B L A 



002 



B L A 



and Capo Noon, but it is very little broken, and contains 

 only a lew harbour*. 1 bin it the more to be regretted, as 

 this coast is one of the most dangerous on the globe, the 

 tea and the winds combining to the destruction of the 

 tailor. Though nearly the wholo 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 ISO miles and upwards, a 

 western wind always prevails. This is naturally enough 

 attributed to the sands of tbo Sahara, which, when heated 

 to a high degree, ratify the superincumbent air, which con- 

 sequently rises, and the deficiency thus produced is chiefly 

 supplied with fresh air from the sea. by which a continual 

 western wind along the shore is produced. The sea along 

 the whole coast is likewise in continual motion to a dis- 

 tance of ISO or 180 miles, and this current runs likewise 

 cast, or very little to the south of east, and points nearly to- 

 wards 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 bar- 

 barous 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 pre- 

 vailing at the same time, especially south of Cape Mirik. 

 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 arc composed of 

 a mixture of calcareous and siliceous sandstone, in linos of 

 stratification dipping southerly in various inclinations, some 

 ns much as IS". Its summit is partly covered with sand- 

 hills, blown from the desert by the winds, and partly with 

 rocky eminences. With the exception of the sandhills which 

 are of recent formation, the whole surface is covered in the 

 most extraordinary manner with shells of all dimensions 

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

 shells are in a perfect state of preservation, and have evi- 

 dently not been used as food. 



The Moors who wander about the neighbouring desert 

 seldom visit this place, and only in small numbers at a 

 time; but boats of 100 to ISO tons burden resort to it 

 from the Canary Islands, and carry on a lucrative fishery. 

 Frc^h water is found about four or five miles north of the 

 Cape. (Capt. Belcher, in the Journal nf tfii> tii'ngraphical 

 'if. vol. ii. : Kennell's Investigation nf the Currents; 

 and Jackson's Account of Morocco and Titubuctoo.) 



BLANDFORD FORUM, also called BLANDFORD 

 CHIPPING, or MARKET BLANDFORD, a parish and 

 market-town in the hundred of Pimperne, county of Dorset; 

 ninety-two miles S.W. from London, and sixteen N.E. from 

 Dorchester. Nine parcels are mentioned in the Domesday 

 Survey, under the common name of Bleneford, or Blane- 

 ford ; five of these are small, and were doubtless small 

 manors included in some of the greater. Four Blandfords 

 remained distinguished in after times, namely, Blandlbrd 

 Forum, Blandlbrd St. Mary, Blandlbrd Bryanston, and 

 Long Blandlbrd, now Langton. In the reign of Richard I., 

 the then Earl of l^eicester mortgaged it for 4S2/. fi*. 8d. to 

 Aaron, a Jew of Lincoln, whose estates being ~n/, d by the 

 king, this manor, among others, was put into the roll for the 

 king's use. Not long after however, the Earl procured a 

 discharge under the seal of Aaron for 240/. C*. 8t/., and 

 dying very rich, his estates were divided between his daugh- 

 ters. It passed through several female heirs, who by mar- 

 riage carried it into various noble families, until it I 

 the property of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, by mar- 

 nh Blanche, daughter of the Earl of Lincoln. When 

 the duke's son became King Henry IV., the estate was 

 united to the crown. Henry V. granted it, with other 

 manors, jointly to Henry Clucheley, Archbishop of Can- 

 terbury, and to his uncle, Henry Beaufort, Bishop of Win- 

 After this the manor reverted to and remained 

 in the crown until Kdward IV. bestowed the wholo on his 

 brother, the Duke of 'Gloucester, afterwards Kirhaid III. 

 From this period the accounts of the descents of the manor 

 are contradictory : part of it appears to have been dependant 

 on the principal manor of Kingston Lacy, and the remainder 

 has either liccn given t or has liecn purchased by the cor- 

 poration. Blandlord is called n burgh in old record;,: Imt 

 it never sent mrnil>er t :it more than twice, 



namely, in the .13rd of Edward I. and the J.'nd of Kdward 

 HI. The town received its charter of iiKvr|H>ratiun as a 



free borough from James I., which conferred on it new 

 liberties, and confirmed those which it had immeraorially 

 enjoyed. Under this charter the town has U-cn governed 

 by a bailiff and six capital burgesses. 



The town had a market very early : for we find that in 

 1 II iry III. a precept was directed to the sheriff that the 

 market at this place, which hail pn 1 i a 



Sunday, should I henceforward he held on Saturd 

 that time Saturday has accordingly been the market-day. 

 A fair also was granted so early ax 35 Edward I . 

 now three fairs, chiefly for horses, cattle, and cheese, held 

 on March 7, July 10, and November 8. It is by 

 markets and fairs, and by the resort of travellers and the 

 neighbouring gentry, together with the races annually held 

 in July or August on a neighbouring down, that tin 

 is chiefly supported. Hlandford was in former times i 

 for its manufacture of band strings, but that article falling 

 into disuse, attention was paid to the manufacture of . 

 lace, and until the beginning of the last century the 

 point-lace in England was made at Blandlbrd : it was valued 

 at 30/. per yard, and was considered to he equal, if not supe- 

 rior, to that of Flanders. After this had also declined, the 

 making of shirt-buttons was the only manufacture which 

 became of much importance in the town ; this is principally 

 carried on by women and children, and is still considerable, 

 though not so extensive as in former times. At pre-cnt 

 Hlandford is one of the neatest little towns in the \ 

 England, and it is increasing every year in extent and 

 population ; but it is not lighted, nor is there any general 

 watch for the borough and town. In 1831 the parish 

 tamed 528 houses, with a population of 310!), of whom 1703 

 were females. Of this population the town contains 99 parts 

 out of 100. 



Blandford is situated in one of the finest tracts of pasture- 

 land in the kingdom. 'Pasturage only,' sa)s Mr. Matoii, 

 'is seen in this part of the county, which, from the multi- 

 tude of cows fed on it, may truly be called "a land (lowing 

 with milk.'' ' The town stands on a bend of the Stour, 

 which flows on both the south and west sides of it. The 

 river, which is here of considerable width, is crossed by 

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

 appearance to the fires by which it has been repeatedly de- 

 vastated. It was burnt in Camden's time, and afterwards 

 rebuilt in a more handsome manner than before ; and it 

 was again partially destroyed by fire in 1676 or lii 77, and 

 again in 1713. But the greatest calamity of this kind 

 occurred in 1731, when the town was desolated by an almost 

 general conflagration, in which all the public buildings, 

 and all but forty dwelling-houses were consumed. Four 

 hundred families were thus deprived of their homes : and 

 the total amount of the loss is stated by different authorities 

 at from 84.000/. to 100.000/. The neighbouring towns and 

 parishes promptly assisted the sufferers with provisions ai;d 

 money; and sixty barrackswere built ot b *rdi and thaiched 

 for the temporary accommodation of the poorer sort. Next 

 year an act was passed for the rebuilding of the town, and 

 it was ultimately restored to more than its former neutne.-s. 

 The streets are regular, and well paved, and the houses 

 built uniformly with brick. The town-hall is a neat build- 

 ing of Portland stone, supported on Doric columns, with a 

 regular entablature : within this building there is ;i pump, 

 a marble panel over which hears an inscription commemo- 

 rative of the lire. This is dated in 1760, and describes the 

 town as then having risen 'like a plucnix from its ashes, to 

 its present nourishing and beautiful condition.' The church, 

 dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul, was completed in 

 on the ruins of that destroyed by fire. It is a neat building 

 in the Grecian style, consisting of a chancel, body, tw 

 aisles, and a tower eighty feet high, surmounted by a cupola. 

 The church is built with a greenish-coloured stone, but the 

 windows, door-cases, and ornaments ure of Portland stone. 

 It cost .ti'liu/. The interior, which is very neat, contains 

 some handsome monuments, and accommodates 1000 per- 

 sons. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Bristol, 

 with a net income of 167/. 



There is a free school adjoining the church. When or 

 by whom it was founded is not known : but the aii"in 

 author of a description of some placi s in Dorsetshire in 



mi then here a school of glcat fai.: 

 which one Millar, ' reputation and lean 



. who was a native ol 



town, is said to have received the early part of his edui 

 in this school. The endowment is very small, the chief 



