T H A 



Hours : or, as others tliink, of tlic Dclian Apollo and 

 Diana. For an account of the ceremonies of this folein- 

 iiity, fee Potter Arch-.Eol. Grxo. lib. ii. cap. 20. torn. i. 

 p. 400. feq. 



THARGELION, Bx/yauL), in Chronology, the eleventh 

 month of the Athenian year. It contained thirty days, and 

 anfwered to the latter part of our April, and the beginning 

 of May. 



It took its name from the feftival Thargelia, kept in it. 

 THARNAU, in Geography, a town of Silefia, in the 

 principality of NeifTe ; i mile N. of Grotkau. 



THARO, in Ancient Geography, an ifland, fituated, ac- 

 cording to Ptolemy, in the Perfian gulf. 



THARPA, a town of India, beyond the Ganges, in 

 the Golden Chcrfonefus. Ptolemy. 



THARRANA, a town of India, beyond the Ganges, 

 on the coaft of the Great gulf. Ptol. 



THARSIA, a town of Africa propria, or one of thofe 

 which Ptolemy points out between Bagradas and the town 

 of Thabraca. 



THARSIS, TnARSHisii, orTarJliiJh. See Ophir. 

 THASO, in Geography, an ifland of the Grecian Ar- 

 chipelago, fituated in the gulf of Contefa, anciently called 

 £r\a, or JEthr'ia, being famous, even to a proverb, for its 

 rich gold-mines. It has a town or village of the fame 

 name. N. lat. 40° 34'. E. 'ong. 42° 30'. 



THASSUS, Tha-ssos, or Thajus, in Ancient Geography, 

 an ifland fituated on the coaft of Thrace, oppofite to the 

 mouth of the river Neftus. Thafus, fon of Agenor, king of 

 the Phoenicians, is faid to have remained many years in this 

 ifland, to have peopled it, and to have given it his name. 

 It was afterwards increafed by a Greek colony. The Athe- 

 nians made themfelves matters of this ifland, and treated the 

 inhabitants with great rigour ; but they were expelled by 

 the Macedonians, and thefe again by the Romans. 



THATCH, in Rural Economy, prepared ftraw which 

 is intended to be laid on the top of a building, rick, &c. 

 to keep out the wet. There are many different forts of 

 materials that may be made ufe of as thatch, but thofe 

 which are moft commonly employed are the ftraw of dif- 

 ferent forts of grain, as wheat, rye, &c. reed, ftubble, 

 heather, &c. The ftraw of wheat and rye, when well pre- 

 pared and laid, probably forms the neateft and moft fecure 

 covering for general purpofes. It has indeed been ftated, 

 that the moft fuitable material for the purpofe is that of 

 good wheat-ftraw that has been much bruifed in threfhing 

 out the grain. But when this cannot be had in fufficient 

 quantity, rye-ftraw may be fubftituted in its place ; how. 

 ever, from its rough and ftubborn quality, it is neither fo 

 neat in its appearance, fo durable, nor affords fo fecure a 

 covering. And that barley and oat ftraw are fometimes 

 made ufe of for the purpofe, but they form very indifferent 

 coverings, and fuch as are not by any means lallingi Tlie 

 former, when flrong, is howe,ver preferable to the latter. 



The reed is a highly valuable article for the purpofe of 

 thatch, where a lafting roof is required ; but is much too 

 expenfive and ftubborn for common purpofes. It has been 

 remarked by Mr. Marfliall, in the Rural Economy of Nor- 

 folk, that there, the favourite material for roofs, and that 

 which is the moft eligible after good flate for farm purpofes, 

 is reed. And that a reed roof properly laid, will lie fifty 

 years without touching ; and thirty or forty more, with 

 only adjufling (driving) it, and levelling the hollows with 

 a little frefli reed. At an hundred years old it may be 

 relaid ; and will then. If laid upon the upper parts of the 

 roof, laft through a confiderable part of another century. 

 The reed is, he fays, principally cut from the margins of 



T H A 



the broads, (large pieces of water,) 

 forty or fifty miles into the centra 

 the county. And it is added, that though a covering ^f 



and the Ingl, degree of prefervation in which it keeps the 



and is carried, perhaps, 

 ntral and northern parts of 



--;ps the 

 . n . '"'" '''^" account, it is of all other the 



cheapeft covering ; bef.des its being, whetiter in the extreme 

 of heat or cold, the moft comfortable. 



And .t IS ft.ated, tJiat the price of reed, in the place of 

 Its growth, ,8 from three pounds to three guineas a hun- 

 dred contammg fix fcore fathoms; each fathom (com- 

 pofed of five or fix flieavcs) meafuring fix feet ^ " 

 ference. A hundred of reed will , ' " 



the laying 



roof, are taken 



m ctrcum- 

 cover \\\e fquares of roof: 



g IS a halfpenny a yard, or four fliillings and two- 

 pence a fquare ; and the tar rope and rods for fafteninjr 

 it on cofl eighteen pence a fquare : fo that a covering 3t 

 new reed cofts about eighteen fhillings a fquare, containing 

 100 l^quare feet ; befidcs carriage, and what is called roofing; 

 namely a cap of wheat-ftraw placed upon the ridge, in ,t 

 lomewhat fimjlar manner, and for the fame purpofe, as 

 ridge -tiles are out on. Tl,;^ ,.,r^r^;„^ ,„l,;„i, ;„ j„.,„ • . _ 



ojing; 

 a 



capping, which is done in a 

 a tedious and expenfive manner. 



ridge -tiles are put on. This 

 moft efleftual, but in 



cofts, in materials and workman fliip, about fix teen pence 

 each foot in length: which, upon a roof of fixtecn feet 

 and a half fpar, is an additional expence of four fhiUings 

 each fquare of reedino-. ° 



With regard to the carriage, it is in proportion to the 

 diltance. 1 aking twenty miles as a medium diftance, and 

 one fhiUing a mile as a medium price ; the expence is, he 

 lays, twenty fliiUings a ' load' of fixty fathoms, or forty 

 iliillings a hundred ; which laying five fquares is a further 

 addition of eight fliillings a fquare : therefore, the whole 

 expence of a covering of reed fetched twenty miles, may, 

 tie fuppofes, be laid at thirty fliillings a fquare. The wri- 

 ter has been thus minute, he fays, in his account of this 

 material, as it has been mucli overlooked in other diftrifts, 

 vN'here it may be found ufeful. 



This material is a great deal more expenfive in every 

 refpca which has any relation to this objecft, at the prefent 

 time, than it was then. 



And with refpea to the ftubble, it is faid to be a mate- 

 rial that may be made ufe of with propriety and advantage 

 in fome fituations. This is the ftubble of fuch wheat or 

 other crops as have been cut at a great height ; which, after 

 being mown clofe to the ground and raked up, ferves this 

 purpofe, efpecially for the more common purpofes of the 

 farm, fuch as covering hay and ftraw ftacks, &c. the 

 thatching potatoes when hogged in the ground, and many 

 other fuch cafes. 



The laft material, heather, is alfo found a highly valuable 

 article for the purpofe of thatch in diftrifts where it grows 

 in abundance, as it is extremely durable. See Heather. 



The thatch which is removed from the ftacks or buildings 

 may be ufed as a litter for various purpofes. 



The modes of preparing and applying thefe different 

 matters to the roofs of ftacks and buildings will be pointed 

 out in fpeaking of the operation of fecuring fuch roofs by 

 means of fuch fubftances. See Thatching. 



Where ftraw of the rye or wheat kind is very ftrong, it 

 is often termed reed or Jlraiu reed by the thatcher, and ufed 

 for covering large hay-ftacks very commonly in many dif- 

 trifts. 



THATCHAM, in Geography, a village and parifli in 

 the hundred of Reading and county of Berks, England, is 

 fituated 3 miles E. from Newbur)-, and 53 miles W. from 

 London. It appears to have been formerly a town of fome 

 confequence, from the Domcfday Survey, and other re- 

 3 L 2 cords, 



