[314] "Observed the Gibraltar and Culloden firing at us, probably by mistaking our St George's Ensign for the national flag, on which we cut off the fly." (Master's Log, _vide_ Sturges Jackson, _Logs of the Great Sea Fights_ (N. R. S.), p. 130.) [315] Nicolas, _Despatches and Letters of Lord Nelson_, VII, p. 104. In a footnote (the volume was published in 1846) Nicolas says: "It may be hoped that the time is not distant when the anomalous distinctions of Blue, White and Red Admirals will be abolished, so that St George's banner will be the only flag borne by _all_ British Admirals." [316] I.e. a narrow pendant with striped red, white and blue fly. [317] Low, _History of the Indian Navy_, II, 201. A similar red pendant has recently been approved as the flag of the Director of the Royal Indian Marine. [318] Order of the Governor in Council quoted by Low, _History of the Indian Navy_, II, 570. [319] This word first appears about 1650, and soon replaced the earlier term. [320] Marsden, _Law and Custom of the Sea_ (N. R. S.), II, 412. [321] About two-thirds, instead of less than one-fourth. [322] E.g. in 1636 the people of Calais stoned the Dover mail packet which carried the Union flag at the stern, "rending the said Unite coullers." [323] See Plate V, fig. 7. [324] See p. 70. [325] B. M. _Add. MS._ 12206. [326] Plate IX, fig. 8. [327] See p. 68. [328] See Plate IX, fig. 6. The number of stripes varied from nine to thirteen, the odd numbers being red. [329] Tanner, _Catalogue of the Pepysian MSS._ (N. R. S.), III, 325. [330] Tanner, _Catalogue of the Pepysian MSS._ (N. R. S.), III, 334. [331] There are, however, instances during the eighteenth century of these ships flying a red or blue ensign. [332] The Union replaced the St George's cross in the canton; and the St George's cross appears to have been introduced into the fly, by adding a vertical bar and thickening the middle stripe, about 1820. (See Plate X, fig. 11.) [333] First issued in a collected form in 1731. [334] See _Lloyds Book of House Flags and Funnels_. [335] _A General Collection of Treatys of Peace and Commerce_ (1732), III, 282. [336] _Parl. Paper_ 1859, III, Sess. 2. [337] _Parl. Paper 1859_, III, Sess. 2. Further particulars of the various devices adopted by the clubs will be found therein. Chapter VI _Flag Signals_ (i) EARLY SIGNALS The few scattered references to signals found in early Greek literature are so vague in their terms that they leave us in doubt whether the ancient Greeks or their predecessors on the waters of the Eastern Mediterranean made any use of flags for signalling purposes. It seems probable that the earliest signals were given by raising the naval standard which, as we have seen, found a place at the stern of the Phoenician ships of war at least as early as 400 B.C., and that the Greeks adopted this method from the Phoenicians, substituting a cruciform standard for the Phoenician Crescent and Globe.