OCR Text |
Show COLOURE WATERMARK 26 for note forgery. From January xst, 1812, to April roth, 1815, ther were 131,331 picces of paper forged The elaborate watermarking of the genuine bank notes did no seem to deter ambitious counterfeiters, and all sorts of means wer employed by them to endeavour to produce something that resembled a watermark In 1818 there was great consternation among the Bank of England officials, as well as among the merchants and tradesmen, regarding the extent to which forgers had carried their sk engraving and printing did not seem to hinder the cfforts of a ma who wished to turn his ingenuity to such a purpose; neither di the complications of papermaking and watermarking have a tendency to put a stop to the unlawful practices. The leading typographers and engravers of the day were engaged in trying to produce bank notes that would not easily lend themselves to bein immtcd, and interest was aroused to such an extent that the Soof Arts attempted to supply remedies to counteract the sprea o colm[cx[ulmg and published a report in 181 No artisan in England laboured harder or more conscientiousl than Sir William Congreve to arrive at some peculiar or technica cumphmnun in engraving or p‘lpcrmakmg that wou!(l be a stumbling-block to cven the most talented of forgers. While his plan were never1401,(«1 by the Bank, they were, nc\c[(l , of grea importance, and it was through his knowledge, pancncc, e skill that coloured watermarks were invented and brought into exist ence at so carly a date, for at the beginning of the ninctcenth cen tury watermarking in England had not reached any marked degree of = fection X The Gilbars Prise Evsayon the adapiation of recent discoveries and inventions i e Sharp. London, 185 =(page242) Report of the commitee of the Socey of s o s e communications and evidence upon he same, relace 1 of e Forgery of Bank note. London, 1819 |