FORGED ITALIAN BANKNOTES.
(TO TEE EDITOR OF TER "SPECTATOR."] SIR,—You will have heard that on the occasion of the recent issue of the Italian War Loan some cleverly forged 500-lire banknotes were paid into the banks by subscribers. Despite their almost perfect imitation, they were, however, soon dis- covered to be forgeries, and the forger's little game was speedily put an end to. The fact that the notes in question were excep- tionally well made gave rise to the suspicion that they were made in Germany, a suspicion certainly not allayed by a state- ment which subsequently appeared in a Germanophil paper to the effect that at the time of the Napoleonic Wars England had flooded France with foiged French notes, and that if Germany has now done the same with regard to Italy, she has but followed an example. set her by perfidious Albion. We all know, of course, that during the Reign of Terror and the first years of the Empire Pitt was accused by French patriots of being the author of every evil that afflicted France, but I am not aware that forgery was among the crimes attributed to him. Assuming -'t hat this absurd accusation did really at that time find expression, and that the present attempted revival of the same is due to 'German agents, it would perhaps be well if English papers Would, for the benefit of their Italian readers, refer to the rumour
'as an exploded calumny.—I am, Sir, &e., E. S. J. M. ' Milan, February 3rd.
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