On the Prevention of Forgery. 143 



individuals, which have been arranged and considered ; and, in some 

 cases, a personal interview has been requested, and held. Several of these 

 persons had been previously in communication with the Bank ; and we 

 find that in the instance of some projects of superior promise, the Directors 

 had furnished to the proposers, the pecuniary means of carrying their ideas 

 into effect. We have likewise sought and obtained information, as to the 

 state of the paper currency in other countries ; but this has proved of very 

 little importance, with reference to the object of our present inquiry. From 

 America, which affords the closest parallel to the state of England in this 

 particular, no official return has yet been received, but we have reason to 

 think, that in several parts of the United States, the crime of forgery is 

 prevalent, and that great efforts are now making to give to the notes such 

 a character as may baffle the skill of the American forger. Specimens of 

 these improved notes have been communicated to us by the agent of the 

 American patentee, and have received our particular attention with regard 

 to the practicability of adopting the invention, in whole or in part, so as to 

 present a barrier to the art and skill of the forger iji this country. 



Upon the general subject of the extent of forgery, we do not think it 

 necessary to recapitulate statements which are already before Parliament 

 and the public. It appeared to us, however, proper to obtain more particu- 

 lar information as to the course which has been hitherto pursued by the 

 Bank, both with respect to the prevention, and veith respect to the detec- 

 tion and punishment of the crime. Upon the former of tliese points, we 

 have received from the Directors, in addition to the account before alluded 

 to, clear and circumstantial details. And it is but common justice to those 

 gentlemen to state, that in every instance our inquiries have been met by 

 them in the most prompt and satisfactory manner, and every sort of useful 

 information readily furnished. We feel it also proper to add our opinion, 

 formed after an examination of all the projects which have been formerly 

 submitted to the Bank for a change in the form of their notes, that no one 

 of these could have been adopted with such a prospect of solid advantage 

 to the public, as would compensate the evils necessarily attendant upon a 

 change. 



The invention to which we refer in the latter part of this Report, and on 

 which our attention is now principally engaged, was laid before the Di- 

 rectors a short time previous to the issuing of His Majesty's Commission, 

 and so far entertained by them, that they advanced a large sum of money 

 to the author. The cliicf merit of this invention consisting in the extreme 

 accuracy of the machinery requisite, time and application are necessary to 

 bring it to such a state of perfection as appears likely to answer the pur- 

 pose desired. 



Upon tlie latter of the two points above referred to, we have received 

 from the Chief Inspector and Chief Investigator at the Bank, and also 

 from the .Solicitor, accounts of the course pursued in their respective de- 

 partments. For which purpose, we requested the personal attendance of 

 each of those officers, and entered into such an examination of them, as ap- 

 peared to_us to be calculated to produce the necessary information. We 



