42 
TOR 
TOR 
wool in these descents of waters, in which the grains of gold 
remain, and the water passeth hrough, which Strabo witness- 
eth to be true. Ralegh. 
TO'RRENT, adj. [ torrens , Lat.] Rolling in a rapid 
stream. 
Fierce Phlegeton, 
Whose waves of torrent fire inflame with rage. Milton. 
TORRENTE, a town on the east coast of Spain, with 
5400 inhabitants; 5 miles south-west of Valencia. 
TORRES, a cape in the north of Spain, on the coast of 
Asturias. Lat. 43. 37. N. long. 5. 44. W. 
TORRES, a river of Paraguay, which enters the Parana. 
TORRES VEDRAS, a very old town of Portuguese 
Estremadura. It has 2300 inhabitants, four churches, an 
hospital, a castle, and four convents; 25 miles north-north- 
west of Lisbon. 
TORRE XIMENO, an inland town in the south of Spain, 
in Andalusia. It has 4000 inhabitants, and is situated at 
the junction of cross roads from Jaen to Andujar and Alcala 
la Real; 10 miles west of Jaen. 
TORRI, a little state of Western Africa, bordering on 
Ardrah, of which it is independent. 
TORRICELLA, a small town in the north of the king¬ 
dom of Naples, in the Abruzzo Citra. Population 3000 ; 6 
miles north of Lanciano. 
TORRICELLA, a small town of Italy, in the duchy of 
Parma, situated at the conflux of the Taro and the Po; 10 
miles north-by-west of Parma ; and 25 east of Piacenza. 
TORRICELLI (Evangelista), a very distinguished ma¬ 
thematician and philosopher, was born at Faer.za in 1608, 
and at the age of eighteen he went to Rome to complete his 
education, and particularly to extend his acquaintance with 
mathematics, under the instruction of Benedetto Casteili, who 
was professor of mathematics in that city. After the perusal 
of Galileo’s “ Treatise on Motion,” he composed a work of 
a similar kind, which being shewn to Galileo by Casteili, 
excited his admiration, and induced him to invite the young- 
author to his house. But as Galileo died three months after 
his arrival, he proposed to return to Rome; he was diverted, 
however, from his purpose, by being appointed mathema¬ 
tician and philosopher to the grand duke Ferdinand II., who 
also advanced him to the mathematical chair at Florence. 
In this honourable station he assiduously prosecuted his spe¬ 
culations and experiments, till death prematurely deprived 
the world of the benefit which could not fail to result from 
them, in the year 1647, at the age of 39 years. His “ Trea¬ 
tise on Motion,” already mentioned, was published in a 
« Collection of his Mathematical Works” in 1644. But Tor¬ 
ricelli’s fame is sufficiently established by his discovery of 
the true principle upon which the barometer is constructed. 
Torricelli was no less celebrated for his mathematical know¬ 
ledge, evinced by his improvement of the science of indi¬ 
visibles discovered by Cavalieri, and for his acquaintance 
with the principles of optics, by which he was led to improve 
the construction of telescopes and microscopes. His dis¬ 
coveries, by which his name is immortalized among the pro¬ 
moters of useful sciences, are recorded in his “ Lezioni Aca- 
demiche,” published at Florence in 1715, 4to. by Buona- 
venturi, with the life of Torricelli prefixed. The style with 
which he wrote his native language was pure and elegant, 
and his general character was such as to command the respect 
and esteem of all who knew him. 
TO'RRID, adj. [torride, Fr.; torridus, Lat.] Parched; 
dried with heat.—Galen’s commentators mention a twofold 
dryness; the one concomitated with a heat, which they call 
torrid tabes; the other with a coldness, when the parts are 
consumed through extinction of their native heat. Raney. 
—Burning; violently hot. 
This with torrid heat, 
And vapours as the Libyan air adust, 
Began to parch that temperate clime. Milton. 
It is particularly applied to the regions or zone between the 
tropics. 
Columbus first 
Found a temperate in a torrid zone; 
The feverish air fann’d by a cooling breeze. Drydcn. 
TORRIGLIA, a small town and castle of the Sardinian 
states, in the duchy of Genoa; 10 miles north-east of Genoa. 
TORRIMORE HEAD, a cape of Scotland, on the east 
coast of the island of Skye. Lat. 57. 22. N. long. 6. 2. W. 
TORRIN-BEG, a rock on the south-west of the island of 
Mull. Lat. 56. 19. N. long. 6. 20. W. 
TORRINGFORD, a post village of the United States, in 
Litchfield county, Connecticut. 
TORRINGTON, or Great Torrington, a market 
town of England, in the county of Devon, so termed to 
distinguish it from a village of the same name. This town 
is beautifully situated, partly on the summit, and partly on 
the declivity of a noble eminence, which forms the eastern 
bank of the river Torridge, over which there is a stone bridge 
of four arches. Market on Saturday, and four annual fairs ; 
10 miles south-by-west of Barnstaple, and 194 west-by-south 
of London. Lat. 50. 56. N. long. 4. 8. W. 
TORRINGTON, Black, another parish in the same 
county; 5 miles west-by-north of Hatherleigh. Population 
754. 
TORRINGTON, East and West, two parishes of Eng¬ 
land, in Lincolnshire; 4 miles north-east of Wragby. 
TORRINGTON, Great and Little, a parish and ham¬ 
let of England, in Herefordshire; 6 miles from Ledbury. 
Population 488. 
TORRINGTON, Little, a parish of England, in De¬ 
vonshire; 2 miles south of Great Torrington. Population 
481. 
TORRINGTON, a post township of the United States, in 
Litchfield county, Connecticut; 7 miles north of Litchfield. 
Population 1586. 
TORRISDALE, a village of Scotland in Sutherlandshire. 
The river Torrisdale, which rises from Loch Laoghal or 
Loyal, falls into the north sea at this village, where there is 
a valuable salmon fishery. 
TORRISDALE BAY, a bay on the north coast of Scot¬ 
land, in the county of Sutherland. 
TORRISLIOLME, a township, of England, in Lanca¬ 
shire; 2 miles north-west of Lancaster. 
TORRYBURN, a parish of Scotland, in Fifeshire, formed 
by the union of the baronies of Torry and Crombie. It is 
about 5 miles in length, and 2 in breadth. Population 1461. 
TORRYBURN, a village of Scotland, in the above parish; 
9 miles west of North Ferry, 4 south-west of Dunfermline, 
and 2 east of Culross. 
TORSAAS, a small town of the south of Sweden, in the 
province of Smaland, at the source of a river which also 
bears the name of Torsaas; 18 miles south-south-west of 
Calmar. 
TORSAKER, a small town in the central part of Sweden, 
province of Angermanland; 27 miles north of Hernosand, 
TORSE, s. [In heraldry.] A wreath. 
TO'RSEL, s. [torse, Fr.] Anything in a twisted form. 
—When you lay any timber on brickwork, as torsels for 
mantle trees to lie on, or lintols over windows, lay them in 
loam. Moxon. 
TORSHELLA, a petty town in the central part of 
Sweden, in Sudermania, on a river whieh runs into the 
Malar lake. It has only 500 inhabitants; 46 miles west of 
Stockholm. 
TORSHOK, a considerable town of the interior of Eu¬ 
ropean Russia, government of Tver, on the river Tverza. 
Its situation on an eminence is picturesque, and it is divided 
into parts by the river, which flows between steep banks, 
and is crossed by a bridge of boats. Population 10,000; 
45 miles north-west of Tver. Lat. 57. 2. 9. N. long. 34. 
5. 30. E. 
TORSION, s. [torsio, Lat.] The act of turning or twist¬ 
ing. 
TORSTASELLER-IIEAD, a cape of Scotland, on the 
east coast of the island of Lewis. 
TORT, 
