MORAVIA MORDANTS. 



57 



erected an obelisk on the spot, as a national memorial 

 of the battle. 



MORAVIA (in German, Mahren) ; amargraviate 

 and province of the Austrian empire. The m;:r;>n>- 

 viate (8862 square miles) borders on the Prussian 

 county of (Jlatz and Austrian Silesia to the north, on 

 Hungary to tin- east, on Lower Austria to the south, 

 and on Bohemia to the west. The province includes 

 also Austrian Silesia (1850 square miles), and con- 

 tains a population of 1,990,464 inhabitants, of whom 

 about 430,000 are Germans, 30,000 Jews, 900 Bo- 

 hemians, and the rest Sclavonians. It is watered by 

 many rivers, of which only the Marsch or March is 

 navigable for a short distance : on the north, east, 

 and west, it is enclosed by mountains, which are to 

 be considered as continuations of the Sudetic and Car- 

 pathian chains, and is open only to the south. To 

 the north, on the borders of Glatz, lies the Schneege- 

 birge, the highest summit of which is the Schneeberg, 

 about 4500 feet high. In general, the loftiest moun- 

 tains are in the northern part, from which the eleva- 

 tion gradually diminishes towards the south. There 

 are also ridges of hills in the interior, interspersed 

 with fine plains and valleys. The mountainous dis- 

 tricts are not fertile ; but in the Hanna (land of the 

 Hannaks) and in the southern part, the soil is un- 

 commonly rich. The breeding of cattle, although 

 favoured by rich meadows and pastures, is less at- 

 tended to than tillage. Great numbers of poultry, 

 particularly gccse, are raised. The fisheries are 

 productive. The principal corn districts are in the 

 Hanna, on the March, about Brunn, and in the south- 

 eastern parts of the circle of Znaym. Flax, hemp, 

 fruits, garden vegetables, &c., and in some parts 

 wine, are produced in abundance. Silver and gold 

 were formerly found ; iron, sulphur, coal, and alum 

 are the chief mineral products. Woollen and linen 

 manufactures, the latter employing 200,000 spinners 

 and 13,000 weavers, and the former 100,000 work- 

 men and 10,000 looms, and also cotton manufactures, 

 are carried on to a considerable extent. The transit 

 trade of the province, favoured by good roads, is 

 important. The government of Moravia is almost 

 entirely absolute, although it has estates, composed 

 of the prelates, the lords, knights, and royal bur- 

 gesses. The administration of the affairs of the pro- 

 vince is in the hands of a provincial government at 

 Brunn, to which the six Moravian circles (Olmutz, 

 Brunn. Iglau, Znaym, Hradisch andPrerau), and the 

 two Silesian circles (Troppau and Teschen), are sub- 

 ordinate. The (Catholic) bishops of Brunn and 

 Olmutz are at the head of ecclesiastical affairs. The 

 revenue is about 6,000,000 guilders. Brunn is the 

 capital. The Sclavonic population consists of several 

 tribes, which differ in habits and language, and are 

 in a nide state. Among these are the Slowaks (dis- 

 tinguished for wit, eloquence, and taste for the arts 

 and sciences), and the Hannaks (distinguished for 

 hospitality). Previously to the fifteenth century, 

 they professed the Greek religion ; the Hussites 

 were then numerous, and, in the sixteenth century, 

 the reformation had many adherents : the Catholics, 

 however, are the most numerous, their number being 

 1,800,000. This country was anciently the land of 

 the Qundi, and was occupied, after their emigration 

 to Spain, by the Scyri, the Rugii, the Henili, and, 

 until 548, by the Lombards, when it was entered by 

 a colony of Sclavonians from the Danube, who were 

 driven from their former seats by the Walachians 

 (Bulgarians), and were called Moravians from the 

 river Morava. After the fall of the kingdom of the 

 Avars, the Moravian Sclavonians extended their 

 limits, and finally founded the kingdom of Great 

 Moravia, which comprehended several other coun- 

 tries beside the present Moravia. Charlemagne 



subdued the Moravians, and compelled their king 

 Samoslay to be baptized ; Cyrillus (856), however, 

 was the true apostle of Moravia. Arnolph at first 

 enlarged the Moravian state, by granting to Swato- 

 pulsk, or Zuatoblick, Bohemia and other countries 

 on the one side to the Oder on the other, towards 

 Hungary as far as the Gran. Swatopulsk afterwards 

 revolted ; but Arnolph attacked him, with the aid 

 of the Bohemians and Hungarians, and so enfeebled 

 the kingdom, that, under his successor, it was com- 

 pletely overthrown. From that time Moravia became 

 the prey of the Hungarians, Poles, and Germans. In 

 the eleventh century, it was reduced to about its 

 present extent, and formed a part of the Bohemian 

 territories. In 1085, it was made a margraviate, 

 and (until 1611, when it was, for a time, attached to 

 the Hungarian dominions) granted by the Bohemian 

 kings, from time to time, as a fief to their sons or 

 relations. See Bohemia. 



MORAVIANS, or HERRNHUTERS. See 

 United Brethren, and Bohetnian Brethren. 



MORAY, or MURRAY, PROVINCE OF, an ancient 

 territorial district on the east side of the northern 

 division of Scotland, which in modern times compre- 

 hends the three several shires of Banff, Moray, or 

 Elgin, and Nairn. It is famed for the fertility of its 

 soil, and the salubrity of its climate, and was at one 

 time reckoned the " granary of Scotland." It gives 

 the title of earl to a branch of the Stuart family. 



MORAYSHIRE, or ELGINSHIRE, the central 

 division of the above-mentioned province, is bounded 

 on the north by the Moray Firth, on the east and 

 south-east by Banffshire, on the south and south- 

 west by Inverness-shire, and on the west by Nairn- 

 shire and Inverness-shire. It lies between the 57 

 and 58 of north latitude ; and the longitude at the 

 mouth of the Spey is 3 6' West, extending in length 

 from east to west 42 miles, and in breadth 20 miles. 



The county of Moray is naturally divided into the 

 upper and champaign districts. 1st, The low coun- 

 try is a large plain, bounded by the Firth of Moray 

 on the north, and a winding range of mountains on 

 the v south, whose length equals that of the whole 

 county, and its breadth, measured at right angles 

 from the mountains to the shore, is from five to 

 twelve miles, or mean breadth seven miles. The 

 surface of the low lands is diversified by intervening 

 hills, disposed in short ridges parallel to the Firth, 

 and intersected by the rivers Spey,, Lossy, and Find- 

 horn, whose streams wind, at unequal distances, 

 across the plain into the sea. Many of the plains 

 along the banks of the Spey and the Findhorn are 

 remarkable for their beauty and fertility. One-third 

 of the bottoms and sides of the valleys within the 

 range of the mountainous or hilly district, except 

 certain parts adapted for bearing trees, is capable of 

 cultivation. The width and depth of these valleys 

 are proportionate to the largeness of the rivers, and 

 the friability of the soil through which they flow. 

 The climate is so mild, that the apricot, nectarine, 

 and peach ripen sufficiently on a wall in the open air, 

 arid gardens are formed. 



Morayshire contains two royal burghs, Elgin and 

 Forres, and several considerable towns, as Grantown, 

 Garmouth, and Lossie-mouth. The principal noble- 

 men and gentlemen's seats are Gordon Castle and 

 Castle Grant. Population of the county in 1821, 

 31,162; in 1831, 34,231. 



MORBIHAN ; a department of France, in the 

 old province of Bretagne, lying on a gulf from which 

 it has received its name. Chief place, Vannes. See 

 Department. 



MORBUS ; a Latin term signifying disease, and 

 often used in medicine. 



MORDANTS. The colouring substances used w 



