1856.] on the Security and Manufacture of Bank Notes. 269 



became a recognised agent in practical reproduction. By this 

 power, surfaces of any given dimensions can be multiplied without 

 reference to the quantity or delicacy of the work : not so by the 

 mode of reproduction known as the Siderographic process for 

 transferring objects engraved on steel to steel. This latter is 

 certainly capable of reproducing to infinity, but with this important 

 difference, that the smaller the subject the greater success in the 

 transfer. While the fact of requiring retouching is an additional 

 objection not at all applying to the Electrotype. It will be thus 

 understood that so long as a process of reproduction was adhered 

 to, only capable of transferring small subjects or fragments of 

 designs, and in every case requiring to be retouched by the graver, 

 so long must such kind of note be built up as it were piece by 

 piece, and thereby perpetuate the barrier between the Art-ideal and 

 the Art-mechanical. 



Since the discovery of the Electrotype, efforts have been made 

 in several cases to apply its perpetuating power to the reproduction 

 of copper engravings generally, — with no better result, however, in 

 every case than signal failure. The average number of impressions 

 from one plate rarely reached 500 — the electro-copper, too, spread 

 from the pressure of the printing-press — and, in addition, from its 

 softness, even curled round the cylinders. Too little attention was 

 paid to the science of electro-deposition ; and failure arose from 

 a want of confidence in its power, and want of energy in investi- 

 gation. At the present time, partly owing to the perfection at 

 which the process has arrived, and partly owing to an additional 

 new agency brought into co-operation, an experiment was made a 

 few months ago, under every possible disadvantage, to re-establish 

 in this country (for it has long been in successful operation at 

 Vienna) its practical, as well as its economical, adaptabiHty. This 

 experiment was made upon the Bank Note of the National Bank of 

 Brazil amounting to 1,200,000 notes, of very elaborate work, which 

 have been printed from Electrotype plates : at the completion of 

 this work, the means for future production existed for printing as 

 many million notes more as thousands have already been printed — 

 and, with this certainty, that the last note printed shall be identical 

 with the first. The electro-plates in this instance, partly owing to 

 the increased hardness in the copper deposited, and partly owing 

 to a particular method of treatment, have yielded on an average 

 1600 perfect impressions — and experiments are in course of opera- 

 tion for increasing this to between 3000 and 4000. The estabHsh- 

 ment of this fact renders it almost imperative that greater attention 

 should be given to the character of a note. If at the time that 

 Art was more or less in its infancy, every endeavour was made to 

 elevate the character of the Bank Note, and reports of scientific and 

 practical men were sought for, and their suggestions attended to ; 

 d fortiori, now that Science has done so much, and is capable of 



