PONCE
228
PONDICHERRY
Isidore's. He had a passionate love of his country
and was an active agent in Rome of the Irish Confed-
erate Catholics. When dissensions arose among the
Confederates, and when Richard Bellings, secretary
to the Supreme Council, published his "Vindiciae"
(Paris, 1652), attacking the Irish Catholics who re-
mained faithful to the nuncio, Father Ponce promptly
answered with his " Vindiciae Eversae" (Paris, 1652).
He had already warned the Confederates not to trust
the Royalists. In a letter (2nd July, 1644) to the
agent of the Catholics, Hugo de Burgo, he says: "the
English report that the king will not give satisfaction
to our commissioners (from the Confederates) though
he keepe them in expectation and to delaie them for
his own interest". His works besides those men-
tioned are "Judicium doctrina' SS. Augustini et
Thomse", Paris, 1657; "Scotus Hiberniae restitutus"
[in answer to Father Angelus a S. Francisco (Mason),
who claimed Scotus as an Englishman]; "Deplorabilis
populi Hibernici pro rcligione, rcge et libertate status"
(Paris, 1651).
WADDLNQl-s-tSBARALEA. Scriptores OrdxTiis (Rome, 1806); Joannes a S. Antonio, Bihliotheca universa Franciscana (Madrid, 1732); Ware's Works, ed. Hahbis (Dublin, 1764); Smith, The Ancient and Present Stale of the County and City of Cork (Cork. 1815) ; Bhexan, The Ecclesiastical History of Ireland (Dublin, 1864) ; HunTER, Nomenclator; Contemporary History of Affairs in Ireland, etc.. ed. Gilbert (Dublin, 1880) ; History of the Irish Con- federation and War in Ireland, ed. Gilbert (Dublin, 1891); HoL- ZAPFEL, Geschichte des Pramiskanerordens (Freiburg, 19{)8); Pa- trem. Tableau synoptique de Vhistoire de VOrdre S^aphique (Paris, 1879); Alubone, Dictionary of Authors (Philadelphia); MSS. preserved in the library of Franciscan Convent, Dublin, and in the Irish College of S. Isidore, Rome.
Gregory Cleart.
Ponce de Ledn, Jttan, explorer, b. at San Servas in the province of Campos, 1460; d. in Cuba, 1521. He was descended from an ancient and noble family; the surname of Le6n was acquired through the mar- riage of one of the Ponces to Dona Aldonza de Le6n, a daughter of Alfonso IX. As a lad Ponce de Le6n served as page to Pedro Nunez de Guzm;in, later the tutor of the brother of Charles V, the Infante Don Fernando. In 149.3, Ponce sailed to Hispaniola (San Domingo) with Columbus on his second voyage, an expedition which included manj' aristocratic young men, and adventui'ous noblemen who had been left without occupation after the fall of Granada. When Nieolds Ovando came to Hispaniola in 1502 as gov- ernor, he found the natives in a state of revolt, and in the war which followed. Ponce rendered such valu- able services that he was appointed Ovando's lieu- tenant with headquarters in a tomi in the eastern part of the island. While here, he heard from the Indians that there was much wealth in the neigh- bouring Island of Boriquien (Porto Rico), and he asked and obtained permission to visit it in 1508, where he discovered many rich treasures; for his work in this expedition he was appointed Adelantado or Governor of Boriquien. Having reduced the natives, he was soon afterward removed from office, but not until he had amassed a considerable fortune. At this time stories of Eastern Asia w-ere prevalent which told of a famous spring the waters of which had the marvellous virtue of restoring to youth and vigour those who drank them. Probably the Span- iards heard from the Indians tales that reminded them of this Fans Juventulis, and they got the idea that this fountain was situated on an island called Bimini which lay to the north of Hispaniola.
Ponce obtained from Charles V, 23 February, 1512, a patent authorizing him to discover and people the Island of Bimini, giving him jurisdiction over the island for life, and bestowing upon him the title of Adelantado. On 3 March, 1513, Ponce set out from San German (Porto Rico) with three ships, fitted out at liis own expense. Setting his course in a northwesterly direction, eleven days later he reached Guanahani, where Columbus first saw land. Continu-
ing his way, on Easter Sunday {Pascva de Flares),
27 March, he came within sight of the coast which he
named Florida in honour of the day and on account
of the luxuriant vegetation. On 2 April he landed
at a spot a little to the north of the present site of St.
Augustine and formally took possession in the name
of the Crown. He now turned back, following the
coast to its southern extremity and up the west
coast to latitude 27° 30', and then returned to Porto
Rico. During this trip he had se\'eral encounters
with the natives, who showed great courage and deter-
mination in their attacks, which probably accounts
for the fact that Ponce did not attempt to found a
settlement or penetrate into the interior in search of
the treasure which was believed to be hidden there.
Although his first voyage had been without result
as far as the actiuisition of gold and slaves, and the
discovery of the "fountain of youth " were concerned,
Ponce determined to secure possession of his new
discovery. Through his friend, Pedro Nunez de
Guzniiln, he secured a second grant dated 27 Septem-
ber, 1514, which gave him power to settle the Island
of Bimini and the Island of Florida, for such he
thought Florida to be. In 1521 he set out -n-ith two
ships and landing upon the Florida coast, just where,
it is not knowm, he was furiously attacked by the
natives while he was building houses for his settlers.
Finally driven to re-embark, he set sail for Cuba,
where he died of the wound which he had received.
Herrara, Decada Primera (Madrid, 1726); OviEDO, Hisloria General y Natural de las Indias (Madrid, 1851); Shea, The Catholic Church in Colonial Days (New York, 1886); Idem, Ancient Florida in Narr. and Crit. Hist. Am. (New York, 1889); Harrisse, Discovery of North America (London, 1892); FiSK, Discovery of America (New York, 1S92) ; Lowery, Spanish Settlements in the U. S. (New Y'ork, 1901).
Ventdra Fuentes.
Poncet, Joseph Anthony de la Riviere, mission- ar>-, b. at Paris, 7 May, 1610; d. at Martinique, 18 June, 1675. He entered the Jesuit novitiate in Paris at nineteen, was a brilliant student in rhetoric and pliilosophy, pursued his studies at Clermont, Rome, and Rouen, and taught at Orleans (1631-4). In 1638 he met Madame de la Pettrie and accompanied her and Marie de I'Incarnation to Canada in the following year. He was sent immediately to the Huron mission and had no further relations with Marie de I'Incarna- tion. In 1645 he founded an Algonquin mission on the Island of St. Mary. After returning to Quebec he was seized by the Iroquois; he was being tortured when a rescue party arrived in time to save liis Ufe. His companion, Mathurin Franchelot, was burned at the stake. In 1657, as he became involved in eccle- siastical disputes, he was sent back to France. He held the position of French penitentiary at Loreto and later was sent to the Island of Martinique, where he died.
Jesuit Relations, ed. Thwaites (73 vols., Cleveland, 1896- 1901); Campbell, Pioneer Priests of North America, I (New York, 1909), 61-74.
J. Zevely.
Pondicherry, Archdiocese of (Pondicheriana or Pudicheri.\na), in India, is bounded on the east by the Bay of Bengal, di^ded on the north from the Dio- ceses of Madrius and San Thomc5 (Mylapore) by the River Palar, on the west from the Diocese of Mysore by the River Chunar and the M^■sore civil boundaries, and from the Diocese of Coimbatore by the River Cauvery; on the south by the River Vellar from the Diocese of Kumbakonam. Besides Pondicherry itself , and the portion of British India contiguous to it, the archdiocese includes all the smaller outlying French possessions, namely Karikal and Yanaon on the east coast, Mahe on the west coast, and Chandernagore in Bengal. The total Catholic population in French territory is 25,859, the rest, out of a total of 143,125, belonging to the North and South Arcot, Chingleput and Salem districts, all in British confines. There are
