A Cipher during the War of the Spanish Succession (1709)
Passage in Cipher
According to tonybaloney, a long letter dated 25 February 1709 to Colonel Richards at Alicante Caslte included a passage in cipher at the end.
50.86.57.61.43.55.41.56.53.43.70.72.39.17.73.58.82.67.72......67.56.58.61.70.28.30.69.31.52.21.17.66.
25.44.71.56.73.38.26.31.18.70.72.58.34.51.57.75.53.72.68.19.43.72.41.74.48.43.18.55.265.266.267.50.
18.66.24.40.27.42.67.31.23.72.48.87.72.57.71.38.30.68.17.41.27.52.58.76.73.19.42.54.45.21.31.61.42.
54.36.68.56.38.43.37.39.75.60.56.54.71.40.29.68.88.27.30.56.33.41.72.266.30.54.31.50.87.68.40.57.66.
70.50.19.86.50.58.71.31.76.66.71.58.80.65.34.56.58.72.20.87.81.39.43.24.40.50.30.19.55.70.71.38.23.
86.50.17.88.77.30.65.67.86.69.30.24.75.67.31.49.88.50.17.66.25.40.74.56.72.57.73.38.29.25.18.68.73.
48.31.34.65.56.51.80.39.30.54.24.30.82.31.80.41.47.49.50.19.67.24.39.26.57.81.55.30.42.54.71.50.73.40.
29.71.57.80.55.31.
Historical Backgrounds
During the War of the Spanish Succession, the Bourbon king was gaining ground after a brief occupation of Madrid by the allied forces in 1706. In late 1708, Denia and the town of Alicante were recaptured by the Bourbon forces. Colonel John Richards (ancestry.com) was commanding the garrison of the citadel of Alicante, the last stronghold for the allies in Valencia.
Even when the French army dug a mine to explode the citadel from underground, Richards was confident of the security and refused to surrender. He was also expecting a relief by sea, though five men-of-war under Admiral Byng that arrived in Alicante Bay in mid-January could do nothing. On 3 March 1709, he took some senior officers with him to take his stand on the parade ground immediately above the mine. The explosion made an opening in the ground and engulfed them all. The citadel still held out but when Stanhope and Byng sailed into the bay in April, all they could do was to negotiate for honourable surrender. (ibid.; Churchill, Marlborough, His Life and Times, ii, p.522-523; Trevellyan, England under Queen Anne, iii, p.22-23; castle tour)
This left only environs of Catalonia for Charles III, the ally's claimant to the Spanish throne.
The above cipher letter was written in the last days of Colonel Richards.
Cipher
The key given by tonybaloney is as follows.
Similar ciphers were also used in the 17th century. See Blank Marshall's and George Downing's (another article) as well as Goffe's (another article).
Deciphering
For the most part, the key allows the passage to be deciphered as follows.
My opinion is that owr troops desembarck
to thd east of mount sait iulian 265 266 267 march
directly to the said moutain, k beping
so high upon the syde of it 266 enemy shors
may moteurt owr foot, by which means thcy
may verry securely march uoto the castle,
from whence we will march downe intm the
towne.
Dump for Verification
50 <m> 86 <y> 57 <o> 61 <p> 43 <i> 55 <n> 41 <i> 56 <o> 53 <n> 43 <i> 70 <s> 72 <t> 39 <h> 17 <a> 73 <t> 58 <o> 82 <w> 67 <r> 72 <t> ... 67 <r> 56 <o> 58 <o> 61 <p> 70 <s> 28 <d> 30 <e> 69 <s> 31 <e> 52 <m> 21 <b> 17 <a> 66 <r>
25 <c> 44 <k> 71 <t> 56 <o> 73 <t> 38 <h> 26 <d> 31 <e> 18 <a> 70 <s> 72 <t> 58 <o> 34 <f> 51 <m> 57 <o> 75 <u> 53 <n> 72 <t> 68 <s> 19 <a> 43 <i> 72 <t> 41 <i> 74 <u> 48 <l> 43 <i> 18 <a> 55 <n> 265 266 267 50 <m>
18 <a> 66 <r> 24 <c> 40 <h> 27 <d> 42 <i> 67 <r> 31 <e> 23 <c> 72 <t> 48 <l> 87 <y> 72 <t> 57 <o> 71 <t> 38 <h> 30 <e> 68 <s> 17 <a> 41 <i> 27 <d> 52 <m> 58 <o> 76 <u> 73 <t> 19 <a> 42 <i> 54 <n> 45 <k> 21 <b> 31 <e> 61 <p> 42 <i>
54 <n> 36 <g> 68 <s> 56 <o> 38 <h> 43 <i> 37 <g> 39 <h> 75 <u> 60 <p> 56 <o> 54 <n> 71 <t> 40 <h> 29 <e> 68 <s> 88 <y> 27 <d> 30 <e> 56 <o> 33 <f> 41 <i> 72 <t> 266 30 <e> 54 <n> 31 <e> 50 <m> 87 <y> 68 <s> 40 <h> 57 <o> 66 <r>
70 <s> 50 <m> 19 <a> 86 <y> 50 <m> 58 <o> 71 <t> 31 <e> 76 <u> 66 <r> 71 <t> 58 <o> 80 <w> 65 <r> 34 <f> 56 <o> 58 <o> 72 <t> 20 <b> 87 <y> 81 <w> 39 <h> 43 <i> 24 <c> 40 <h> 50 <m> 30 <e> 19 <a> 55 <n> 70 <s> 71 <t> 38 <h> 23 <c>
86 <y> 50 <m> 17 <a> 88 <y> 77 <v> 30 <e> 65 <r> 67 <r> 86 <y> 69 <s> 30 <e> 24 <c> 75 <u> 67 <r> 31 <e> 49 <l> 88 <y> 50 <m> 17 <a> 66 <r> 25 <c> 40 <h> 74 <u> 56 <o> 72 <t> 57 <o> 73 <t> 38 <h> 29 <e> 25 <c> 18 <a> 68 <s> 73 <t>
48 <l> 31 <e> 34 <f> 65 <r> 56 <o> 51 <m> 80 <w> 39 <h> 30 <e> 54 <n> 24 <c> 30 <e> 82 <w> 31 <e> 80 <w> 41 <i> 47 <l> 49 <l> 50 <m> 19 <a> 67 <r> 24 <c> 39 <h> 26 <d> 57 <o> 81 <w> 55 <n> 30 <e> 42 <i> 54 <n> 71 <t> 50 <m> 73 <t> 40 <h>
29 <e> 71 <t> 57 <o> 80 <w> 55 <n> 31 <e>
©2015 S.Tomokiyo
First posted on 24 April 2015. Last modified on 24 April 2015.
Articles on Historical Cryptography
