628 



MAHOGANY MAHIIATTAS. 



Atmridan. He used every effort for the formation of 

 an army on the European system, and succeeded in 

 our dt' the most perilous reforms ever undertaken. 

 For further information, see Janizaries; for the con- 

 sequences of his refusal in regard to the Greek 

 question, see Greece, Revolution of, near the end; 

 tor the late war between Russia and Turkey, declared 

 on the part of Russia, March 14, 1828, in con- 

 sequence of the breach of the treaty of Ackermau, 

 see Russia and Turkey. 



MAHOGANY; the wood of the sivietenia maho- 

 goni, a lofty and beautiful South American tree, 

 allied to the pride of India, so commonly introduced 

 into the southern parts of the United States, and be- 

 longing to the same family meliaceai. The leaves 

 are pinnate, composed of four pairs of oval, acumi- 

 nate, entire leaflets, and destitute of a terminal one. 

 The flowers are small, white, and are disposed in 

 loose panicles.- The fruit is a hard, woody, oval 

 capsule, about as large as a turkey's egg. The 

 wood is hard, compact, reddish-brown, and suscepti- 

 ble of a brilliant polish. It is one of the best and 

 most ornamental woods known, forming very elegant 

 articles of furniture. It is brought principally from 

 Honduras and the West Indies, from which places it 

 is exported, in vast quantities, to Great Britain, the 

 continent of Europe, and especially to the United 

 States, where it is so abundant and cheap as to have 

 brought into disuse many native kinds of wood, which 

 otherwise would be highly esteemed in cabinet- 

 making. The tree is of rapid growth, and its trunk 

 often has a diameter of four feet. Mahogany-cutting 

 constitutes a principal occupation of the British set- 

 tlers in Honduras. Gangs of Negroes, consisting of 

 from ten to fifty each, are employed in this work : 

 one of their number is styled the huntsman, and his 

 duty is to traverse the woods in search of the trees. 

 When these have been discovered, a stage is erected 

 against each, so high that the tree may be cut down 

 at about twelve feet from the ground. After the 

 branches are lopped, the task commences of convey- 

 ing the logs to the water's side, which is often a work 

 of considerable difficulty. They now float down the 

 current singly, till they are stopped 4ry cables, which 

 are purposely stretched across the river at some dis- 

 tance below. Here the different gangs select their 

 own logs, and form them into separate rafts, pre- 

 paratory to their final destination. In some instances, 

 the profits of this business have been very great, and 

 a single tree has sometimes been known to have pro- 

 duced about .1000. Mahogany now begins to be 

 rare in St Domingo, Jamaica, and the other West 

 India islands. It is said to have been introduced 

 into Britain about the year 1724. 

 MAHOMET. See Mohammed. 

 MAHON, PORT MAHON (Portus Magonis); a 

 town on the eastern coast of the island of Minorca, 

 of which it is the capital; lat. 39 51' N.; Ion. 4 

 18' E. It is the residence of a governor and the 

 principal authorities of the island. It is built chiefly 

 on lofty rocks, and enjoys a pure and healthy air. 

 The houses are generally well constructed, neatly 

 kept, and provided with cisterns. Its harbour is one 

 of the safest and most convenient in the Mediter- 

 ranean. It is capable of accommodating large fleets, 

 but at the entrance there are some shoals. It is de- 

 fended by three batteries, and eight large pieces of 

 cannon. There are four islets near, one of which 

 contains a spacious naval hospital for 800 patients, 

 founded by the British in 1711; another, the qua- 

 rantine buildings; a third, one of the finest lazarettos 

 in Europe, for 1500 inmates; a fourth, an arsenal. 

 A natural mole runs along the harbour, and is occu- 

 pied by shops with naval stores. Mahon was taken 

 by the British in 1708; by the French in 1756; re- 



stored to the former in 1763; and taken by the 

 Spaniards, atlrr a memorable siege, in 1782. 



MAHRATTAS; a Hindoo nation in the north- 

 west part of the Dt-ccan. They first became known 

 to Europeans in the beginning of the last century, 

 and have become celebrated within the last fitly 

 years. They originated from the Rajapoots, an old 

 warlike tribe. Being driven by the Mongols from 

 the provinces of Hindustan, where they dwelt, they 

 fled to the mountains extending from Surat to Goa. 

 The various tribes of which the nation consisted, 

 were united into a monarchy, the founder of which, 

 Sevajee, died in 1680. The capital of his kingdom 

 wasSattarah. Inured in their hills to all the hard- 

 ships of war, accustomed to live on rice and water, 

 and armed with excellent sabres, they formed, like 

 the Cossacks, with their hardy horses, a body of 

 cavalry which was the terror of their neighbours, 

 upon whom they made frequent attacks. When 

 Aurengzebe attacked the Coromandel coast, the in- 

 habitants called in the Mahrattas to their aid, and 

 the formidable conqueror found it prudent to con- 

 clude a treaty on terms very advantageous for them. 

 After the death of Aurengzebe, the Mahrattas took 

 advantage of the dissensions which agitated the 

 Mongol states, to extend their own territory. Their 

 territory amounted to about 593,320 square miles, 

 the greatest part of which was uncultivated. The 

 sovereigns of this powerful monarchy, the successors 

 of Sevajee, bore the title of maha rajah (grand 

 prince). They abandoned the administration of the 

 government entirely to their ministers, by whom they 

 were held as prisoners. The last of the royal family, 

 Ram Rajah, ascended the throne in 1740, at the age 

 of eight years. His prime minister, the peishwah 

 (grand vizier) Bajeerow, took advantage of the mino- 

 rity of the prince, seized the reins of government 

 with the aid of Rajoojee, another minister, and con- 

 fined Ram Rajah, (who remained a prisoner till his 

 death in 1777,) though he left him a show of dignity. 

 Bajeerow, with the other minister, then proceeded to 

 divide the territories as independent sovereigns, the 

 former assuming the western provinces, and fixing 

 his residence at Poonah. His kingdom was called 

 the empire of the Poonah-Mahrattas. Rajoojee took 

 the eastern provinces, established his court at Nag- 

 pour, and founded the empire of the Berar- Mahrattas. 

 Bajeerow died in 1761. The dignity of peishwah 

 was hereditary in his family. But a council of 

 government was formed in 1777, consisting of twelve 

 Bramins, which left the peishwah nothing but the 

 executive power. This division of the Mahratta 

 states could not be effected without the consent of 

 the principal governors of the separate states; they 

 were gained by additions of power and revenue. 

 Hence many Mahratta princes arose, some of whom 

 were only in appearance dependent upon the sove- 

 reigns of the more extensive districts, much as the 

 German princes anciently depended on the emperor. 



1. The empire of the Poonah-Mahrattas compre- 

 hended the whole coast from Goa to Cambay, and 

 was surrounded by Mysore, Golconda, Berar, and 

 the Mahratta principalities Guzerat, Oojein, and 

 Indore. It contains the most important possessions 

 of the Bombay presidency. Bajeerow defeated the 

 Mussulmans in 1760, and extended his conquests to 

 the banks of the Indus. This brought the Poonah- 

 Mahrattas in contact with the territory under Abdal- 

 lah, formerly a general of Nadir Shah. The peishwah 

 having formed a plan for driving the Mohammedans 

 out of the country, and extending the dominion of 

 the Mahrattas over all India, the whole country was 

 divided (175961) into two parties. The Moham- 

 medans adhered to Abdallah, and appeared 150,000 

 strong in the plains of Carnaul and Paniput ; the 



