Technical Nature of The Cipher
The basis of the code cracked by Bazeries was a set of 587 numbers that stood for syllables. There were other variations, and Louis XIV's overseas ministers were sent different code sheets that encrypted not only syllables but also letters and words. To counter frequency analysis, some number sets were "nulls" meant to be ignored by the intended receipt. Others were traps, including a codegroup that meant to ignore the previous codegroup.
As a nomenclator cipher, the Great Cipher replaced the names of key generals such as Auguste de Marmont, references to les ennemis, and other sensitive terms with homophonic substitutions. Code sheets included alternative digits to modify the gender or letter case, so the rules of French composition held true to encryptions as well. Since e is the most commonly used letter in French, the Cipher typically allocated the most code numbers to writing this vowel: in one nomenclature, 131 out of 711 code numbers stood for e.
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