nd [wm 1798] 22

Mr. Bentham’s Plan for preventing Forgery of Paper Money.

be lost to this purpose in regard to the bulk of readers, who receive Bank

Notes, or Notes purporting to be such, as they come, but who, for want of

adequate inducement, never set themselves down to form to themselves any

comparative view of the appearance as between one class of Notes and another:

much less think of extending and comparison to all the

classes.(b) [marginal note:] 7. Plans of description adequate to such

indication are too obvious to need mentioning.

As to the particular plans or modes, capable of being adopted and adopted with

success for the exhibition of differences thus expressible, they are too

numerous and too various to be worth enumerating in the present stage of the

proposal. The difficulty would be – not in finding one such mode capable of

answering the purpose, but in making a choice amongst a multitude all presenting

themselves as alike capable. [marginal note:] 8. Safeguards confined to

the Particular spots in the Note are superseded by the above.

The Principle now before us cuts up the evil by the roots: instead of applying

itself to the rendering alteration difficult or impracticable, it renders it

unavailing, in whatever degree of perfection it may have been practised. Of the

other expedients above alluded to, thus much may accordingly be said in the

lump; viz: that whatever scope they may Note. (b) This I know, that in my

own instance, though having at this moment occasion thus particularly to apply

my mind to the subject, neither has it happened to me to attempt to institute

any such survey, nor, without a great deal more trouble than there would be any

use in my bestowing, would it now be in my power to attempt it. How wide soever

the difference in point of general appearance may be, between a One pound Note

& a Ten Pound Note, for example, yet were a pretended Ten pound Note, made

by alteration out of a One-Pound to be tendered to me, it would not find me

prepared for the detection of the imposture.