POINEING. 154 POISOIT. ment and execution. See Attachment; Dis- tress : KXECLTIOX. POIN'SETT, Joel Roberts (1779-1851). An AnuTifiui iliplomatist and ollicial. born at Statos- buis. S. C. llf was oducatod at Dr. Timothy Dwijitifs school at Grecnfichi. Conn., and in Great Britain, studying medicine at Kdinliurgh and military science at Woohvich. His father pcrsuadcil liim to study law, but before return- ing to Anierioa Poinsett traveled extensively throu^di Kurope and Asia. In ISO!) he was .sent as United States Commissioner to South Amer- ica to investigate tlie chances of the revolting provinces for independence. 'hile lie was in Chile the Spanish authorities of Peru, hearing that war hail been declared against the United States, seized American merchantmen, hut were forced by Poinsett at the head of Chilean .sol- diers to return them with apologies. On his re- turn to .America Poinsett was elected to the South Carolina Legislature, and strongly advo- cated internal improvements. From 1821 to 1825 he sat in the United States Congress as a Federalist, and advocated sending assistance to the South American republics. In 1S22 he had been sent as special minister to Mexico, and from 1825 to 1820 was minister to that country. hen the issues of nullification (q.v.) came to the front in South Carolina (lS:iO-.32) lie became prominent in the 'Union Party' and opposed the idea of nullification vigorously. From 1837 to «1841 he was Secretary of War in Van Biiren's Cabinet, and in 1S40 secureil the ])assage of the militia reorganization bill. lie wrote man.y ora- tions and essays, and founded an academy of fine arts in Charleston. He jiublished Xoirs: on Mexico, Made in 1S22 ; with an Historical Sketch of the Itcorlution (1824). POINSET'TIA. A species of Euphorbia. See Sri HI,!:. POINT D'APPTJI, ]iw.-in' diip'pwe' (Fr., ]K)int of touch I. In military tactics, one of the points previously agreed upon where troops may rally or rendezvous, after an extended or scat- tered movement. In attack formation, it may be the point, or points, from which the actual attack is commenced. POINT BE GALLE, pwaN de gUl, or Galle. The oldest commercial port of Ce.vlon. situated at the southwestern end of the island, 5(5 miles southeast of Colombo (Map: India. D 7). It lie.s at the foot of a range of rocky hills and is well laid out. The European town, inclosed by fortifications constructed during the Dutch occu- pation, contains a fine ehiireh an<l iiianv other public buildings. The town has a good harbor, but it has lost its former commercial inijiortance. and even the eocoanuts which are obtained chiefly in its vicinity are shipped to Colombo by rail. Point de Galle is the seat of a United States consular agency. The town was taken by the Portuguese in 1518 and attained commercial im- portance on account of the cinnamon monopoly. in lfi42 it came into the hands of the Dutch, by whom it was strongly fortified. It passed to Great Britain in 1700. Population, in 1801. ,33.- 500: in 1901, 37..32(1. POINTE - A - PITRE, pwaN'ta'p^'tr'. The principal seaport and largest town of the French West Indian island of Guadeloupe, situated about 20 miles northeast of the capital, Basse-Terre (Map: West Indies, R 6). It is a new town. built on the site of an old town destroyed by fire and earthquake, and is surrounded by a marshv district. It has a cathedral and a niuseuiii. The harbor is spacious and safe. It exports cocoa, sugar, and vanilla. It is in direct communication with Fr:iii(c. The population is 16,500. POINTER. . dog. See Field Doq. POINT LEVI, Ift-v^'. A river port in Quebec, Canada. See Lkvt.s. POINT PLEASANT, Battle of. In Ameri- can history, a battle fought Octolicr 10, 1774, at the mouth of the (Jreat Kaiiawli;i Kiver, in Vir- ginia (now West ^'irginial, between about 1200 Virginians umler Andrew Lewis and alioiit 1000 Indians under the Shawnee chief Cornstalk, the former gaining a decisive victor.v, which closed 'Lord Dunmore's War.' Lewis had arrived at this ])oint on October fitli. and had encamped to await the coming of Lord Dunniorc, who was to join him with a force of 1000. Earlv on the 10th, however. Lord Dunmore having appointed an- other rendezvous, Lewis was ])repariiig to cross the Ohio, when he was suddenly attacked by the Indians. .After a fierce contest, lasting all dav. each side fighting, Indian fashion, behind trees and boulders, the whites finally won. The battle has been regarded as one of the most stubborn and evenly contested ever fought between In- dians and white men. Each side lost fully a fiflli of its nuinber. the loss of the whites being 75 killed and 150 wounded. Col. Charles Lewis being among the former; while that of the Indians, probabl.- full.v as great, was never accuratel.y determined. The victory forced the Indians to make a treaty relinquishing to the whites a large tract of land south of the Ohio, while it kept the Northwestern tribes relativel.y quiet during the earl.v part of the Revolution, threw open the Ohio route to Kentucky, and inspired the pio- neers with renewed confidence. There is little historic basis for the claim, frequently made, that this shoulil be regarded as the first battle of the Revolutionary War. POINTS OF THE ESCUTCHEON. See HEl!.I.liliV. POIRE, pwa'rft'. Emmanuel (1858—). A French caricaturist, better known b.y his pen name, Caran d'.clie. He was born in Moscow, Russia. His first dr.awings were iiublished in the Chronique PnrifiiriDir. Afterwards his work ap- peared in Tout Paris, Vie Parisienne, and vari- ous other publications. His drawings have been gathered in albums, such as Psst (1898), which contains his Dreyfus sketches. He is particu- larl.y hajijiv in his portrayal of soldiers, and is a keen observer a"nd an original draughtsman. He is said to have created the 'histoire sans li'-gende' in France. His illustrations include those done for La comerlie politique of Jlillaud. He also won much success with his pantomime L'Epop4e, ^vhich celebrated the victories of Napoleon. POISON (OF.. Fr. poison, from Lat. patio, drink, potion, from pntnre, to drink). In law, any chemical which, if taken or injected into the human body, will cause some bodily harm or death. In most States the sale of poisons is regulated by statute. Common regulations are to require bottles or other receptacles containing poison to be plainly labeled 'Poison.' in addition to the scientific name of the drug, and to pro- " ... .... poisons
