112.5 



BLANCO, CAPE. 



BLANKENBURG. 



1120 



rocks, and skirted by forests of fir ; and grottoea formed in the masses 

 of perpetual ice, in addition to all the other varieties of mountain 

 scenery, attract great numbers of curious and scientifip travellers. 



If we are not mistaken, the first description of this mountain by an 

 English writer is that of Richard Pococke, who, in his travels to the 

 east, being struck by its extraordinary height and appearance, 

 described it in his account of the glaciers of Switzerland. Nearly 

 fifty years elapsed after Pococke's description before it was ascended, 

 probably for the first time, by Dr. Paccard and James Balma, with 

 great difficulty and danger, in August 1786. A year afterwards 

 Saussure succeeded in reaching the summit, where he remained for 

 five hours, and made a great number of observations. The pulse of 

 the whole company, which was composed of twelve persons, beat with 

 extreme quickness, and all of them felt great thirst and exhaustion, 

 without any desire to take food. The colour of the sky was dark- 

 blue ; the stars were visible in the shade ; the barometer sunk to 

 16 inch. 1 line, while at Geneva it stood at 27 inch. 1 line ; the ther- 

 mometer indicated in the shade 26^, and in the sun 29, whilst 

 at Gi-neva it was 87 of Fahrenheit. Water consequently froze even 

 when '-xposed to the sun. Since Saussure's ascent no very important 

 observations have been made on Mont Blanc, although its ascent, 

 especially of late years, is become a matter of almost every day 

 occurrence. 



BLANCO, CAPE, on the west coast of Africa (20 46' 26" N. lat., 

 17 4' 10" W. long.), is the western extremity of a rocky ridge, which 

 extends eastward into the Sahara to an unknown distance, and is 

 called Jebel el Bied, or the White Mountains, probably from their 

 colour. The cape itself terminates in a rocky but low point, which 

 bends to the southward, and forms with the shore a spacious harbour, 

 called the Great Bay. A few miles farther south is another harbour, 

 the Bay of Arguin, which is by many considered as the extreme point 

 to which ancient navigation extended. 



Cape Blanco is remarkable in more than one respect. The coast to 

 the north of it, as far as Cape Geer, the western extremity of the 

 Atlas Mountains, is rocky, but of very moderate elevation (near Cape 

 Blanco from 60 to 80 feet) except at a few places, as at Cape Laguedo, 

 Cape Bojador, and Cape Noon, but it is very little broken, and contains 

 only a few harbours. This is the more to be regretted, as this coast 

 is one of the most dangerous on the globe, the sea and the winds com- 

 bining to the destruction of the sailor. Though nearly the whole of 

 this coast lies within the sphere of the trade-winds, they do not 

 extend to the shore itself; but to a distance of about 150 miles and 

 upwards a west wind always prevails. This is caused by the sands of 

 the Sahara, which when heated to a high degree rarify the superin- 

 cumbent air, which consequently rises, and the deficiency thus 

 produced is chiefly supplied with fresh air from the sea, by which a 

 continual west wind is produced along the shore. The sea along the 

 whole coast is likewise in continual motion to a distance of 150 or 180 

 miles, and this current runs likewise east, or very little to the south 

 of east, and points nearly towards the land. In consequence of these 

 combined causes, many vessels are lost on this shore, and the crews 

 fall into the hands of tribes who are among the most cruel and 

 barbarous on the globe. 



South of Cape Blanco, or rather of the Bay of Arguin, the shores 

 are low and sandy as far as Cape Verde, and even to the mouth of the 

 Rio Grande. Here the current is more favourable to navigators, as it 

 runs along the shore, or rather in a south-western direction, the north- 

 east trade-wind prevailing at the same time, especially south of Cape 

 Mink. But here also there are no harbours between the Bay of Arguin 

 and the mouth of the Senegal. 



The rocks of which Cape Blanco consists are composed of a 

 mixture of calcareous and siliceous sandstone, in lines of stratification 

 dipping southerly at various inclinations, some as much as 45 degrees. 

 Ita summit is partly covered with sand-hills, blown from the desert by 

 the winds, and partly with rocky eminences. With the exception of 

 the sand-hills which are of recent formation, the whole surface is 

 covered in the most extraordinary manner with shells of all dimen- 

 sions and species, which are still found in the Great Bay. These shells 

 are in a perfect state of preservation, and the fish in them have 

 evidently not been used as food. 



The Moore who wander about the neighbouring desert seldom visit 

 this plice, and only in small numbers at a time ; but boats of 106 to 

 150 tons burden resort to it from the Canary Islands, and carry on a 

 lucrative fishery. Fresh water is found about four or five miles north 

 of the Cape. 



(Royal Geographical Journal, vol. ii. ; Rennell's Investigation of the 

 Cwrrtnlf ; Jackson's Accownt of Marocco and Timlructoo.) 



PJ.AN'IJKORD FORUM, also called BLANDFORD CHIPPING, 

 r MAKKKT BLANDFORD, Dorsetshire, a market-town, municipal 

 borough, and the seat of a Poor-Law Union, in the parish of Blandford 

 Forum and hundred of Coombs-ditch, is situated on a bend of the 

 river Stx.ur, in 50 51' N. lat., 2 9' W. long., distant 16J miles N.E. 

 from Dorchester, and 103 miles S.W. from London byroad; Wim- 

 borne station of the South-Western railway, which is 9 miles from 

 Blaridfurd, is distant from London 115 miles. The population of the 

 rnuniri|,:il t.-. rough in 1851 was 2504 ; that of the town was 3913. 

 Itlandt'ord Forum is governed by 4 aldermen and 12 councillors, one 

 of whom in mayor. The living is a vicarage in the archdeaconry of 



Dorset and diocese of Salisbury. Blandford Poor-Law Union con- 

 tains 33 parishes and townships, with an area of 66,590 acres, and a 

 population in 1851 of 14,798. 



Domesday Survey mentions nine parcels named Bleneford or 

 Blaneford. In the reign of Richard I. the manor of Blandford Forum 

 belonged to the then Earl of Leicester. It passed through several 

 female heirs by marriage into various noble families, and was in 

 possession of Henry IV. when that prince ascended the throne. 

 Edward IV. bestowed the manor on his brother the Duke of 

 Gloucester, afterwards Richard III. Subsequently a portion of the 

 manor was given to or was purchased by the corporation. Blandford 

 is called a borough in old records ; but it sent members to Parliament 

 only on two occasions, namely, in the 33rd of Edward I. and the 

 22ud of Edward III. The town received its charter of incorporation 

 as a free borough from James I. 



Blandford is situated in a fine tract of pasture-land. " Pasturage 

 only," says Mr. Maton, " is seen in this part of the county, which 

 from the multitude of cows fed on it may truly be called ' a land 

 flowing with milk.' " The river Stour, which flows on both the south 

 and west sides of the town, is here of considerable width, and is 

 crossed by a bridge of six arches. The town owes its present neat 

 appearance to the fires by which it has been repeatedly devastated. 

 It was burned in Camdeu's time, and afterwards rebuilt in a more 

 handsome manner than before ; it was also partially destroyed by 

 fire in 1676 or 1677, and again in 1713. In 1731 the town was deso- 

 lated by a conflagration in which all the public buildings and all but 

 forty of the dwelling-houses were consumed. Four hundred families 

 were thus deprived of their homes. The neighbouring towns and 

 parishes promptly assisted the sufferers. Next year an Act wag passed 

 for the rebuilding of the town, and it was ultimately restored to 

 more than its former neatness, the then royal family giving substantial 

 aid to the work by their contributions. The streets are regular and 

 well paved, and the houses built uniformly with brick. The town is 

 lighted with gas. The town-hall is a neat building of Portland stone, 

 supported on Doric columns, with a regular entablature : near this 

 building is a pump, a marble panel over which bears an inscription, 

 dated in 1760, commemorative of the fire. The church, dedicated to 

 St. Peter and St. Paul, was completed in 1739, on the ruins of that 

 destroyed by fire. It is a neat Grecian building, consisting of a 

 chancel, body, two side aisles, and a tower eighty feet high, sur- 

 mounted by a cupola. The interior, which is very neat, contains 

 some handsome monuments. In the town are a chapel for Inde- 

 pendents ; National and Infant schools ; a mechanics institute ; and 

 a savings bank. A county court is held here. 



It appears that Blandford had a market very early ; for in 2nd 

 Henry III. a precept was directed to the sheriff that the market, 

 which had previously been held on Sunday, should thenceforward be 

 held on Saturday. Since that time Saturday has been the market- 

 day. A fair was granted in the 35th of Edward I. : there are now 

 three fairs, chiefly for horses, cattle, and cheese, held on March 7th, 

 July 10th, and November 8th. By the markets and fairs, and the 

 trade of wealthy families in the neighbourhood, the town is chiefly 

 supported. Blandford was in former times noted for its manufacture 

 of band-strings ; afterwards for bone-lace ; and until the beginning of 

 the last century the finest point-lace in England was made at Bland- 

 ford ; it was valued at SOI. per yard, and was considered to be 

 equal, if not superior, to that of Flanders. This also declined, 

 and the making of shirt-buttons was the only manufacture of im- 

 portance in the town ; it was principally carried on by women and 

 children, but has dwindled away, owing to the general use of pearl 

 buttons. 



A Grammar school founded at Milton Abbas in 1520, and free to 

 sons of inhabitants of Milton Abbas, was removed by Act of Parliament 

 in 1785 to Blandford, the old town of Milton having been previously 

 destroyed by Lord Dorchester. Since the removal no children have 

 been sent to the school from Milton. The master however receives 

 boarders and day scholars. The income from endowment is \50l. a 

 year : the number of scholars in 1852 was 72. There are numerous 

 minor charities in Blandford. Archbishop Wake, who was a native 

 of the town, founded and endowed a Blue-Coat school for the instruc- 

 tion and clothing of 12 boys. 



BLANKENBURG, a principality in the north of Germany belong- 

 ing to the dukes of Brunswick, and lying in the region of the Lower 

 Harz, is bounded W. by the Hanoverian and Prussian dominions, N. 

 and S. by Prussia, and E. by Prussia and Anhalt. This principality 

 contains about 144 square miles, or somewhat less than the county of 

 Rutland. In its northern parts it is well cultivated. The southern 

 district, which lies among the Harz Mountains or adjacent to them, 

 is covered with forests, and contains valuable iron mines and marble 

 quarries. The principality is the personal property of the dukes of 

 Brunswick, into whose possession it came in the year 1590, as a 

 lapsed fief and earldom, and is estimated to produce a yearly revenue 

 of 20,000^. It was created a principality of the German empire under 

 the name of the principality of Brunswick-Blankenburg, in the year 

 1707. The territory of the principality is now included in the circle 

 of Blankenburg as part of Brunswick. The circle, which has an area 

 of about 194 square miles, comprehends the three bailiwicks of 

 Blankenburg, Hasselfelde, and Walkenried, in which are 3 towns, 



