The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-02-27 00:00:00

elleirikaLW
1 Academy.

PitkVtNIION OF FOltGl HIAS.

Extend front a Paper dclircred hu .1. T. nor6er
Ileanutont, Esq. to the Rank of England.
Forgeries of Rank of F.stzlotitol
.notes are so frrgnc nt,
horennooe they are en racy of imitation,. They are of in.
fertile workmanship to c env's, ell alooop-loolls. An
apprentice to io writing engraver of two years striadonz,
by three or fatly days work, is able to copy a Saiok
note plate, on that ordinary' jade,Ca C 3 11111 l t tell the eennibe
from the spurious. There are not ilea than 10,0051 persons
in this conittry who are able to eligoave sticressfoil
lion% of Bank of Euglanol melee, soli toine-truths of these are
in needy, and mauy of them in distressed C.111'111104 311 Cell.
It is, therefore, not surprising, if amongst so sunny who are
competent hi relieve their necessities by these forgeries,
sumo should be desperate enough to commit them.
Now if, instead of twine the einionion.plare work of inferior
writing-ciorarers (who are so numerous), hank note plates
were etris'er-pferes of the best historical engravers, who ore
so fire, whose talent is en rarely to lie found, the bur
of persons who would IN altle to ettempt an imitations, will'
any chatice of success, would he very ineolosiderable
not ten persona, perhaps, where there are now ten thousand.
But time persons, by the I, git ituate use of their talents, can
acquire competence—they therefore are nut likely to employ
their time, and rink their lives is fel 00000 ous imitations. Nay,
if in the ',eremite !,t• the human mind a first rate artist
were disposed to turn forger, he could nut do it 611Ceells.
fully, because, eve'. its the very first rank of historical en-
gravers, one cannot imitate the engraving of another in a
work of importance, such me an historical group finished in
the best style, without the difference of manner being visi-
ble. If, fur instance, Sharp were employed to engrave a
plate, and Heath or Warren (I 'hope these Gentlemen. will
pardon the supposition) were disposed to imitate it, they
*night produce a work of similar beauty awl geueril • Wert
tu that uf Sharp's, but the difference of manner would Le
obvious to the committed shoo 000 c o and not soly would
the fiwgery be instantly detected, lint the band that had (11111 r it
be immediately 'detained—for historical engravers recognize
each other's handling with as much facility as correspoms
dents recognize carts other's baud-writing ; and a jib e
certainty. It is, therefore, nut within the verge of proleohi-
lity to suppose that test-rate artists, enjoying large ion-woes,
would commit a crime, where defeat, detection, and puloish-
tneut cuuloi out fail to light oil them • ill tidy ; and as
now but firsLrate artists could make the attempt, it
lows that an end would be put to the cumusisaiuu of the
co tine.
'Ebbs view sloes not rest gismo theoretical reasoning. It has
been proved to be trite is practice. Several Country Haulers
have long beets aware of the utility of having their 'sutra ros.
graved its a superior manner, in order to Mei-rase the diffi-
culty of imitation. They have had their elutes engraved in
this manner, and have succeeded completely. I might
quote several Mobilises of the faCCeel which has followed
this precaution, hilt this may suffice. The Proprietors of the
Plymouth Duck Bank, about 15 years since, were forged
upon; they, in consequence, had a handsome vigtietie dr.
signed, and engraved by an eminent historical etizraver.
He ham engraved several successive plates fur them, sod they
have never been imitated. Bat the partners, wine years
sines, wishing to have a distinct appearauce between their
notes and trifle, had a new plate engraved fur the latter,
with scaly as ornaseenta/ eypher instead of the vignette.
This was no sooner issued than it wos issitoted, whereitpeu
they immediately discontinued the use of the cypher plate,
NMI adopted the vignette, and since then they have had no
forgeries on them. The artist tells me 111/11 he so.• other
historical engravers have engraved vignettes for several
Country Bankers, and that he never heard of a forgery having
beets Arrtmern) of any of their pl,stre. Thus the
lily of the system in theory stands confirmed by practical
experience. Its effectiveness theca in the prevention of for-
geries. I think, ca 000000 t admit of a olonbi. The only rea-
sonable objection which I can conceive it possible to ad-
vance, lies in the seemingly great expense of using superior
historical enararinos, instead of inferior writing plates
If, however, I shall 'Hove, that instead of the prooposeol
means Involving the Bank in additional expense, it
will materially lessen the expesises, at the same time
that it will relieve the public from the lose of time oc-
casioned by writing Names on the 'modest,' the hisser property
incident to their receiving forged moors, and the vexations
proceedings consequent on their Ikon impounded by the
Bank, to say inithiog here of the temptation to crime, and
the sacrifice of lives coneevient on the present mode of no aim-
facturioog Bank Notes—l Ihiok it will he impossible to deem
the system which I advocate otherwise than highly useful to
the Bank, me well as to the public, and such as ought to he
adopted without delay. Now then as to expense.
It is well known that engraving may he dome upon soft-
ened steel as well as un copper ; it is also ascertained that
whets engraved, the steel plates may be hardened to a high
degree without injury, and that so prepared they will yield
tot immense number of impressions without any sensible
wearing. I have heard some pra-tical meu say, they will
hear • million uf impressions, obeli reckon upon a hun-
dred thousand. A plate executed, as I propose, would cost
301. • so that taking the minimum of impressions, viz.
1011400, Ilse expense of timing Site historical engravings un
steel, would be 30/. for 10:11,00 impressions.
The present topper plates, I suppose, coat the Rank
about 31. each, and yield abunt 5,000 ion"orr ssi 0000 s; the ex.
'tense then of using bail waiting, engravings on copper, in
001. for 104,000 impressions, just double the expeuse of
plates ou die preventive system. This view only draws into
comparison the relative expenses of the opposite description
of engravings, but a far inure importatit saving would Ise
produced by supeneding the necessity of the expense 11(
criminel prosecutions, sod of tie attendant corps of spies
and informers.
A farther elloet of this system in preventing forgeries,
would he found in all the unit* of one kiln' fur a long period
of years being slalom from one plate, whence a perms bes—
tow a griming note might compare it with the minutia, of
another suspected to be Cooged. and as it would he impos-
sible even for the artist himself who had engraven au ori-
ginal plate, to follow, in a copy, doe lesiztii, sweep, depth,
and number of the strokes in his original, a detection
wroi:oll he easily made, even by those who knew nothing uf
the arts.
My preventive of forgeries then consists in reents,ning
the tiss rof the finest lasterical engrorOgs *his b so few