Posted on 11/29/2010 4:43:44 PM PST by mdittmar
During the Revolutionary War, founding father John Jays brother, Sir James Jay, invented a method for the Patriots to communicate with each other that could not be intercepted by the British. Washington called Jays invention sympathetic stain or white ink. We would call it invisible ink.
Head Quarters, Morristown, April 9, 1780.
Dear Sir: The liquid with which you were so obliging as to furnish me for the purpose of private correspondence is exhausted; and as I have found it very useful, I take the liberty to request you will favour me with a further supply. I have still a sufficiency of the materials for the counterparts on hand. Should you not have by you the necessary ingredients, if they are to be procured at any of the Hospitals within your reach, I would wish you to apply for them in my name. I hope you will excuse the trouble I give you on this occasion.With great regard etc.
History is Fascinating!
I love how they used words in writing back then. I wonder if they also spoke like that in casual conversation(I tend to doubt it).
Fast forward to the year 2010, and imagine what that letter would have looked like(probably would have been an email or text). lol
Sorry George. I wrote down the formula using invisible ink.
Jay
Even today my Dad speaks in colloquialisms that he did not use in a very formally written note to us recently. There are multiple languages or dialects within the same groups of people.
Sadly James became disillusioned with both the war and American Independence and returned his allegiance to Britain and moved to British-occupied New York and then at the end of the war to London. John Jay upon learning of his brother's change of heart said that he would forget that his father ever had such a son and when he went to England to negotiate the Peace Treaty, both took pains to avoid the other.
Invisible inks are obsolete now. Any half-way decent intelligence service can develop them and read the messages. Still, they were historically important.
Thanks.
.
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