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
