1850 contributed to the passing of the compromise measures. From 1853 to 1861 he was a member of the United States senate, a southern extremist and leading disunionist. In 1861 he became secretary of state in the Confederate government, but resigned to accept the commission of brigadier-general on the southern side. He was at the second battle of Bull Run, was at Antietam in 1862 and in 1864 commanded the militia of Georgia. After the war he lived abroad till 1867, denouncing strongly the reconstruction measures of Congress, and on his return to the south he refused to take the oath of allegiance to the United States government. Consult Trent: Southern Statesmen of the Old Régime.
Ton′ty, Henri de, an Italian explorer of great resolution and courage and a companion of La Salle, was born about the middle of the 17th century and died at Fort Louis (Mobile) in 1704. He served both in the French army and the navy, was with La Salle in Canada, effected the first settlement in what now is Illinois, and accompanied La Salle on his famous voyage down the Mississippi to its mouth. He returned for supplies; and in 1686 again descended the Mississippi in search of La Salle. He is identified with the early history of Illinois (until 1702) and of Louisiana. His memoirs were published in Paris in 1897. Consult Parkman's Discovery of the Great West.
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| MAXWELL'S DYNAMICAL TOP |
Top. The ordinary spinning-top is a rapidly rotating solid supported on a single point below the center of gravity. Suspended in this way the weight of the top acting through its center of gravity exerts a moment of force which tends to tilt the top. The result is that the top “precesses,” instead of falling over, thus exhibiting those phenomena so well-known to every boy of ten. For a detailed explanation of the dynamics of the top consult Worthington's Dynamics of Rotation, chap, xiii, or Perry's Spinning-Tops. Clerk-Maxwell devised a top having more or less the shape of a bell, so that the point of support could be placed at, above or below the center of gravity. It is provided also with adjusting screws as shown in the accompanying figure, so that its mass can be distributed in various ways about the axis of rotation. The chief interest attracting this particular form of top, besides the fact that it most beautifully illustrates the general principles of rotation, lies in the fact that it accurately simulates the motion of our earth on its axis, demonstrating on a small scale the phenomena of precession, nutation, variation of latitude dynamic and static instability etc. Consult Maxwell's original account in his Scientific Papers, Vol. I., pp. 248-68, and a detailed and popular account in The Physical Review, Vol. VI., March, 1898. See Gyroscope.
To′paz, a mineral and a gem, the finer varieties of which are much valued for their luster and the beauty of their colors. It is made up chiefly of alumina, silica and fluorine. It is usually found in very old rocks and in most parts of the world. Fine topazes are found in Ceylon, but those most prized come from Brazil. Topaz either is colorless or in many shades of red, blue, green or yellow; it is translucent or almost transparent on the edges; and it is harder than quartz. When cut or set, topazes are easily mistaken for diamonds or rubies, but they are not so hard as either of these gems.
Tope′ka, Kas., capital of the state and county-seat of Shawnee County, is built on both sides of Kansas River, 67 miles west from Kansas City and 300 from St. Louis. The surrounding country is a rich, rolling prairie. It is a large milling-center, and has manufactures with a yearly output of $10,000,000. It also is an important railroad and distributing point, being served by the Santa Fé, Rock Island and Union Pacific main lines and a branch of the Missouri Pacific. It has electric street-railroads, broad streets and handsome churches and buildings. Among the public buildings are the capitol, United States government building and the state asylum for the insane. Besides these Topeka has two handsome buildings belonging to the Y. M. C. A., and the railroad Y. M. C. A., a splendid auditorium and 71 churches. The free public library has 10,000 volumes, the Kansas Historical Society library 40,000 volumes, and the state library 28,000 volumes. The public-school system is excellent and includes high and manual-training schools, while among its schools of higher learning are Washburn College (Cong.), founded in 1865, having 720 students; an Episcopal college for women; and a Roman Catholic seminary. Topeka was settled in 1854, and became the capital in 1861. The city owns the electric street-lighting plant and its water-works, while the Topeka Edison Company furnishes light, power and heat for commercial and domestic uses. Topeka is also supplied with natural gas, which is distributed for domestic and manufacturing uses. Population 43,684.
