The Sun.
London, England, 1818-03-05 00:00:00

FORGED BANK-NOTES,

.We subjoin an extract from a very important
Paper, which about a year ago, we understand, was
presented to the Bank of England for the pre-
vention of Forgeries. It comes from the pen of
a Gentlemen who is well known as an active Ma'-
gistrate, as a man of business, and as a man .of
science, and who, therefore, may be expected) -to
be well acquainted with the extent of crimes occa-
sioned by the present description of BANK NOtiS,•

e inconvenience and loss which result truce-fo

-genies of them in mercantile transactions, and the
most likely means of lessening the evil. Such a
paper, and from such a quarter, one would suppose
would have attracted the immediate attention of
the Directors of the Bank; on the contrary, how-
ever, we are inforMed, that nu notice was taken
of it until within the last few weeks,, when the
author received an intimation from the Bank, that
several-similar plans had been sent, and that the
Directors did not conceive any of them to be ade
plate to the object.
For the object of complete extinguishment of
the Crime of forgery, perhaps no human invention
ever will be found adequate—but if we cannot
altogether annihilate crimes, there is no reason,
why we should- nonuse our best endeavonra to re-
move temptations to the commission of them.
,Such temptations are afforded. by a continuance
in the use of.the present antiquated form of Bank-
notes, which so many thousands of persons are
able to, imitate. Any intelligent person may judge
as well as a Director of the Bank, u bether Mr.
BesimoNT's plan Would not in a very great
degree narrow the. means of committing the
crime, even if- .it should fall short of total
ventiou, and it it would have this'effect the Bank
pre-
I

of England incorr a heavy moral, responsibility in
the great sacrifice Or human lives which results
froth persisting in the use of Bank-notes as they
have been hitherto nianufactured :
Extract front a Paper delivered' by J. ,T. -BARBER BEAU
mos'r, Esq. F.A.S. t,) the flank:of England.

FOrgeries of Bank of England notes are „so frequent, be-
cause they are so easy .of itaitation.„ They are of inferior
workmanship to common-engiayed shop-bills. An iippren-
tice to a writing engraver of two years standing, by three or
four• days work, is able• to copy a dank-note plate, so that
ordinary judges cannot tell thq genuine from the'spurious,
There are nuts less than 10,000 persons in this, country who
are able to engrave successful imitations of Wilk of England
liptes, and nine-tenths of these are in needy, and many of
Wien' in distressed, circumstances. therefore, not sur-
prising, if amongst so many who are Competent to relieve
their necessities by these forgeries, some should be desperateenough to-commit them.

. .
Nuw if, instead of being the common-place work of inferior
writing-engravers (who are so numerous), Bank-note plates
were master-pieces of the best historical engravers, who are
so few, Whose talent is so rarely to be found, the number of;
persons who would be able to attempt an imitation, with any
chance of success, would be very inconsiderable indeed—not
ten persims, perhaps, where there are now ten thousand:,
'But these persons, bylhe legitimate use of their talents, can
acqiiiir competence—they therefore are not likely to employ
their time,-and risk their lives in felonious imitations. Nay,
if in the perversity Of the human mind a first•rate artist
were disposed to turn forger, be could not do it successfully,
because, even in the very first rank, of historical engravers,
one cannot imitate the engraving of another in a.,work of
importance, such as an historical group finished in the best
style, without the difference of manner being visible. If, for
instance, Sharp were employed to engrave a plate, and Heath
or WaLICH (I hope those Gentlemen will partien the supposi-