TIMUR 



5816 



TIN 



to poverty, and after a disheartening struggle 

 with illness he died. 



Timrod's merits as a poet were not fully 

 appreciated until after his death, largely be- 

 cause his poems were published at an unpro- 

 pitious time. Interest in his work revived with 

 the publication of an edition of his poetry in 

 1873, accompanying which was a sketch of the 

 author by Paul H. Hayne. A revised memorial 

 edition also appeared in 1899. Katie, Spring, 

 The Cotton Ball and Charleston are well-known 

 examples of his lyrics, and he has also written 

 an admirable ode on the Confederate dead who 

 lie buried in Magnolia Cemetery, at Charles- 

 ton. The opening lines of this poem illustrate 

 his style at its best : 



Sleep sweetly in your humble graves, 

 Sleep, martyrs of a fallen cause ; 



Though yet no marble column craves 

 The pilgrim here to pause. 



In seeds of laurel in the earth 



The blossom of your fame is blown, 



And somewhere, waiting for its birth, 

 The shaft is in the stone ! 



TIMUR, timoor', more generally known as 

 TAMERLANE (1336-1405), an Oriental conqueror, 

 was born at Kesh, near Samarkand. From his 

 father, Teragai, a man of retiring and studious 

 disposition, he gained a love for reading and a 

 reputation for a knowledge of the Koran. Soon 

 after his twenty-first year he appeared as a 

 leader of armies, and when Turkestan was sub- 

 jugated by the Kalmucks under Tughlak Ti- 

 mur, Tamerlane was made governor of Kesh by 

 Tughlak. For some years he reigned jointly 

 over the country with his brother-in-law, Hus- 

 sain. He defeated the latter in battle in 1369, 

 whereupon he became the sole sovereign, with 

 his throne established at Samarkand. For 

 thirty years he subjected foes within his own 

 territory and carried on conquests among the 

 Mongols as far as the Volga and the Ural rivers, 

 and among the Persians, including principally 

 the possessions of Bagdad and Kurdistan. 

 Wherever he went there followed death and 

 desolation. 



In 1398 the project of entering India was 

 set on foot, and years of bloodshed and devas- 

 tation followed as a part of India's gloomy his- 

 tory during this period. Tamerlane's capture 

 of the city of Delhi included the possession of 

 an immense amount of spoils and the murder 

 in cold blood of over 100,000 men. Naturally 

 the conqueror's triumphal return to Samarkand 

 was attended with great pomp. Following this 

 came a successful attack on the Turks and the 



Egyptians, including the capture of Damascus 

 and Aleppo. The restless old warrior finally 

 undertook an invasion of China, but he died of 

 fever and ague in his encampment along the 

 Sihun, and his body, resting in a coffin of ebony, 

 was returned for burial to Samarkand. 



In literature he has become known through 

 Marlowe's drama Tamburlaine the Great. It 

 is generally granted that Timur possessed the 

 able insight of a statesman and administrator, 

 and that he showed kindness and sympathy in 

 peace. He was a patron of science, letters and 

 art. 



TIN, a useful metal which is nearly as white 

 and lustrous as silver. It is called one of the 

 inferior metals, for no other excepting lead is 

 less ductile (see DUCTILITY), and therefore its 

 uses are limited. Tin is among the lighter 



federated Malay 



States 



60 



Dutch East Indies 

 20 



Bolivia 



England 



Figures Represent Thou sands of Tons 



THE WORLD'S SOURCES OF TIN 

 The figures represent the output of a year, 

 averaged for five years. 



metals, for it is but 7.3 times heavier than 

 water, and it possesses another advantage in 

 that it is not affected by the atmosphere or 

 ordinary heat conditions, except that after ex- 

 posure to the weather it loses its luster. It is 

 therefore used more than any other material 

 for kitchen utensils, such as pans, cups, plates 

 and the like. When so used it is in the form of 

 tin plate, which is very thin sheet iron or 

 sheet steel coated, or plated, with tin. The 

 reason for this combination is than tin alone 

 is easily bent; the iron or steel sheets provide 

 strength, and the tin adds color and luster and 

 prevents rust in the other metal. Tin is im- 

 portant as an alloy in bronze; before pewter 

 and Britannia metal fell into disuse it was used 

 in them, also. 



Where Found. In but few sections of the 

 world is tin found in quantities which repay 

 mining. It is plentiful in the southwestern tip 

 of the British Isles (Cornwall), although for 

 many years the mines of Wales yielded a 

 greater amount; the latter is yet a producing 

 field. The East Indies furnish the largest 

 quantity; in continental Europe there are prof- 



