Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 23.djvu/239

Rh conspicuous hills are Mátherán and Tungär. Most of the hills were once fortified, but the forts built on them are now dilapidated and useless. The only rivers of any importance are the Vaitarna and the Ulhás, the former being navigable to a distance of about 20 miles from its mouth; the latter is also navigable in parts for small craft. There are no lakes; but the Vehár and the Tulsi, formed artificially, supply Bombay city with water. The forests, lying chiefly in the northern half of the district, occupy 1664 square miles, or about 40 per cent. of the total area. The average annual rainfall exceeds 90 inches.

In 1881 the population of Thana was returned at 908,548 (males 468,236, females 440,312); Hindus numbered 806,805, Mohammedans 42,391, and Christians 39,545. The district has seven towns with populations exceeding 10,000, namely, Bandra (14,987), (see below), Bhiwandi (13,837), Kalyan (12,910), Bassein (10,357), Panvel(l0,351), (Iran (10,149). The area under cultivation in 1885–86 was 1,002,448 acres, and 768,057 remained uncultivated. The total area of crops was 522,810 acres, including 5835 twice cropped. Rice is by far the most important product, and occupied 324,680 acres; it is also the chief article of export. Sugar-cane and plantains are cultivated largely, as well as mangoes and cocoa-nuts. In 1885–86 the gross revenue of the district was £245,182, the land yielding £130,409. The territory comprised in the district of Thána formed part of the dominions of the peshwá, and was annexed by the British in 1818 on the overthrow of Baji ráo. Since then the operations to put down the Koli robbers, which extended over several years, have been the only cause of serious trouble, and lately, in 1874 and 1877, there were a number of gang robberies which were suppressed, but not without difficulty.

 THÁNA, chief town of the above district and a station on the Great Indian Peninsula Railway, lies 20 miles north east of Bombay city, in 19° 11′ 30″ N. lat. and 73° 1′ 30″ E. long., and in 1881 had a population of 14,456 (males 7856, females 6600). It is a municipal town and a port, and contains a civil hospital and post-office.  THANE, or. See, ; and ,.  THAPSACUS. See,.  THAR AND PÁRKAR, or, a district in the east of Sind, Bombay presidency, India, with an area of 12,729 square miles. It lies between 24 13 and 26 15 N. lat. and between 68 51 and 71 8 E. long., and is bounded on the N. by Khaipur state, on the E. by the states of Jaisalmir, Malani, and Jodhpur, on the W. by Hyderabad district, and on the S. by the Runn of Cutch. The district is divided into two portions. The western part, called the " Pat," is watered by the Eastern Nara and the Mithrau canals, which constitute the sole water-system of the district, and the presence of water has created a quantity of jungle and marsh; the other part, called the " Thar," is a desert tract of rolling sand-hills, running north-east and south-west, composed of a fine but slightly coherent sand. To the south-east of Tharis Parkar, where there are ranges of rocky hills, rising to 350 feet above the surrounding level, and open plains of stiff clay. The Parkar portion of the district contains the ruins of several old temples; one of these is a Jain temple, which contained an idol of great sanctity and repute, known under the name of Gorcha. The climate is subject to consider able extremes in temperature, being excessively hot in the summer and very cold in winter, the cold increasing as the sand-hills are approached.

The census of 1881 returned the population at 203,344 (males 112,400, females 90,944); Hindus numbered 43,755, Mohammedans 109,924, and Christians only 14. Umarkot, the birth place of Akbar, is the chief town, with a population of 2828. The chief products of the district are rice, joar, bajri, cotton, and oil seeds. It is estimated that only 45 per cent, of the arable area is under cultivation. The exports are chiefly rice, wheat, oil-seeds, cattle, goats, and sheep; the imports consist of cotton, metals, dried fruits, piece goods, sugar, and tobacco. The manufactures are chiefly blankets, camel saddles, and coarse cotton cloth. The imperial revenue in 1885-86 amounted to 44,313, of which the land supplied 32,927. Very little is known of the early history of the district. The Soda Rajputs, said to be descendants of Parmar Soda, are supposed to have come into this part of Sind about 1226, when they quickly displaced the rulers of the country, though, according to other authorities, they did not conquer the country from the Sumras, the dominant race, before the beginning of the 16th century. The local dynasty of the Sodas succumbed to the Kalhoras about 1750, since which period the district has been subject more or less to Sind. The Talpur mirs succeeded the Kalhoras, and built a number of forts to overawe the people, who were lawless and addicted to robbery. On the British conquest of Sind in 1843 the greater part of the district was made over to Cutch; and in 1856 it was wholly incorporated in the province of Sind. In 1859 a rebellion broke out, which was quickly suppressed.

 THARRAWADDY, a district in the Pegu division of Burmah, with an area of 2014 square miles. It lies between 17 30 and 18 40 N. lat. and between 95 20 and 96 10 E. long., and is bounded on the N. by Prome, on the E. by the Pegu Yoma range, on the S. by Hanthawaddy, and on the W. by Henzada. The Pegu Yoma range separates Tharrawaddy from Toungu district, and forms the water-parting between the rivers Irrawaddy and Sittang; there are also many small elevations. The Irrawaddy, which traverses the district for 46 miles, is the principal navigable river. Another important river is the Hlaing, which runs through the district from north to south, receiving from the east, through numerous channels, the drainage of the Pegu Yoma Mountains, which fertilizes the plain on its eastern bank. There are twenty-three teak forests and four fuel reserves in the district, covering an area of 817 square miles. Among the wild animals generally found in the mountains are the elephant, rhinoceros, bison, and various kinds of feathered game.

In 1881 the population was returned at 278,155 (males 143,413, females 134,742), of whom 1985 were Hindus, 1110 were Mohammedans, 270,552 were Buddhists, whilst Christians and aborigines numbered 2363 and 2135 respectively. The area under cultivation in 1885-86 comprised 323,542 acres, and that available for cultivation 186,002 acres; forests occupied 364,524 acres. The chief pro ducts of the district are rice, sesamum, tobacco, sugar-cane, cotton, and fruits. The gross revenue of Tharrawaddy in 1885-86 was 85,254, of which the land yielded 51,523. The history of the district is identical with that of HEXZADA (q.v.). Tharrawaddy was formed in 1878 out of that portion of Henzada lying east of the Irrawaddy. Its headquarters are at Thoon-tshay, on the stream of the same name.

 THASOS, an island in the north of the Ægean Sea, off the coast of Thrace, 3 miles distant from the plain of the river Nestus (now the Kara-Su). The island was colonized at an early date by Phoenicians, attracted probably by its gold mines; they founded a temple of Hercules, which still existed in the time of Herodotus. Thasus, son of Phoenix, is said to have been the leader of the Phoenicians, and to have given his name to the island. In 720 or 708 B.C. Thasos received a Greek colony from Paros. In a war which the Parian colonists waged with the Saians, a Thracian tribe, the poet Archilochus threw away his shield. The Greeks extended their power to the mainland, where they owned gold mines which were even more valuable than those on the island. From these sources the Thasians drew great wealth, their annual revenues amounting to 200 or even 300 talents. Herodotus, who visited Thasos, says that the best mines on the island were those which had been opened by the Phoenicians on the east side of the island, facing Samothrace. After the capture of Miletus (494 B.C.) Histiaeus laid siege to Thasos. The attack failed, but, warned by the danger, the Thasians employed their revenues to build war ships and strengthen their fortifications. This excited the suspicions of the Persians, and Darius compelled them to surrender their ships and pull down their walls. After the defeat of Xerxes the Thasians joined the Greek confederacy; but afterwards (in 467, 465, or 464, according to different calculations), on account of a difference about the mines and marts on the mainland, they revolted. The Athenians defeated