Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 19.djvu/20

TALBOT. TALBOT, John (1645-1727). One of the early (Jliurch of England missionaries in Amer- ica. He was rector of Frectherne, but resigned his living to come to America with the first mis- sionaries sent by the Society for the Propaga- tion of the (iospel. He was the founder and first rector of Saint IMary's Church, Burlington. N. .J., and labored diligently there and in other col- onies. There is considerable evidence for be- lieving that he was consecrated bishop by the Nonjurors {q.v. ) in 1722, as well as Robert Wel- ton, who for a time was rector of Christ Church, Philadelphia — sixty years before Seabury ob- tained consecration from the Scottish bishojjs. Talbot is said occasionally to have assumed the episcopal dress, and to have administered confir- mation privately. Consult; Hills. History of the Church in Burlington (2d ed., Trenton. 1885); id., John Talbot, the First Bishop of North America (ib., 1878).

TALBOT, Richard, Duke and Earl of Tyrcon- nel. Viceroy of Ireland in the reign of James II. See Tyrconnel, Richard Talbot, Duke and Earl of.

TALBOT, Silas (1751-1813). An American naval oflicer, born in Dighton, Mass. He was engaged, as a boy, in the coasting service, and in June, 1775, after the outbreak of the Revolu- tionar}' War, entered the American Army as lieu- tenant, serving at Boston, and becoming a cap- tain of infantry in January, 1776. At New York in 1770 he made an attempt, by means of a fire ship, to destroy a part of the English squadron in the harbor, and on October 7, 1777, Congress promoted him to the rank of major. He was wounded (October 23, 1777) at Fort Mifflin, served w'ith gallantry at Butt's Hill (August 29, 1778), and on October 28, 1778, in command of a small sloop, captured otf Newport the Brit- ish blockading schooner Piyot. For this he was commissioned lieutenant-colonel by Congress on November 14th, He became a captain in the United States Navy September 17, 1779, and was directed to protect the Long Island coast and to keep General Gates's communications open. In May, while in command of the Pigot and the Argo, he captured the British schooner Lively and two privateers, and subsequently defeated and captured the King George and the Dragon, the latter after a four hours' battle. He was taken by the British in 1780 and treated with the ut- most barbarity, being confined for a time in the prison-ship Jersey and then in the 'Old Sugar House,' and then being taken to England, where he was exchanged late in 1781. After the war he bought the confiscated estate of Sir William Johnson, and was a member of Congress from 1793 to 1794. The frigate Constitution (q.v.) was built under his supervision, and in 1799 was his flagship during a cruise in the West Indies. Owing to a dispute with Commodore Truxtun, concerning priority in rank, he resigned in 1801, and passed the rest of his life in New York. Consult Tuekerman, The Life of Silas Talbot (New York, 1850).

TALBOT', William Henry Fox (1800-77). An English photographer and philologist, well known as one of the inventors of photography. He was educated at Cambridge, received the junior chancellor's medal in 1821, and subse- quently became member of Parliament for Chip- penham. But soon afterwards he gave up politics, and devoted himself entirely to scientific investigation. The first problem to attract his attention was that of fixing shadows, and by patient research he was gradually led to the dis- covery of a process of obtaining and fixing sun- pictures. On the dissemination of a report as to Daguerre's successes in the same field, Talbot secured his just rights by publishing a paper. {Phil. Mag., March, 1839*), in which the suc- cessive steps of his investigation and their result were detailed. This process was subsequently improved b3' his invention (1841) of the calotype process. His discoveries and inventions in photog- raphy are described in his Pencil of Nature (1844-4G). Latterly he devoted himself to the study of philology and archipology, and was one of the first to read the cuneiform inscriptions of Nineveh. Among his works are: Hermes, or Class:ical and Antiquarian Researches (1828-39) ; Illustrations of the Antiquity of the Book of Genesis (1839) ; and a work on English Etymol- ogies (1840). See Photography.

TALC (Fr. talc, Sp. talco, talque, from Ar. falq, talc). A mineral hydrated magnesium sili- cate crystallized in the orthorhombic system. It has a pearly or semi-metallic lustre, is soft, and is silvery-white to gray or green in color. Talc seldom occurs in crj'stals, but is usually found in foliated or granular masses. It is an exceedingly common mineral and in some regions is found in large beds. The granular massive varieties are commonly known as soapstone and find extensive use in commerce as slabs for hearthstones, man- tels, sinks, etc., and when powdered, as a pigment, in paper-making, as a lubricator, for dressing skins and leather, etc. The fine granular or crypto-crvstalline varieties are used for mark- ing purposes under the name of French chalk. In 1900 27,943 tons, valued at $383,541, were mined in the United States.

TALCA, till'kA. A province of Chile, bounded by Argentina on the east and the Pacific on the west "(Map: Chile, C 11). Its area is 3678 square miles. It is mountainous, with the Andes in the east and the lower coast range in the west, and the central portion is covered with plains interspersed with low hills. The mountains are well wooded and the interior is very fertile. Wheat is the chief agricultural product and grazing is carried on extensively. The prov- ince is crossed by the main railway line of Chile and has a branch line from the capital, Talca, to the coast. Population, in 1895, 128,901,

TALCA. The capital of the Chilean Province of Talca, on the left bank of the Calaro River, a tributary of the Maule, 140 miles south of San- tiago on the Santiago-Conoepcion Railway, and 45 miles from the coast, with which it has rail- way connection (Map: Chile, C 11), Extremes in heat and cold render its climate disagreeable. The chief industry is the weaving of ponchos (woolen blankets). Population, in 1901 (esti- mated), 40,987.

TALCAHUANO, t;ll'k4-wa'n6. A seaport of Chile, on the Pacific coast, eight miles north of Concepei6n. The town is located on a peninsula which forms a very safe harbor, the entrance of which is protected by the island of Quiriquina. The harbor is equipped with a breakwater and an extensive system of docks. Wheat grown in the interior provinces of Santiago and Valdivia, with