near L20,000. Sir Samuel Romilly said that "pardons were sometimes found
necessary; but few were granted except under circumstances of peculiar
qualification and mitigation. He believed the sense and feeling of the
people of England were against the punishment of death for forgery. It
was clear the severity of the punishment had not prevented the crimes."

The first instance of fraud, to a great amount, was perpetrated by one
of the confidential servants of the corporation. In the year 1803, Mr.
Bish, a member of the Stock Exchange, was applied to by Mr. Robert
Astlett, cashier of the Bank of England, to dispose of some Exchequer
bills. When they were delivered into Mr. Bish's hands, he was greatly
astonished to find not only that these bills had been previously in his
possession, but that they had been also delivered to the Bank. Surprised
at this, he immediately opened a communication with the directors, which
led to the discovery of the fraud and the apprehension of Robert
Astlett. By the evidence produced on the trial, it appeared that the
prisoner had been placed in charge of all the Exchequer bills brought
into the Bank, and when a certain number were collected, it was his duty
to arrange them in bundles, and deliver them to the directors in the
parlour, where they were counted and a receipt given to the cashier.
This practice had been strictly adhered to; but the prisoner, from his
acquaintance with business, had induced the directors to believe that he
had handed them bills to the amount of L700,000, when they were only in
possession of L500,000. So completely had he deceived these gentlemen,
that two of the body vouched by their signatures for the delivery of the
larger amount.

He was tried for the felonious embezzlement of three bills of exchange
of L1,000 each. He escaped hanging, but remained a miserable prisoner in
Newgate for many years.

In 1808 Vincent Alessi, a native of one of the Italian States, went to
Birmingham, to choose some manufactures likely to return a sufficient
profit in Spain. Amongst others he sought a brass-founder, who showed
him that which he required, and then drew his attention to "another
article," which he said he could sell cheaper than any other person in
the trade. Mr. Alessi declined purchasing this, as it appeared to be a
forged bank-note; upon which he was shown some dollars, as fitter for
the Spanish market. These also were declined, though it is not much to
the credit