the finest river in Great Britain, which takes its rife from a copious spring, called Thames Head, two miles south-west of Cirencester in Gloucefterhire. It has been erroneously faid, that its name is Isis till it arrives at Dorchefter, 15 miles below Oxford, when, being joined by the Thame or Tame, it affumes the name of the Thames, which, it has been obferved, is formed from a combination of the words Thame and Isis. What was the origin of this vulgar error, cannot now be traced. Poetical fiction, however, has perpe- tuated this error, and invefted it with a kind of classical fanciety. "It plainly appears (lays Camden), that the river was always called Thames or Temt, before it came near the Thame; and in feveral ancient charters granted to the abbey of Malmfbury, as well as that of Enham, and in the old deeds relating to Cricklade, it is never confidered under any other name than that of Thames." He likewife fays, that it occurs nowhere under the name of Ifs. All the hiftorians who mention the incursions of Ethelwold into Wilthire in the year 905, or of Ca- nute in 1016, concur likewife in the fame opinion, by declaring, that they pafled over the Thames at Crick- lade in Wilthire. It is not probable, moreover, that Thames Head, an appellation by which the fource has usually been diftinguifhed, fhould give rife to a river of the name of Ifs; which river, after having run half its courfe, fhould reafume the name of Thames, the appella- tion of its parent spring. About a mile below the fource of the river is the firft corn-mill, which is called Kemble Mill. Here the river may properly be faid to form a confant current; which, though not more than nine feet wide in the summer, yet in the winter becomes fuch a torrent as to overflow the meadows for many miles around. But, in the summer, the Thames Head is fo dry, as to appear nothing but a large dell, inter- fperfed with stones and weeds. From Somerford the stream winds to Cricklade, where it unites with many other rivulets. Approaching Kemfrod, it again enters its native county, dividing it from Berkshire at Ingle- tham. It widens confiderably in its way to Lechlade; and being there joined by the Lech and Coln, at the diftance of 138 miles from London, it becomes naviga- ble for vessels of 90 tons. At Enham, in its courfe north-eaft, to Oxford, is the firft bridge of flone; a handsome one, of three arches, built by the earl of Abingdon. Pafling by the ruins of Godfow nunnery, where the celebrated Fair Rofamond was interred, the river reaches Oxford, in whose academic groves its poe- tical name of Ifs has been fo often invoked. Being there joined by the Charwell, it proceeds south-eaft to Abingdon, and thence to Dorchefter, where it receives the Tame. Continuing its courfe south-eaft by Wal- lingford to Reading, and forming a boundary to the counties of Berks, Bucks, Surry, Middlefex, Essex, and Kent, it wafhes the towns of Henley, Marlow, Maiden- head, Windsor, Eton, Egham, Staines, Laleham, Chert- fey, Weybridge, Sheperton, Walton, Sunbury, Eaft and Weft Moulsey, Hampton, Thames Ditton, Kingf- ton, Teddington, Twickenham, Richmond, Illeworth, Brentford, Kew, Mortlake, Barnes, Chilwick, Hammer- smith, Putney, Fulham, Wandifworth, Battersea, Cheflca, and Lambeth. Then, on the north bank of the river, Thames, are Westminster and London, and, on the oppofite fide, Southwark; forming together one continued city, ex- tendring to Limehoufe and Deptford; and hence the river proceeds to Greenwich, Erith, Greenhithe, Gray's Thurrock, Gravefend, and Leigh, into the ocean. It receives in its courfe from Dorchefter the rivers Kennet, Loddon, Coln, Wey, Mole, Wandle, Lea, Roding, Da- rent, and Medway. The jurisdiction of the lord mayor of London over the Thames extends from Coln ditch, a little to the weft of Staines, to Yendal or Yenleet to the eaft, including part of the rivers Medway and Lea; and he has a deputy, named the water-bailiff, who is to search for and punish all offenders againft the laws for the prefervation of the river and its fish. Eight times a year the lord mayor and aldermen hold courts of con- fervance for the four counties of Surry, Middlefex, Essex, and Kent. Though the Thames is faid to be navigable 138 miles above the bridge, yet there are fo many flats, that in summer the navigation westward would be entirely flopped, when the springs are low, were it not for a number of locks. But thefe are at- tended with confiderable expence; for a barge from Lechlade to London pays for pafling through them 13l. 15s. 6d. and from Oxford to London 12l. 18s. This charge, however, is in summer only, when the wa- ter is low; and there is no lock from London bridge to Bolter's lock; that is, for 57½ miles above the bridge. The plan of new cuts has been adopted, in fome places, to horten and facilitate the navigation. There is one near Lechlade, which runs nearly parallel to the old river, and contiguous to St John's bridge; and there is another a mile from Abingdon, which has rendered the old stream toward Culham bridge ufelefs. But a much more important undertaking has lately been accom- plished; namely, the junction of this river with the Sev- ern. A canal had been made, by virtue of an act of parliament in 1730, from the Severn to Wallbridge, near Stroud. A new canal now afscends by Stroud, through the vale of Chalford, to the height of 343 feet, by means of 28 locks, and thence to the entrance of a tunnel near Sapperton, a diftance of near eight miles. The canal is 42 feet in width at top and 30 at the bot- tom. The tunnel (which is extended under Sapperton hill, and under that part of Earl Bathurfi's grounds called Haley wood, making a diftance of two miles and three furlongs) is near 15 feet in width, and can navigate barges of 70 tons. The canal defcending hence 134 feet, by 14 locks, joins the Thames at Lechlade, a diftance of above 20 miles. In the courfe of this vait undertaking, the canal, from the Severn at Froomdale to Ingleham, where it joins the Thames, is a diftance of more than 30 miles. The expence of it exceeded the fum of 200,000l. of which 3000l. are faid to have been expended in gunpowder alone, ufed for the blowing up of the rock. This new canal was completed in 1789, in lefs than seven years from its commencement. A communication, not only with the Trent, but with the Mersey, has likewife been effected by a canal from Ox- ford to Coventry; and an act of parliament has pafled to extend another canal from this, at Braunfton, to the Thames at Brentford. This is to be called The Grand Junction Canal. On the extensive advantages resulting from thefe navigable communications from the metro- polis with the ports of Britfolf, Liverpool, Hull, &c. THA [306] THE

Thames, and the principal manufacturing towns in the inland parts of the kingdom, it is needless to expatiate. The tide flows up the Thames as high as Richmond, which, following the winding of the river, is 70 miles from the ocean; a greater distance than the tide is carried by any other river in Europe. The water is esteemed extremely wholesome, and fit for use in very long voyages, during which it will work itself perfectly fine.

THAMES is also the name of a river in the state of Connecticut in America. See the article CONNECTICUT.