This triumph of the forger's art, I examined in the city of San Francisco and although it was not, the first time I had been brought into contact with the work of Becker, was compelled to admit that this particular specimen was almost perfect and more nearly so with a single exception than any other which had come under my observation. Becker was a sort of genius in the juggling of bank checks. He knew the values of ink and the correct chemical to affect them. His paper mill was his mouth, in which to manufacture specially prepared pulp to fill in punch holes, which when ironed over, made it most difficult to detect even with a magnifying glass. He was able also to imitate water marks and could reproduce the most intricate designs. He says he has reformed. During the last twenty years quite a number of cases have been tried in New York City and vicinity in which the question of inks was an all important one. The titles of a few not already referred to are given. herewith: Lawless-Flemming, Albinger Will, Phelan- Press Publishing Co., Ryold, Kerr-Southwick, N. Y. Dredging Co., Thorless-Nernst, Gekouski, Perkins, Bedell forgeries, Storey, Lyddy, Clarke, Woods, Baker, Trefethen, Dupont-Dubos, Schooley, Humphrey, Dietz-Allen, Carter, and Rineard-Bowers. CHAPTER XXV. INK UTENSILS OF ANTIQUITY. THE GRAVING TOOL PRECEDES THE PEN--CLASSIFICATION UNDER TWO HEADS, ONE WHICH SCRATCHED AND THE OTHER WHICH USED AN INK--THE STYLUS AND THE MATERIALS OF WHICH IT WAS COMPOSED--POETICALLY DESCRIBED--COMMENTS BY NOEL HUMPHREYS--RECAPITULATION OF VARIOUS DEVICES BY KNIGHT--BIBLICAL REFERENCES--ENGRAVED STONES AND OTHER MATERIALS THE EARLIEST KINDS OF RECORDS--WHEN THIN BRICKS WERE UTILIZED FOR INSCRIPTION PURPOSES--METHODS EMPLOYED BY THE CHINESE-- HILPRECHT'S DISCOVERIES--THE DIAMOND AS A SCRATCHING INSTRUMENT--HISTORICAL INCIDENT WRITTEN WITH ONE--BIBLICAL MENTION ABOUT THE DIAMOND-- WHEN IT BECAME POSSIBLE TO INTERPRET CHARACTER VALUES OF ANCIENT HIEROGLYPHICS--DISCOVERY OF THE ROSETTA STONE AND A DESCRIPTION OF IT--SOME OBSERVATIONS ABOUT CHAMPOLLION AND DR. YOUNG WHO DECIPHERED IT--ITS CAPTURE BY THE ENGLISH AND PRESERVATION IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM--EMPLOYMENT OF THE REED PEN AND PENCIL- BRUSH--THE BRUSH PRECEDED THE REED PEN--THE PLACES WHERE THE REEDS GREW--COMMENTS BY VARIOUS WRITERS--METHOD OF FORMING THE REED INTO A PEN--CONTINUED EMPLOYMENT OF THEM IN THE FAR EAST--THE BRUSH STILL IN USE IN CHINA AND JAPAN--EARLIEST EXAMPLES OF REED PEN WRITING-- WHEN THE QUILL WAS SUBSTITUTED FOR THE REED--REED PENS FOUND IN THE RUINS OF HERCULANEUM--ANECDOTE BY THE ABBE, HUC. THE instruments of antiquity employed in the art of writing belong to two of the most distant epochs.