Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XVI.djvu/82

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70 TURNBULL vated in various eastern countries. They have perennial, palmately divided, tuber-like root- stocks, and annual stems ; the large lanceolate leaves are radical, and from among them rises a short stem, bearing a thick spike, from be- tween the bracteal scales of which the flowers appear in succession, much as in the related ginger and arrowroot, figured under their titles In commerce the rhizomes are called roots, and are distinguished as long and round, though both are produced by the same plant, and are also known by the names of the localities of export, each of which has its long and round kinds. Long turmeric is about the size of the little finger, 2 or 3 in. long, curved, and tuber- culated from a tendency to branch ; the round is more usually oval, an inch thick and 2 in. long; both kinds are marked by transverse scars or wrinkles, are yellowish externally, and internally orange-yellow or reddish brown ; they have an odor like that of ginger, but pe- culiar, and a warm aromatic taste, and when chewed tinge the saliva yellow ; they form an orange-yellow powder, the condition in which they are generally kept in the shops. The drug contains about one per cent, of an essen- tial oil, and a peculiar coloring matter, curcu- mine, which is crystallizable, almost insoluble in water, but very soluble in alcohol and ether. Turmeric was formerly employed in medicine as an aromatic tonic, but its use is now solely to color 'ointments, tinctures, and other prepa- rations. Though the color is fugitive, it is considerably used in dyeing ; it gives a fine yellow upon silk, and is used as the basis of some greens, and upon woollens to produce some shades of brown. It forms an important ingredient in curry powder (see CURRY), and is much used to color varnishes (see LACQUER). The changes produced in curcumine by alka- lies and other chemical agents make it avail- able as a test ; turmeric paper, made by stain- ing paper with a tincture of the root, is often employed in the laboratory as a useful though not very accurate test, as one acid at least produces a reaction similar to that of the alka- lies. Turmeric paper touched with an alkaline solution changes from yellow to brownish red, becoming violet on drying ; boracio acid pro- duces a similar change, but the tint is orange, and when an alkali is added it turns to blue. TURNBULL, Robert, an American clergyman, born at Whiteburn, Linlithgowshire, Scotland, Sept. 10, 1809. He graduated at Glasgow uni- versity, studied theology, preached for a short time in Scotland and England, and in 1833 settled in Danbury, Conn. In 1835 he became pastor of the Baptist church in Detroit, in 1837 of the South Baptist church, Hartford, Conn., in 1839 of the Boylston street (now Harvard street) Baptist church in Boston, and in 1845 of the first Baptist church in Hartford, where he still resides (1876). In 1851 he received the degree of D. D. from Madison university. He has published "The Theatre" (Boston 1840); "Olympia Morata" (1842); "Vinet's TURNER Vital Christianity," translated, with an intro- duction and notes (1846) ; " The Genius of Scotland" (New York, 1847); "The Genius of Italy" (1849); "Theophany, or the Mani- festation of God in Christ " (Hartford, 1851) ; " Vinet's Miscellanies " (New York, 1852) ; " Pulpit Orators of France and Switzerland " (1853); "Christ in History, or the Central Power" (Boston, 1856); and "Life Pictures, or Sketches from a Pastor's Note Book " (New York, 1857). He has edited Sir Wil- liam Hamilton's " Discussions on Philosophy," and was for several years editor of the " Chris- tian Review." TURNER, a S. E. county of Dakota, recently formed, and not included in the census of 1870 ; area, 648 sq. m. It is intersected by Vermil- ion river, and consists of fertile prairies and bottom lands. Capital, Swan Lake. TURNER, Joseph Mallord William, an English painter, born in London, April 28, 1775, died in Chelsea, Dec. 19, 1851. His father was a hairdresser in Maiden lane, Covent Garden, and in this neighborhood the painter passed his childhood. After a year or two of school- ing, during which he occupied himself more with sketching from nature than with books, he was employed by the engraver John Raphael Smith to color prints, and afterward he put in skies, backgrounds, and other accessories for architectural designs. Dr. Munro gave him and Girtin access to his collection, and bought their water-color sketches. In 1789 he be- came a student at the royal academy, and in 1790 he exhibited a water-color "View of the Archbishop's Palace, Lambeth." Other works depicting scenes in the neighborhood of Lon- don followed, and with each year he showed increasing power and originality. In 1793 he was engaged to illustrate Walker's " Itinerant " and the "Pocket Magazine;" and during the next five or six years he made sketches in many parts of England, besides giving lessons in drawing and devoting much time to illustrating books. In 1799 ho was elected an associate of the academy, and in 1802 an academician. He had hitherto been best known as a water-color painter, and had confined himself chiefly to representations of English or Welsh scenery. He now produced in oil such subjects as " The Fifth Plague of Egypt," " The Army of the Medes destroyed in the Desert by a Whirl- wind," and "The Tenth Plague of Egypt;" but these were less popular than his " Dutch Boats in a Gale," " Fishermen upon a Lee Shore in Squally Weather," or " Falls of the Clyde," which afforded a field for the display of the surpassing excellence of his representa- tions of marine scenery and of water under all conditions. In 1802 he visited France, and commemorated his arrival there by a picture of " Calais Pier ;" and thenceforth at irregu- lar periods he made extended tours through France, Switzerland, and the Rhine land, the fruits of which appeared in numerous sketches, drawings, and finished pictures. In 1807 he