The high-water mark of the flag as the symbol of national honour was reached in the nineteenth century. One odd incident will show how deeply it was revered.
Nearly eighty years ago, when the French were pursuing some military operations in Syria, British men-of-war were lying off Cyprus.
One British vessel decided on a little gunnery practice. The gunner set to work to prepare a target, but could find no bunting to mark it with. At last a marine proffered a coloured pocket handkerchief, green, red and white, which he had bought at: Malta.
This faded handkerchief was duly nailed to a staff, which was stuck into a small cask, and the whole target was towed into a suitable position and eventually sunk by gunfire.
Meanwhile the captain of a French brig which lay close by had watched the firing, and, mistaking the colours. had convinced himself that the handkerchief was a French flag.
Going on shore, he collected all the Frenchmen he could find, informed them that the sacred flag of France was being grossly insulted by the British Fleet, and induced them to sign a vehement protest which they went en masse to deliver to the French consul.
The consul in turn, forwarded the protest to the British consul and sent io Beyrout the French headquarters, for a French warship.
The next thing, French and English met to argue it out, the French swearing that it was their flag which they had seen and which was now lying in six fathoms of water; the British captain retortng to the Frenchmen, "Is it likely that you know more about it than the marine who has blown his nose with it for the last six months?"
By a lucky change a boat succeded in fishing up the missing target with a grapnel and the French were at last convinced that the honour of
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.