49 
upon other banks whose notes would be so much more 
readily forged, which led to an extended demand by the other 
banks. 
In the year 1809 Mr. Perkins communicated to me the 
details of his process of transferring engravings, with a view 
to having the invention patented in England for our joint 
account. From the success of his plan in America its 
adoption here was anticipated, and still further development 
of it looked for from the higher state of the graphic arts in 
London. With this view I took out patents, and minutely 
specified “ the method of carrying the invention into effect.” 
A very beautiful design was then obtained from the classic 
pencil of the late Sir R. Smirk, R.A., which was engraved 
by Reimback, on prepared steel, for printing bank notes. 
But I could not succeed at that time to induce the Bank of 
England or any other bank to adopt the plan, nor could the 
booksellers then be made to perceive the importance of the 
transferring system for illustrating books, for which it has 
since been so extensively used. The time had not arrived 
when public attention could be drawn to the bank note 
forgeries as a national evil and the disgrace of hanging men 
for a feat so readily performed as that of forging the one 
pound notes then in general circulation. If any excuse can 
be offered for this apathy, it may be said that the passions 
and interests connected with the war, together with those 
yet more embarrassing that arose from the transitions from 
war to peace, caused such disturbances in the circulating 
medium and in the general interests of commerce and 
industry, that it became very difficult to awaken public 
attention to the great scandal of relying solely upon the 
gallows for preventing forgeries. 
It has been above shown that Perkins’ invention was not 
for engraving on steel plates for printing, nor for engraving 
upon steel at all, but rather for engraving on soft iron of 
homogeneous structure. It was found that all wrought iron 
