154 



Bishop's Cannings. 



astronomer, and learned professor of that science at Oxford. Dr. 

 Pound was a man of great ability and genius, and eminent as a 

 divine, a physician and mathematician. In the two former capacities 

 he went to the East Indies, in the service of the Company, and was 

 one of those who had the good fortune to escape from the massacre 

 of the factory on the island of Pulo Condore in Cochin China. A 

 description of this shocking scene, written by Dr. Pound, is to be 

 found in Dr. Bradley's papers, in the Bodleian Library at Oxford, 

 together with a journal kept by him on board the Rose sloop, giv- 

 ing an account of their sufferings, until after many difficulties and 

 distresses they arrived at Batavia, on the 15th of April, 1705. The 

 public suffered much in this catastrophe by the loss of Dr. Pound's 

 papers, and other valuable curiosities collected by him, which all 

 perished in the conflagration, as he had no time to save any thing 

 but his own life. 



It was while staying with his uncle at Wanstead that Bradley 

 first began his observations with the sector, which led to his future 

 important discoveries. 1 Dr. Pound was born in February, 1669, 

 and died at Wanstead November 16th, 1724. 



Natural History and Geology. 



With regard to the Natural History of this parish, I am not 

 aware of any peculiarity. It is much the same as that of the 

 surrounding district. 



There is a considerable variety in the nature and properties of 

 the land, as will be evident to the reader of the following geologi- 

 cal sketch, for which I am indebted to Mr. Cunnington of Devizes. 



Extensive as is the parish of Bishop's Cannings, its geology is 

 very simple. The Chalk and the Upper Green Sand are the only 

 strata found within its limits; unless indeed a small portion of the 

 Gault (the clay which lies immediately below the Upper Green 

 Sand) may be found at Drew's pond, or in the meadows near 

 Roundway Park. But the Chalk has the largest superficial area. 

 The extensive Downs of Roundway and Beckhampton are wholly 

 formed of this stratum, and it is so well known, and so easily dis- 



1 See Chalmers's Biography, Art, "Bradley." 



