MIRAJ 



former, plains often look like 

 lakes, whilst on the sea inverted 

 images of ships are frequently seen. 



The phenomenon is explained 

 by the fact that, when a ray 

 of light passes from any one 

 medium into another, as from air 

 into water, it is bent through an 

 angle. If, therefore, a ray passes 

 through a succession of layers of 

 air which differ continuously in 

 density, the path of the ray be- 

 comes a curve. The air is of greater 

 density near the earth than at an 

 altitude, and when, to this perma- 

 nent variation there are added the 

 incidental variations caused by the 

 ascent of heated air from desert 

 sands or mountain valleys, and the 

 downflowing of cold currents of air 

 from heights, abnormalities of visi- 

 bility arise, and mirages are seen. 



In Mesopotamia, for example, 

 the heated air near the surface of 

 the sand expands, and the refrac- 

 tive index or bending power of the 

 lowest layer of the atmosphere 

 becomes small. The ordinary state 

 of things is reversed. The density 

 for some distance increases with 

 height instead of decreasing. At 

 some point above the surface, 

 however, normal conditions re- 

 assert themselves, and the density 

 and the bending power decrease 

 again. Consequently any object 

 viewed through this abnormal at- 

 mosphere is seen by two sets of 

 light rays, one of which passes 

 near the earth in a convex curve 

 to the horizon, and the other higher 

 up and concave to the horizon. 

 Thus the object appears as if its 

 image were mirrored in the sand. 

 See Light ; Optics. 



Miraj. Native states and town 

 of Bombay, India, in the Karnatic 

 group. The two states are called 

 senior and junior. Miraj senior 

 covers 343 sq. m., and has a pop. 

 of 81,000 ; the junior state, area 

 211 sq. m., and pop. 37,000. The 

 town lies near the Krishna on the 

 rly. from Poona to Belgaum, and is 

 the junction of the branch line to 

 Kolhapur. Pop. 22,000. 



Miramichi. River of New 

 Brunswick, Canada. It rises near the 

 centre of the prov. and flows N.E. 

 to its outlet in Miramichi Bay, Gulf 

 of St. Lawrence. Its chief tribu- 

 taries are Little South West Mira- 

 michi, North West Miramichi, and 

 Cain. All the streams are noted for 

 their salmon fisheries. Length 220 

 m., of which 55 m. are navigable 

 for small vessels, and 15 m. tidal. 



Miramichi Bay.'^ Indentation 

 on the coast of New Brunswick, 

 Canada. It is one of the largest 

 arms of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, 

 and receives the waters of the 

 Miramichi river. Fox, Passage, 

 and Neguac are three long narrow 



islands which form an almost per- 

 fect barrier in a curve across the 

 mouth of the bay 



Miranda. Maritime state in N. 

 Venezuela, fronting the Caribbean 

 Sea. It is mountainous in the N., 

 but other parts are extremely fer- 

 tile, containing some of the best 

 coffee-growing districts in the 

 republic. The capital is Ocumare. 

 Area, 3,068 sq. m. Pop. 176,000. 



Miranda. Character in Shake- 

 speare's comedy The Tempest (q.v.). 

 Daughter of Prospero, the exiled 

 duke of Milan, she lives with him 

 on his island until she is sixteen, 

 when, falling in love with Ferdi- 

 nand, whom her father's storm has 

 landed on the island, she becomes 

 the instrument of Prospero's re- 

 conciliation with Ferdinand's 

 father Alonso, king of Naples, the 

 author of his exile. 



Miranda, FRANCISCO ANTONIO 

 GABRIEL (1756-1816). Venezuelan 

 patriot Born at Caracas, June 9, 

 1756, he went 

 to Spain as a 

 youth and en- 

 tered the Span- 

 is h army, 

 taking part in 

 the U.S. War 

 of Indepen- 

 dence, 1778. 

 After a visit to 

 Russia he re- 

 paired to 

 France, en- 

 tered the Republican army, and 

 fought against Prussia, 1792-93. 

 During the Terror he fled to Eng- 

 land, where he tried to interest 

 Pitt and Lord Sidmouth in his 

 schemes for liberating Venezuela 

 from the Spanish yoke, 1797-1804. 

 After an ineffectual attempt to 

 organize a rising in 1806, he landed 

 again in South America in 1810, 

 was everywhere successful, and the 

 following year Venezuela declared 

 her independence. He was made 

 commander-in-chief and dictator, 

 but the following year serious dis- 

 sensions arose; Miranda was de- 

 feated, handed over to the Span- 

 iards, and after five years in 

 prison in Cadiz, died July 14, 1816. 

 Mirandola. City of Italy, in 

 the prov. of Modena. It is 20 m. 

 by rly. N.N.E. of Modena. The 

 cathedral and communal palace 

 date from the 16th century. The 

 ruined castle of the Pico family, 

 owners of Mirandola from the 14th 

 century to the 18th, the churches 

 of S. Francis and Jesus, and 

 various antiquated buildings give it 

 a picturesque appearance. Trade 

 is carried on in rice and silk. Pop. 

 14,000. 



Mirandola, GIOVANNI Pico 

 DELLA (1463-94). Italian humanist 

 and philosopher. Born Feb. 24, 



Francisco Miranda, 

 Venezuelan patriot 



From a bus I 



Pico della Mirandola, 

 Italian philosopher 



MIRCEA 



1463, a mem- 

 ber of a well- 

 known family, 

 which owned 

 an estate at 

 Mirandol a, 

 near Modena, 

 he was con- 

 sidered one 

 of the chief 

 orators and 

 poets of the 

 time when only ten years old. He 

 is said to have been master of 20 

 languages, and endeavoured to re- 

 concile Platonism with Aristoteli- 

 anism and Christianity. In 1486 he 

 appeared in Rome and declared 

 himself ready to defend in public 

 900 theses De omni re scibili (Con- 

 cerning everything that can be 

 known). Some of the theses were 

 condemned as heretical, and Miran- 

 dola retired to Florence, where he 

 died Nov. 17, 1494. See The Re- 

 naissance: Studies in Art and 

 Poetry, W. Pater, 1910. 



Miraumont. Villageof France, in 

 the dept. of Somme. Situated on 

 the R. Ancre, 7 m. N.E. of Albert, 

 it was one of the key-positions on 

 the German front in Picardy. 

 Captured by the British, Feb. 25, 



1917, it was recovered by the Ger- 

 mans in March, 1918, and finally 

 taken by the British 42nd div. Aug. 

 24, 1918. The village has been 

 ' ' adopted ' ' by Burnley. See Ancre, 

 Battle of the; Somme, Battles 

 of the. 



Mil bach, COUNT ALFRED (1872- 

 1918). German diplomatist. Born 

 at Munich, June 3, 1872, he 

 entered the 

 German diplo- 

 matic service, 

 and was em- 

 ployed in 

 Paris, Vienna, 

 and St. Peters- 

 burg. In Jan., 



1918, on the 

 establishment 

 of the Soviet 

 regime in Rus- 

 s i a, he was 



sent to Petrograd to conduct 

 negotiations respecting the trans- 

 fer of prisoners of war. After the 

 conclusion of the Brest-Litovsk 

 treaty he became German envoy 

 at Moscow, where he was murdered, 

 July 7, 1918. See Brest-Litovsk, 

 Treaty of. 



Mircea (d. 1418). Prince of 

 Wallachia, 1387-1418. Son of 

 Radu II, he succeeded his brother 

 as voivode and did homage to the 

 king of Poland, 1389, and to the 

 Turks in 1391. Notwithstanding 

 this he was banished by the latter, 

 and allying himself to Sigismund 

 of Hungary in 1395, was defeated 

 with him by the Turkish army of 



Alfred Mirbach, 

 German diplomatist 



