TEN 



207 



TEN 



1701 ; 2, ' On the Nature of the Diamond,' 1797 ; ' 3, On the 

 Action of Nitre upon Gold and Platina ;' 4, ' On the Dif- 

 ferent Sorts of Lime used in Agriculture,' 1799 ; 5, ' On the 

 Composition of Emery,' 1802 ; 6, ' On two Metals found in 

 the Black Powder of the solution of Platina,' 1804 ; 7, ' On 

 an easier Mode of procuring Potassium than that which is 

 now adopted ;' 8, ' On the Mode of producing a Double 

 Distillation by the same Heat.' 



In the first volume of the 'Transactions' of the Geolo- 

 gical Society, 1811, he published the analysis of ' A Vol- 

 canic Substance containing the Boracic Acid.' 



In his experiments on the diamond, he proved it to be 

 pure carbon, by heating it in a gold tube with nitre ; the 

 diamond was converted into carbonic acid by combining 

 with the oxygen of the decomposed nitric acid, and this 

 united with me potash of the nitre ; by the evolution of 

 the carbonic acid, the quantity of carbon, in a given weight 

 of diamond, was estimated. In his paper on ' Limestones,' 

 he showed that the presence of carbonate of magnesia in 

 them rendered them prejudicial when calcined and applied 

 as a manure. 



In the paper on 'Emery,' he proved that this substance is 

 merely a variety of corundum, or sapphire. The two metals 

 which he found in native platina were osmium and indium. 



With respect to these memoirs it may be observed that 

 they all bear the impress of originality, and that the opera- 

 tions which they include and describe are of the icreatt-st 

 possible simplicity, and stated in the plainest langu: _ 



TENXANTITE, a variety of grey copper-ore, so named 

 in honour of Smithson Tennant, a distinguished chemist. 

 It occurs in attached crystals, which are usually small. 

 Primary form a cube. Cleavage parallel to the planes 

 of the regular octohedron. Fracture uneven and imper- 

 fectly lamellar. Hardness : scratches carbonate of lime, but 

 is scratched by the phosphate. It is brittle. Colour vary- 

 ing from tin-white to blackish iron-grey, frequently tar- 

 nished on the surface. Streak reddisli-grey. Lustre me- 

 tallic, sometimes splendent. Specific gravity 4-375. 



When heated by the blowpipe, it decrepitates, and burns 



with a blue flame, emitting arsenical vapours, and then 



into a black scoria, which is attracted by the magnet. 



It occurs only in Cornwall, and has there been found in 

 several copper-mines. 



Analysis oy 



R. Phillips. Hemming. 



Sulphur 2874 21-8 



Copper 



Iron 

 Arsenic 

 Silica , 



45-32 

 9-26 



11-84 

 5-00 



48-4 

 14-2 

 11-5 

 5-0 



10016 100-9 



TENNESSEE is one of the inland states of the North 

 American Union, and lies between 35" and 36 4ff N. lat. 

 and between 81*30' and 90 VV. long. The southern boun- 

 dary, which runs alone; 35 N. lat , is contiguous to the 

 northern limits of the states of Georgia, Alabama, and Mis- 

 sis^ippi, and is 356 miles Ionic. <>f which the boundary with 

 Georgia amounts to 100, that with Alabama 140, and that 

 with Mis.-.i.s.sippi 116 miles. On the west of it are Ar- 

 kansas and Missouri, from which it is separated by the 

 Mississippi, whose course along this border amounts to 

 about 150 miles, measured alonic the numerous bends. 

 North of Tennessee are Kentucky and Virginia. The 

 boundary-line towards Kentucky between the rivers Mis- 

 sHr-ippi and Tennessee mns along 36 30* N. lat. for about 

 64 miles, but cast of the last-mentioned river it follows its 

 e for about 12 miles until it reaches 36 40' N. lat. 

 and :iC 33' W. long., and then extends a little south of 

 i-a.4 until it meets the south-western angle of Virginia 

 near 83 30' W. long. The distance between the Tenn 

 river and the last-mentioned point is about 250 miles. 

 The line which divides Tennessee from Kentucky is con- 

 tward between Tenessee and Virginia for 105 

 miles, when it arrives at the most eastern point of the state. 

 i- is Noith Carolina; the boundary-line 

 between them, which is 150 miles long, is formed by one 

 of the ranges of the Appalachian Mountains, called flu- 

 Iron Mountains. The length of Tennessee from cast to 

 - about 445 mili-s, nn.l iK breadth from north to south 

 104 miles. The area is about 40,200 square miles, or 

 2f>,728,UOO acres. It is about. 10,000 square miles less in 

 extent ttian England without Wales. 



! Surface and Soil. This state is naturally divided into 

 three regions, which may be called the Eastern or Moun- 

 tain region, the Middle or Hilly region, and the Western 

 or Level region ; and this division coincides tolerably well 

 with that made for the administration of justice, according 

 to which the country is divided into the Eastern, the 

 Middle, and the Western District. The first and the last 

 are nearly equal in extent, each comprehending about 

 10,000 square miles, but the Middle District is about 

 double that size. 



The Eastern or Mountain Region lies within the ranges 

 of the Appalachian Mountains. This extensive mountain- 

 system may be said to commence along and near the southern 

 boundary -line of Tennessee. Near 35 N. lat. and 82 W. 

 long., on the boundary-line between South and North Caro- 

 lina, the country forms a ridge of hills, a continuous high 

 ground which extends westward to 85 W. long., a distance 

 of more than 160 miles. In the Carolinas it is known by 

 the name of the Blue Ridge. It does not terminate at 

 s.V W. long., but west of that meridian it forms a kind of 

 mountain-knot, consisting of several ridges, which extend 

 south-west and north-east, in the direction of the whole 

 mountain-system. These ridges lie between 34 and 35" 

 20' N. lat., and the Tennessee river traverses this tract in a 

 south-west direction. The highest of these ridges is on the 

 east of the river valley, and is called the Look-out Moun- 

 tains. The elevated ground just mentioned constitutes 

 the southern extremity of the Appalachian Mountains ; 

 for from its eastern extremity, west of 82 W. long., a ridge 

 runs in a general north-east direction, which is also called 

 the Blue Ridge, being considered as the continuation of 

 the before-mentioned ridge so called, and from its western 

 termination (near 86 W. long.) there runs another ridge 

 under the name of the Cumberland Mountains, first north- 

 north-east, and afterwards east-north-east and north-east. 

 The space included between these two ranges extends from 

 east to west about 200 miles. It is traversed by several 

 minor ridges, among which the most elevated and least in- 

 terrupted is called the Iron Mountains. It extends south- 

 nd north-east, is much nearer the eastern Blue Ridge 

 than the Cumberland Mountains, which are west of it, and 

 constitutes the boundary-line on the east between North 

 Carolina and Tennessee. 



The mountain-region of Tennessee occupies the tract en- 

 closed by the Iron Mountains and the Cumberland Moun- 

 tains, whose most elevated parts are about 70 miles distant 

 from one another. The northern half of this tract is tra- 

 versed by three minor ridges, which in general run parallel 

 to the larger ranges, and thus with the two outer ranges 

 form four valleys, which are traversed by four of the upper 

 branches of the Tennessee River, namely, Powell's, Clinch, 

 Holston, and Frenchbrpad River. The valleys are lather 

 wide, but as there is little alluvial land along the water- 

 courses, their surface is uneven and broken, and the soil, 

 which consists mostly of siliceous gravel, is of indifferent 

 quality, except in the valleys of the Holston and French- 

 broad rivers, where it contains a mixture of clay. Only a 

 comparatively small portion of it is strong enough for the 

 growth of wheat ; the great erpart produces rye and oats ; but 

 the mountains afford good pasture-grounds, and large herds 

 of cattle and sheep are kept. The most elevated part of the 

 mountains is overgrown with forests of pitch-pine, which 

 yield timber, and from which tar, pitch, and turpentine are 

 extracted. The minor ridges terminate near 35" 50' N.lat., 

 where the upper branches of the Tennessee river form their 

 union. The country south of 35 50' can only be called moun- 

 tainous near the southern portion of the Blue Ridge and the 

 Cumberland Mountains, the interior being covered by a 

 succession of hills rising hardly more than 300 feet above 

 their base. The soil of this tract is of indifferent quality, 

 and mostly used as pasture-ground, but the forests contain 

 many large trees, as pitch-pine, red cedar, and black wal- 

 nut. Along the watercourses there are some tracts of mo- 

 derate extent fit for the growth of rye and oats. 



The Hil/t/ or Middle Region extends from the Cumber- 

 land Mountains westward to the Tennessee River, where it 

 traverses the state by running from south to north. The 

 general level of this region is several hundred feet above 

 the sea-level, and it is covered with numerous hills, which 

 form several continuous ridges, such as that which, under 

 the name of Elk Ridge, runs from east to west near 35 20* 

 N. lat. between the Elk River and Duck River. The water- 

 courses are usually much depressed below the general level, 



