r nmuum 



PONTUS. 



104 



ptinrti i to Look HV. the plan of aa India Company, which received 

 rtioc. The new Company turned their attention to tho 

 : of factories ia Hindustan, and fixed the principal one at 

 oMt at tiujent (1*0 or 140 mile* north of Bombay), at 



that titn* one of Ike lonMl M*t most eoouMrciaJ oitias of Hindustan. 



leaving Swrml they attempted to form an independent wttltment at 

 MI the north aide of Ceylon (1672>. Fr 



on the north aid* of Ceylon (1672). From this place 

 they wre vwy MOD driven by the Dutch, aud sailing to the coast of 

 tew Carnatic. they took by assault the Portuguese settlement of St 

 Thorn*, or Mauapoor, not far from Madras, from which they were 

 aain expelled (174). and the wreck of this unfortunate expedition 

 took refit* at Poadicherry. a little town on the same coast, which 

 they had purchased two year, before (1 672) of the king of Visiapoor, or 

 Brjapoor. [BkiArOOB.] Poadicherry was taken by the Dutch (1693), 

 but restored at the peace of Ryswick (1697), with the fortifications 

 greatly improved. The town at this period owed much to the 

 wisdom and probity of M. Martin, its subsequent governor. Its 

 defences were subsequently further augmented, and Dumas, who was 

 ssnt out as governor, obtained from the court of Delhi the permission 

 to coin money, and the cession of the territory of Karical in the 

 iMstxiut of Tanjore. In 1748 Pondicherry was attacked by the English 

 with a considerable fleet and army under Admiral Bosoawen and 

 Major Lawrence ; but the siege was raised after several days, and the 

 Engluh retreated. 



In 1757 the war in the Carnatic was renewed : in 1758 the Count 

 de Lally arrived at Pondicherry with strong reinforcements from 

 Franc*, and immediately attacked Fort St David, about 16 miles south 

 of that town, which he took by capitulation, and forced the English 

 to abandon Devioottnh, another of their posts. He next attacked the 

 king of Tanjore, but unsuccessfully. Arcot and the black town of 

 Madras were indeed taken, but Fort St George (the fort of Madras) 

 was relieved by an English fleet (1769), and Lally, with an exhausted 

 eomminsariat and an empty pay-chest, retreated to Pondicherry. 

 Subsequent hostilitin were entirely to the disadvantage of the French. 

 The English laid siege to Pondicherry, which surrendered early next 

 year, and was subsequently demolished. The posts which the French 

 retained in the Carnatic followed its example ; and Lally returned to 

 Europe to perish by an iniquitous sentence on the scaffold. At the 

 peace of 1763 the French possessions in the Carnatic were restored. 

 Subsequently Pondicherry was several times taken and retaken by 

 French and English. In 1814 it was restored to France. 



Pondicherry is built in a sandy plain not far from the shore, and 

 consists of two parts, the white town and the black town. The white 

 town is handsome ; the streets are built with remarkable regularity, 

 intersecting each other at right angles, and are of a uniform width. 

 The houses are tolerably high, and have flat roofs ; they are covered 

 with stucco, white or yellow, and are adorned with fore courts or 

 gardens In the centre of the city is a spacious square planted with 

 tree* and laid out in walks, and open on the east side to the sea. The 

 black town lies to the south of tho white town, from which it is 

 separated by a ditch or canal, with trees planted along the bank : it is 

 laid out almost as regularly as the European quarter, but the houses 

 are for the most part mere huts. The French are debarred by treaty 

 from restoring the fortifications, or from maintaining any force beyond 

 what is necessary for the purposes of police. The government-house 

 is a handsome building ; there are also a bazaar, two churches, and a 

 residence for the Catholic bishop and his clergy. The grand pagoda 

 in the black town is a building of vast size and grotesque architecture. 



The population of the town and the district attached to it is about 

 There is no harbour, but a tolerable roadstead ; a lighthouse 

 was erected in 1836. Indigo, sugar-cane, millet, dye and aromatic 

 woods, and mulberry-trees are cultivated in the neighbourhood. The 

 exports consist of rice, drugs, sugar, indigo, and blue linens. The 

 import* are lace, and articles of dress, furniture, jewellery, and books. 

 There are two courts of justice, a mint, a college, schools for whites 

 and for blacks, a botanic garden, a mont-de-piete, and several charitable 

 institutions. 



PONFERRADO. [LKOS.] 



PONS. [CHAHENTK-IxrfcRIEtTRE.] 



PONS, ST. [HtRACi/r.] 

 PONT-A-MOUSSOH. [MKJBTBB.] 

 PONT-AUDEMER. [EuBi.] 

 FONT-CHATEAU. [LoiBi-InriBiiumm.] 

 PONT-CROIX. [FniBTBBR.] 

 PONT-D'AIN. [Ara.] 

 PONT-DE-L'ARCHE. [EcBa.1 

 PONT I. K SALARS. [AvKTBOK.] 

 PONT-DE-VAUX. [Ai.] 

 PONT-DE-VEOLA. [Aw.! 

 PONTDUGARD. [GABD."] 

 PONT-L'ABBE. [FiswTBBt.] 

 PONT-L'EVEQUE. [CALTADO*.] 

 PONT-LE-ROY. IAOBt.1 

 PONT-8T.-ESPRIT. [QABD.] 

 PO!rr.ST..MAXENCE. [Out.] 

 PONT-SUH SEINE. [AcBB.] 



PONT-Y-POOL, Monmoi.th.hire, a market-town and the seat of a 

 Poor-Law Union, in the pariah of Treretban, stands on a bold cliff on 



the right bank of the Afon Llwyd river, in 51 42' N. lat, 3 2' 

 \v. long., distant 19 miles RW. by W. from Monmouth, 149 miles 

 \V. by N. from London by road, and 167 miles by the Great Western 

 and South Wales railways. The population of the town of Pont-y-Pool 

 in 1851 was 3708. The living of Trevethau is a perpetual curacy in 

 the archdeaconry of Monmouth and diocese of Llandaff. I'.mt y-lW 

 Poor-Law Union contains 22 parishes and townships, with an area of 

 51,429 acres, and a population in 1851 of 27,993. 



Pont-y-1'ool depends chiefly on the employment afforded by the coal 

 and iron-mines in the vicinity, aud the iron and tin manufactures. 

 The town contains many well-built houses and shops. It is partially 

 lighted with gas, and well supplied with water. The parish church of 

 Trevethan, about a mile from Pout-y-Pool, is a very handsome struc- 

 ture in the early English style. In the parish are four churches, 

 several school-rooms licensed for public worship, chapela for Wes- 

 leyan, Welsh, aud Primitive Methodists, Independents, and Roman 

 Catholic*; National aud Infant schools; a reading-room ; and a savings 

 bank. A county court is held. Markets are held on Wednesday and 

 Saturday; fain on April 2nd and 22nd, July 5th, and October 10th. 



I'ONTARLIEU, IDouus.] 



PONTE, [IVRBA.] 



PONTE-DE-LAS-VELAa [AzoBM, &. Ueorget.] 



PONTE-DE-L1MA. [EnTRE-DocRO-E-MiUHO.] 



PONTE DKLGADA. [AZORES, St. Michatt .} 



PONTE VICO. [BBESCIA.] 



PONTECOKVO. [LAVORO, TERRA DL] 



PONTEKRACT, West Riding of Yorkshire, a municipal and parlia- 

 mentary borough and market-town, in the parish of Pontefract, is 

 situated near the confluence of the rivers Aire and Calder, in 53 42 

 N. lat, 1 !' W. long., distant 24 miles S.S.W. from York, 177 miles 

 N.N.W. from London by road, and 193 miles by the Great Northern 

 railway. The population of the municipal borough of Pontefract in 

 1851 was 5106 ; that of the parliamentary borough was 11,515. The 

 borough is governed by 4 aldermen and 12 councillors, of whom one 

 is mayor, aud returns two members to the Imperial Parliament The 

 living is a vicarage in the archdeaconry aud diocese of York. 



Pontefraot is a town of considerable historical importance. It was 

 called K irk by in the time of the Saxons. Alter the Conquest, Ilbert de 

 Lacy received a grant of the place, and built here a very strong castle. 

 The vast possessions of De Lacy, who was a great favourite with 

 William, passed about 1310 by marriage to Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, 

 uucle to Edward II. When the Earl of Lancaster took part with the 

 barons he was taken prisoner aud brought to Poutefracl Castle, where 

 he was soon after beheaded. Pontefract Castle was subsequently the 

 scene of Richard II.'s imprisonment and death, and of several other 

 incidents of importance in English history. After the execution of 

 Charles I., Poutefract Caatle was dismantled by order of the parlia- 

 ment, and the valuable materials were sold. At the present day little 

 even of its ruins remains : the area is now chiefly occupied by gardens 

 and a quarry of filtering-atones. 



Pontefract possesses sevenl spacious streets, which are well-paved, 

 cleansed, lighted with gas, and supplied with water. The parish 

 church is small and plain. The more ancient church of All Saints, 

 the original parish church, is cruciform, with a handsome tower in 

 the middle. It is in the early English style, and has been partially 

 restored and made available for public worship. The Roman Catholics, 

 Independents, Wesleyan and Primitive Methodists, and Quakers have 

 places of worship. The town has a subscription library, a mechanics 

 library, a public news-room, a savings bank, and a dispensary. The 

 Free Grammar school was established in thu reign of Edward VI. ; 

 it has an interest in several exhibitions and scholarships at Oxford ; 

 its income from endowment is 50t a year : the number of scholars 

 in 1852 was 19. There are also National and British schools. The 

 town-hall is a handsome building, erected on the site of the old moot- 

 hall, at the joint expense of the county aud the corporation ; the 

 borough and petty sessions are held in it The spring quarter sessions 

 are held in the court-house, a commodious modern building, erected at 

 the expense of the West Riding. A county court is held. The 

 market is on Saturday, and there are eight annual fairs for the sale 

 of cattle. The town is chiefly celebrated for its extensive gardens, 

 nurseries, and liquorice-grounds : the soil is rich and deep. Several 

 coal mines, brick- and tile-works, potteries, flour-mills, iron- and brass- 

 foundries, hat-manufactories, and breweries afford employment 



PONTEVEDHA. [GAUCIA, Spanish.] 



PONTIVY. [MORBIHAN.] 



PONT01SE. [SEINE-BT-OISE.] 



PONTREMOLL [PARMA.] 



FONTS DE-CE. [MAINE-ET-LOIRB.] 



PONTUS, a country of Asia Minor, derived its name from the 

 expression ' on the Pontus Euxinus' (iv TldvTtp), and was used rather 

 as a political than a geographical division of the country. Under 

 Mithridates the Great it included the whole of Paphlagonia and part 

 of Bithynia ; but the name is usually applied to the country between 

 Colchis and the river Halys, bounded W. by Paphlagonia, S. by 

 Cappadocia, and E. by Colchis. The boundary between Colchis and 

 Pontus ia differently given by different writers ; Ptolemy places it as 

 far as the Phasis, and Strabo at Trapezus. (Strabo, xii., p. 548.) Th 

 whole is now included and described under AHATOLIA. 



