TOR 



T O R 



TOPRAK-KALA, in Geography, a town of Turkilh 

 Armenia ; 6 miles S. of Kars. 



TOPRAK-KALAHI, a town of Afiatic Turkey, in 

 the province of Diarbekir ; 6o miles S. of Moful. 



TOPSAIL Inlet, a chaimel between two fmall iflands 

 on the coaft of North Carolina. N. laf. 34° 18'. W. long. 

 77° 48^. 



TOPSFIELD, a townfhip of Maffachufetts.in the county 

 of Effex, containing 815 inhabitants; 24 miles N.E. of 

 Bofton. 



TOPSHAM, a market-town in the hundred of Wonford, 

 and county of Devon, England ; is fituated at the confluence 

 of the rivers Clyft and Exe, 3 miles S.E. from Exeter, and 

 I70miles W.S.W. from London. Leland, fpeaking of this 

 town, fays, " Here is the great trade and rode for fhippes 

 that ufith this haven, and efpecially for the (hippes and mer- 

 chant-mannes goodes of Excefter. Men of Excefter con- 

 tende to make the haven cum up to Excefter felf : at this 

 time fhippes cum not further up but to Apfham." The ma- 

 nor was the property of tlie Courtenays, earls of Exeter, cftie 

 of whom procured for the town the privilege of a market, 

 and an annual fair, which are ftill held ; the market-day being 

 Saturday. The town confifts principally of one long flreet, 

 of irregular breadth, chiefly extending north and fouth along 

 the eaftern bank of the Exe. Many of the houfes are hand- 

 fome, but the greateft number have but a mean appearance. 

 The fouthern extremity, called the Strand, is the moft plea- 

 fant, the river flowing within a fhort diftance of the houfes, 

 and is chiefly inhabited by perfons of fortune : the view from 

 it is extenfive and beautiful. The quay is fpacious and con- 

 venient, and now belongs to the chamber of Exeter, who 

 purchased it about the year 1778. Moft of the inhabitants 

 are employed in the (hipping bufinefs ; the total number, as 

 returned under' the aft of the year 181 1, was 2871 ; the 

 number of houfes was 620. The church ftands near the 

 centre of the town, on a high cliff", which affords an extenfive 

 view of a noble river, diftant fliipping, churches glimmering 

 tlirough groups of trees, a fertile vale, and a fine range of 

 mountains, rifing above each other in beautiful perfpeftive, as 

 far as the eye can reach. 



In the vicinity of Topfham is Nutwell, the feat of lord 

 Heathfield, nephew and fucceflbr to fir Francis Drake. 

 According to Rifdon, the manor-houfe was a caftle, till lord 

 Dinham, about the time of Edward IV., converted it into 

 a ftately dwelling-houfe. Sir Francis Drake made many 

 alterations ; and it has been nearly rebuilt by the prefent pof- 



feflbr on a more ample fcale, and at a very great expence 



Beauties of England and Wales, vol. iv. Devonfhire, by 

 -J. Britton and E. W. Brayley, 1803. Polwhele's Hiftory, 

 &c. of Devonftiire, fol. 1797. 



TopSHAM, a townfliip of the province of Maine, in the 

 county of Lincoln, containing 1 27 1 inhabitants ; 156 miles 



N.E. of Bofton Alfo, a town of Vermont, in the county 



of Orange, containing 814 inhabitants. 



TOR, a fea-port of Arabia, on the coaft of the Red fea, 

 formerly a place of confequence, and ftrong, but at prefent 

 in a ruinous ftate and without a garrifon. Near it is a ruined 

 caftle, inhabited by the Arabs ; the Greeks call this place 

 " Raitho," which might have its name from being inhabited 

 by foiiie of thofe people called by Ptolemy " Raitheni," to- 

 waids the mountains of Arabia Fehx ; it is inhabited by 

 Arabs, and about twenty families of the Greek church. 

 The monks of mount Sinai have a convent here, to which 

 they have fometimes retired when they could not conve- 

 niently ftay at mount Sinai ; only one prieft refides in it for 

 the fervice of the church. About a league north of Tor is 

 2. well of very good water, and about it are a great number 



of date-trees, and feveral fprings of falt-water, efpecially to 

 the fouth-eaft, where the monks have their garden. Near it 

 are feveral fprings, and a bath or two, which are called "the 

 Baths of Mofes ;" the Greeks as well as fome others are of 

 opinion that this is Elim. The greateft curiofities of Tor 

 are -the produftions of the Red fea ; the fliell-filh of it are 

 different from thofe of the feas to the north of it ; but what 

 are moft peculiar to it, are the feveral ftone vegetables, the 

 madreporse, a fort of coral ; the fungi, or muftirooms ; and the 

 red pipe coral. In 1540, Tor was taken by the Portuguefe. 

 N. lat. 28° 10'. E. long. 33° 37'. 



Tor, a town of Africa, in the country of the Foulahs. 

 N. lat. 16° 30'. 



Tor yllba, a town of the iftand of Sardinia ; 20 miles 

 E.N.E. of Algeri. — Alfo, a town of the ifland of Sardinia ; 

 13 miles S. of Oriftagni. 



Tor di Cane, a town of Naples, in the province of Bari ; 

 9 miles S.E. of Monopoli. 



Tor P'Jnt, or Hope's Nofc, a cape of England, on the 

 coaft of Devonfhire, forming the north point of Torbay. 



TORA, a town of Egypt, on the Nile ; 8 miles S. of 



Cairo Alfo, a town of Naples ; 9 miles N.N.E. of 



Sezza. 



TORACA, or BuTUA, a province of Africa, in the em- 

 pire of Mocaranga. 



TORADOR. See ^v\.i.- Fighting. 



TORAITO, in Geography, a town of Thibet ; 30 miles 

 N.E. of Tchontori. 



TORAL, El, a fea-port of Chili. S. lat. 27=55'. 



TORALIBA, in Ancient Geography, an ifland of the In- 

 dian fea, near the mouth of the river Indus, and 9 miles from 

 the ifland of Bybaga. Pliny. 



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

 circar of Surgooja ; 30 miles E.S.E. of Surgooja. 



TORBAY, is a commodious bay or fea-road, five miles 

 from Dartmouth, on the coaft of Devonfliire, England. It 

 is formed by two capes, that on the eaft called Bob's-Nofe, 

 that on the weft, Berry-Head. Its general fliape is femi- 

 lunar, inclofing a circumference of about twelve miles. The 

 winding fliores on both fides are fcreened with great ram- 

 parts of rock ; between which, in the central part, the ground 

 from the country, forming a gentle vale, falls eafily to tlie 

 water's edge. \Vood grows all round the bay, even on its 

 rocky fides, where it can get footing and flielter ; but in 

 the central part with great luxuriance. This noble bay has 

 often afforded proteftion to the fleets of England, which, in 

 their full array, ride fafely within its ample bofom. The 

 prince of Orange, afterwards king William III., landed here 

 on the 5th of November, 1688, to effeft the ever memorable 

 revolution. Near this bay is a remarkable place called 

 Kent's-Hole, confifting of many caverns entered by fubter- 

 raneous paffages, but having only one external entrance. 



Tor Abbey, the feat of George Cary, efq. is finely fituated 

 amidft fome ancient and noble trees, and commands an inte- 

 reftingprofpeft of Torbay, and the rocky tors in the vicinity. 

 The houfe is moftly modern ; though fome parts of the old 

 abbey are ftill preserved. It confifts of a centre and two 

 wings ; one of which is connefted with a caftellated gateway, 

 having oftagonal towers and battlements. Beyond this gate- 

 way is a large barn, which formerly belonged to the Abbey. 

 It is overfpread with a venerable mantle of ivy, and decorated 

 with loop-holes, and numerous buttrefles. The ancient 

 religious houfe of this place was erefted by William, lord 

 Briwire, or Bruer, in the time of king John, and endowed 

 by him with confiderable revenues, which were afterwards 

 much augmented by his fon. It was appropriated for canons 

 of the Premonftratcnfian order. After the Bruers, Tor 



Abbey 



