Year: 1871

HNHE story am about to tell relates to
Il an incident in the history of England
which is but little known, and which you
will not find in books, but one which never
theless had great effect on her destinies.


About the beginning Of this century,
while the Revolutionary wars were raging,
communication in cipher was naturally
very prevalent and ingenuity was taxed to
the utmost on one hand to invent, and on
the other to detect the medium used in
secret correspondence AS rule, the de-
cipherhad beaten the cipher, and no known
method was secure of detection. If con-
ventional signs merely were used, the re-
currence of the different symbols gave
key easily followed out. Some Ingenious
spirits correspond by reference to the pages
and lines of particular editions of books
methods, although they might preserve the
secret, disclosed what was often quite as dan
gerous, that there was a secret. ! am about
to tell you of a plan which for long time
was not only undetected but unsupported.


1t was at that time when the first Ma
poleon had assembled his fleet and trans
ports at Brest, with the ostensible and is
generally believed the real view, of making
descent on England. The greatest pre-
cautions were observed by the English
government in regard to correspondence
from France, and an amount of espionage
was practiced at the post office, which left
Sir James Graham's subsequent perfor-
mances in that line far behind. The
national excitement was intense, and the
political departments of the government
were administered with an iron sway.


My uncle, Sir George Trevor, was, as the
world then knew, high in the Admiralty
and as it was from him that / heard this
anecdote, its veracity may be depended on.


The dispatches to and from the Admiralty
were the subject of the gravest vigilance,
and the most stringent regulations. The
clerks were not permitted to send or receive
letters which were not first submitted to
the chief clerk and it was believed that
letters addressed even to private residences
were frequently opened at the post office.


At the time speak of, the chief clerk
was an elderly man of the name of Parker
wizened, wiry, dapper individual, SO i'm
bued with the official tincture of Whitehall
that it had become second nature to him.
He lived and breathed and thought and
slept solely for the Admiralty, and knew no
other pleasure or care. He was withal a
genial and kindly soul, keen and energetic
in the affairs of his Office, and in all others
mere child.


He had assumed as his private secretary
young fellow by the name of Beaumont,
who was one of the most promising subor-
dinates in the establishment. He was
modest and unassuming, very good-looking,
with a countenance and an air suggestive
of depression and melancholy. He was
evidently of good education, and probably
well born also, for his manners were easy
and indicated good breeding. He was a
native of Jersey, and had been introduced
to the notice of the Admiralty authorities
by some influential member Of Parliament.
He was much liked in the Office and dis
charged his duties to perfection.


One morning Parker presented himself
before my uncle with a visage pale with
woe and trembling with excitement.


"Why, what is the matter, Parker? Has
Bonaparte Gomez"


"He may have, for aught know" said
Parker "Things are all wrong, Sii
George p


"What is wrong?"


"The letters are wrong. There is spy
among us. have known it for long time
now am quite sure but cannot find hin
out"


Parker went on to explain that he hae
for some time suspected that some one IL
the Office communicated their private in
formation and dispatches outside. H'
had redoubled his precautions; but more
than ever confirmed in his suspicious wal
entirely baffied in his endeayors to detec
the culprit.


"But Parker" said my uncle, show d.