Knight's cyclopædia of the industry of all nations, 1851 / [edited by George Dodd].

Date:
[1851]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Knight's cyclopædia of the industry of all nations, 1851 / [edited by George Dodd]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    947/1000
    itai TUBS'. TUBNING. iraa at a point about two miles below London Bridge A similai- shaft was sunk on the north side of the river. The excavation for the tunnel was an oblong square, 38 feet wide and 22 feet 6 inches high, presenting a sectional araa of 855 square feet. The shield by which the excavation was effected consisted of twelve massive frames of iron, placed side by side, and capable of being shd forward for a short distance independently of each other. The whole apparatus may be compared to a massive cofferdam laid on its side, and capable of being moved forward by the action of screws abutting against the end of the completed brick-work, which foUowed it up closely. Each frame of the shield consisted of three stones, each of which formed a ceU large enough for one man to work in conveniently. The ar- rangements for supporting the wet clay of the Thames bed while the brickwork was bemg prepared, were of a very ingenious descnption. The excavation of the tunnel was com- menced in January, 1826, in a stratum of clay; but several irruptions of the river took place; one, in 1828, was so senous in its consequences that the Company did not re- sume operations till 1835. The tunnel is 1200 feet in length between the two shafts on the opposite banks of the river. It was not until 1843 that the Thames Tunnel was opened for foot passengers. This grand undertaking has a,ltogether failed to realise the commercial anticipations of its projectors. It has been, and stiU is, Uttlemore than a penny'lion' of London ; nor is it easy to see any probabihty that it will acquire trading importance. _ TURF. A few details respectmg turt wiU be found under Fuel and Peat. TURIN is the name not only of the capital of the Sardinian dominions, but also that of a division of the continental territory of the kingdom of Sardinia. This division has many pro^ces, which vary in produce and industry. In Piqnerol, com, exceUent fruits, good wine, chestnuts, and silk, are the chief products The forests are extensive, and there are many factories of silk, woollen, and leather. In the province of Torino, extensive forests and pastures, abundant wheat-crops, wine, and silk, form the elements of the wealth of this country; iron, vitriol, marble, and Ume, are the chief minerals. The industrial and com- mercial activity is considerable. The province of Susa produces com, wine, flax, hemp, and mulberries; and there are manufactures ot leather, gloves, and thread. In the province of Ivrea the soU produces abundantly corn, excellent wine, and hemp. The pastures are good and cattle very numerous; silk is an important product. Iron, copper, marble, slate, and building stone, are the chief mine- rals. In the capital, Turin or Torino, the manufactures comprise woollen cloths, silks, hosiery, hats, gloves, optical instruments, chocolate, hqueurs, tobacco, leather, paper, earthen, and china-ware, carriages, arms, and tapestry , .„ ■ j TURKEY. The large but lU-organised Turkish Empire is composed of many distinct portions, the produce, industry, and commerce of which have been briefly noticed under various headings relating to those districts and provinces. We may however state that the value of the British produce and manufac- tures exported in 1849, to European Turkey, exclusive of WaUachia and Moldavia, was 2 371 669. ' Of Turkish industry, we have had a few oppor- tunities of judging at the Great Exhibition TURKEY-HONE is a slaty, grayish, opaque, soft kind of stone, found in various parts of Europe and Asia. It is composed of siUca, lime, alumina, and carbomc acid. When cut and polished, it is used for sharp- ening small cutting instruments. [Grind- stones.] . „ TURMERIC comprises many species ot the Curcuma genus of plants. Of the Iroad- leaved Turmeric, the tubers are aromatic, and are used by the Hindoos, not only as a stimu- lating condiment and a medicine, but as a perfume. Its sensible properties are much Uke those of ginger, but not so powerful. It is employed in the East in cases of disease, as coUc, cramp, torpor, &c., where stimulants are required. It is a native of Bengal, China, and various other parts of Asia, and of the Asiatic Islands. Some of the other species yield a kind of gmger, and some a kind of arrowroot. The common Turmericis occasion- ally wild, and it is also extensively cultivated in China, Java, Malacca, and in Bengal, prospermg in a moist but not swampy soil. The Chinese sort is most esteemed, rather on account of its superior richness in colouring matter than from any other cause. Two varieties are found in commerce, the Round Turmeric and Long Turmeric. Tm-meric possesses an acrid volatUe oil and a colouring matter. It is used on account of the latter principle as a dye. The volatile oil gives it aromatic quahties, which render it useful in languid habits, where digestion is difficult and the circulation slow. It is of some importance as a dye; but it is as a condiment, both in the East and in this country, that it merits notice, as it is an ingredient in all curry powders and curry pastes. TURNING is the process of giving a cu:-