Improvementfi in fliigraving. 1127 



black, and vice versa. This inversion of the engraving by Mr. 

 Perkins's engine throws very great difficulties in the way of imi- 

 tators ; the same object can scarcely be attained by any method 

 except wood cuts, and the impossibility of imitating the delicate 

 work which our plate exhibits, must be quite evident. 



The most important light, however, in which we can view 

 this new art of engraving, relates to its possible applications to 

 the prevention of forgery. 



It is a well known fact, that, independent of the expense and 

 time necessarily attending the production of a fine copper- 

 plate engraving, the wear of a plate is such, that a few hundred 

 perfect copies can only be taken without re-touching it, which, 

 when performed by the hand of the engraver, necessarily de- 

 stroys the identity of the plate ; but the immense number of 

 impressions that would be required in applying fine engrav- 

 ings to the purposes of the Bank of England, is such as wholly 

 to preclude any idea of the prevention of forgery, by the ex- 

 quisiteness of a copper-plate engraving. Further, it mu«t be 

 admitted, that no artist can form an exact duplicate of any of 

 his own engravings ; and if it be impossible to make a perfect 

 imitation even of his own work, how much less probable is it, 

 that another person should execute such a duplicate. Sup- 

 posing it, therefore, possible, that a very finely executed en- 

 graving could be multiplied to any extent, without chance of 

 change, the forging of such an engraving could be detected 

 by any person possessed of one of the originals, who 

 would be at the trouble of carefully comparing the ar- 

 rangements of lines and dots in both. This multiplication 

 of the original by the production of any number of exact 

 copies, is attained by the process above described, and the 

 plate furnishes an instance of the perfect resemblance of the 

 copies to the original, for if any two of the repeated engrav- 

 ings be very carefully inspected, it will be found that they are so 

 perfectly similar as to bear all the characters of having been 

 taken from one and the same plate : This is particularly shown in 

 the centre medallion on each side of the plate, which contains 

 the charter of the Bank of England, in very minute charac- 



