0)1 the Prevention of Forgery . 147 



All wliicli is humbly submitted to your Ro3'al Highness's consideration 

 and judgment. 



Jos. Banks. 



William Congrcve. 



William Courfenay. 



Dai-ies Gilbert 



Jet: Harman. 



WiU. H. Wollaston. 



Charles Hatchett. 

 Soho Square, Jan. 15, 1819. 



Final Report of the Commissioners appointed for inquiring into 



the Mode of Preventing the Forgery of Bank-Notes. 



To His Majesty George the Fourth, King of the United Kingdom of Great 

 Britain and Ireland. 



Since we had the honour of explaining- to your' Majesty the course of our 

 proceedings, a longer interval has elapsed than we had anticipated as 

 likely to occur. This has arisen partly from our wish to have some experi- 

 ments tried, with a view to the improvement of that plan, which we then 

 stated ourselves to have selected, and partly from our anxiety to give the 

 fullest and most deliberate consideration to another plan, of great inge- 

 nuity, and exhibiting specimens of beautiful work, which had formerly 

 been suggested to us, and the particulars of which have upon several oc- 

 casions, and within a recent period, been laid before us : this plan, how- 

 ever, after such consideration, we do not find to possess such merit as would 

 make it proper for us to recommend its adoptioii, in preference to that 

 which we had first selected. 



With respect to the paper, we are of opinion that it will not be advisable 

 to make any alteration in that which is now used by the Bank. 



Upon the whole, we have ventured to recommend for adoption by tlie 

 Bank the plan brought forward by Messrs. Applegath and Cowper, \\liiih 

 was originally submitted to the Directors a short time only before the ap- 

 pointment of this commission, and received immediate encouragement from 

 them ; and upon which some improvements have since been made. The 

 directors have readily complied with this recommendation, and the neces- 

 sary machines are in a state of great forwardness. 



We humbly conceive that your Majesty, for obvious reasons, would not 

 wish us to enter upon any detailed explanation of the particulars of tiiis 

 plan. The objects which we have kept in view, in making the selection 

 upon which we have determined, have been to enable the Bank to ensure 

 to the i)ublic a regular supply of their notes in sufficient quantity to meet 

 the daily demand, and to have those notes executed in |such a manner, as 

 shall render them fit for general circulation amongst all classes of society ; 

 whilst at the same time very considerable obstacles are opposed to the art 

 of any person who might be disposed to engage in forging thcni. And we 

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