7J3 



TANA-ELF. 



TANQUT. 



79* 



a vicarage in the archdeaconry of Stafford and diocese of LicbfielJ. 

 Taiu worth Poor-Law Union contains 24 parishes and townships, with 

 an area of 40,740 acres, and a population iu 1851 of 13,941. 



Several of the Mercian kings appear to have resided at T&mworth. 

 After the Conquest, the castle and adjacent territory were granted to 

 Kobert Marmion, hereditary champion to the dukes of Normandy. 

 The castle now belongs to Lord Charles Townshcnd. The streets of 

 Tamworth are lighted with gaa and paved. The church, which was 

 formerly collegiate, is one of the finest in the county. The transepts 

 are Norman, some portions are of decorated date, and some perpen- 

 dicular : some of the windows have had very fine tracery. The tower 

 has been lately restored. There are an almshouse, founded by Quy, 

 the founder of Guy's Hospital, Southwark ; a town-hall, with a small 

 jail beneath ; a handnome atone building for the savings bank ; a 

 railway station, in the Elizabethan style, used jointly for the Trent 

 Valley and Midland railways ; and two bridges, one over the Tame, 

 the other over the Anker. The remains of the castle are of various 

 periods, and modern buildings have been added to adapt the whole to 

 the purposes of a modern residence: the castle commands a fine 

 prospect. The Wealeyan Methodist*, Independents, Baptists, and 

 Roman Catholic* have chapels in the town. There are National and 

 Infant schools ; a Free Grammar school, founded in 1587 ; Sir Kobert 

 Peel's school, which "educates 50 poor boys and provide* for each a 

 suit of clothes annually ; Rawlet's Trustees' school for '20 boys, and 

 a school of Ii.dustry for 30 girls, both endowed ; a library and reading- 

 room, founded by the late Sir R. Peel, and a valuable library called 

 the Permanent Library, containing upward* of 5000 volumes. 



Coal* and brick-earth are dug in the neighbourhood, and bricks, 

 tile*, and glazed drain-pipes are extensively made. There are two 

 manufactories for elastic garter* and fancy articles. The market is 

 on Saturday : there are several fain for cattle and merchandise. In 

 the mvket-place is a fine bronze statue of the late Sir Kobert Peel. 

 The Coventry Canal passes near the town. A county court is held iu 

 Tamworth. 



TANA-ELF. [TuosiDHjM.] 



TASAGKA. [ALIOTUS leucs.] 



TAXAIR [AzoF.l 



TANA MO. [Pol 



TANDEKAGEE. [ABMAGH.] 



TANGIER. [MABOCCO.] 



TANGNU-OOLU. [ALTAI MOU.\T.UK.] 



TANGUT u the historical name of a country in Asia, which occupies 

 the centre of the eastern and more elevated table land of that continent. 

 Thi.i country still goes by the name of Tangut, though at prvarnt a 

 port of it i* incorporated in the Chinese province of Kaon, whilst 

 another i* mostly in the po**e*ion of two Mongol nation*, the Uloth 

 T>horu and the Torbod Mongol*. Tangut extend* between 33* and 

 42* N. lat, 94 and 107 E. long. It is bounded a by Tibet; W. l.y 

 Chinese TurkisUn. or the government of Thian-Shan Nanlu ; and N. 

 by Mongolia, of which also a portion i* included within the lately 

 erected province of Kami. 



The southern portion of Tangut, or that which lie* south of 38 

 N. Ut, i* one of the most mountainous tract* on the globe, and extend* 

 over the upper course of the river Hoong-ho and the basin of the Lake 

 of Khookhoc-nor. Along it* southern border there are the BATAX 

 KHARA MOUNTAIN*. Another elevated range traverse* the country in 

 the same direction from east to wet near 38* N. lat This range rise* 

 at a short distance from the bonk* of the Huang-bo north of the town 

 of Ijantcheou, and in it* eastern part U called Kilian-Shan ; but farther 

 west it take* the name of Nan-Shan. It rise* to a great elevation, 

 especially toward* the west, where many of it* summit* are covered 

 with anow and united by extensive glaciers. This mountain chain is 

 supposed to be connected with the Kuenluen range near 92 E. long. 

 The Bayan Kharan and the Nan-Shan mountain* occupy a great portion 

 of the country between 33* and 38* N. lat, and nearly the whole of 

 the remainder of the country is filled up by a third range, .Sine Shin, 

 which connect* theae two, and extends from south east to north-west 

 The Siue Shan, or Snowy range, contain* numerous summits which 

 rise above th* mow-line. The river Hoang-ho break* through this 

 range, but the huge rocky masse* compel the river to make a great 

 bend towards the west between 34* and 36* N. lat, and the circuit 

 which the river makes shows the immense extent of three muses of 

 rock. In this part of iu course the river is said to be hemmed in by 

 lofty mountains, so that no communication can be established along 

 the bonks. Its course above tbi* bend U very imperfectly known. The 

 river enters a wide valley by a narrow gorge formed by two very elevated 

 mountain* a little above the town of Ho-tcheou (36 N. lat, 102* E. 

 long.). At the opening of this gorge i* a fortress, called Tsysby-kuon. 



Tangut is separated from China proper by a fourth range, the 

 mountain* of Sifan, which run south and north ; they are connected 

 at their southern extremity with the Bayan Khara Mountains and the 

 Slue-Shan by an extensive mountain knot, which is i.i tbe country 

 formerly called Sifan, whence the chain ha* obtained it* name. 

 Though'thia range is lea* elevated than the Siue-Shan, it rise* in 

 several place* above the snow-line, and occupies a considerable width. 

 It is supposed to terminate near the banks of tbe Hoang-ho, a few 

 mile* south of 38* N. lat Oppotite to it and on the northern bank* 

 of the river rises another chain, called Holang-Shan, which continue* 



along the western bank of the river as far north as 42* N. lat, rising 

 only to a moderate elevation, and occupying in many places only three 

 or four miles in width : it slopes on the west down into the steppe of 

 the 016th Tahoro*. This range is distinguished from all the other 

 ranges of Tangut by bring thickly wooded on its eastern declivity. 



Ouly a small portion of the countries inclosed by these mountain 

 masses is fit for cultivation. It does not appear that there is any 

 cultivation iu the upper valley of the Hoang-ho above the fortress of 

 Tsy-shy-kuan. Below that place and as far as Lan-tcheou, the valley 

 is wider, and narrow tracts along the banks of the river are cultivated 

 aud fertile. Farther down, and as far as the neighbourhood of 

 Ning-hia, a town built on the western banks of the Houiig-lio, at the 

 eastern declivity of the Holaug-Shau (38 32' X. lat), the valley has 

 not been visited by Europeans. At this place the river runs iu a 

 wide valley, which has been rendered fertile by numerous canals, 

 fed by the waters of the river; here rice is extensively culti- 

 vated. There are also numerous plantations of fruit-trees. The soil 

 contains much saltpetre. The town of .Vim/-Ai', the former capital 

 of Tangut, is of considerable extent, being five miles in circuit. It 

 hag manufactures of carpets aud paper, and a considerable com- 

 merce with the nomadic tribes who wander about in the country 

 west of the Holang-Shan. Below the town of Ning-hia the valley of 

 the Hoang-ho grows wider, but its fertility decreases. About eighteen 

 miles from Niug-hia the cauals cease and no rice U cultivated. Other 

 grain is still grown about 30 miles farther north, where the country 

 gradually changes into a sandy, ari.i desert, interspersed with hills, 

 swampy tracts, and pastures. 



The lateral valley of Si-ning-tcheou opens to the Hoaug-ho from the 

 west above the town of Lan-tcheou between the Kilian-Shan and the 

 most elevated portion of the Siue-Shan. The valley is not extensive, 

 but appear* to be fertile : it contains the town of tfi-niag-leheou, which 

 i* not quite as large u Ning-hia, but a much more commercial place, 

 a* the road which connects northern China with Hlassa in Tibet passe* 

 through it This road runs westward to the Lake of Kkoukhuo-nor, 

 which is of great but unknown extent. It is an alpine hike inclosed 

 by high mountains, and has no outlet Tbe remainder of the road 

 lies partly over numerous large mountain masse*, furrowed only by 

 narrow glen* and ravine*, and partly over rooky and sandy table-lands; 

 but in spite of the difficulties it is much travelled, and the bazaars of 

 Si-ning-tcheou arc well provided with provision* and articles of 

 luxury. This town U a great depot for rhubarb, which grows on the 

 more elevated part* of the Siue-Shan and Kilian-Shan, and is sent 

 through Kiachta and Russia to all parts of the world. 



Tbe northern part of Tangut, with the exception of the valley of 

 the Hoaug-ho, i* occupied by a wide desert plain, which constitutes a 

 portion of the GOBI. The steep declivities of the Kilian and Nan-Shan 

 however do not come close to the desert, but are separated from it 

 by a hilly tract from 30 to 50 mile* wide, which contains some ext.-n- 

 kive tract* fit for cultivation, and in which some large towns have 

 been built, a* the great commercial route which connects China with 

 the countries of We*tem Asia run* through it The range* of the 

 Kiliau-Shan aud Nan-Shan are laid to be covered with perpetual 

 snow. The water which flows from theae range* is partly consumed 

 in irrigating the adjacent field*, and the remainder i* absorbed by the 

 sandy soil, as soou a* it reaches the plain, after having left the hilly 

 tract Tbe hilly tract i* diversified by high land* and depressions. 

 Tbe upper surface of the high lands i* broken aud rocky, aud for the 

 most part bare. The depreuions, which are leas extensive, exhibit a 

 considerable degree of fertility where they are irrigated. To protect 

 this hilly region, and the great commercial road which runs through 

 it, the Chinese have continued the Great Wall along its northern 

 border westward to 9S E. long., and along the wall are built tho 

 fortresses which protect the line and the towns through which the 

 road run*. The road leave* the valley of the Hoang-ho at the town 

 of Lan-tcheou, the capital of Kaiihi, and runs in a north-north-west 

 direction to the town* of Liang-tcheoa aud Kan-tcheou-foo. This last 

 is a Urge and well-built town, which has many manufactures of woollen 

 stuffs and felt*, articles iu great demand amoug tbe nomadic tribes, 

 who bring to the place their wool, horses, cattle, aud sheep. It receives 

 also large quantities of rhubarb from the Kilian-Sban. From Kan- 

 U-heou-foo the road continues in a north-west direction to f-o-tcheou, 

 a largo and well-fortified town, with numerous bazaars, well provided 

 with provision* and manufactured articles. The town is divided into 

 two sections, one of which i* occupied by the Chinese, and the other 

 by the foreign merchants from Bokhara and Turkistan. The latter 

 i* divided from tho former by a separate wall. As So-tcheou is tho 

 last large place through which the caravans pass before they enter 

 the desert between Tugut and Tbian-shan-nahr, the commerce is very 

 great, especially in provisions. About 50 or 00 miles west of So-tcheou 

 is the moat western gate of the Great Wall, called Kia-yu-kooau, 

 through which the caravan* pas* to enter the desert of Uan-hai, 

 which must be traversed in order to reach Ifooii iu Thian shaii-nanhi. 

 The last-mentioned town is 320 miles from the gate of Kia-yu-kooan, 

 and that is the width of the Gobi at tbi* place, which is considered 

 the narrowest part of it 



The towns hitherto noticed lie along the great caravan-road, but 

 farther west the Chinese geographer* mention other places of import- 

 ance. Tho largest i* ffgan-ti-foo, a town of the first rank, and the 



