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striction of age or number ; the choice of a wife
is the privilege of the elder brother. This extra
ordinary custom, and the celibacy of priests, may
have been intended to gard against too numerous
a population in an unfertile country. The Thi-
betians preserve entire the mortal remains of
their sovereign lamas only : every other corpse
is either consumed by fire or exposed to be the pro-
miscuous food of beasts and birds of prey. They
have a great veneration for the cow, and highly
respect the waters of the Ganges, the source of
which they believe to be in heaven. The sun-
niasses. or Indian pilgrims, often visit Thibet as
a holy place; and the grand lama always maintains
a body of nearly 300 of them in his pay. See Palte.
Thiel, or Tid, a strong town of the Nether-
lands, in-Guelderland, seated on the Waal, 18 m.
W. of Nirneguen.
Thielet, a town of the Netherlands, in W. Flan-
ders, 10 m. N. of Courtray.
T'liiengen, a town of Baden, on the river W7at-
tach, 13 m. W. of Schaffhausen.
Thiers, a town of France, department of Puy
de Dome, with manufactures of paper, thread,
leather, and cutlery. It is seated on the side of
a hill, 21 m. E. by N. of Clermont.
Thionville, a strong town of France, in the de-
partment of Moselle. The Austrians bombarded
it in 1792, but were obliged to raise the seige. It is
seated on the Moselle, over which is a bridge
defended by a hornwork, 14 m. N. of Mentz and
33 S. W. of Treves.
Thirsk, a borough in N. Yorkshire, Eng. with
manufactures of coarse linens, sacking, &c. 214
m. N. by W. of London.
Thiva, or Thebe:, a celebrated city of Greece,
and a bishop’s see 1 he ancient city was 4 m. in
circumference, but only that part of it is now in-
habited which was originally the castle, called
Cadmsea, from Cadmus the founder. In the vi-
cinity is a fine sort of white clay, of which bowls
for pipes are made, that dry naturally and become
as hard as stone. It is seated between two riv-
ers, 28 m. N. W. of Athens.
Thiviers, a town of France, department of Dor-
dogne, 13 m. N. N. E. of Perigueux.
Tholen, a town of the Netherlands, in an island
of its name belonging to the province of Zealand, 4
m. N. W. of Bergen-op-Zoom.
Thomas, St. an island in the Atlantic, lying
under the equator, near the W. coast of Guinea,
discovered in 1640 by the Portuguese. It is al-
most round, is about 30 m. in diameter, and con-
sists chiefly of hills, intermixed witb valleys,
which are often filled with a thick fog. The soil
is fertile, and produces plenty of sugar-canes, rice,
and millet. On the same* vine are blossoms and
green and ripe grapes, all the year round. The cli-
mate is unwholesome to the Portuguese, but it
agrees well with the original natives, and also
with the cattle, which are larger and finer here than
on the coast of Guinea. In 1641 this island was ta-
ken by the Dutch; but they soon relinquished it
in consequence of the inclemency of the climate.
Pavoasan is the capital.
Thomas, St., one of the Virgin islands, in the
VV. Indies, with a harbour, a town, and a fort.
It is 15 m. in circumference, and the trade is con-
siderable,particularly in times of peace. It surren-
dered to the English in 1807, but was restored to
the Danes in 1814. Long. 65.26. W., lat. 11.22. N.
Thomas, St., a town of Hindoostan, in the Car-
natic, formerly a powerful city. It is inhabited
by weavers and dyers, and noted for making the
91 |
best colored stuffs in India. 3 m. S. ofMa
dras.
Thomastown, a borough of Ireland, in the
county of Kilkenny, on the river Noire, 10 m. S.
S. E. of Kilkenny.
Thomastown, ph. Lincoln Co. Me. on Penob-
scot Bay. 37 m. E. Wiscasset. Pop. 4,221. Great
quantities of lime are burnt here and exported to
all parts of the country. The quarries of limestone
also produce fine white and black marble.
Thompson, ph. Windham Co. Conn. in the N.
E. angle of the state. Pop. 3,388; a township of
Sullivan Co. N. Y. 34 m. N. W. Newburg. Pop.
2,459; townships in Sandusky, Delaware, and
Geauga Cos. Ohio.
Thompsontown, p.v. Mifflin Co. Pa.
Thompsonville, p.v. Culpeper Co. Va. and
Chesterfield Dis. S. C.
Thonon, a town of the Sardinian stales, in Sa
voy, with a palace and several convents ; seated
on the lake of Geneva at the influx of the river
Drama, 16 m. N. E. of Geneva.
Thorn, a city of W. Prussia, formerly a Han-
seatic town. In the Church of St. John is the
epitaph of the celebrated Nicholas Copernicus,
who was born here. It is divided into the Old
and New town, and has a celebrated protestant
academy. In 1703 it was taken by the Swedes,
who demolished the fortifications ; and in 1793
it was seized by the king of Prussia and annex-
ed to his dominions. It was taken by the French
in 1806, and remained in their hands till 1812. It
is seated on the Vistula, over which is a long wood
en bridge, 67 m. S. of Dantzic and 105. N. W. of
Warsaw. Long. 18. 42. E.,lat. 53. 6. N.
Thorn, a small but thriving town in W. York-
shire, Eng. 165 m. N. by W. London.
Thornbury, a borough in Gloucestershire, Eng.
122 m. W. of London.
Thornville, ph. Perry Co. Ohio.
Thornbury, a township of Delaware Co. Pa.
Thornhill, a town of Scotland, in Dumfries-
shire, with manufactures of coarse linen and
woolen cloth, seated near the river Nith, 15 m.
N. N. W. of Dumfries.
Thornsburg, p.v. Spotsylvania Co. 18 m. E.
Fredericksburg.
Thornton, p.t. Grafton Co. N. H. 48 m. N. Con-
cord. Pop. 1,049.
Thouars, a town of France department of
Deux Sevres. The castle of its ancient dukes
is on a rock, surrounded by walls, 120 feet high,
built of white stone. It is seated on a hill, by
the river Thone, 32 m. S. E. of Angers and 162
m. S. W. of Paris.
Thunder Bay, a bay in the N. W. part of
Lake Huron, so named from the frequent thunder
heard there.
Thrapston.a town in Northamptonshire, Eng.
73 m. N. N. W. of London.
Three HiUs Island, one of the New Hebrides,
in the S. Pacific, 12 m. in circumference, lying
to the S. of Masicollo.
Three Rivers, or Trois Rivieres, a town of Low-
er Canada, situate on a river of the same name,
which before its conjunction with the St. Law
rence, is divided by two islands into three branch
es. It hag two churches, a convent, and, an
hospital. 9 m. up the river is a considerable iron
foundry. 70 m. W. S. W. of Quebec.
Thuin, a town of the Netherlands, in the teri
tory of Liege : seated on the Sambre, 8 m. S. W.
Charleroy and 15 S. E. of Mons.
Thun, a town of Switzerland, capital of a bailj
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