PON ( 657 ) PON

POMPER, Fr. to pump.

POMPES, Fr. armour called piecesfor the knee; also bones.

PONANT, Fr. the west. In theFrench sea service, ponant signifies thatpart of the ocean which is separatedfrom the seas in the Levant by theStraits of Gibraltar .

Ofticier Ponantin, Fr. an officer whoserves upon the ocean.

Armee Ponantjne, Fr. the army ofthe west.

PONCEAU, Fr. a small bridge ofone arch, such as is thrown across acanal or rivulet.

PONCER, Fr. to rub pounce uponany thing.

Poncer, Fr. This word also signifiesto impress any drawing, plan, or figure,upon a sheet of paper, by means of aneedle and some charcoal, or coloureddust; which is effected by prickingthrough the different features, lines, &c.of the upper sketch or drawing, at smallintermediate distances, and then forcingthe charcoal, which is wrapped up ina piece of fine linen, through the dif-ferent holes, upon the blank paper un-derneath.

PONIARD, a little pointed dagger,very sharp edged.

PONT, Fr. a bridge; a deck.

Pont d'or , Fr. a figurative expressionwhich the French use, when they sufferan enemy whom they have defeated, toretire without molestation. Hence, faireun pont d'or a son ennemi , to suffer yourenemy to escape.

Pont Jlottant , Fr.—See Floatingbridge.

Pont -levis , Fr.—See Draw -bridge.

PoNT-tarn<m^,Fr.a moveable bridge.It is of the nature of a draw-bridge,with this difference, that it turns upon apivot, and goes entirely round.

Pont de bois , Fr. a wooden bridge.

Pont de joncs , Fr. a bridge madeup of large trusses of rushes or willowsthat grow in marshy spots, or upon thebanks of a river. These are bound to-gether, and with planks thrown uponthem, serve to afford a passage overfosses, &c.

Pont de sortie , Fr. a sally-bridge.

Pont dormant , Fr. a wooden bridge,which is generally laid upon the fosse ofa fortified town, for the purpose of main-taining a constant communication be-tween the main body of the place andthe outworks and country round. These

bridges are not thrbwn entirely acrossthe fosses, but terminate within twelveor fifteen feet of the revetement; thespace from thence is supplied by draw-bridges. When the pont dormant isvery long, a swing bridge is constructedin the center of it. When the ditchesare wet, and so constantly supplied withwater, that the depth is generally thesame, bridges of boats may be usedinstead of pants dormans. And in casesof attack, floating bridges may be sub-stituted in lieu of both.

Pont d bascule , Fr. a bridge whichis supported by an axle-tree that runsthrough its center, and is lifted up oneach side as occasion requires.

Pont d coulisse y Fr. Coulisse lite-rally signifies a scene, suclTas is usedin theatres, which can be shifted atwill. We may, therefore, not impro-perly call it a sliding or shifting bridge.This bridge is used for the purpose ofconveying troops, on foot, across a fosseor a river of moderate breadth. Itmust be very light and portable; con-structed with boards, and measuringabout six feet in breadth. The planksare numbered, so that the instant it isfound necessary to effect a passage,they may be put together by means ofrunning grooves. When the planks arethus arranged, the pontoneers, to whomthese matters are always entrusted,throw two thick beams across the fosseor river, so as to be parallel to eachother, and about five feet asunder, toallow the floor or platform half a footon each side. Small iron wheels orcasters are fixed underneath the twosides of the floor or platform, in sucha manner, that the whole may he in-stantly slided into the deep grooves thathave been previously made in the trans-verse beams. This construction is ex-tremely simple, and very practicable inwar. The sliding bridges may also beused to advantage, in crossing riversof large dimensions. In these casesthere must be two of the kind, and theyare united in the middle by means oftwo piles, or strong stakes of wood,driven into the bed of the river, andupon which the transverse beams canrest from each side, [t is here neces-sary to observe, that in a war of posts,and in a broken and mountainous coun-try, an ingenious and active officer may,at the head of a body of pontoneers,be of the greatest service to a general,4 P