T A N 



Eir. Cli. Calyx bell-fliapcd, five-cleft, fuperior. Corolla 

 none. Fruit 



1. T. guianenfis. Aubl. t. 178. — Native of maifhes in 

 Guiana, flowering in May. A tree, whofe trunk is twenty 

 foet, or more, in'height, and two feet in diameter, tvitli a 

 vvhitilh, light and brittle wood ; the batk, greyifh.. Branches 

 fpreading every way ; their young {hoots leafy at tiic ends. 

 Leaves deciduous, alternate, ftalked, obovate, pointed, en- 

 tire, coriaceous, fmooth ; the largell feven inches long, and 

 three broad. Spikes axillary, folitary, ftalked, about three 

 or four inches long, of many fmall, alternate, greenidi, fra- 

 grant Jlowers, clothed internally with white hairs. Aublet 

 not having met with the fruit, nor liavjng been able to deter- 

 mine any thingiof the internal ftrufture of the minute ^frmm, 

 we are left in great doubt as to the effential characler of this 

 genus, and even fts natural order. Nothing is recorded of 

 its ufe or qualities. 



TANICHI, in Geography, a town of Hindooftan, in the 

 Carnatic ; 16 miles S.S.W. of Tritcliinopoly. 



TANILA, a river of Mexico, wliich runs into the gulf 

 of Mexico, N. lat. 18° 10'. W. long. -95° 6'. • 



TANINGE, a town of France, in the department of the 

 Leman ; 24 miles S.E. of Geneva. 



Takjong Currang, a town on the weft coalt of the ifland 

 of Lombock. S. lat. 8° 31'. E. long. 115° 48'. 



Tanjoxg Putus, a town of Malacca, on the north fide of 

 tlie river Pera, where the Dutch have a faftory. 



TANJORE, a country of Hindooftair, included in the 

 Carnatic ; bounded on the north and weft by part of the 

 Carnatic, and on the call and foutli by the gulf of Bengal : 

 about ninety-five miles in length from north to fouth, and 

 lifty in breadth from eaft to weft ; watered by the river 

 Cauvery, which divides itfclf into feveral fti-eams. Though 

 torming a part of the Carnatic, it is governed by a prince or 

 •rajah, and pays an annual fubfidy to the Englifti of 160,000/. 

 ilerling. 



Tan.fore, a town of Hindooftan, and capital of a country 

 to which it gives name, fituated in a plain between two 

 branches of the Cauvery ; including the iuburbs, about two 

 leagues in circumferejice ; a double wall and a large ditch 

 are the only defence. The palace is fituated to the eaft of 

 the town, and is a grand fquare, fortified with a wall and a 

 wet ditch, abounding in crocodiles. It was originally only a 

 pagoda. In 1773, this city was taken by the Britifti under 

 general Jofeph Smith ; 176 miles S.E. of Seringapatam. 

 N. lat. 10=' 46'. E. long. 79" 10'. 



TAN IS, in Ancient Geography, a town of Egypt, fitu- 

 ated bet%veen the Mer.defian mouth of the Nile towards the 

 ■weft, and the Pelufiar. mouth to tlie eaft. It lay on a fmall 

 branch of the Nile, and gave its name to one of the mouths 

 of the river. This town was the capital of the nome called 

 Tanites. 



TANISTRY, Takjstria, an ancient municipal law, or 

 tenure, which allotted the inheritance of lands, caftles, &c. 

 held by this tenure, to the oldeft and moft worthy and 

 capable perfon of the deceafed's name and blood, without 

 any regard to proximity. This, in reality, was giving it to 

 the ftrongeft ; and this naturally occafioned bloody wars in 

 families ; for which reafon it was abolifhed under king 

 James I. 



Sir John Davies defcribes it thus : " Quant afcun perfon 

 moruft feifie des afcuns caftles, m.jmors, terres ou tenements 

 del jiature et tenure de tenijlry ; que donques mefmes le caftles, 

 &c. doent defcender, et de temps dont memory ne court ont 

 ufe de defcender, Seniori et dignijfimo viro fanguints et cogno- 

 minis de tiel perfon," &c. 



Vol. XXXV. 



TAN 



TANITICUM Ostium, in Ancient Geography, the name 

 of the fixth mouth of the Nile, in palling from the weft to 

 the eaft. 



TAN RABAT, \n Geography. See Tantabee. 



TANKARD Turnip, in Agriculture, the common 

 Eiiglifli name of a particular fort of this kind of root, which 

 has thj property of ftaiiding high above the ground. It is 

 a good fort for feeding off before the froft fets in, in the 

 winter fcafon ; but after that has taken place, it is not fo 

 v.iluable or ufeful, as being more liable to be injured and 

 affeded by it than the other forts, in confequence of ftand- 

 ing expofcd fo much above the furface of the land. Sec 



TUUNIP. 



TANKERDSONG, in Geography, a town of Thibet ; 

 230 miles E. of Lafla. N. lat. 29° 50'. E. long. 100°. 



TANKESIR, a town of Perfia, near the gulf; 9 mile 

 N. of Buftleer. 



TANKISA, a town and fortrefs of Thibet, at the foot 

 of a mountain, which is faid to exhale fuffocating fumes ; 

 1 20 miles N. W. of Taffafudon. N. lat. 28° 23'. E. long. 

 87° 20'. 



TANKROWAL, a town of Africa, in the kingdom of 

 Kaeii, with a faftory belonging to the Englifli African com- 

 pany, near the river Gambia. The Portugucfe have a church 

 there. The chief trade is in wax. N. lat. 13° 10'. W. 

 long. 14° 27'. 



TANKUNNY, a town of Hindooftan, in Berar ; 20 

 miles W. of EUichpour. 



TANLA Y, a town of France, in the department of the 

 Yonne ; 6 miles E. of Tonnerre. 



TANLOCOM, a town of Mexico, in the province of 

 Guafteca ; 40 miles S.W. of St. Yago de los Valles. 



TANNA, an ifland in the South Pacific ocean, and one 

 of thofe called New Hebrides, difcovered by captain Cook 

 in the year 1774 ; about twenty-two miles in length, and ten 

 in breadth. Tiic inhabitants would not fuffer captain Cook, 

 or any of his company, to advance far into the ifland. The 

 produce, as far as could be feen, is bread-fruit, plantains, 

 cocoa-nuts, a fruit like a nectarine, yams, tarra, a fort of 

 potatoe, fugar-cane, wild figs, j fruit like an orange, which 

 is not eatable, and fome other fruits and nuts. Captain Cook 

 doubts not but nutmegs likewife grow in this ifland. The 

 bread-fruit, cocoa-nut, and plantains, are neither fo plenti- 

 ful nor fo good as at Otaheite ; on the other hand, fugar- 

 canes and yams are not only in great plenty, but of fuperior 

 quality, and much larger. One of the latter weighed fifty- 

 fix pounds, every ouHce of which was good ; hogs did not 

 feem to be fcarce ; but they faw not many fowls. Thcfe 

 are the only domeftic animals they have. Land-birds are 

 not more numerous than at Otaheite, and the other iflands ; 

 but they faw fonie fmall birds, with a very beautiful plu- 

 mage, whicli they had never feen before. There is a great 

 variety of trees and plants. The inhabitants of this ifland, 

 as well as thofe of Erromango, were at firft thought to be 

 a race between the natives of the Friendly Iflands and 

 thofe of Mallicollo ; but upon further acquaintance, it was 

 found that they had little or no affinity to either, except in 

 their hair, which is generally black and brown, growing to 

 a tolerable length, and very crifp and curly. Their beards, 

 which are ftrong and briftly, are generally fhort. One of 

 the languages which they fpeak is nearly, if not exaflly, the 

 fame wjth that of the Friendly Iflands : the other, which is 

 alfo that of Erromango and Annatom, is properiy their own. 

 Thefe people are of the middle fize, rather {lender than othjir- 

 wife ; many arc little, but few tall or ftout ; moft of them 

 have eood features and agreeable countenances, are, like all 

 ^ ^ L the 



