TAW
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TEA
TAUTOLOGICAL Echo's, are fuch Echo's as repeat the fame Sound or Syllable many Times. See Echo.
TAWING, call'd aifo by fome Skinning, the Art or Man- ner of preparing or dreffing Skins in white ; to fit them for Ufe in divers Manufactures, particularly Gloves, Purfes, £«?c. See Leather, l$c.
All Kinds of Skins may be taw'd; but 'tis chiefly thofe of Sheep, Lambs, Kids, and Goats, that are ufed to be drefs'd this Way 5 as being thofe fitteft for Gloves.
Method of T awi n g, or of dnffwg Skins in white.
The Wooll or Hair being well got off the Skins, by means of Lime, £fc. (as defcrib'd under the Article Chamois) they are laid in a large Vat of Wood or Stone iht in the Ground, full of Water, wherein quick Lime has been ilaked ; where they continue a Month or fix Weeks, as the Weather is more or lefs hot, or as the Skins are requir'd to be more or left foft and pliant.
While in the Vat, the Water and Lime is chang'd twice, and they are taken out and put in again every Day. When taken out for the lafl Time, they are laid all Night to foak in a running Water, to get out the greatefi Part of the Lime ; and, in the Morning, are laid, Rx together, on the wooden Leg, to get off the Flefli, by fcraping them ftoutly, one after another, on the Flefli Side, with a cutting two-handed In- flrument, call'd a Knife ; and while this is in Hand, they cut off the Legs, and other fuperfluous Parts about the . Extremes.
This done, they are laid in a Vat or Pit with a little Wa- ter ; where being well full'd with wooden Pertles for a quarter of an Hour, the Vat is fill'd up with Water, and the Skins rinced therein.
They are next thrown on a clean Pavement to drain ; which done, they are caft into a frefli Pit of Water, where being well rinced, they are taken out, and laid on the wooden Leg, fix at once, with the Hair Side outermoft, over which they rub a kind of Whetftone very briskly, to foften, and fit them to receive four or five more Preparations given them on the Leg, both on the Flefli Side and the Hair Side, with the Knife, after the Manner above mention'd.
Thefe over, they are put in a Pit with Water and Wheat Bran, and flirr'd about therein, with wooden Poles, till the Bran is percciv'd to flick to them ; and then they are left : As they life of themfelves to the Top of the Water by a kind of Fermentation, they are plung'd down again to the Bottom ; and, at the fame Time, Fire is fet to the Liquor, which takes as eafily as if it were Brandy, but goes out the Moment the Skins are all cover'd.
This Operation is repeated as often as the Skins rife above Water 5 and when they rile no more, they are taken out ; laid on the wooden Leg, the Flefli Side outermoft 5 and the Knife pafs'd over it to fcrape off the Bran. The Bran thus clear'd, the Skins are laid in a large Basket, where they are loaden with huge Stones to promote their draining ; and when fufficiently drain'd, their Feeding is given them, which is perform'd after the following Manner.
For a hundred large Sheep Skins, and for fmaller in Pro- portion, they take eight Pounds of Alum, and three of Sea Salt, and melt the whole with Water in a Veffel over the Fire ; pouring the Diffolution out while yet lukewarm into a kind of Trough, wherein is twenty Pounds of the fineft Wheat Flower, with eight Dozen Yolks of Eggs ; of all which is form'd a kind of Parte, a little thicker than Chil- drens Pap ; which, when done, is put into another Veffel, to be ufed in Manner following.
A Quantity of hot Water being pour'd into the Trough wherein the Parte was prepar'd ; two Spoonfuls of the Parte is mix'd therewith ; in order to which, they ufe a wooden Spoon, which contains juft what is requir'd for a Dozen Skins : And when the whole is well diluted, two Dozen of the Skins are plung'd therein : Care being taken, by the Way, that the Water ben't too hot, which would fpoil the Pafte, and burn the Skins.
Having rtaid fome time in the Trough, they are taken out, one after another, with the Hand ; and flretch'd out ; which is repeated twice : When they have all had their Parte, they are put in Tubs, where they arc full'd afrefh with wooden Pertles.
Then they are put in a Vat, where they remain five or fix Days, or more j and are at lafl taken out in fair Weather, and hung out to dry on Cords or Racks : The quicker they dry the' better 5 for if they be too long a drying, the Salt and Alum within them, are apt to make them rife in a Grain, which is an effential Fault in this Kind of Dreffing.
When the Skins arc dty, they are put up in Bundles, and juft dipt in fair Water 5 from which being taken out and drain'd, they are thrown into an empty Tub ; and, after fome Time, are taken out, and trampled under Foot.
They are then drawn over a flat Iron Inftrument, the Top whereof is round like a Battledore, and the Bottom fix'd in- to a wooden Block 5 to ftretch and open them ; When open'd,
they are hung in the Air upon Cords to dry ; and when dry, are open d a fecond Time by repaffing them over the fame In- flrument. °
Laflly, they are laid on a Table, pull'd out, and laid imooth ; and are thus in a Condition for Sale and Ufe
After the fame Manner are drefs'd Horfes, Cows,'Calves Skins, c5c for the Sadlers, Harnefs-makers, &c. as alfo P,? gS V , ?! n. S Skins ' **■ excepting that in thefe the Ufe of the Parte is omitted, Salt and Alum Water being lumcient. &
TAWNY, in Heraldry. See Tenne.
TAX, a Tribute fettled on every Town, after a certain Rate ; and paid yearly towards the Expences of the Govern- ment. See Tribute and Impost.
The ancient Tax was what the Subfidy now is ; excepting that the Tax was fix'd to a cettain Sum, viz. the Fifteenth Part of what the Place was anciently valu'd at, whereas the Subfidy is variable according to Occafion ; and that the Tux was levy'd on Cities and Towns, but the Subfidy on Perfons, See Suesidy.
Anciently, the Tax was impos'd by the King at his Plea- fure; but Edward I. bound himfelf, and his Succeffors, from that Time forward, not to levy it but by Confent of the Realm. See Fifteenth ; fee alfo Gild and Witek.- den.
The Word Tax is form'd from the Greek rzfr, Order. See Taxis.
The Rate, gfc. of the Tax was anciently call'd Tallage from the French taille, Tax. See Taiele.
The People of France were Strangers to Tallies, or Taxes, till the Time of S. Louis, when they were firft impos'd in Form of Subfidics, necefliiry for the Support of the War in the Holy Land.
They were then extraordinary Levies, and were rais'd by Capitation ; but were afterwards made perpetual under Charles VII. 'Philip the Fair, to raife Money without di- fturbing the People, call'd the People, as a third Eftate, into the general Councils of the Realm. See Estate.
The Name Taille is deriv'd from the Tally of petty Tradefmen ; in regard the Country People appointed to col- led it, not being able to write, fcored down what they re- ceiv'd on Tallies. See Tally.
Tax is alfo the Ttibute which Tenants were occafionallv to pay their Lord. See Lord and Tenant.
Moft Lords had a Right of taxing on four Occafions, viz. when the Lord was taken Prifoner in a juft War ; when he made his eldeft Son a Knight ; when he marry'd his eldeft Daughter to a Gentleman ; and when he made the Voyage of the Holy Land. See Croisade.
Nattda fhews the extravagant Rife of this Kind of Taxes- Ihofc, he obferves, which under Charles VI. only amounted to the Sum of 40000 Livres, were increas'd, under Charles Vll. to the Sum of 1800000 Livres ; under Louis XI to 4740000 Livres ; under Charles VIII. to 6000000; under Louis All. to 7640000 Livres.
Taxes were diftinguifh'd into/ree, which were thofe due in the four Cafes, by Freemen, or thofe who held free Lands - m&fervile and bafe, which were thofe due from Perfons of bafe Condition.
They were alfo diftinguifh'd into real mdferfonal. The perfmal were impos'd on the Head of the Servant or Man in Main-morte, and fo follow'd him where-ever he went.
TAXERS, two Officers yearly chofen in Cambridge, to fee the true Gauge of all Weights and Meafures.
The Name took beginning from Taxing and Rating the Rents of Houfes, which was anciently the Duty of their Office.
TAXIS, in the ancient Architeaure, the fame with Orion- nance in the new, is defcrib'd by Vitrnvius to be that which gives every Part ot a Building its juft Dimenfions, with re- gard to its Ufes. See Ordonnance.
TAYL, in Heraldry, (gc. is particularly ufed for the Tail of an Hart ; thofe of feveral other Creatures having peculiar and diftinfl Names.
As that of a Buck, Roe, or any other Deer, is call'd the Single ■ of a Boar, the Wreath ; of a Fox, the Bs/S ; of a Wolf the Stem ; and of a Hare and Coney, the Scut.
TCHELMINAR, or TCHILMINAR, or, as we pro- nounce it, Chtlminar, one of the moft celebrated Ruins in the World. See Ruins.
Tchelminar is the Remains of a Palace, fuppos'd by fome to have flood in the Middle of the City EJtekhar, built by Queen Homtei) others will have it the Palace of the Kings of T'erjia, in the ancient 'Perfepolis, the Capital of that Kingdom. "
TheWord in the yer/M»figniiics4oTowers, or 40 Columns. See Chilminar.
TEA, or, as the CKnefe call it, Tcha, the Leaf of a Tree or Shrub, growing in feveral Provinces of China, Japan and Siam. '
The Tea Plant affecls Va'leys, and the Feet of Mountains, and a flony Soil. Its Seed is ufiially fown in Places expos'cf to the South - 3 and bears three Years after fown.. The Root
refembles
