Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XV.djvu/827

 TONTY TOOKE adults of 70. In 1726 the last survivor of the 13th and 14th classes was the widow of a poor surgeon who had invested 300 francs in two tontines, and who enjoyed at her death, at the age of 96, an income of 73,500 francs. Ton- tines were again resorted to by the French government in 1733 and 1734; but in 1763 they were interdicted as a measure of finance. In 1791 a tontine called the caisse Lafarge, on a more extended scale, was established under private management ; but by a gross blunder or fraud, the interest promised was impossible, and the subscribers, whose united contribu- tions amounted to 60,000,000 francs, never received even simple interest, and the entire capital was lost in the disasters of the time. In England tontines have been occasionally resorted to as a measure of finance, the last opened being in 1789, and a few private ones have been established. In 1871 the Alexandra park company in London proposed to organize an institution similar to the South Kensington museum by means of a tontine to cease June 80, 1886; but the scheme proved unsuccess- ful, and was abandoned in 1872. In the United States there have been private annuities of this kind. The New York tontine association was organized in 1790, with 203 shares valued at $250 each. The tontine coffee house was built in "Wall street, and about 1850 the property was leased for business purposes. The lease was to expire and the property to revert to the owners of the shares depending upon the last seven surviving lives. This contingency oc- curred in 1870, but proceedings for winding up the affairs of the association and the parti- tion of the property are still pending (1876). Buildings have been erected in some other cities on the same plan. TCMiTY, Henry de, an Italian explorer, died at Fort Louis, Mobile, in September, 1704. The son of Lorenzo Tonti, inventor of the tontine system of association, he entered the French army as a cadet, served in the navy, and lost a hand. He came to Canada with La Salle in 1678. Near the present site of Peoria on the Illinois river he assisted in building a fort in 1680, which La Salle left in his com- mand. He attempted a white settlement in Arkansas. In 1685 he brought a force of west- ern Indians to join in attacking the Senecas. Twice he went to meet La Salle at the mouth of the Mississippi, but without finding him. He descended a third time to meet Iberville, and remained in the gulf region. His memoir of La Salle's voyage, published in Margry's Relations et memoires, has been translated into English under the title " Account of M. de la Salle's last Expedition and Discoveries in North America" (12mo, London, 1698 ; 8vo, New York, 1814; in French's "Historical Collections of Louisiana," vol. i., 1846). TOOELE, a W. county of Utah, bordering on Nevada, and bounded N. E. by Great Salt lake; area, 8,320 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 2,177. The greater portion is a barren desert. The 797 hilly portions contain some valuable arable and grazing land, and mines of gold, silver, cop- per, and lead. In the W. part are large fertile valleys and several mining districts. The chief productions in 1870 were 23,483 bushels of wheat, 2,505 of Indian corn, 2,840 of oats, 1,60 of barley, 9,848 of potatoes, 8,497 Ibs. of wool, and 973 tons of hay. There were 511 horses, 2,041 cattle, 4,929 sheep, and 121 swine; 1 flour mill, and 2 saw mills. Capital, Tooele. TOOKE, John Home, an English politician, born in Westminster, June 25, 1736, died at Wimbledon, March 18, 1812. He was the son of John Home, a poulterer, was educated at Cambridge, became an usher in a school at Blackheath, took orders, and obtained a cu- racy in Kent. He was ordained priest in 1760, and for three years officiated in the chapelry of New Brentford. He then went to France as travelling tutor to the son of Elwes the miser. In 1765 he wrote a pamphlet in favor of Wilkes and his party ; and on a second visit to the continent he formed at Paris an inti- mate acquaintance with that politician. On his return in 1767 he took an active interest in political matters, especially in securing the election of Wilkes from Middlesex. In 1769 he was one of the founders of the society for supporting the bill of rights ; but its financial affairs involved him in a quarrel with Wilkes, and for this he was attacked by Junius, but defended himself with success. In 1771 he received his degree of M. A. from the uni- versity of Cambridge. In 1773, designing to study law, he formally resigned his living. He rendered great assistance in resisting an en-- closure bill which would have reduced the value of some property of his friend William Tooke of Purley, who 'in return made him his heir ; but, though in 1782 he changed his name to Tooke, he never received more than 8,000 from the property. He bitterly opposed the American war, and advertised for a subscrip- tion for the widows and orphans of the Amer- icans " murdered by the king's troops at Lex- ington and at Concord." The ministry prose- cuted him for libel, and he was tried at Guild- hall in July, 1777. He conducted his own defence, but was condemned to one year's imprisonment and a fine of 200. While con- fined he published his celebrated "Letter to Mr. Dunning," critically explaining the case of The King v. Lawley, which had been used as a precedent against him on his trial. He declared himself "the victim of two preposi- tions and a conjunction," which particles he calls "the abject instruments of his civil ex- tinction." After his release in 1779, he^ ap- plied for admission to the bar, but was reject- ed on the ground of being a clergyman. He published in 1780, in conjunction with Dr. Price, a pamphlet entitled "Facts," severely reflecting upon Lord North and his prosecu- tion of .the American war. In 1786 appeared tho first part of his ""ETmz Tirep^vTa, or the Diversions of Purley," the object of which