T A K 



plain on the banks of a fait river. It conHils of a mud fort, 

 furroundeJ on all f.des by \rrctchod huts, formed of the 

 branches of a date-tree, which grows in great abundance 

 on the plain. It is the ref.dcnce of many refpeftable mer- 

 chants, who trade to Mafcat, Gombroon, ^"^ ^^irauz ; and 

 contains about 1 2,ooo inhabitants ; 30 miles N.N.t-.^ot l.ar, 

 which is fituatcd in N. lat. zf 30'. E. long. 52 45 . 



TAREMDSONG, or Takknoasonc;, atownot im- 

 be<; 160 miles S.S.E. of Laffa. N. lat. 27° 40'- E.long. 



^ t\rENT, a river of England, which runs into the 

 Stour, in the county of Dorfet, 3 miles S.E. of Blandford. 

 T\RF.NT, an idand of the Perfian gulf, clofe to the (here, 

 and immediately oppofite to Ketif ; although not fo large, is 

 a finer ifland than Bahrein. It is about feven miles long, 

 and about as much in breadth, well fupplied with good trelh 

 water, and embellinied with many delightful gardens, which 

 produce fruits of various kinds in abundance. 



TARENTAISE, County of, a province of Savoy, 

 bounded north by the lordfhip of Faucigny, eaft by the 

 duchy of Aofta, fouth by the county of Maurienne, and 

 weft by the duchv of Savoy ; ercded into a bifhopnc about 

 the fifth century,' and an archbifhopric in the eighth. The 

 kings of Burgundy erefted it into a county ; and towards 

 the end of the eleventh century, Humbert II., earl of 

 Maurienne and Savoy, became mallei- of it, and his de- 

 Icendants held it afterwards. The foil is barren, and the 

 afpea of the country, abounding with mountains and pre- 

 cipices, unpleafant, with little good land. The Ifere crofles 

 it from eaft to weft. In its union with France, it formed 

 part of the department of Mont Blanc. 



TARENTO, a city of Naples, and province of Otranto, 

 the fee of an archbilbop, fituated on a fmall peninfula, which 

 projefts into a bay of the Mediterranean, to which it gives 

 name. TareiUum (which fee) was anciently the capital of a 

 celebrated republic ; but after undergoing many revolutions, 

 it was dcftroyed by the Saracens or Hungarians : foon 

 afterwards it was rebuilt in a new fituation. After the total 

 expulfion of the Greeks, duke Robert, the Norman, created 

 his fon, Bohemund, prince of Tarento ; but his ifTue failing, 

 it was bcftowed on Henry, fon of king Roger, and after- 

 wards on William, a baftard of that family. It was wrefted 

 from him, on account of his illegitimacy, and conferred on 

 Manfred of Swabia, who long bore the title of prince of 

 Tarento. Its next transfer was made by Charles II. to 

 his fon Philip, titular emperor of Conftantinople, by whofe 

 daughter it was conveyed to the houfe of Baux. Upon the 

 failure of this family, it was obtained by Raymond Orfini, a 

 younger fon of the family of Nola. King Ladiilaus, by 

 marrying the widow of Raymond, became mafter of Ta- 

 rento. Queen Joan II. gave it to her hufband, the earl of 

 La Marche ; and he fold it to John Anthony Orfmo Balzo, 

 the right owner. When this prince died virithout iffue, Ta- 

 rento efcl.eated to the crown. The inhabitants, negleftiiig 

 the culture of the foil, direfted their whole attention to fifhing. 

 Their number is eftimated at 18,000. Its harbour, which 

 was once excellent, is now fo fhallow as to admit only fidiing 

 boats. It is defended by a fort. The bay of Tarento is 

 remarkable for fprings of frefh water at the bottom, \Yhich, 

 as it is faid, may be taken up in a calm from the furface ; 

 60 miles W.N.W. of Otranto. N. lat. 40° 45'. E. long. 

 17'' 10'. 



TARENTUM, in Jncient Geography, a town of Italy, 

 in Magna Graccia, upon a fmall promontory of the MefTapia. 

 Tarentum was a very ancient city : fome have afcribed its 

 crigin to the Cretans, befere the Trojan war. In the 21ft 



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Olympiad, a powerful body of emigrants arrived under 

 Phalanthus from Laconia, that it feemed to be refounded. 

 Here they fettled upon an ariftocratical plan, enlarged the 

 fortifications of the city, and transformed it into a near re- 

 femblance of Sparta. Places were called by new names ; 

 and as moft of the nobles had periflied in a war with the 

 Japyges, democracy was introduced. The favourable fitua- 

 tion of this city, when it was firft: founded, contributed to 

 its rapid profperity. Placed in the centre of three feas, it 

 obtained the whole commerce of the Adriatic fea, of the 

 Grecian or Ionian fea, and of that portion of the Mediter- 

 ranean called the Tyrrhenian fea. The adjacent country 

 was fertile in grain and fruit ; the paftures were excellent ; 

 the flocks afforded a very fine wool. It is no wonder, then, 

 that the city (hould become rich, and that riches (hould be 

 fucceeded by luxury. Philofophy was not neglefted at Ta- 

 rentum ; and that of Pythagoras gained the preference. 

 The arts were alfo diligently cultivated. Strabo mentions 

 the gymnafium of this city with high commendation, and 

 the bronze colofTus of Jupiter, which was fcarcely inferior 

 to that of Rhodes. Fabius Maximus found here abundance 

 of piftures and ftatues, which ferved to adorn his triumph. 

 With the wealth of Tarentum, its power alfo rofe above 

 that of all the colonies of Magna Grecia : its land forces 

 were eftimated at 32,000 foot and 3000 horfe, in conftant 

 pay ; and thirteen confiderable cities acknowledged its do- 

 minion. At fea, their fleets rode triumphant and unrivalled. 

 The moft brilliant epoch of their hiftory was that of the 

 government of Archytas, whofe profound learning as a phi- 

 lofopher, and (kill as a mechanic, was no impediment to his 

 political talents and exertions. His virtues alfo commanded 

 refpeft. He frequently led the Tarentines to battle, and 

 always returned after fuccefs. With Archytas, however, 

 terminated the profperity of Tarentum. At length this 

 city partook of the horrors of thofe wars which defolated 

 the fouthcrn part of Italy. The inhabitants not only ex- 

 pofed themfelves to the Roman arms by fome outrages com- 

 mitted againft their ambaffadors, but in the year 541 of 

 Rome, Annibal having taken pofTeffion of Tarentum, the 

 Romans fent againft them a body of troops under Fabius 

 Maximus, who retook it, and gained pofleffion of its ample 

 ftores of wealth. In the year 664 or 665, it was made mu- 

 nicipal ; and in procefs of time, it became a very pleafant 

 city. Whilft Totila was ravaging Italv in the year of Chrift 

 546, the Greeks took pofleffion of Tarentum, but fuddenly 

 abandoned it at the approach of a detachment of troops be- 

 longing to the king of the Goths ; wliicli event occurred in 

 the year 548. In 552 the troops of Narfes retook it ; but 

 it was doomed to pafs under the dominion of Romwald I., 

 duke of Beneventum, in the year 668. On the decline of 

 the Lombard power, the Grecian emperors regained pof- 

 fefliion of this country, and retained it till Robert Guifcard 

 drove them for ever out of Italy. For its fubfequent hif- 

 tory, &c. fee Tarento. 



TAREYEN, in Geography, a town on the weft coaft of 

 the ifland of Celebes. N.lat. 1° 13'. E. long. 119'^ 12'. 



TAREYRAS, a town of Brafil, in the government of 

 Goyas ; 75 miles E.N.E. of Villa Boa. 



TAREZA, a river of Hungary, which runs into tlie 

 Samos, 20 miles S.W. of Tokay. 



TARF, a river of Tunis, which runs into the Mediter- 

 ranean, 3 miles S. of Maharefs. 



TARFE, a town of Egypt ; 7 miles W. of Cairo. 

 TARFOKIRAT, a town of the kingdom of Fez, on 

 the coaft of the Mediterranean ; 22 miles W. of Mehlla. 

 TARFOWA, a town of Africa, in Tunis, fuppofed to 



be 



