TAN 



TANSILLO, LuiGi,in Biography, an Italian poet, was a 

 native of Nola, and born about the year 1510. The fiid ipcci- 

 men of his talents in Tufcan poetry, when he was twenty-four 

 years of age, was his " II Vandemmiatore," tirft printed in 

 1 734, and it afterwards pafTed through feveral editions, under 

 the title of " Stanze amorofe fopra gli orte della Doinie." 

 This poem was fucceeded by another of the fame licentious 

 charafter, entitled " Stanze in lode della Menta." His re- 

 putation was fo much funk by thefe publications, that all 

 his poems and other pieces were configned by pope Paul IV. 

 to the lift of prohibited books. The author, deeply morti- 

 fied by this circumftance, addreffed a penitential letter to the 

 pope, fupphcating forgivenefs, and informing him that he 

 had made reparation by compofing a devout poem, entitled 

 " L.e Lagrime di San Pietro," or, " The Tears of St. 

 Peter." The apology was admitted, and his name was 

 crafed from the lift. In 1569 he was judge-royal at Gsta, 

 and being then declining in health, he probably did not 

 long furvive. His " Tears of St. Peter" was publilhed, 

 after his death, in fifteen cantos, and much applauded. It 

 was trandated into French by Malherbe, and alfo into 

 Spanifti. His other poems have been often printed ; but 

 the moll complete edition is that of Venice in 1738. Two 

 other elegant poems, entitled " La Balia" and " II Podera," 

 were publiftied in the year 1767 and 1769. Some perfons 

 have reprefented TanfiUo as equal to Petrarch ; but though 

 this degree of praife ftiould not be allowed, he is confidered 

 by the bell judges as one of the moft elegant and fpirited 

 poets of his age. Moreri. Gen. Biog. 



TANSITARO,in Geography, a town of Mexico, in the 

 province of Mechoacan. 



TANSOR, a town of Africa, in the kingdom of Fez, 

 30 miles N. of Fez. 



T ANSOU, a town on the E. coaft of Madagafcar. S. 

 lat. 15° 40'. E. long. 50° 8'. 



TANSUCHE, a town of Mexico, in the province of 

 Guafteca ; 83 miles N.W. of Panuco. 



TANSY, or Tanzy, in Botany. See Tanacetum. 

 Tansy, in the Materia Medica. The leaves and flowers 

 of tanfy have a ftrong, not very difagreeable fmell, and a 

 bitter fomewhat aromatic tafte. They give out their virtue 

 both to water and fpirit, but moft perfeftly to the latter : 

 the tiniElure made from the leaves is of a fine green ; from 

 the flowers, of a bright pale yellow colour. Diftilled with 

 water, they yield a greenifli-yellow eflential oil, fmelling 

 ftrongly of the herb, and probably containing camphor ; the 

 remaining dccoftion, infpiffated, affords a ftrong, bitter, 

 fjubfaline extraft. 



According to Bergius, the virtues of tanfy are tonic, fto- 

 machic, anthelmintic, emmenagogue, and refolvent, qua- 

 lities ufually attributed to bitters of the warm or aromatic 

 kind. Tanfy has been much ufed as a vermifuge, and its 

 efficacy has been afcertained by the teftimonies of many re- 

 fpeftable phyficians. 



The feeds have been chiefly recommended in this laft 

 intention, and fubftituted for thofe of the fantonicum, 

 from which they differ not a little in quality as well as 

 in appearance, being much lefs bitter, and of a more aro- 

 matic flavour. ^ 



Dr. Clark mformsus ( Efl". and Obf. Phyf. and Lit. vol. iii. ) 

 that in Scotland tanfy was found to be very beneficial in va- 

 rious cafes of gout, and Dr. Cullen fays, that he has known 

 feveral who have taken it v^ithout any advantage, and fome 

 others who reported that they had been relieved from the 

 frequency of their gout. Tanfy is alfo recommended in the 

 •feyfteria, efpecially when this difeafe is fuppofed to proceed 

 from menftrual obftruAions. 



T A N 



Tiic leaves ol this plant may be given in powder to the 

 quantity of 3j to 3j, for a dofe twice a day ; but it has 

 been more commonly taken in infufion, or drank aj tea. 

 It is now fcarcely ever ufed, except as an anthelmlr.tic for 

 expelling lumbrici, to which it has certainly fome prclcn- 

 fions. Lewis. Woodville. Thomfon. 

 Tansy, Wild. See Cin'uuefoil- 



TANT, in Natural Hijlory, an Engliftiname for a fmall 

 fpider of the phalangium kind, having only two eyes, and 

 eight very long legs, and commonly fuppofed to be very 

 poifonous. 



It is all over of an elegant fcarlet colour, rcfembling that 

 of the flowers of the red poppy when full blown, except 

 that the belly has a whitifli caft. I'our of its legs are in- 

 ferled in the upper part of the breall, and the other four 

 near the belly ; and near the origin of each leg there is a fmall 

 black fpot. Its body is round and full, and it is ;J1 over co- 

 vered with a fine, fliort, velvety down. It is not unfrequent 

 in dry pailures in the fpring-feafon. It is terribly dreaded 

 by our farmers, who fuppofe that an ox will die who chances 

 to iwallow it. Ray's Hill. Infefts, p. 44. 



TANTABEE, or Tankabast, or J.op, in Geography, 

 a town of Little Bucharia, on the river Yarkan ; 100 miles 

 S. of Tourfan. 

 TANTALAM. See Ligok. 



TANTALITE, in Mineralogy, \.\\q arc oi 3. newly difco- 

 veredmetalcalledtantalium,ortantalum. ( SeeTANTALlu.M. ) 

 This ore has been called columbite by Mr. Hatchett, who 

 obtained a fpecimen of it from Maflachufetts bay, in North 

 America, and difcovered the metal which he denominated 

 columbium, and which is now found to be the fame with 

 tantalium. The colour of tantalite is iron-black, fometimes 

 with a tinge of blue. It occurs imbedded in angular pieces, 

 from the fize of a pea to that of an hazle-nut. It is alfo 

 cryftallized in acute oftohedrons, with fquare bafes. The 

 furface of the angular pieces is uneven ; that of the cryftaU 

 is fometimes fmooth, and fometimes ftreaked ; it has a 

 ftiining metallic luftre, inclining to refinous. The frafture 

 is uneven and granular, inclining to conipaft or conchoidal. 

 The fragments are irregular, ftiarp, and angular. It 

 fcratches glafs, and gives a few fparks with lieel. The 

 ftreak is dull, and the powder a brownifli-black. The fpe- 

 cific gravity varies from 7.15 to 7.953. The columbite, 

 according to Hatchett, is 5.918. Tantalite is infufible be- 

 fore the blow-pipe, without addition ; and it fuffcrs no 

 change but a diminution of luftre. 



The conftituent parts of tantalite from Finland are, ac- 

 cording to 



Wollafton. Vauquclin. Klaproih. Beriolius. 



Oxyd of tantalium 85 83 88 83.2 



Oxydofiron 10 12 10 7-2 



Oxyd of manganefe 482 7.4 



Oxyd of tin - o o o 0.6 



The North American columbite contained, according to 

 an analyfis of Dr. Wollafton, 80 parts of oxyd of tantalium, 

 15 of oxyd of iron, and 5 of oxyd of manganefe. 



Tantalite occurs in the parilh of Kcmito, in Finland, dif- 

 feminated in coarfe red granite. It bears a confiderable 

 refemblance to feveral other minerals, particularly to mag- 

 netic iron-ftone, tin-ftone, wolfram, yttryotantalite, and 

 gadohnite. It is diftinguilhed from magnetic iron-ftone by 

 its greater fpecific gravity, and by not affeAing the mag- 

 netic needle ; from compaA black tin-ftone, by its metallic 

 luftre, and by the aftion of the blow-pipe, which reduces 

 tin-ftone on charcoal ; from wolfram, by the abfence of the 

 foliated frafture ; from yttryotantalite, by the form of the 

 M 2 cryftals, 



