ROBERT POCOCK. 79 



end ; there, by permission of the Board of Ordnance, 

 he proved some gunpowder he had invented, but 

 which the Ordnance would not patronize. It is sup- 

 posed it made him desperate in not being encouraged, 

 so that he was determined if possible to sell the secret 

 to the French. 



"Saturday, Sth. Had some discourse yesterday 

 with Mr. King, a farmer, on the turnip-fly or beetle. 

 He says the fly and beetle are distinct things. The 

 fly destroys the turnip in its seed-leaf: the other 

 insect he calls the negro, and will not come till after 

 harvest; this destroys the turnip when well grown. 



"Saw at Mr. Hugget's, the Duke of York, 

 Gravesend, a King William and Queen Mary guinea. 

 Saw Mr. Eussel, of Swancombe, lately have a Queen 

 Anne guinea. These are rarities. Offered 10s. Qd. 

 to any person who should have a seven-shilling piece 

 of George III. with a lion on the crown. I think they 

 were the first seven-shilling pieces. 



"Monday, 10th. Walked to Northfleet and got 

 some stone from the cement mill. 



" Tuesday, \\tli. Went to London in the Britannia. 

 Visited Mr. Edwards, who had just come home from 

 the East Indies in the Sir William Pultney. Visited Mr. 

 Ball and his museum. Sorry to hear he was parting 

 with his excellent rarities. The fanciful manner he 

 has preserved his butterflies does him much merit. 

 Slept in the Borough at the Talbot Inn, in the yard 

 of which is a good painting of Chaucer's Pilgrimage 

 to Canterbury. It is a noisy inn-yard. 



" Wednesday, 12th. Wind north, very cold morning 

 in passing over London Bridge. Visited Mr. Jefferies' 

 museum. He has gone into general science, and has 



