SEVERAL MECHAMCAL INVENTIONS. 163 



great pressure {eflfected by compound traversing levers), 

 whereby the letters and figures engraved on the hardened 

 plate were taken up in " relief," or raised on the surface of 

 the soft cylinder. This cylinder being then hardened and 

 tempered, was used to transfer, by means of the same tra- 

 versing pressure, the entire work upon its surface to any 

 number of copper plates for printing the notes — as in the 

 case of prints ; where a great many were wanted, then the 

 cylinder was used to transfer the figures on it to softened 

 steel plates, which, being then hardened, served to give a 

 vast number of impressions before it became " the worse 

 for wear." 



The experiment by two or three banks of having their 

 notes printed from transferred engravings " on Perkinses 

 patent process" was so far successful, that subsequ.ent 

 forgeries were wholly upon the other banks, whose notes 

 contained merely the requisite letters and some small design 

 or figure to distinguish them, which work could be readily 

 imitated^ with slight labour or skill, by the common graving 

 tool in the hands of the lowest class of artists. This, 

 therefore, led to an extended demand for the application 

 of Mr. Perkins's plan of transferring engravings of very 

 difiicult execution by hand, and of great cost to the forger 

 if so executed. To supply this demand from many banks, 

 Mr. Perkins greatly extended his works, and was in a good 

 way to obtain a fair return of profit, as well as of honour, 

 for his invention, the practical value of which had thus 

 been proved. But his path was then beset by opponents, 

 who professed to have made the same discoveries, and to 

 have performed the like process of transferring engravings 

 before the date of the patent to Mr. Perkins, and on which 

 pretence they proceeded to make bank-notes in opposition 

 to, and in disregard of his patent right ; and as this right 

 could only be sustained by expensive lawsuits, he became 

 entangled with troubles and conflicts, which for a long 



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