Elgar's Coded Message (with numerical annotation):
Arbitrary Codes of Reference for Elgar's Alphabet:
Elgar's characters appear to be one, two, or three-humped squiggles, oriented in one of the 8 cardinal directions. Three of the expected characters do not appear in the text (1-East, 2-East, 3-NE, and 3-SW).
Codified Version, based on Arbitrary Codes:
IUJOAKGQDPRNFBNSNNKUUNBHPHCRVGNGKHQDLQJNNJKCFGNRNKOVFBHDDHRV
JVKOVJBOWCVJNKOFVBQUCVKQBAQ
Substitution attempts using different letter-frequency tables
"Project Gutenberg EBook of Mexico, by Charles Reginald Enock", from 1909:1. Frequency table: ETAOINSRHLDCUFMPGWYBVXKZQJ
BLNRMTFIUPHECOEWEETLLEOSPSDHAFEFTSIUYINEENTDCFEHETRACOSUUSHANATRANORGDANETRCAOILDATIOMI
1a. Shifted table: TAOINSRHLDCUFMPGWYBVXKZQJE
VDSHPAMNFGLTUITYTTADDTIRGRCLOMTMARNFBNSTTSACUMTLTAHOUIRFFRLOSOAHOSIHWCOSTAHUOINDCOANIPN
1b. Shifted table: JETAOINSRHLDCUFMPGWYBVXKZQ
YHISFEUOCMRJDAJGJJEHHJANMNLRTUJUENOCWOIJJIELDUJRJESTDANCCNRTITESTIASPLTIJESDTAOHLTEOAFO
2. "vi" program documentation, from 2006:
Frequency table: ETINOASRLHCDMUFPGWBYVXKZQJ
YHARFTUOMPLEDNEWEETHHENSPSCLIUEUTSOMBOAEEATCDUELETRIDNSMMSLIAITRIANRGCIAETRDINOHCITONFO
2a. Shifted table: TINOASRLHCDMUFPGWBYVXKZQJE
VCSLPIFAUGHTMOTBTTICCTORGRDHNFTFIRAUYASTTSIDMFTHTILNMORUURHNSNILNSOLWDNSTILMNOACDNIAOPA
2b. Shifted table: JETINOASRLHCDMUFPGWBYVXKZQ
BLOSUEMNDFRJCIJGJJELLJIAFAHRTMJMEANDWNOJJOEHCMJRJESTCIADDARTOTESTOISPHTOJESCTINLHTENIUN
Try to crack it!
If indeed Elgar's code is a substitution-cipher (as his previous uses of his script had been), all you have to do is enter the English alphabet (well, 24 letters of it) in the correct order in order to crack the code! Unfortunately there are 620,448,401,733,239,439,360,000 possible ways to put 24 letters of the English alphabet in order!