202 ROBERT POCOCK. 



"Monday, 25/z, Very hot. The first sunny harvest 

 day. Walked with my son George to Mr. Baker's, Orsett, 

 and there saw an ancient bedstead made of thousands of 

 pieces, and I believe the identical one which Queen 

 Elizabeth slept in when she visited Horndon and slept 

 at Mr. Rich's. Now if Mr. Rich was ever in possession 

 of those premises it will confirm the idea. Mr. and 

 Mrs. Baker behaved with great civility, and gave us a 

 general invitation. On our way called in at the Cock, 

 where Mr. George Pocock showed how two ovals could 

 be made out of a circle or round table without wasting 

 any stuff ; viz., make a circle half the diameter of the 

 other and cut each in four parts, when the smaller four 

 pieces will exactly fill up the vacancies of the larger. 



" Tuesday, 26th. A fine, red, beautiful fish brought 

 me, with large scales all over; the dorsal fin 18 rays, 

 the caudal fin 20 rays, the ventral 9 rays, the 

 pectoral 14 rays, and the anal 6 rays. It was caught off 

 the Town Quay this day, and appears to be the Cyprinus 

 nilotus. None of the fishermen at Gravesend knew it. 

 Its length was 7 inches; breadth 3 inches. 



" Wednesday, 2 7th. Walked to Dartford with 

 George Pocock, and settled with Mr. Samuel Elliot. 

 Saw a man whose hands and arms above elbow were 

 full of large blisters by weeding, he said, or pulling up 

 May-weed and wild parsnip in a marsh near the Powder 

 Mill Creek and River Thames (Long Reach) ; but not 

 seeing the weeds I cannot tell the identical species. He 

 was put under the care of Mr. Hurst, an apothecary 

 and surgeon, who asked the man if he felt any pain 

 tinder his arm-pit, and seemed to say if the blisters 

 broke there would be a sore, and it was a dangerous 

 case ! Wasps numerous. 



