ROBERT POCOCK. 95 



sale is said to arise from a debt of 61., which was 

 run up by the lawyer's expenses to 50?. ! 



" Sunday, 29^. Dull, dry day. Wrote a letter 

 to my son Shadrach at the Coal Pit Bank near 

 Wellington, that I was inquiring about a box I sent 

 him not come to hand. 



" Tuesday, December 1st. Foggy. About this day I 

 sent Mr. Patterden of Dover a piece of limestone, from 

 Shropshire, with quartz. 



" Thursday, 3rd. Read the ' Gentleman's Maga- 

 zine ' containing my paragraph signed ' The Chairman 

 of the Kent Natural History Society/ wherein I 

 defend Mr. Hasted's ( History of Kent ' from a writer 

 in a former number who styled himself ' Litterator/ 



"Monday, 7th. Heard young Swarfland was attacked 

 by ruffians last night near cross-road to Perry Street. 

 Mr. Cooper from Chatham called, and we went to see a 

 large frog-fish caught alive within the basin of the 

 canal yesterday. It was about six feet long and above 

 two feet broad. Its mouth, which was vertical, would 

 certainly have held half a bushel : very flabby, and, I 

 suppose, weighed from sixty to eighty pounds. 



" Tuesday, 8th. Heard Major Elphinstone was or- 

 dered to Spain. 



" Wednesday, 9^. Frosty. Wrote a letter for Mrs. 

 Assiter to her friend, Mr. Dowling, to go to Mr. 

 Abdy to make Assiter a bankrupt, he being in Maid- 

 stone Gaol. Received a letter from my son, R. P., say- 

 ing he had met with a new acquaintance, Mr. Gilpin, 

 who had sent Mr. Parkington near 1000 specimens ! 



" Thursday, 10^. Frosty. Walked to Rochester to 

 appeal about the taxes. Walked home with Mr. Haigh, 

 a schoolmaster, who desired to have an invitation to 



