in botany, a genus of the tetradynamia siliculosa clasps. The pod is emarginated, heart-shaped, containing many seeds. There are ten species, six of them natives of Britain, viz., the campesire, or mithridate; the arvense, or treacle-mustard; the perfoliatum, or perfoliate treacle-mustard; the furtum, or perennial mithridate mustard; the montanum, or mountain mithridate-mustard; and the bursa pastoris, or shepherd's purse.

THOMÆANS, Thomists, or Christians of St Thomas, a people of the East-Indies, who, according to the tradition, received the Gospel from St Thomas. Upon the arrival of the Portuguese at Calcut, in their first voyage to the Indies, they met with ancient Christians, who pretended to be descended from those converted by St Thomas. The Thomans being informed of a new people arrived among them, who bore a particular veneration for the cross, sent embassadors to them, to make an alliance with them, and to solicit their assistance against the Gentile-princes, by whom they were greatly oppressed. A mixture of opinions, with a total interruption of pastors, sometimes for several years together, occasioned that horrible chaos their religion was in at the arrival of the Portuguese; for a specimen whereof we shall add their manner of celebrating the eucharist: Over their altar was a kind of gallery; and while the priest was saying the beginning of the office below, a cake of flour of rice was frying in oil, or butter, above; when enough, the cake was let down in a basket upon the altar, where the priest consecrated it; as to the other species, for wine they used a kind of brandy or arrack, variously prepared in that country. Nor was their ordination much more regular; the archdeacon, who was sometimes more respected than the bishop himself, frequently ordained priests; their other abuses were infinite. The Portuguese, for these two last centuries, have laboured the reformation of this church, and have employed both the ecclesiastic and secular power therein: for this end they have called the Thomans bishops to the council at Goa, have instructed, charged them, &c. and even sent them for introduction to Portugal and Rome; but finding that they were still apt to relapse at their return, and that no good was like to be done with them, they resolved to exclude them once for all, and to appoint an European bishop in their room. These proceedings have rendered the Portuguese infinitely odious to the Thomans.

ST THOMAS, a city of the hither India, on the coast of Coromandel, three miles south of Fort St George; subject to the Portuguese.

ST THOMAS is also an island in the Atlantic ocean, situated under the equator, in 8° E. long.

ST THOMAS is also a town of Guiana, in South America; situated on the river Orinoco; subject to Spain.

ST THOMAS'S DAY, a festival of the Christian church, observed on Dec. 21, in commemoration of St Thomas the apostle.

ST THOMAS OF CANTERBURY'S DAY, a festival of the Roman church, observed on Dec. 29, in memory of Thomas Becket archbishop of Canterbury, who was murdered, or, as the Romanists say, martyred, in the reign of king Henry II.