Star. — 1818-03-20 (London, England)

THE 8.1 K.  At the Half-yearly General Court of Proprietors of the Sank, held yesterday,  Mr. B. SHAW wished, before the adjournment of the Court, tt call the attention of the Directors to the necessity of adopting measures to render more difficult theforgisig of Bank-notes, which was now very• easily effected. The Honourable Proprietor conceived that the attention of Artists ought to be called to this subject, through the medium of the Public Prints, or in some other manner.  Mr. THOMPSON coincided in opinion with the Honourable Proprietor, that something ought to be done to prevent the frequency of forgeries. He had drawn up his opinion on this subject, which he should take the liberty of reading. In this the Hon. Proprietor expressed his conviction that it was the duty of the Bank of England to withdraw their one and two pound notes from circulation, and to substitute a metallic currency in lieu thereof, as soon as possible, to do away the temptation to forgery—and until they could effect this, that sCeps should be taken to render forgeries more difficult.  The CHAIRMAN said, that for fifteen or twenty years this subject had been under the consideration of the Bank ; it had occupied the attention of the Directors night and day, and every thing that could be done to prevent the crime of forgery would be considered. He could not, however, admit that their notes were so easily forged as had ken stated. It would be a dangerous statement to go forth to the Public. There was, in fact, much greater difficulty in counterfeiting them than Gentlemen seemed to imagine. With respect to calling in their one and two pound notes, he must observe that such a measure involved a question not proper to be entered into there.  Mr. HARMAN'S statement, that the Bank Notes were not so easily forged as had been stated, is quite unintelligible. The present Bank Notes can be copied by any Engraver's apprentice who has been six months at the business. It is undeniable that no pains whatever have been taken to prevent these forgeries, excepting only the increasing perseverance of the Bank in bringing the criminals to the gallows.— If this be a means of preventing or lessening the number of forgeries, it must be allowed they have been sufficiently industrious. At this moment eleven criminals are under sentence of death in the different circuits for forging Bank Notes, and no less than ninety are under prosecution for the same offence. The Bank may not be able entirely to pret'eni fob fiery, but they might long ago have les.encd the number of attempts, by rendering that very difficult which is now most easy of execution. We have no hesitation in stating, that persons who have the means of lessening the frequency of a crime, entailing death on the criminal, if they neglect to do so, become collectively and individually ACCESSARIES TO MURDER!  In proof of our assertion that means were long ago presented to the Bank to lessen, if not prevent. the frequency of forgeries, we subjoin the following certificate of the efficacy of a plan which was offered to the Directors so far back as the year 1797 :  " LONDON, STH Aram, 1797.  " Mr. ALZIANDER Tittocu, of Carey-street, London, having submitted to our inspection a Srucimen of an Art invented by hint, for the purpose of producing Checks to prevent the Forgery of Bank Notes, tills of Exchange, Drafts, &c. &c. he. we have examined the same with care and attention, and we ezez.s.ax each of us for ourselves, that we could not make a copy of it, nor do we believe that it can be copied by any of the known arts of engraving. It therefore appears to us to be highly deserving of the notice of the Bank of England and private Bankers, as an Art of great merit and ingenuity, calculated, not merely to DZTECT, but to raxvxxr the possibility of Forging Bank and other circulating Bills. (Signed) " newels Bearoustm, R.A. Engraver to his Majesty, &e. he. " JAMES Duna, Engraver to his Majesty and to the l'rince of Wales. " James Ferrera, Engraver to his Majesty. " J. LANDSIER, Engraver to his Majesty. " J. R. SMITH, Engraver to the Prince of Wales. " FRANCIS HAWAII), Engraver to the Prince of Wales. " James BAs R; Engraver to the Royal Society and to the Society of Antiquarians. "