Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XV.djvu/779

 TIERS ETAT ids of Navarin and Hoste to the south, sep- arated from the last named by the Beagle channel; and Dawson, Clarence, and Desola- tion islands to the west. All these islands deeply indented. They are mountainous, id many of the peaks are more than 5,000 high, while the highest, Mt. Sarmiento, is mt 6,900 ft. The limit of perpetual snow about 4,000 ft. The soil is generally a swampy peat, and to the height of 1,500 ft. is >vered with forests of beech. The geologi- il formation is principally clay slate, green- tone, and granite. The climate is one of the , T orst in the world; storms, sudden gusts of and, rain, snow, and mist constantly suc- each other. The gigantic seaweed ma- rocystis pyrifera is common on the coasts in the straits, and affords shelter for in- mmerable shell fish, without which the natives rould find it extremely difficult to subsist, jer, guanacos, foxes, sea otters, mice, bats, id a few other animals are found, and birds, fcicularly sea fowl, i numerous. The na- ives are of the same 3e as the Patagoni- is, but smaller, and lose of the S. E. por- tion of the group are ill made, and ill )king. Their cloth- ig consists entirely of lanaco or seal skin, aeir huts, generally ilt close to the shore some sheltered spot, re conical, made of ranches or small trees ick in the earth, 7 or ft. in diameter and 4 5 ft. in height, with small hole for a door. -Tierra del Fuego was ^covered by Magalhaens in 1520, and re- ived its name from the numerous fires seen .uring the night along the shore. (See MA- GELLAN, STRAITS OF.) TIERS ETAT. See STATES GENERAL. TIFFlJVj a city and the county seat of Seneca co., Ohio, on the Sandusky river, 77 m. K". by W. of Columbus ; pop. in 1870, 5,648. It is an important railroad centre, four lines inter- secting here, viz.: the Cincinnati, Sandusky, and Cleveland; Toledo, Tiffin, and Eastern; Mansfield, Coldwater, and Lake Michigan ; and Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Chicago. There are important manufactories, including one of agricultural implements, one of woollens, one of steam engines, &c., two of shoes, two of sash, doors, and blinds, one of wagon hounds, one of furniture, one of stoves, and one of carriages. The city contains a national bank, a savings bank, five public schools, one daily and four weekly (one German) newspapers, and 11 churches. It is the seat of Heidelberg college and theological seminary, founded by TIFLIS 749 the German Reformed church in 1850. The college has classical and scientific courses. In 1874-'5 there were 10 instructors (2 theologi- cal) and 221 students (13 theological, 102 col- legiate, and 106 preparatory); the libraries contained 5,000 volumes. TIFLIS. I. A government of Asiatic Russia, in Transcaucasia, comprising the central part of the former kingdom of Georgia; area, 15,614 sq. m. ; pop. in 1871, 606,584. (See GEORGIA.) II. A city, capital of the govern- ment, and formerly of Georgia, on the river Kur, 1,100 ft. above the level of the Black sea, in lat. 41 41' N., Ion. 44 50' E.; pop. estimated at 60,000, composed of Russians, Georgians, Armenians, Persians, Jews, Ger- mans, and French. It occupies a long stretch of uneven ground on both sides of the Kur, and is almost surrounded by an amphitheatre of brown barren hills. It is a mixture of Asi- atic and European architecture. The modern quarter is laid out in broad streets and open Tiflis. squares, and contains the grand-ducal palace, the theatre, public buildings, and residences of the authorities. The old part of the town has narrow unpaved lanes and alleys, mud or sun-baked brick houses with flat roofs and few windows, and vaulted bazaars, and in it is concentrated all the life and business of Tiflis. The town is the headquarters of an army of 150,000 men, employed in frontier duty, in surveillance of the tribes, and to a great extent in making roads. Tiflis is celebrated for its warm baths. The mineral springs are chiefly at the S. end of the city, and the temperature of the hottest is 115 and that of the coldest 75. These waters are said to be very benefi- cial in cutaneous disorders and rheumatic com- plaints. The climate is exceedingly hot, and bilious diseases prevail. The manufactures consist of carpets, shawls, &c. ; and a consid- erable trade is carried on with Persia. A rail- way, following the upper course of the Kur and the lower of the Rion or Phasis, con- nects Tiflis with Poti on the Black sea. Tiflis