of bot.
tied sentences, and may be compared
with Josephs grunt, to which he gave
vent in the execution of his trade, ard
which is preserved, it is said, in crystal
among other equally valuable and
sacred relics in celebrated church at
Madrid