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 TOO PONOELET PONIATOWSKI best edition of his works is that of Madrid (6 vols., 1804-'16). PONCELET, Jean Victor, a French geometrician, born in Metz, July 1, 1788, died in December, 1867. He studied at the polytechnic school, and served as a lieutenant of engineers in the Kussian campaign of 1812, when he fell into the hands of the enemy, and was detained as a g'isoner at Saratov until the end of the war. e employed his time in researches relating to descriptive geometry, and returned to France with his health greatly impaired. During the next 15 years he was professor at the artillery school in Metz, and subsequently at the Sor- bonne and the college de France ; and he was at the head of the polytechnic school from 1848 to 1850, with the rank of general. He bequeathed 2,500 francs to the academy of sciences as a prize for the best work on mathe- matics. He invented hydraulic wheels known by his name. The academy awarded a prize in 1825 to his treatise entitled Les roues hy- drauliques verticales, d aubes courbes, mues par dessous. His other writings comprise, be- sides his contributions to Gergonne's Annales de matTiematique (1817-'21), treatises Sur les proprietes projectiles des sections coniques, Sur les proprietes projectiles des figures, and Sur les centres des moyennes harmoniques (1822), and Applications fr analyse et de geometric (2 vols., 1862-'4; revised ed.., 1865). POND, Enoch, an American clergyman born in Wrentham, Mass., July 29, 1791. He grad- uated at Brown university in 1813, studied theology with Dr. Emmons of Franklin, was licensed to preach in June, 1814, and was or- dained pastor of the Congregational church in Ward (now Auburn), Mass., March 1, 1815. In 1828 he became the conductor of the " Spirit of the Pilgrims," an orthodox monthly pub- lication just established in Boston, which bore an important part in what is known as the "great Unitarian controversy." After editing five volumes of this work, he became in Sep- tember, 1832, professor of systematic theology in the seminary at Bangor, Me. In 1856 he resigned this chair, and became president, pro- fessor of ecclesiastical history, and lecturer on pastoral duties. 'Since 1870 he has been pres- ident and emeritus professor. His lectures have been published under the titles " Pasto- ral Theology" (12mo, 1866), "Christian The- ology" (8vo, 1868), and "History of God's Church" (8vo, 1871). The two last named works have passed through several editions. He has also published "Plato, his Life, Works, Opinions, and Influence" (1846); "Sweden- borgianism Reviewed " (1846 ; revised ed., "Swedenborgianism Examined," 1861); "The Ancient Church" (1851); memoirs of Presi- dent Samuel Davies, Susanna Anthony, Count Zinzendorf, Wycliffe, John Knox, and the Rev. Harrison Fairfield; a "Life of Increase Ma- ther and Sir William Phipps " (1847) ; a " Prize Essay on Congregationalism " (1867), &c. He ed- ited Norton's "Life of John Cotton" (1832-'4). POND, John, an English astronomer, born about 1767, died at Blackheath, Sept. 7, 1836. He studied under Wales, who had been astron- omer to Capt. Cook's expedition, and at Trin- ity college, Cambridge. Settling at Westbury near Bristol, he made a series of observations from which he deduced that the quadrant then in use in Greenwich for the determination of declinations had changed its form since 1750 ; and this result was verified by measurement. In 1807 he removed to London, and in 1811 was appointed astronomer royal. He had only a superficial knowledge of mathematics, but was an exact and diligent observer, and devoted his attention chiefly to determining the places of the fixed stars. He invented the method of ob- serving in groups, and was the first astronomer who advocated the now universal practice of depending upon masses of observations for all fundamental data. He translated La Place's Systeme du monde, and in 1833 published a catalogue of fixed stars, which was much the most perfect of its time. He retired upon a pension in 1835. PONDICHERRY, a town on the Coromandel coast, capital of the French possessions in In- dia, 85 m. S. by W. of Madras; pop. about 51,000. It is at the mouth of a small river accessible by vessels of light draught. Pre- vious to the war of 1756, during which it was destroyed by the English, it was one of the finest cities in India. The European quarter is well laid out along the shore, and is separa- ted from the native town by a ditch crossed by several bridges. There are large bazaars, two churches, a lighthouse, several schools, and a college for European children. It is the seat of a Roman Catholic vicar apostolic. The territory annexed to Pondicherry has an area of 112 sq. m., and in 1869 had a popula- tion of 131,806. It is surrounded by the Brit- ish province of South Arcot, and is not very fertile. There is no harbor, but vessels anchor on the open coast, where at all times a heavy sea rolls in, and the surf is almost as dangerous as at Madras. The value of both imports and exports is about $3,250,000 per annum. The settlement was purchased by the French from the Bejapoor rajah in 1672. It was captured by the Dutch in 1693, but given up at the peace of Ryswick ; and taken by the British in 1761, 1778, 1793, and 1803, but each time re- stored at the conclusion of hostilities. When it was last given up by the English (1814), it was stipulated that no European soldiers should be landed at Pondicherry, and no forti- fications constructed. POND LILY. See WATER LILY. PONGO. See ORANG-OUTANG. PONIATOWSKI, the name of a Polish family of Italian origin. Giuseppe Salinguerra, a member of the Italian family of Torelli, settled in Poland about the middle of the 17th cen- tury, and there assumed the name of Ponia- towski from the estate of Poniatow, belonging to his wife, who was the daughter of Albert