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NATIONAL FLAGS
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See also:NATIONAL FLAGS .—See also:British. The royal See also:standard of See also:England was, when it was hoisted on the See also:Tower on the 1st of See also:January 18o1, thus heraldically described:—" Quarterly; first and See also:fourth, gules, three lions passant gardant, in See also:pale, or, for England; second, or, a See also:lion rampant, gules, within a See also:double tressure flory See also:counter flory of the last, for See also:Scotland; third, See also:azure, a See also:harp or, stringed argent, for See also:Ireland." The See also:present standard connects in See also:direct descent from the arms of the Conqueror. These were two leopards passant on a red See also: It is worthy of See also:note, however, that in the royal standard of See also: St George had See also:long been a See also:patron See also:saint of England, and his banner, argent, a cross gules, its national See also:ensign. St Andrew in the same way was the patron saint of Scotland, and his banner, azure, a saltire argent, the national ensign of Scotland. On the union of the two crowns James I. issued a See also:proclamation ordaining that " henceforth all our subjects of this Isle and See also:Kingdom of Greater See also:Britain and the members thereof, shall See also:bear in their See also:main-See also:top the red cross commonly called St George's cross, and the white cross commonly called St Andrew's cross, joined together according to a form made by our heralds, and sent by us to our admiral to be published to our said subjects; and in their fore-top our subjects of See also:south Britain shall See also:wear the red cross only, as they were wont, and our subjects of See also:north Britain in their fore-top, the white cross only as they were accustomed." This was the first Union Jack, as it is generally termed, though strictly the name of the flag is the " See also:Great Union," and it is only a " Jack " when flown on the jackstaff of a See also:ship of See also:war. Probably the name of the Stuart king " Jacques," which James I. always signed, gave the name to the flag, and then to the See also:staff at which it was hoisted. At the death of Charles I., the union with Scotland being dissolved, the See also:ships of the See also:parliament reverted to the See also:simple cross of St George, but the union flag was restored when See also:Cromwell became protector, with the Irish harp imposed upon its centre. On the Restoration, Charles II. removed the harp and so the See also:original union flag was restored, and continued as described until the See also:year 18o r, when, on the. legislative union with Ireland, the cross of St Patrick, a saltire gules, on a field argent, was incorporated in the union flag. To so combine these three crosses without losing the distinctive features of each was not easy; each cross must be distinct, and retain equally distinct its fimbriation, or bordering, which denotes the original ground. In the first union flag, the red cross of St George with the white fimbriation that represented the original white field was simply imposed upon the white saltire of St Andrew with its blue field. To place the red saltire of St Patrick on the white saltire of St Andrew would have been to obliterate the latter, nor would the red saltire have its proper bordering denoting its original white field; even were the red saltire narrowed in width the portion of the white saltire that would appear would not be the St Andrew saltire, but only the fimbriation appertaining to the saltire of St Patrick. The difficulty has been got over by making the white broader on one See also:side of the red than the other. In fact, the continuity of direction of the arms of the St Patrick red saltire has been broken by its portions being removed from the centre of the oblique points that form the St Andrew's saltire-Thus both the Irish and Scottish saltires can be easily distinguished from one another, whilst the red saltire has its due white fimbriation. The Union Jack is the most important of all British ensigns, and is flown by representatives of the empire all the See also:world over. It flies from the jackstaff of every See also:man-of-war in the See also:navy. With the Irish harp on a blue shield displayed in the centre, it is flown by the lord-See also:lieutenant of Ireland. When flowp by the See also:governor-See also:general of See also:India the See also:star and See also:device of the order of the Star of India are See also:borne in the centre. Colonial See also:governors fly it with the badge of their See also:colony displayed in the centre. See also:Diplomatic representatives use it with the royal arms in the centre. As a military flag, it is flown over fortresses and headquarters, and on all occasions of military ceremonial. Hoisted at the mainmast of a man-of-war it is the flag of an admiral of the fleet. Military flags in the shape of regimental See also:standards and See also:colours, and flags used for signalling, are described elsewhere, and it will here be only necessary to See also:deal with the navy and See also:admiralty flags. The origin of the three ensigns—the red, white, and blue—had its See also:genesis in the navy. In the days of huge fleets, such as prevailed in the Tudor and Stuart navies, there were, besides the admiral in supreme command, a See also:vice-admiral as second in command, and a See also:rear-admiral as third in command, each See also:con-trolling his own particular See also:group or See also:squadron. These were designated-centre, See also:van, and rear, the centre almost invariably being commanded by the admiral, the vice-admiral taking the van and the rear-admiral the rear squadron. In order that any See also:vessel in any group could distinguish its own admiral's ship, the flagships of centre, van, and rear flew respectively a See also:plain red, white, or blue flag, and so came into being those See also:naval ranks of admiral, vice-admiral, and rear-admiral of the red, white, and blue which continued down to as See also:late as 1864. As the admiral in supreme command flew the union at the main, there was no See also:rank of admiral of the red, and it was not until See also:November 1805 that the rank of admiral of the red was added to the navy as a See also:special compliment to See also:reward See also:Trafalgar. About 1652, so that each individual ship in the squadron should be distinguish-able as well as the flagships, each vessel carried a large red, white, or blue flag according as to whether she belonged to the centre, van, or rear, each flag having in the See also:left-See also:hand upper corner a See also:canton, as it is termed, of white bearing the St George's cross. These flags were called ensigns, and it is, of course, due to the fact that the union with Scotland was for the time dissolved that they See also:bore only the St George's cross. Even when the restoration of the Stuarts restored the status quo the cross of St George still remained alone on the ensign, and it was not altered until 1707 when the See also:bill for the Union of England and Scotland passed the English parliament. In 18oi, when Ireland joined the Union, the flag, of course, became as we know it to-day. All these three ensigns belonged to the royal navy, and continued to do so until 1864, but as far back as 1707 ships of the See also:mercantile marine were instructed to fly the red ensign. As ironclads replaced the wooden vessels and fleets became smaller the inconvenience of three naval ensigns was See also:manifest, and in 1864 the grades of flag officer were reduced again to admiral, vice-admiral, and rear-admiral, and the navy abandoned the use of the red and blue ensigns, retaining only the white ensign as its distinctive flag. The mercantile marine retained the red ensign which they were already using, whilst the blue ensign was allotted to vessels employed on the public service whether See also:home or colonial.
The white ensign is therefore essentially the flag of the royal navy. It should not be flown anywhere or on any occasion except by a ship (or See also:shore See also:establishment) of the royal navy, with but one exception. By a See also: Some few other yacht clubs flew it until 1842, when the See also:privilege was withdrawn by an admiralty See also:minute. By some oversight the order was not conveyed to the Royal Western of Ireland, whose ships flew the white ensign until in 1857 the usage was stopped. Since that date the Royal Yacht Squadron has alone had the privilege. Any vessel of any sort flying the white ensign, or See also:pennant, of the navy is committing a See also:grave offence, and the ship can be boarded by any officer of His459 See also:Majesty's service, the colours seized, the vessel reported to the authorities, and a See also:penalty inflicted on the owners or See also:captain or both. The penalty incurred is £500 See also:fine for each offence, as laid down in the 73rd See also:section of the Merchant See also:Shipping See also:Act 1894. In 1883 Lord Annesley's yacht, belonging to the Royal Yacht Squadron, was detained at the See also:Dardanelles in consequence of her flying the white ensign of the royal navy which brought her under the See also:category of a man-of-war, and no See also:foreign man-of-war is allowed to pass the Dardanelles without first obtaining an imperial irade. Since then owners belonging to the squadron have been warned that they must either See also:sail their ships through the straits under the red ensign See also:common to all ships British owned, or obtain imperial permission if they wish to display the white ensign. Besides the white ensign the ship of war flies a long streamer from the maintopgallant masthead. This, which is called a pennant, is flown only by ships in See also:commission; it is, in fact, the sign of command, and is first hoisted when a captain commissions his ship. The pennant, which was really the old " pennoncell," was of three colours for the whole of its length, and towards the end left See also:separate in two or three tails, and so continued till the end of the great wars in 1816. Now, however, the pennant is a long white streamer with the St George's cross in the inner portion See also:close to the See also:mast. Pennants have been carried by men-of-war from the earliest times, See also:prior to 1653 at the yard-See also:arm, but since that date at the maintopgallant mast-See also:head. The blue ensign is exclusively the flag of the public service other than the royal navy, and is as well the flag of the royal naval reserve. It is flown also by certain authorized vessels of the British mercantile marine, the conditions governing this privilege being that the captain and a certain specified portion of the See also:officers and See also:crew shall belong to the ranks of the royal naval reserve. When flown by ships belonging to British See also:government offices the See also:seal or badge of the See also:office is displayed in the fly. For example, hired transports fly it with the yellow See also:anchor in the fly; the marine See also:department of the See also:Board of See also:Trade has in the fly the device of a ship under sail; the See also:telegraph See also:branch of the See also:post-office shows in the fly a device representing See also:Father Time with his See also:hour-See also:glass shattered by See also:lightning; the See also:ordnance department displays upon the fly a shield with a See also:cannon and cannon balls upon it. Certain yacht clubs are also authorized by special admiralty See also:warrant to fly the blue ensign. Some of these display it plain; others show in the fly the distinctive badge of the See also:club. Consuls-general, consuls and consular agents also have a right to fly the blue ensign, the distinguishing badge in their See also:case being the royal arms. The red ensign is the distinguishing flag of the British merchant service, and special orders to this effect were issued by Queen Anne in 1707, and again by Queen Victoria in 1864. The order of Queen Anne directed that merchant vessels should fly a red flag " with a Union Jack described in a canton at the upper corner thereofnext the staff," and this is probably the first time that the See also:term " Union Jack " was officially used. In some cases those yacht clubs which fly the red ensign change it slightly from that flown by the merchant service, for they are allowed to display the badge of the club in the fly. Colonial merchant-men usually display the ordinary red ensign, but, provided they have a warrant of authorization from the admiralty, they can use the ensign with the badge of the colony in the fly. In regard to ensigns it is important to remember that they are purely maritime flags, and though the See also:rule is more honoured in the See also:breach than in the observance, the only flag that a private individual or a See also:corporation has a right to display on shore is the national flag, the Union Jack, in its plain See also:condition and without any emblazonment. There are two other British See also:sea flags which are worthy of brief See also:notice. These are the admiralty flag and the flag of the See also:master of Trinity See also:House. The admiralty flag is a plain red flag with a clear anchor in the centre in yellow. In a sense it is a national flag, for the sovereign hoists it when afloat in See also:conjunction with the royal standard and the Union Jack. It would appear to have been first used by the duke of York as lord high admiral, who flew it when the sovereign was afloat and had the royal standard flying in another ship. When a board of commissioners was appointed to execute the office of lord high admiral this was the flag adopted, and in 1691 we find the admiralty, minuting the navy board, then a subordinate department, requiring and directing it to cause a fitting red See also:silk flag, with the anchor and See also:cable therein, to be provided against Tuesday See also:morning next, for the See also:barge belonging to this board." In 1725, presumably as being more See also:pretty and See also:artistic, the cable in the device was See also:twisted round the stock of the anchor. It was thus made into a " foul anchor," the thing of all others that a sailor most hates, and this despite the fact that the first lord at the time, the See also:earl of See also:Berkeley, was himself a sailor. The anchor retained its unseamanlike See also:appearance, and was not " cleared " till 1815, and even to this day the buttons of the naval See also:uniform bear a " foul anchor." The " anchor " flag is solely the See also:emblem of an administrative board; it does not carry the executive or combatant functions which are vested in the royal standard, the union or an admiral's flag, but on two occasions it has been made use of as an executive flag. In 1719 the earl of Berkeley, who at the time was not only first lord of the admiralty, but vice-admiral of England, obtained the special permission of George I. to hoist it at the main instead of the union flag. Again in 1869, when Mr See also:Childers, then first lord, accompanied by some members of his board, went on board the " See also:Agincourt " he hoisted the admiralty flag and took command of the combined Mediterranean and Channel squadrons, thus superseding the flags of the two distinguished officers who at the time were in command of these squadrons. It is hardly necessary to add that throughout the navy there was a very distinct feeling of dissatisfaction at the innovation. When the admiralty flag is flown by the sovereign it is hoisted at the fore, his own standard being of course at the main, and the union at the mizzen. The flag of the master of the Trinity House is the red cross of St George on its white ground, but with an See also:ancient ship on the waves in each quarter; in the centre is a shield with a precisely similar device and surmounted by a lion. The sign of a British admiral's command afloat is always the same. It is the St George's cross. Of old it was borne on the main, the fore, or the mizzen, according as to whether the officer to whom it pertained was admiral, vice-admiral, or rear-admiral, but, as ironclads superseded wooden ships, and a single See also:pole mast took the place of the old three masts, a different method of indicating rank was necessitated. To-day the flag of an admiral is a square one, the plain St George's cross. When flown by a vice-admiral it bears a red See also:ball on the white ground in the upper canton next to the staff; if flown by a rear-admiral there is a red ball in both the upper and See also:lower cantons. As nowadays most battleships have two masts, the admiral's flag is hoisted at the one which has no masthead See also:semaphore. The admiral's flag is always a square one, but that of a See also:commodore is a broad white pennant with the St George's cross. If the commodore be first class the flag is plain; if of the second class the flag has a red ball in the upper canton next to the staff. The same See also:system of differentiating rank prevails in most navies, though very often a star takes the place of the ball. In some cases, however, the indications of rank are differently shown. For instance, both in the See also:Russian and See also:Japanese navies the distinction is made by a See also:line of See also:colour on the upper or lower edges of the flag. The flags of the British colonies are the same as those of the See also:mother See also:country, but differentiated by the badge of the colony being placed in the centre of the flag if it is the Union Jack, or in the fly if it be the blue or red ensign. Examples of these are shown in the See also:Plate, where the blue ensign illustrated is that of New See also:Zealand, the device of the colony being the See also:southern cross in the fly. Precisely the same flag, with a large six-pointed star, emblematic of the six states immediately under the union, forms the flag of the federated commonwealth of See also:Australia. The red ensign shown is that of the Dominion of See also:Canada, thedevice in the fly being the armorial See also:bearings of the Dominion. As the lord-lieutenant of Ireland, as the representative of royalty, flies the Union Jack with a harp in the centre, or the See also:viceroy of India flies the same flag with, in the centre, the badge of the order of the Star of India, so too colonial governors or high commissioners fly the union flag with the arms of the colony they preside over on a white shield in the centre and surrounded by a See also:laurel wreath. In the case of Canada the wreath, however, is not of laurel but of See also:maple, which is the special emblem of the Dominion.
French.—To come to flags of other countries, nowhere have See also:historical events caused so much change in the standards and national ensigns of a country as in the case of France. The oriflamme and the See also:Chape de St See also: Yet again, other authorities assert that the flag is copied from the shield of the See also: It has also been held that the stars and stripes of the American national flag, as well as the eagle, were suggested by the See also:crest and arms of the Washingon family. The latter supposition is absurd, for the See also:Washington crest was a See also:raven. The Washington arms were a white shield having two See also:horizontal red bars, and above these a See also:row of three red stars. This might, by a stretch of See also:imagination, be supposed to have inspired the original See also:idea of the flag which was that each state in the Union should be represented in the national flag by a star and stripe. Naturally other states coming into the Union expected the same privilege. After See also:Vermont in 1790 and See also:Kentucky in 1792 had entered the Union, the stars and stripes were changed in number from thirteen to fifteen. Later on other states joined, and soon the flag came to consist of twenty stars and stripes. It was, however, found objectionable to be constantly altering the national flag, and in the year 1818 it was determined to go back to the original thirteen stripes, but to place a star for each state in the blue union canton in the top corner of the flag next the staff. Thus the stars always show the exact number of states that are in the Union, whilst the stripes denote the original number of the states that formed the union.' The presidential flag of the See also:president of the United States is an eagle on a blue field, bearing on its See also:breast a shield displaying stripes, and above the national See also:motto E pluribus unum, and a See also:design of the stars of the original thirteen states of the union. Other Countries.—The most general and important of the various national flags are figured in the Plate. In the top line representing Great Britain are shown the royal standard, the Union Jack (the national flag), the white ensign of the royal navy, the blue ensign of government service, and the red ensign of the commercial marine, colonial flags being shown in the case of the two latter ensigns. The two Japanese flags shown are the man-of-war ensign—a rising See also:sun, generally known as the sunburst—and the flag of the mercantile marine, in which the red ball is used without the rays and placed in the centre of the white field. The imperial standard of See also:Japan is a golden chrysanthemum on a red field. It is essential that the chrysanthemum should invariably have sixteen petals. See also:Heraldry in Japan is of a simpler See also:character than that of See also:Europe, and is practically limited to the employment of " Mon," which correspond very nearly to the " crests " of See also:European heraldry. The great families of Japan possess at least one, and in many cases even three, " Mon." The imperial family use two, the one Kiku no go Mon (the See also:august chrysanthemum crest) and Kiri no go Mon (the august Kiri crest). The first represents the sixteen-petalled chrysanthemum, and, although the use of the chrysanthemum See also:flower as a badge is not necessarily confined to the imperial family, they alone have the right to use the sixteen-petalled form. If used by any other family, or society or corporation, it must be with a number of petals less or more than sixteen. The second imperial " Mon " is composed of three leaves and three flower spikes of the Kiri (Paulownia imperialis). This, however, is not displayed as an See also:official emblem, that being reserved for the chrysanthemum. The Kiri is used for more private purposes. For example, the chrysanthemum figures in the imperial standard, and the Kiri " Mon " adorns the See also:harness of the See also:emperor's horses. It is very probable that the chrysanthemum crest did not originally represent the chrysanthemum flower at all but the sun with sixteen rays, and it will be noticed that in the "sun-burst" flag the sun's rays are sixteen in number. The use of the number sixteen is probably traceable to See also:Chinese geomantic ideas. The See also:German imperial navy and mercantile marine flags are next depicted. The " See also:iron cross " in the navy flag is that of the See also:Teutonic Order, and See also:dates from the close of the 12th century. For five centuries black and white have been the See also:Hohenzollern colours, and the first See also:verse of the German war See also:song, Ich See also:bin ein Preusse, runs: " I am a Prussian! Know ye not my banner? Before me floats my flag of black and white ! My fathers died for freedom, 'twas their manner, So say these colours floating in your sight." The mercantile marine tricolour of black, white and red is emblematic of the joining of the Hohenzollern black and white with the red and white, which was the ensign of the Hanseatic See also:League. This flag came into being when the North German Confederacy was established (November 25th, 1867) at the close of the Austro-Prussian War. The German imperial standard has the iron cross with its white border displayed on a yellow field, diapered over in each of the four quarters with three black eagles and a See also:crown. In the centre of the cross is a shield bearing the arms of See also:Prussia surmounted by a crown, ' By the See also:admission of See also:Oklahoma as a state in 1907 the number of stars became 46, arranged from the top in horizontal rows thus: 8,7,8,7,8,8=46.and surrounded by a See also:collar of the Order of the Black Eagle. In the four arms of the crown are the See also:legend Gott mit uns r8go. The United States flag and the tricolour of France have already been fully dealt with, and in both countries the one flag is common to both men-of-war and ships of the mercantile marine. The next depicted are the imperial navy and the mercantile marine flags of the Austro-Hungarian empire. In the latter the introduction of the See also:green half stripe denotes the See also:combination of the See also:Austrian red, white and red with the Hungarian red, white and green. The shields with which the flag is charged contain respectively the arms of See also:Austria and of See also:Hungary. The former shield only is borne on the man-of-war ensign, and displays the heraldic device of the ancient See also:dukes of Austria, which dates back to the year 1191. The Austrian imperial standard has, on a yellow ground, the black double-headed eagle, on the breast and wings of which are imposed shields bearing the arms of the provinces of the empire. The flag is bordered all round, the border being composed of equal-sided triangles with their apices alternately inwards and outwards, those with their apices pointing inwards being alternately yellow and white, the others alternately See also:scarlet and black. The green, white and red See also:Italian tricolour was adopted in 1805, when See also:Napoleon I. formed See also:Italy into one kingdom. It was adopted again in 1848 by the Nationalists of the See also:peninsula, accepted by the king of See also:Sardinia, and, charged by him with the arms of See also:Savoy, it became the flag of a united Italy. The man-of-war flag is precisely similar to that of the mercantile marine, except that in the case of the former the shield of Savoy is surmounted by a crown. The royal standard is a blue flag. In the centre is a black eagle crowned and displaying on its breast the arms of Savoy, the whole surrounded by the collar of the Most Sacred Annunziata, the third in rank of all European orders. In each corner of the flag is the royal crown. For See also:Portugal the flag is one of the few national flags that are parti-coloured. It is half blue, half white, with, in the centre, the arms of Portugal surmounted by the royal crown, and it is the same both in the mercantile marine and in the Portuguese navy. The royal standard of Portugal is an all-red flag charged in the centre with the royal arms, as shown in the national flag. In the Spanish ensigns red and yellow are the prevailing colours, and here again the arrangement differs from that generally used. The navy flag has a yellow central stripe, with red above and below. To be correct the yellow should be half the width of the flag, and each of the red stripes a quarter of the width of the flag. The central yellow stripe is charged in the hoist with an See also:escutcheon containing the arms of See also:Castile and See also:Leon, and surmounted by the royal crown. In the mercantile flag the yellow centre is without the escutcheon, and is one-third of the entire See also:depth of the flag, the remaining thirds being divided into equal stripes of red and yellow, the yellow above in the upper See also:part of the flag, the red in the lower. Of all royal standards that of See also:Spain is the most elaborate, for it contains quarterings of the Spanish royal escutcheon, many of the bearings being as much an See also:anachronism as if the royal arms of England were to-day to be quartered with the fleur-de-lis. In all, the quarterings displayed are those of Leon, Castile, See also:Aragon, See also:Sicily, Austria, See also:Burgundy, See also:Flanders, See also:Antwerp, See also:Brabant, Portugal and France. The flag is usually depicted as composed entirely of the quarterings. We believe, however, that it is more correctly a See also:purple flag in the centre of which the quarterings are displayed on an See also:oval shield surmounted by a crown and encircled by the collar of the order of the Golden Fleece. The flag of the Russian mercantile marine is a horizontal tricolour of white, blue and red. Originally, it was a tricolour of blue, white and red, and it is said that the idea of its colouring was taken by See also:Peter the Great when learning See also:shipbuilding in See also: The flags of all the three Scandinavian kingdoms are somewhat similar in design. That of See also:Denmark, the Dannebrog, hasbeen already alluded to, and it is shown in our See also:illustration as flown by the Danish +62 navy. The mercantile marine flag is precisely similar, but rectangular instead of being See also:swallow-tailed. The See also:Swedish flag is a yellow cross on a blue ground. When flown from a man-of-war it is forked as in the Danish, but the longer arm of the cross is not cut off but pointed, thus making it a three-pointed flag as illustrated. For the mercantile marine the flag is rectangular. When See also:Norway separated from Denmark in 1814, the first flag was red with a white cross on it, and the arms of Norway in the upper corner of the hoist, but as this was found to resemble too closely the Danish flag, a blue cross with a white border was substituted for the white cross. This, it will be seen, is the Danish flag with a blue cross imposed upon the white one. For a man-of-war the flag is precisely similar to that of See also:Sweden in shape; that is to say, converted from the rectangular into the three-pointed design. While Sweden and Norway remained united the flag of each remained distinct, but each bore in the top canton of the hoist a union device, being the combination of the See also:Norwegian and Swedish national colours and crosses. In each of the three above nationalities the flag used for a royal standard is the man-of-war flag with the royal arms imposed on the centre of the cross. The Belgian tricolour is vertical, the stripes being black next the hoist, yellow in the centre and red in the fly. That of the Nether-lands is a horizontal tricolour, red above, white in the centre and blue below. In both countries the same flag is common to both navy and mercantile marine, but when the flag is used as a royal standard the royal arms are displayed in the central stripe. The black, yellow and red of the Belgian flag are the colours of the duchy of Brabant, and were adopted in 1831 when the See also:monarchy was founded. The original Dutch colours adopted when Holland declared its independence were See also:orange, white and blue, the colours of the house of Orange, and when and how the orange became red is not quite clear, though it was certainly prior to 1643. The blue and white which form the colouring of the Greek flag shown in our illustration are the colours of the house of See also:Bavaria, and were adopted in 1832, when See also:Prince See also:Otho of Bavaria was elected to the throne of See also:Greece. The stripes are nine in number—five blue and four white—with, in the upper corner of the hoist, a canton bearing a white cross on a blue ground. The flag for the royal navy is similar to that flown by the mercantile marine, with the exception that it has the addition of a golden crown in the centre of the cross. The royal standard is a blue flag with a white cross, on the centre of which the royal arms are imposed. The cross is exactly similar to that in the Danish flag, that is to say, the arms of the cross are not of equal length, the shorter end being in the hoist of the flag. The very simple flag of See also:Switzerland is one of great antiquity, for it was the emblem of the nation as far back as 1339, and probably considerably earlier. In addition to the national flag of the Swiss See also:confederation, each canton has its own cantonal colours. In each case the flag has its stripes disposed horizontally. See also:Basel, for instance, is half black, half white; Berne, half black, half red; See also:Glarus, red, black and white, &c., &c.
The See also:Turkish See also:crescent See also:moon and star were the device adopted by See also:Mahomet II. when he captured See also:Constantinople in 1453. Originally they were the symbol of See also:Diana, the patroness of See also:Byzantium, and were adopted by the Ottomans as a See also:triumph, for they had always been the special emblem of Constantinople, and even now in See also:Moscow and elsewhere the crescent emblem and the cross may be seen combined in Russian churches, the crescent badge, of course, indicating the See also:Byzantine origin of the Russian See also: On the white ground are the lion and sun. The flag of See also:Siam is a white See also:elephant on a red ground. That ofKorea, a white flag with, in the centre, a ball, half red, half blue, the colours being curiously intermixed, the whole being precisely as if two large commas of equal See also:size, one red and the other blue, were united to form a See also:complete circle. The Chinese flag is a yellow one, bearing on it the emblem of the dragon devouring the sun. As at present used, it is a square flag, but an earlier version was a triangular right-angled flag, hoisted with the right-See also:angle in the See also:base of the hoist. The merchant flag is red with a yellow ball in the centre. Among the South American republics the Brazilian flag is See also:peculiar inasmuch as it is the only national flag which carries a motto. See also:Mexico flies precisely the same tricolour as Italy, but plain in the case of the merchant ensign, and charged on the central stripe with the Mexican arms (as illustrated) when flown as a man-of-war ensign. The See also:Argentine flag is as illustrated flown by the navy, but, when used by the mercantile marine, the sun emblazoned on the central white stripe is omitted, the flag otherwise being precisely the same. The Venezuelan flag shown is also that of the navy. The flag of the mercantile marine is the same, but the shield bearing the arms of the state is not introduced into the yellow top stripe in the corner near the hoist, as in the naval flag. The Chilean ensign illustrated is used alike by men-of-war and vessels in the mercantile marine, but, when flown as the standard of the president, the Chilean arms and supporters are placed in the centre of the flag. The plain red, white, red in vertical stripes, is the flag of the mercantile marine of See also:Peru, and becomes the naval ensign when charged on the central stripe with the Peruvian arms as shown in our illustration. In fact, in nearly every case with the South American republics, the ordinary mercantile marine flag becomes that of the war navy by the addition of the national arms, and in some cases is used in the same way as a presidential flag. In nearly every case the flags of the lesser American republics are tricolours, and in a very great many of them the flags are by no means such combinations as would meet with the approval of European heralds. All flag devising should be in accordance with heraldic See also:laws, and one of the most important of these is that colour should not be placed on colour, nor See also:metal on metal, yellow in blazonry being the See also:equivalent of gold and white of See also:silver. Hence, properly devised tricolours are such as, for example, those of France, where the red and blue are divided by white, or See also:Belgium, where the black and red are divided by yellow. On the other hand, the yellow, blue, red of See also:Venezuela is heraldically an See also:abomination. Manufacture and See also:Miscellaneous Uses.—Flags, the manufacture, of which is quite a large See also:industry, are almost invariably made from See also:bunting, a very. light, tough and durable woollen material. The regulation bunting as used in the navy is made in 9 in. widths, and the flag classes in size according to the number of breadths of bunting of which it is composed. The great centre of the manufacture of flags, as far as the royal navy is concerned, is the dockyard at Chatham. Ensigns and Jacks are made in different sizes; the largest ensign made is 33 ft. long by 161 ft. in width; the largest Jack issued is 24 ft. long and 12 ft. wide. The dimensions of a flag according to heraldry should be either square or in the proportion of two to one, and it is this latter See also:dimension that is used in the navy and generally. Signalling flags are dealt with elsewhere (see See also:SIGNAL), and here it will only be necessary to make brief allusion to some inter-national customs with regard to the use of flags to indicate certain purposes. For long a See also:blood-red flag has always been used as a symbol of See also:mutiny or of revolution. The black flag was in days gone by the symbol of the pirate; to-day, in the only case in which it survives, it is flown after an See also:execution to indicate that the requirements of the See also:law have been duly carried out. All over the world a yellow flag is the signal of infectious illness. A ship hoists it to denote that there are some on board suffering from yellow See also:fever, See also:cholera or some such infectious malady, and it remains hoisted until she has received See also:quarantine. This flag is also hoisted on quarantine stations. The white flag is universally used as a flag of truce. At the sea striking of the flag denotes surrender. When the flag of one country is placed over that of another the victory of the former is denoted, hence in time of See also:peace it would be an insult to hoist the flag of one friendly nation above that of another. If such were done by See also:mistake, say in " dressing ship " for instance, an See also:apology would have to be made. This custom of hoisting the flag of the vanquished beneath that of the See also:victor is of comparatively See also:modern date, as up to about a century ago the sign of victory was to trail the enemy's flag over the taff See also:rail in the See also:water. Each national flag must be flown from its own flagstaff, and this is often seen when the allied forces of two or more See also:powers are in See also:joint occupation of a See also:town or territory. To denote See also:honour and respect a flag is " dipped." Ships at sea salute each other by " dipping " the flag, that is to say, by See also:running it smartly down from the masthead, and then as quickly replacing it. When troops See also:parade before the sovereign the regimental flags are lowered as they salute him. A flag flying half-mast high is the universal symbol of See also:mourning. When a ship has to make the signal of See also:distress, this is done by hoisting the national ensign reversed, that is to say, upside down. If it is wished to accentuate the imminence of the danger it is done by making the flag into a " weft," that is, by knotting it in the middle. This means of showing distress at sea is of very ancient usage, for in naval See also:works written as far back as the reign of James I. we find the " weft " mentioned as a method of showing distress. We have already alluded to the Union Jack as used for denoting See also:nationality, and as a flag of command, but it also serves many other purposes. For instance, if a See also:court-See also:martial is being held on board any ship the Union jack is displayed while the court is sitting, its hoisting being accompanied by the firing of a See also:gun. In a fleet in company the ship that has the guard for the day flies it. With a white border it forms the signal for a See also:pilot, and in this case is known as a Pilot Jack. In all combinations of signalling flags which denote a ship's name the Union Jack forms a unit. Lastly, it figures as the See also:pall of every sailor or soldier of the empire who receives naval or military honours at his funeral. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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