M A R 



451 



M A R 



galanga constitute the smaller pnlaniral 

 of the pharmacopoeias. All the species 

 are natives of hot climates. 



MAR'BLE, Lat.mnrmt/r.from fjut^uM^ov, 

 a shining stone. A name common to all 

 limestones of a compact texture, and 

 possessing sufficient hardness to take a 

 polish. The varieties are numerous, and 

 greatly diversified in colour, from pure 

 white to jet hlack. Marble effervesces 

 with acids ; affords quick-lime by calcina- 

 tion ; has a couchoidal scaly fracture ; is 

 translucent only on the very edges ; is 

 easily scratched by the knife ; has a sp. 

 gr. of !' ; admits of being sawn into 

 slabs ; and receives a brilliant polish. 

 These qualities occur united in only three 

 principal varieties of limestone; (1.) In the 

 saecharoid limestone, so called from its 

 fine granular texture, resembling that of 

 loaf sugar, and which constitutes modern 

 statuary marble, like that of Carrara : (2.) 

 In the foliated limestone, consisting of 

 a multitude of small facets, formed of 

 little plates applied to one another in 

 every possible direction, constituting the 

 aucient statuary marble, like that of 

 1'aros; (3.) In many of the transition, or 

 carboniferous, or encrinitic limestones 

 subordinate to the coal formation. 



MAR'BLING. The method of preparing 

 a:i<l colouring the marble paper. There 

 are several kinds of marble paper; but 

 tlie method of managing the process is 

 the same for all the sorts. It consists in 

 dipping the paper into a solution of gum 

 dragon (gum tragacanth), over which 

 the colours, previously prepared with 

 ox-gall and spirit of wine, are first spread 

 and dispersed, by means of a sort of comb, 

 into the kind of figures wanted. The 

 paper is afterwards polished. 



MAR'CASITE. A name of Arabic origin, 

 which, without any definite meaning, 

 has been applied to all sorts of crude 

 metallic substances. It is now restricted 

 to a variety of iron pyrites. 



MARCH. 1. The third month of the year 

 according to the modern calendar, but the 

 tirst according to the ancient Roman com- 

 putation ; named in honour of Mars, the 



god of war, and father of Romulus. 



2. In music, a military air, to regulate the 

 steps of the soldiers. 3. In military lan- 

 guage, the motion of a body of troops from 

 one place to another. It has three mea- 

 sures: (1.) Ordinary time; (2.) Quick 

 time ; (3.) The quickest or wheeling time. 



MARCHERS. Lord Marchers. Noblemen 

 who formerly dwelt near the borders of 

 \Vales and Scotland, and protected the 

 marches or borders. March, in this sense, 

 i* radically the same word as mark. 



MAR'CION ITF.S. The followers of Marcion, 

 a heretic of the second cetuurr. 



MARC'OSIANS. A sect of Christian he- 

 retic*, the followers of Marcus, who 



taught, in the second century, that the 

 Deity consists of a quaternity : the In- 

 effable, Silence, the Father, and Truth. 



MA'RECANITE. A variety of obsidian, in 

 the form of little grains like peas, pearly- 

 white, consisting of very thin concentric 

 layers, found in Marckan, in the Gulf of 

 Kamschatka. 



MAR'GARIC ACID. A fat acid, obtained 

 by saponifying tallow with an alkali, 

 and decomposing the soap with a dilute 

 acid. It is thus named from its appearing 

 in pearly-looking scales (margarita, a 

 pearl), and is more fusible than the ste- 

 aric acid, melting at 140 F. 



MAR'GARIXE. The name given by Che- 

 vreul to the substance afterwards called 

 margaric acid. 



MAR'GARITIC ACID. One of the fatty 

 acids which result from saponification. 



MAR'GIN, Fr. marge. 1. In printing, 

 the border of white paper round the page 

 of a book. 2. In architecture, the mar- 

 gin of a course, that part of the upper 

 side of a course of slates, uncovered by 

 the next superior course. 



MARGIN EL' LA. A univalve shell, with a 

 short spire, found recent in sand and 

 sandy mud, and fossil in the calcaire 

 grassier. 



MAR'GRAVE, Ger. markgrnf, from mark, 

 a march or border, and graff, a count or 

 earl. Originally a keeper of the marches, 

 now a title of nobility in Germany, &c. 

 The jurisdiction of a margrave is termed 

 a margraviate. 



MARI'JL THERE'SA, ORDER OF. A military 

 order of Austria, founded in 1757. 



MAR'IOOLD. In botany, a name common 

 to all the species of the genus Calendula. 

 The marsh-marigold is the Calthapaluttris. 

 The African marigold belongs to the ge- 

 nus Tagttes. The corn marigold to the ge- 

 nus Chrysanthemum. Fig marigold to the 

 genus Mesembryanthemum. The name is 

 often written marygold. 



MARINE'. Belonging to the sea (marinus, 

 from mare, the sea), as marine shells. 

 Marine acid IB an old name for the 

 muriatic or hydrochloric acid. Marine 

 salt is the salt obtained by the evapora- 

 tion of sea- water, as distinct from rock- 

 salt. The word marine, used substan- 

 tively, is a general name for the navy of 

 a kingdom or state, and the whole eco- 

 nomy of naval affairs. 



MARINE CHAIR. A machine inventedfor 

 viewing steadily the satellites of Jupiter 

 at sea. 



MARINE SURVEYOR. A machine con- 

 trived for measuring the way of a ship 

 at sea, and for registering the same on a 

 sort of dial-plate. 



MARINE'S. A body offerees employed in 

 the sea-service, undor the direction of the 

 luntsof the Admiralty. 



MAiuorrE's LAW. in fjiieuttMtict, a its- 



2 G 2 



