The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-05-15 00:00:00

FORGERIES ON THE RANK.

Sir J. MACKINTOSH said, he row, agreeably to
notice, to move that a Committee be appointed to
inquire into the means of more etlectuolly pit ventiu4
forgeries un the Bank of Englcu►d—and to repot
their opinion thereon to the House.' He could
assure Gentlemen, that, until lie had that moment
learned the detersn'oation of some persons (whose
sentiments on this subject had, lie conceived, ton
much weight with the House) to oppose this motion,
lie Could scarcely persuade himself that any serious
objection would be offered In it. He could scarcely
believe, after the progress mark. in that inquiry in
which they had ecub..rked, that :toy opposition
would be given to prevent the Legislature front
&ming to that result► to %%Inch all the previous
steps they had taken manife►tly tended. In the
Lett discussion, connected witli this sohject, a very
important priiiciple was established--and an orgit-
ment, which had long been triumpliairtly used by
the Bank of England, was directly over-ruled.
The Bank could no longer, after that decision,
declare that their accounts I their affairs were
those of a private Company, into -which Parliament
had no right to inquire. That pretence, flimoy as
it was, had been tenaciously adhered to by ti:e
Bank, until it was overturned i►y the lag dis-
cussion. It ;reined to him doubtful whether
the night Honourable Gentleman (Mr. Yen-
ratan) hod inside up his mind to grant the
judicial details connected with one of the greatest
evils that ever afflicted tl►e country, until lie found
the- sena of time House decidedly opposed to

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Lull, And after what ire bad items, he had hot
little doub►, that, if the imleprisdesit individeatab
who had delivered their itertinsetitss on the former
occesioti. would 110 W C forwent, its the same
lllai.ilet, the Allnsisters of the Crew', would be %smil-
ed out to provoke a el.vision, which would termi-
nate in their defeat, as he was perfectly certuiti tic
last would base dime, if they had celled for it. It
had been ridusitted, its the coarse of more than one
discussion, thee the inaptitude of the evil was Pinch
an Ito call fur is (bete inquiry. The investigation
had been, pushed to a certain point—documents
hail beet, ;allied fur from the Bank—met the ge,
rat sense of the House hail been loudly expressed
on the propriety of lindisig out some ineutee for
the mitigation of the evil. Few subjects had ex-
cited such a general interest in the minds of the
public at large—in the 'de of the most quiet
part of society—it, the minds of those who took the
least part in the discu.sion of political subjects. It
appeated, indeed, to be a most momentous ques-
tion, whets they came to examine the doctioneuts
illustrative of it. In the course of twelve year•,
preceding the stoppage of cash payments, but one
executiori for the forgery of Bank notes occurred.
Forgery was then one of the rarest offences its the
record of crimes. What billowed ? lit the course
of the lest seven years, one hundred and one per-
bent had suffered for that uffence.—(Heirr.)—An-
other 'comparison, equally striking and tiorribk,
might be sit tail. One instance only of exe-
cutitni for forgery of Bank times was to be
found in the twelve years preceding the re-
striction on cash payments—and, it, the last seven
years, no less than forty font had taken place f•rr
that offence its Louden, mud sex u4►ne,'.
Forgery mood et the head of the list of capital of-
fences. The number of p.ersuais executed fur that
crime, gieatly exceeded those who suffered for
murder—it was far beyond the pioportion of per-
sons executed for the next great utl'ence, buigkre
—and it rebsolutely doubled the number of those
who forfeited their lives for taking property by force
and violence. This was the seatilt sin which he
rested, and which he implored the House to con-
sider. lie implored them to thick, whether they
ought nut, by a Committee of tin it own, de-
view means, if nut to remove (that he feared could
only he done by the irsitnitalion of cash payments).
at Is ist to mitigate the evil. He implored them
to consider how they could answer to ilkr con-
sciences sod their constituents, if they orglected
this duty—if, deceived by any specious pretence.
they transferred that duty to others, which the
House of Commons owed it to the people of F.ng.
land to perform theinselves.—(lfene.)—lis
.every
point of view the subject was spiralling. New
horrors seemed to surround it on every side. Let
the House look to the result, drawn from docu-
ments laid before them. The returns of the 1111111
her of prosecutions for Batik forgeries in the years
1816, 1817, and three months of 181 S. had beets
made up--and the increase would hid defiusice to
belief, if it were not founded on the most authentic
evidence. The most extraordinury circumstance
Wins that, in the last three months. the ev►l had in-
creased to so dreadful an extent, that ►f it went on
in any thing like the same ratio, the proosecutions
in 1818, would be three times greater 111411 those
which occurred in 1917—the last being the worst
year ever before known. lie perceived that souse
returns of considerable importatice had yesterday
been presented—and amongst them a return of the
expenses incurred by the Bunk of England its
threw proseititionv. When he alluded to thew, he
did not meats to say u word invidious or accusatory
bf the Batik of England. He merely called the
attention of Gentlemen to the duty which this sys-
tem and its consequences devolved out that House.
Airing the first few years, after the stoppage of
:Rook peyments, the expense of prosecutions was
equal . but if had iticrrased wonderfully. In
:the last year the prosecutiosiv for forgery cost
30,000/..—aud, in three months of the present year
(to give the House some idea of the rapid and
gigantic stride which the evil had tikets), the ex-
pense amounted to near 30,000/. The general
average oft the expense struck him with astonish.
merit. 'Ube general average, for prosecuting emelt
individual, was 26:2;/.—(Heur,hear.)—Thi. appeared
to be a monstrous mid air alarming etreetn-
stance. Takiseg the average of single years. it wss
greater; but the general weenier was 26.5/. for the
conviction of each person. He did not mention floe
as a charge against the Bank, but as a ClittOblilat.
ing 'stool that the House ought to du its ditty,
and investigate, to the last, this pernicious 53.-
tent, instead of sufferirig the investigation to
devolve 1111011 others. In the last retinue, the for-
genes exhibited one circumstance estehaely sow
wrier. In the course of the last time e ear*, the
forgeries, which were formerly roused to sot 11l
sin see had climbed to those of larger amount. Tire
skill and experieuce of those who lord etuberke.ti
in the forgery of small notes, had excited them to
titillate these of much larger atnuutit. lit muse-
quence of this circurustarece, he was afraid, etets
it' cash oryinents were resumed, ti at a considet-
able time must elapse before an end was put to
the forgiag of large notes. Experience had abundant.
lv ahraii, that Free its of punishment—even the fur-
feitiore of tile, had nu effect in repressi❑g this evil.
The tempt/thou wits so great, that the fear of death
slid not prevent prritaiiii Irons eittliat king in this
traffic. lie had often !gimlet' tl►is bort his own oil-
seivation—und lie would 111)1V fortify th it statement
by quutitig the words of the Lord Chief Banes,
when inotieutwitig sentence of death, of the late
Lancaster Armless, on several persous who had been•.
found guilty of fulging MII4II Mitt.. •That Learn-
ed Judge, in addresviog the cosivicts, said—"
is evident that previous Intiliontnriab have had uit
effect in checking this tenor, for all your otiliterS
have been commuted *nice Ilse. last Assizes;•aud.
mattes souse other memos Le devised to put an vet
to to, we must proceed to the utmost severity set the
lao." The foamed Judge, as a Alititstee of thy
law, could lint avoid, however pionfoi it might be
to Isis feelings, the iwrforinstice of tl,e duty which
hit situation imposed on him. But, by tile partite
thesis which he used, 1411.11 hIC 54111, " owlets*
tonne other mode ha devised," Ire seemed las stew
plore the Legislature to relieve hint end
brethren from the horrible task elect, nee so
otitis devolved on them. The frequency of nit•
pilal I ttttt ithinetsts for this (lime, to isier Ille
words of the Petition from Liverpool sit tics see-
feet--" merle our laws hateful to for.
tended to destroy the wood mood