MAGOG MAHMOUD. 



625 



to Florida, and along the borders of the gulf, beyond 

 the mouths of the Mississippi, but is not found in 

 the upper country, nor west of the Alleghany moun- 

 tains. 



The M. grandijlora, or big laurel, is confined to 

 the lower parts of the Southern States, from North 

 Carolina to Florida and Louisiana. It is a lofty and 

 magnificent tree, with large evergreen leaves, and 

 white flowers, which are conspicuous at a great dis- 

 tance. Magnolias are wanting in Europe, as well as 

 in Western Asia, but towards the south-eastern part 

 of this latter continent, we again meet with them. 



The M. yulan grows to the height of thirty or 

 thirty-five feet, and the large and numerous white 

 flowers, expanding before the development of the 

 leaves, give it a very ornamental appearance. 



The M. purpurea is a shrub, bearing large flowers, 

 which are purple externally. 



The M.fuscata is also a shrub, with small, dusky, 

 yellowish, and delightfully fragrant flowers. Some 

 magnificent species have lately been discovered on 

 the mountains of the north of India. 



MAGOG. See Gog. 



MAGPIE (corvus pica, L.). This crafty and 

 well known bird in its habits and manners much 

 resembles its brethren the crows ; like them, it in- 

 discriminately feeds on both animal and vegetable 

 food ; it is peculiarly destructive to the eggs and 

 young of the feebler tribes of birds. It is about 

 eighteen inches in length, and weighs from eight to 

 nine ounces. It has a black bill, wings and tail ; 

 but the latter are variegated with white, green, pur- 

 ple, and blue, of different shades. The construction 

 of the nests of these birds shows great art, they hav- 

 ing a thorny cover, and the entrance being at the 

 side. The female lays from five to seven pale-green- 

 ish eggs, closely spotted with black. When taken 

 young, they readily become domesticated, and learn 

 to repeat many words, and even sentences, as well 

 as to imitate every noise within hearing. This faculty 

 appears to have been known to the ancients, as 

 Plutarch relates an account of the performances of 

 one of these birds belonging to a barber in Rome. 

 Like the other birds of the crow kind, the magpie is 

 a notorious thief, and will not only steal food, but will 

 carry off any articles within its reach, particularly 

 such as are shining, as buttons, spoons, jewelry, &c., 

 which it carefully conceals in its nest. Its general 

 character has been described by Goldsmith in the fol- 

 lowing terms: " Were its other accomplishments 

 equal to its beauty, few birds could be put in com- 

 petition. Its black, its white, its green, and purple, 

 with the rich and gilded combinations of the glosses 

 on its tail, are as fine as any that adorn the feathered 

 tribe. But it has many of the qualities of a beau, to 

 depreciate these natural perfections : vain, restless, 

 loud and quarrelsome, it is an unwelcome intruder 

 every where, and never misses an opportunity., when 

 it finds one, of doing mischief." * 



MAGYARS; the original name of the Hungarians, 

 and which they still use in preference to any other. 

 They first became known about the year 626. They 

 fame from Asia, but there are different opinions as to 

 their original residence. It is most probable that 

 they lived in the region about the Caspian sea, 

 between the river Kama and the Ural mountains. 

 The similarity which has been thought to exist 

 between their language and the Finnish, has led to 

 the conjecture that they were of Finnish origin. After 

 various expeditions in Asia, they entered Europe at 

 the close of the seventh century, and settled in the 

 territory on the Ingul, between the Dnieper and the 

 Don (in the present government of Ekaterinoslav). 

 They remained more than 200 years, until they were 

 finally forced to retire before the attacks of the Pet- 



VOL. IV. 



sheneges. In the last half of the ninth century, they 

 passed over to Dacia, under their leader Arpad, set- 

 tled in Pannonia in 896, and established a kingdom 

 there. The ancient annalists sometimes call them 

 Turks, but commonly Ugner (Hungarians). The 

 country itself was called, from them, Hungary, (q. 

 v.) 



MAHA (in Sanscrit, great, large); a prefix to many 

 names, as Mahanoddy (great river). 



MAHABHARATA. See Indian Literature. 



MAHE ; a town and fortress of Hindoostan, on 

 the coast of Malabar, belonging to the French; 

 thirty-two miles N. W. of Calicut; Ion. 75 38' E.; 

 lat. 11 43' N.; population, about 6000. It is a neat 

 town, and a station of the East India company's com- 

 mercial agent, and carries on a trade in pepper, san- 

 dal-wood and cinnamon. 



MAHMOUD, first sultan of the Gaznevide dynasty, 

 was son of the governor of Chorasan, and sovereign 

 of Gazna. He was sixteen years old when his father 

 died, in 997. He drove the king of Turkestan from 

 Chorasan, and, in 1001, invaded Hindoostan, and 

 captured Gebal, a powerful prince. In 1002, he 

 reduced Khalif, the revolted governor of Segestan. 

 He repeated his invasion of India, returned, and 

 overcame Ilek Khan, who had invaded Chorasan. 

 He defeated him a second time, though Ilek had 

 been joined by Kader Khan, with 50,000 horse. He 

 now extended his conquests far and wide, and 

 acquired immense treasures. In 1029, he conquered 

 Persian Irak. He died in 1030, after a prosperous 

 reign of thirty-one years. He is extolled by the 

 Mohammedan writers, for his regard to justice, and 

 his zeal for the propagation of his religion, which he 

 spread in India by the extermination of a vast num- 

 ber of idolaters, and the demolition of their temples. 



MAHMOUD II.; khan and padishah, sultan of 

 the Ottomans, the twenty-ninth sovereign of the 

 family of Osman, the twenty-sixth grand sultan, and 

 twenty-first caliph, "the shadow of Allah upon 

 earth;" an absolute prince, who, possessing by 

 nature the disposition of a despot, has been obliged, 

 for a great part of his reign, to contend against 

 rebellions in the provinces, and the insubordination of 

 the janizaries. He is the second son of Abd-ul- 

 Hhamid, who died in 1789. His life forms a bril- 

 liant chapter in modern Turkish history. He was 

 born July 20, 1785, and was brought up in the 

 ancient seraglio. (See Ottoman Empire.) Mustapha 

 IV., the elder brother of Mahmoud, who ascended 

 the throne in 1807, had already, according to ancient 

 custom, ordered him to be put to death, that he 

 might have no competitor to fear, when Ramir Effen- 

 di, paymaster of the army, at the head of 2000 Al- 

 banians, rescued the prince. The valiant Bairaktar, 

 pacha of Ruschuk, immediately deposed Mustapha 

 IV., and girded Mahmoud with the sword of Osman, 

 July 28, 1808. Fourteen weeks afterwards, the 

 janizaries, offended by the military reforms made by 

 the grand vizier Bairaktar, took the seraglio by 

 storm. Bairaktar immediately ordered the exe- 

 cution of Mustapha and his mother, and then blew 

 himself up with his enemies. This happened Nov. 

 16, 1808. (See Ottoman Empire.) The battle 

 between the Seymens (infantry on the European sys- 

 tem, in favour of whom the sultan Mahmoud had 

 declared himself) and the janizaries was continued 

 thirty-six hours longer in the seraglio and the capital, 

 amidst pillage and conflagrations. The rebels gained 

 the victory, and, for the preservation of his life, Mah- 

 moud was compelled to send deputies to them, and 

 to submit unconditionally to their demands. After 

 these horrors, Mahmoud was not able to execute any 

 plan of reform in the army, although he still perse- 

 vered in his intention. At every attempt, the janiz- 



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