﻿ni 



MEtLLEBAIB. 



MELKSHAH. 



7M 



dafafttod b; ths uriral of Bniiilu with k Lao«d«iiioniaii foroe. W« 

 read little mora of Mann in Qraoiaa hiatotr. la B.a 357 damocnicy 

 WM a«iun Uw wtaMhSail ooMtltation. (Diod., xr. 40.) Magan waa 

 takan mad almoak daatrojad hj Damatriua ; it waa alao taken by the 

 Komaaa under Ifetellaa (Paoa., TtL 16, | 4) ; it atiffered greatly in the 

 inraiion of AUrio (Prooop., ' BalL Vand,' LI); and ita ruin waa 

 oomphtad hj tha y«D«liuM in IMT. 



CoiB of ICrgarit. BritUh Masenm. Aetoal lin. 



MEILLEKAIE. [Lontc-lKr^RtiuBr] 

 MEINAN, RIVER. [Siam.] 

 MEININOEK. [Saxe-Mkisinoix] 



MEISSEN, a town in the kingdom of Saxony, b aitiuted in 61° 10' 

 v. lat, 13° 25' E. long., on the little river Meiae or Miri, on and 

 bat ween hilla on tho left bank of tha Kibe, over which tb«re is a 

 t i OTara d bridge^ anppoaad to hare been originally built in the llth 

 century; tUa bridge waa deatroyed in 1647, 1767, and in 1813, but 

 has aince been rebuilt. Meiasen ia one of the oldest towna in the 

 oonntiy, haTiog been founded in 922 by king Henry I., aa a bulwark 

 of hia Oermao aettlementa againat the Slavoniana. His aon, Otho I., 

 founded the cathedral and eatabliahed a bishopric, of which the town 

 continued to be the leat till the Reformation. The town is surrounded 

 by walla^ ontaide of which are Bereral suburbs. The cathedral, a 

 maatarpiada of ancient QermMi architecture, has a tower Hurmonnted 

 with a spire CO feet high, compoaed of beautiful open-work ; it is rich 

 in ancient monuments. Adjoining it is the Princes' chapel, founded in 

 in 1425 by FVaderiok I., elector of Saxony, of the house of Meiasen, 

 for tho hereditary TauH of hia family, in which there is a bronze 

 monument of the founder. The palace of Albrechtsburg, near the 

 oathedtal, was formerly the common reaidenca of the matgraTes, bnr- 

 graTea, and bishops of Meiaaen ; but the margravea transferred their 

 residence to Dreaden in the ISth century. The palace waa almost 

 antiraly rebuilt in 1471. Krer since 1710 it has contained the cele- 

 brated porcelain manufactory, the productions of which riral or 

 aurpaaa those of China and Japan in imrdness, durability, beauty of 

 form, and painted ornamentation. The former convent of St.-Afra, 

 on a lofty rock, which ia joined by a stone bridge to the eminence on 

 which the palace atands, is now converted into a schooL There are 

 mnnufactures of leather, hosiery, colours, camels'-hair brushes, Itc. ; 

 but the chief source of profit ia the making of wine. 



MKJERDAH, the ancient Bagndcu, a river in northern Africa. 

 Ita upper coune lies within the territories of Algiers ; in its middle 

 course it forms the boundary-line between that country and Tunis, 

 and in ita lower course it traverses the northern district of the last- 

 mentioned state. A great number of rivers rise in the mountains 

 which between 35* and 3G* N. lai, 7° and 8° E. long., constitute the 

 UMat eastern of the elevated ranges of Mount Atlas; these unite 

 about 36* to' N. lat, and form the Wady Sent, or Mellag, the prin- 

 cipal branch of the Hejerdah River, which bore in ancient tlmaa the 

 name of Bagndaa. In ita course, which is nearly due north, it sepa- 

 ratoa Algiers from Tunis, until it reaches 38* 10' N. lat., where it is 

 joined by the Wady-Hamiz from the west, and takes the name of 

 Mi^jerdah. Up to thu junction ita coonw exceeds 100 miles, and from 

 thia point it runs about 60 miles eastward through a hilly country. 

 It thim turns north-north-eact, and oontinnes this course until it falls 

 into an inlet of the Bay of Tunis near Cape Farina, after a courae of 

 more than 860 milea. Xear its mouth it paaaea the ruins of Utica. 

 In ancient times ita lower oonraa was aomewhat different ; the river 

 fell into the sea between Utiea and Carthage, but much nearer the 

 than it now does. Tlie alluvial deposits of tha river have 

 I eonaideraUe diaagcs on tho coast [Cabthaob.] In any other 

 7 the Majardah would be held to be an inoonaidenble river ; it 

 ia bowsrrar the second tirer in size of those that eater the Mediter- 

 iMwan ba t wte u Cape Bon and the Strait of Oibraltar, being exceeded 

 in sine only by the Hulwia ; and yet it is fordablo in many places near 

 ita mouth. "The Meierdah is used to irrigate the fields in tho lower 

 partrfHa eonnw, where it fiows through a wide and level valley. It 

 tnwriknnmA ftr tfll a s a the a4iaoent oountnr hi spring; the inundatioiu 

 ■* eaoasd by tha tpring rains and the melting of snow on the moun- 

 taiat wUeh surround ita nnpar brtnebaa. 

 MBKIW EZ. [MABOC0O.J 

 MBKBAN, or MinCRAN. [BBLoocRnTAif.l 

 - MBLAZZO. ntMiKA.] ^ 



MCLBOURNK. [CAMmUDOMBIBB ; DCBBTUmtB.] 



MELBOUKNB, the capital of the oolony of Victoria or Port Phfllip, 

 AtoAnUa, it aitoaled on the Tam-Tanm Bivar, near the head of 

 Port Phillip Bay, 000 miha distant from Sydney by the orerlsad 

 rout*, and abors 600 milas from Adelaide, the oapiul of South 

 AotaUia. Malbonma baa sprang into asisteaea withhi the Isst 20 

 yeaia ; it iooraasad noidly aftw tha diaooreiy of gold in tho colony 

 ia 1861, and ia dow a lais« and important dty, the seat of an exten- 



sive oommeroa. The at r aet a are spacious and Uid out with great 

 rsgulatity. Melbourne eontaina aeveral fine buildings, among which 

 may be named the cathedral, and aavaral plaeea of worship, int<\nMnf[ 

 chl^Mls fur Episcopalians, Independaota, Praabyteriaos, and Wenlayaa 

 Methodists ; a court-house, the govanior'a rastdanoa, a poat-oflea, a 

 custom-house, a jail, the government offlcea, aarecal t>oarding-honati^ 

 hotels, hatha, and large commeroial estahliahmenta. ExtenaiTa 

 improvemonta are projected, including an ample aopply of water to 

 be brought into Uie city from a dktanee of SO miles. The oitj 

 revenue amounted in 1862 to 16,1611. 19f. 6tL, being more thaa 

 double that of the preceding year. Of this revenue the oorporatioa 

 e^Moded the principal part in public improvemanta. Malboume ia 

 the aaat of a bishopric ; a corporate town with a mayor ; tlia reaidanoa 

 of the lieutcnaui-govemor ; and the aaat of government. 



The gold finding in the colony, which appean to continue with- 

 out much diminution, attracta numerous emigrants to Melbourne, 

 especially from Qreat Britain. The population of the city is probably 

 now about 40,000. Vessels of 200 tons can ascend the river to Mel- 

 bourne, lai^r vessels lie in Hobson's Bay. WHliam^ottu, the 

 port of Melbourne, is a small town built on a low sand-flat at Point 

 Gellibrantl, on the west aide of Hobson's Bay, about 8 milea S.W. 

 from the city. It contains some good houses. A railway oonnecta 

 Williametown with Melbourne otty. It is proposed to oonstruct a 

 pier at Williamstown, having a commimication with the railway 

 terminus, so that passengers and goods may be landed and sent on to 

 Melbourne without difficulty. Statistics in reference to the shipping 

 and commerce of Melbourne will be given more at length in our 

 account of the colony of ViOTOBIA. 

 MKLCO.MBE KEUIS. [Wbvmouth.] 

 Mfc:LUlii;M, or OUU MKLDRUM. [Abbrdbbhshibb.] 

 MKLFI. [Basilicata.] 

 MELFOKU. [SurroLK.] 

 MKLIANA. [ALoicBiB.] 



MELILLA, a sea-port town of Maroooo belonging to Spain, ia 

 situated 11 miles S. from Cape Ras-ud-Dir, or Tres-Forcas, in 35° 8' 15* 

 N. lat, 2' 66' 2* W. long., and haa about 3000 inhabitants. The 

 town stands on a peninsula about 40 feet above the aeo, and united to 

 the mainland by a rocky isthmus. Melilla ii one of the Spantsh 

 presidios on this ooaat It is impregnable on the land aide, and towarda 

 the sea it is defended by strong ramparts. Tha fortrass has laige 

 magazines and cistema, and small Toaeals can enter the harbour. The 

 presidios of Pehon-de-Velez and Aluiemas, or Alhuoemas, two strongly 

 fortified rocky islands between Cape Trra-Foreas and Ceuta, are tdao 

 under the governor of Melilla. The Spanish garrison of Melilla 

 numbers about 1000. The reat of the inhabitants are for tha auMt 

 part oonvicts and exiles. Melilla it said to derive its name from tlie 

 Spaniah word for honey, which is gathered of superior quality on tiia 

 motmtain slopea along this coast 



MELINDA, a sea-port situated on the eastern shores of Africa, 

 near 4° S. lat, 40 E. long. In tus first voyage, Vasco de Gama sailed 

 along the eastern coast of Africa as far north aa thia place, where he 

 got a pilot from the king to conduct his vesssi to India. Oama 

 describes the town as aitoatod on a plain near the aea-ahora, surrounded 

 with gardens, and oonsistiug of bouses neatly built of hewn stone, 

 with handsome rooms and painted oeiliuga. It was at that time 

 evidently a place of some importance. In 1606 the Portuguese took 

 possession of Melinda; and about 23 yean later of Mombaa also, 

 which lies a short distance to the south ; and as the harbour of the 

 latter is much superior Melinda began to decline. It waa takfn from 

 tho Portuguese about tha beginning of the last centory by the Arabs, 

 who in their turn were supplanted by tho QsJla, a aavage nation, 

 which has carried its conquests from the southern declivity of the 

 Abyssinian Alps as far south aa Melinda. On the site of the town are 

 the ruins of Portuguese churches and other buildings, 

 MELITENE. IMalatia.] 



MEI.iCSHAM, Wiltahire, a market-town and the aeat of a Pooi^ 

 Law Union in the parish of Melkshnm, ia situated in 61° 22' N. lat, 

 2° 8' W. long., distant 7 mUes W. by N. from Devizes, 96 mUes W. 

 by 8. from London by road, and lUO miles by the Qreat Western 

 railway. The population of the town of Melkaham in 1851 waa 2981. 

 Melkaham Poor-Law Union contains aix parishes and townshipa, with 

 nn area of 16,233 acree, and a population in 1851 of 18,614. 



At tho time of the Domesday Survey the town appears to hare 

 been a place of acme oonaequenoe. It afterwarda declined, but was 

 ravived by the introduction of tite doth maaufaoturo. Some years 

 aince mineral watera were diaoovared in the neighbourhood of the 

 town ; and hot and cold hatha wara calabliabed, and houssa built for 

 visitors to 'the Spa.' The town eonsiata principally of one long 

 winding irregular street The principal part of the town is divided 

 by the river Avon, over which is a stone bridge of four arehes, from 

 a suburb called ' the city.' The houses, whioh are of stone, are of 

 neat appearance, and the town is lighted with gaa, well paved, and 

 drained. A spadoua cb oa se market, market-bouse, and town-hall in 

 the Oredan a^le were erected in 1847 by a joint-stock company. The 



church ii chiefly of the parpaadicuUr stvie, with tome Norman portions. 

 In 1845 the tower waa ramored from the osotre to the west end. The 

 Wesloyan Methodists, Independedti, Baptiata,aad Quakers have plaoes 

 of worship ; and there ara Katiooal and British schools, a mutual 



