TOR 



T O li 



culty of conceiving how the torpedo can give a {hock in 

 water, he obferves that thofe eleftricians are miilaken, who 

 fuppofe that the eleftric fluid will only pafs along the 

 (horteft and beft conduftors. When different circuits are 

 made (e.g. by means of iron wire, and the human body) 

 between the pofitive and negative fides of a charged jar, 

 fome parts of the eleftric fluid will pafs along each of them ; 

 though the greater quantity will pafs through thofe in which 

 it meets with the leaft refiftance. Thus, a perfon may re- 

 ceive a part of the fhock given by the torpedo in water, by 

 holding one hand on the lower furface of an eleftric organ, 

 and the other on the upper, or by applying his hands to 

 other parts of the fifh, or by dipping them into the water, 

 fo that one hand is nearer to the upper furface of the 

 eleftric organs than the other ; yet the greater part of the 

 fhock or charge may pafs at the fame time in all direftions 

 over the furface of the fi(h, or through the fublf ance of its 

 body, or through the water contiguous to it. With refpeft 

 to the other difficulties, he folves them by reafoiiings fimilar 

 to thofe urged by Mr. Wal(h, and by concurring experi- 

 ments. Mr. Cavendilh has confirmed thefe reafonings by 

 means of his artificial torpedo, which is a piece of wood 

 A B C F G D E {Plate XV. Ekarhity, fg. 4.) of which 

 the part A B C D E is cut into the fhape of the torpedo, 

 and l6| inches long from A to D, and lof inches broad 

 from B to E : the part C F G D is forty inches long, and 

 ferves for a handle. M N /; m is a glafs tube let into a 

 groove cut in the wood : W to is a piece of wire paffing 

 through the glafs tube, and foldered at W to a thin piece of 

 pewter, R r, lying flat on the wood, and intended to repre- 

 fent the upper furface of the eleftric organs : on the other 

 fide of tlie wood there is placed fuch another glafs tube, 

 with a wire paffing through it, and foldered to another piece 

 of pewter like R r, intended to reprefcnt the lower lurface 

 of thofe organs. The whole part A B C D E is covered 

 with a piece of flieep-fl<in leather. In making experiments 

 with this apparatus, after thoroughly foaking it in water of 

 the faltnefs of the fea, made by diffolving one part of com- 

 mon fait in thirty of water, tlie end of one of the wires is 

 fattened to the negative iide of a large battery, and when it 

 is fufficiently charged, the poiitive fide is touched with the 

 end of the other wire ; by which means the battery will 

 be difcharged through the torpedo. In experiments with 

 this torpedo under water, Mr. Cavendifh ufes a trough, 

 A B C D E {Jig. 5.), the lengtli B C of whicli is nineteen 

 inches, the depth A B fourteen inches, and tlie breadth 

 thirteen inches. The battery which he ufed was com- 

 pofed of forty-five jars, of very thin glafs, difpofed in fcven 

 rows, and fo contrived, that he could ufe any number of 

 rows at pleafure. Mr. Cavendifh was enabled, by means 

 of this apparatus, when immerfed in water, to give (hocks 

 much refembling thofe given by the living animal. He felt 

 fimilar concuffions likcwife when he dipt his hands in the 

 ■water, at the diilance of two or three inches from it : and as 

 it is affirmed, that a perfon accidentally treading on the 

 living fifh, when buried in the fand, is fometimes (hocked by 

 it, he imitated this experiment with his artificial torpedo, 

 and received (hocks from it. The events, indeed, in the 

 greater part of his experiments, too numerous to be recited 

 in this place, with this artificial fi(h, relative to the (hock, 

 feem to agree fufficiently with thofe made by Mr. Walfh 

 with the living animal. The experiments which Mr. Ca- 

 vendi(h made with this machine, relative to the circumflance 

 of the (hock of the real torpedo not being able to pafs 

 through any fenfible fpace of air, appear likewife to cor- 

 refpond with Mr. Walih's trials. A piece of fealln^-wax 

 covered with tin-foil freely condufted a ffiock from tie 



artificial torpedo ; but on making as fmall a feparation^ 3» 

 poffible through the metal with a penknife, the (hock would 

 not pafs. See on the fubjeft of this article for Mr. WaKh's 

 papers, Phil. Tranf. vol. Ixiii. part ii. p. 461 . Id. vol. Ixiv, 

 part ii. p. 464. For Mr. Hunter's paper. Id. vol. Ixiii. 

 part ii. p. 481. For Dr. Ingenhoufz's, Id. vol. Ixv. parti, 

 p. I. For Mr. Cavendiffi's, Id. vol. Ixvi. parti, p. 169. 

 See alfo fir John Pringle's Six Difcourfes, &c. by Dr. Kip- 

 pis, p. 45, &c. 



ToRPKDO, a machine fo called, invented by Mr. Fulton 

 of the United States, and deftined to blow up the largeft 

 (hips. It is an apparatus of wliich the principal piece is a 

 copper-box, incloiiag a certain quantity of gunpowder, 

 and prepared with an interior fpring which fets fire to the 

 powder, at the fame time that the whole is inclofed in a 

 covering of cork, or fome other light wood, to make the 

 torpedo float luidcr the furface of the water. It is placed 

 under the keel of the veffel to be deftroyed, by means of an 

 harpoon direfted againft the fides of the (hip. 



TORPEN, in Geography, a town of Tranfylvania ; 4 

 miles S.S.W. of Biilriz. 



TORPERLEY, a town of England, in the county of 

 Chefter; 10 miles S.E. of Chefter. 



TORPETCHIN, a town of Thibet ; 100 miles S. of 

 Haratoube. 



TORPHICHEN, a paiifli in the (hire of Linlithgow, 

 Scotland, is fituated four miles S. by W. from the (hire- 

 town, and extends about nine miles in length, and two and 

 a hnlf in breadth. Its general appearance is hilly, par- 

 ticularly towards the E. end, where the hill called Cairn 

 Naple is fituate, which is elevated 1498 feet above the level 

 of the fea. The greater part of the pari(h is inclofed ; and 

 where the land is unfit for cultivation, confiderable planta- 

 tions have been made. Coal is abundant ; and here are 

 large quarries of excellent frce-llone ; fevcral feams of iron- 

 ftone, rich in metal ; and a ftrong chalybeate fpring. 

 In the year 181 1, the population was returned as 1 131, 

 occupying 236 houfes. The hofpital or preceptory of 

 Torphichen, long the principal refidence of the knights of 

 St. John of Jerufalem, was founded, in 11 20, by king 

 David I. The choir and a fquare tower ftill remain, and 

 are fine fpecimens of the elegance and beauty of the archi- 

 tefture. There are two wings, one on the S. and the other 

 on the N. fide ; and evident marks of other two on the 

 E. and W. This preceptory had the privilege of fanftuary, 

 which is fuppofed to have extended a mile in every direct 

 tion : there is a (lone in the church-yard as a centre, and 

 four others at the dillance of a mile, E., W., N., and S., 

 with St. John's crofs upon them, which (land about two 

 feet above the furface. At the Reformation, the vajl 

 eftates of that opulent order were converted into a temporal 

 lordfliip, in favour of fir James Sandilands, lord St. John of 

 Jerufalem ; in which noble family the title of lord Tor- 

 phichen ftill remains. Near Loch-Coat, in this pariih, are 

 the ruins of a caftle, which ftill difplay baronial gloom and 

 grandeur. About a mile to the E. of the village, is an 

 altar of four great unpolilhed whin-ftones, which is faid to 

 have been a druidical place of wor(hip ; and about a mile to 

 the N.W., is Boudane Hill, upon which are evident marks 

 of a military ftation Beauties of Scotland, vol. iii. Lin- 

 lithgow. Cai-lifle's Topographical Diftionary of Scotland. 

 TORPON, a town of Little Bucharia ; 20 miles S.W. 

 of Acfu. 



TORQUATA, in Zoology, a name given by many 

 authors to the common or water-fnake, from the remarkable 

 ring it has about its neck. See Natrix. 



TORQUE, in Heraldry, a round roll of cloth twilled 

 1 ^nd 



