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　PENCLASSIFICATION
  UNDER　TWO　HEADS；　ONE　WHICH　SCRATCHED　AND　THE
  OTHER　WHICH　USED　AN　INKTHE　STYLUS　AND　THE
  MATERIALS　OF　WHICH　IT　WAS　COMPOSEDPOETICALLY
  DESCRIBEDCOMMENTS　BY　NOEL　HUMPHREYSRECAPITULATION
  OF　VARIOUS　DEVICES　BY　KNIGHTBIBLICAL
  REFERENCESENGRAVED　STONES　AND　OTHER
  MATERIALS　THE　EARLIEST　KINDS　OF　RECORDSWHEN
  THIN　BRICKS　WERE　UTILIZED　FOR　INSCRIPTION
  PURPOSESMETHODS　EMPLOYED　BY　THE　CHINESE
  HILPRECHT'S　DISCOVERIESTHE　DIAMOND　AS　A　SCRATCHING
  INSTRUMENTHISTORICAL　INCIDENT　WRITTEN
  WITH　ONEBIBLICAL　MENTION　ABOUT　THE　DIAMOND
  WHEN　IT　BECAME　POSSIBLE　TO　INTERPRET
  CHARACTER　VALUES　OF　ANCIENT　HIEROGLYPHICSDISCOVERY
  OF　THE　ROSETTA　STONE　AND　A　DESCRIPTION　OF
  ITSOME　OBSERVATIONS　ABOUT　CHAMPOLLION　AND
  DR。　YOUNG　WHO　DECIPHERED　ITITS　CAPTURE　BY
  THE　ENGLISH　AND　PRESERVATION　IN　THE　BRITISH
  MUSEUMEMPLOYMENT　OF　THE　REED　PEN　AND　PENCIL…
  BRUSHTHE　BRUSH　PRECEDED　THE　REED　PENTHE
  PLACES　WHERE　THE　REEDS　GREWCOMMENTS　BY
  VARIOUS　WRITERSMETHOD　OF　FORMING　THE　REED
  INTO　A　PENCONTINUED　EMPLOYMENT　OF　THEM　IN
  THE　FAR　EASTTHE　BRUSH　STILL　IN　USE　IN　CHINA
  AND　JAPANEARLIEST　EXAMPLES　OF　REED　PEN　WRITING
  WHEN　THE　QUILL　WAS　SUBSTITUTED　FOR　THE
  REEDREED　PENS　FOUND　IN　THE　RUINS　OF
  HERCULANEUMANECDOTE　BY　THE　ABBE；　HUC。
  THE　instruments　of　antiquity　employed　in　the　art
  of　writing　belong　to　two　of　the　most　distant　epochs。
  In　the　first　period；　inscriptions　were　engraved；
  carved　or　impressed　with　sharp　instruments；　and　of
  patterns　characteristic　of　a　graving　tool；　chisel　or　other
  form　which　could　be　adapted　to　particular　substances
  like　stone；　leaves；　metal　or　ivory　plates；　wax　or　clay
  tablets；　cylinders　and　prisms。
  The　ancient　Assyrians　even　used　knives　or　stamps
  for　impressing　their　cuneiform　writing　upon　cylinders
  or　prisms　of　soft　clay　which　were　often　glazed　by
  subsequent　bakings　in　kilns。
  The　other　period　was　that　in　which　written　characters
  were　made　with　liquids　or　paints　of　any　kind　or
  color。　The　liquids　（inks）　were　used　in　connection
  with　a　pen　manufactured　from　a　reed　（calamus）；　while
  the　paints　were　〃painted〃　on　the　various　substances
  with　a　brush。　The　writing　executed　with　both　of
  these　instruments　was　on　materials　like　the　bark　of
  trees；　cloth；　skins；　papyrus；　vellum；　etc。
  The　ancient　as　well　as　modern　pens；　though　of　many
  sorts　and　kinds；　are　to　be　classified　under　two　general
  heads；　those　which　scratch　and　those　which　use
  an　ink。
  There　is　no　authority　to　dispute　the　generally　conceded
  fact　that　the　〃scratching〃　instrument　was　the
  first　one　used。　Its　most　popular　form　seems　to　have
  been　the　stylus　or　bodkin；　which　was　made　of　a　variety
  of　materials；　such　as　iron；　ivory；　bone；　minerals　or　any
  other　hard　substance；　which　could　be　sufficiently
  sharpened　at　one　end　to　indent　the　various　materials
  employed　in　connection　with　its　use。　The　other　end
  was　flattened　for　erasing　marks　made　on　wax　and
  smoothing　it。　From　it　the　Italian　stilletto　took　its
  origin。
  The　stylus　is　best　described　in　the　following
  lines：
  〃My　head　is　flat　and　smooth；　but　sharp　my　foot；
  And　by　man's　hand　to　different　uses　put；
  For　what　my　foot　performs　with　art　and　care；
  My　head　makes　void；　such　opposites　they　are。〃
  Relative　to　the　employment　of　marking　instruments
  which　belong　to　the　most　venerable　antiquity；　Noel
  Humphreys　observes：
  〃Before　the　growth　of　wealth　and　luxury　had
  taught　nations　to　raise　magnificent　temples　and
  stately　palaces；　whose　walls　the　hieroglyphic　sculptor
  covered　with　records　of　the　pomp　and　pride
  of　princes；　more　purely　national　memorials　had
  found　their　place　upon　the　native　rock；　the　most
  convenient　surfaces　of　which　were　smoothed　for
  this　purpose。　Where　no　such　rock　existed　in　the
  situation　required；　a　massive　stone　was　raised　by
  artificial　means　and　the　record；　whether　referring
  to　a　victory；　a　new　boundary；　or　any　other　event
  of　national　interest　was　engraved　upon　it。　Such
  memorials　have　been　described　by　Hebrew　writers
  as　aumad　or　ammod；　literally；　the　lips　of　the　people；
  or；　the　words　of　the　people；　but　actually　meaning
  a　pillar。　Records　in　this　form　and　the　early　name
  they　bore　account　for　the　strange　legends　of　mediaeval
  times　referring　to　speaking　stonesa　name
  by　which　such　monuments　were　probably　still　called
  long　after　time　had　effaced　the　speaking　record；
  and　the　original　purport　of　the　defaced　stone　was
  forgotten。　In　semi…barbarous　epochs；　like　the　era
  which　followed　the　partial　extinction　of　Roman
  civilization；　popular　curiosity　and　superstition　combined
  would　seek　to　give　a　meaning　to　the　name　of
  such　'speaking　stones；'　and　as　an　example　of　the
  legends　which　thus　arose；　the　itinerarium　cambriae
  of　Geraldus　may　be　cited；　in　which　a　stone　is　mentioned
  at　St。　David's　as　the　'speaking　stone'
  （lech　lavar）　which　was　said　to　call　out　when　a　dead
  body　was　placed　upon　it。　The　most　remarkable
  rock　inscriptions　still　remaining　are　those　of　Assyria
  and　Persia；　but　many　national　tablets　of　more
  recent　date　are　still　in　existence。　For　the　execution
  of　such　records　and　those　of　the　palaces　of
  Egypt　and　Assyria；　some　kind　of　steel　point　must
  have　been　used；　as　no　softer　substance　would　have
  served　to　engrave　them　in　granitic　and　basaltic
  slabs　with　the　sharpness　they　still　exhibit；　which
  proves　that　the　art　of　hardening　steel；　long　thought
  a　comparatively　modern　invention；　was　known　to
  the　ancient　people　of　Asia　and　Africa。〃
  A　list　of　the　various　devices　of　different　countries；
  by　which　characters　could　be　legibly　portrayed　with
  a　scratching　implement；　is　best　recapitulated　by　Mr。
  Knight；　who　presents　them　in　the　following　order：
  〃The　tabula　or　wooden　board　smeared　with　wax；
  upon　which　a　letter　was　written　by　a　stylus。
  〃The　Athenian　scratched　his　vote　upon　a　shell
  as　did　the　lout　when　he　voted　to　ostracize　Aristides。
  〃The　records　of　Ninevah　were　inscribed　upon
  tablets　of　clay；　which　were　then　baked。
  〃The　laws　of　Rome　were　engraved　on　brass　and
  laid　up　in　the　Capitol。
  〃The　decalogue　was　graven　upon　the　tables　of
  stone。
  〃The　Egyptians　used　papyrus　and　granite。
  〃The　Burmese；　tablets　of　ivory　and　leaves。
  〃Pliny　mentions　sheets　of　lead；　books　of　linen；
  and　waxed　tablets　of　wood。
  〃The　Hebrews　used　linen　and　skins。
  〃The　Persians；　Mexicans；　and　North　American
  Indians　used　skins。
  〃The　Greeks；　prepared　skins　called　membrana。
  〃The　people　of　Pergamus；　parchment　and
  vellum。
  〃The　Hindoos；　palm…leaves。〃
  The　written　deeds　of　biblical　time　were　kept　in　various
  styles　of　pottery　（Jeremiah　xxxii。　14）。　Handwriting
  on　tiles　was　common　in　Egypt；　Assyria　and
  Palestine　（Ezekiel　iv。　I）。　Such　handwritings　were　on
  tablets　of　terra…cotta　or　common　baked　clay　bricks。
  One　of　the　kind　was　fashioned　by　inscribing　directly
  with　a　〃stylus〃　on　the　clay；　before　baking。　Another；
  were　〃moulds〃　made　from　older　inscriptions　or　duplicates
  from　the　first　kind。
  The　Hebrew　term　sepher；　translated　into　English
  means　a　〃book；〃　and　some　authorities　claim　it　is　derived
  from　the　same　root　as　the　Greek　；　a　stone；
  which　would　seem　to　point　to　engraved　stones　as　the
  earliest　kinds　of　records。　Indeed　nearly　all　the　passages
  in　the　Five　Books　of　Moses；　in　which　writing　is
  mentioned；　refer　to　records　of　this　kind；　or　to　tablets
  of　lead　or　wood；　occasionally　described　as　coated　with
  wax。
  Long　before　the　use　of　papyrus；　or　any　like　substance
  was　known　as　a　material　for　writing　on；　thin
  bricks　were　frequently　utilized　for　such　purposes。
  The　Chinese　wrote　on　slips　of　bamboo　which　had
  been　previously　scraped　to　be　afterwards　submitted　to
  intense　heat　which　so　hardened　them；