TONTINE, a specie. of life annuity, ao called from Lorenzo Tonti, a Neapolitan, with whom the scheme originated, and who introduced it into France, where the first tontine was opened in 1653. The sub scribers were divided into ten classes, according to their ages, or were allowed to appoint nominees, who were so divided, and a proportionate annuity being assigned to each class, those who lived longest had the benefit of their survivorship, by the whole annuity being divided amongst the diminished number. Tho terms of this tontine msy bo seen in the French ' Encyclop6die' (' Finance' division, vol. iii). In 1689 a second tontine was opened in France. The last survivor was a widow, who, at the period of her death, at the ago of 96, enjoyed an income of 73,500 livres for her original subscription of 300 lines. The last French tontine was opened in 1759. They had been found very onerous, and in 1763 the Council of State determined that this sort of financial operation should not be again adopted. Tontines have seldom been resorted to in England as a measure of finance. The last for which the government opened subscriptions was in 1789. The terms may be seen in Hamilton's Ilist. Public Revenue.' A few private
have been entered into in the United Kingdom on the plan of the tontine.
(from the Greek mrwayyptu4(a, which is from Tiros, "a place," and 7pcte,sty, " describe"). Perhaps the nearest correspond ing combination of English words would be " place-description." The word topography is limited by usage to the description of cities, towns, villages, castles, churches, and other artificial structures, including notices of everything belonging to the places or connected with them ; for instance, not only the site, construction of the streets, publio build ings, rte., of cities and towns, but the number of inhabitants, trade, history, and so forth. The word occurs in the Greek writers. Cicero (' ad Attic.; i 13) uses Topollicsy (rowoOtota) as synonymous with topo graphy, though topothesy should have a different meaning. In the Greek "topography' has a wider moaning than it has with us. But a description of a given place, with reference to its physical character, hardly comes within our notion of a topographical description, which is generally, at least, limited as above stated.