234 MUR 
purple, streaked with light blue ; pectoral 
and anal pink-colour: native of the Indian 
seas : observed by Dr. Russel near Visgapa- 
tam: interior as a food to the red mullet, 
and not much esteemed. 
4. Mullue barbatus, inhabits the European, 
Mediterranean, and Pacific seas: body,' 
when deprived of its scales, red. Nothing 
can be more beautiful than the colours of 
this fish> when in the act of dying ; and no- 
thing more delicious than its fiesh. The Ro- 
mans held it in such repute, that prodigious 
sums were given for them : they were fre- 
quently bought at their weight in pure silver 
See Plate Nat. Hist. fig. 273. There are 
two other species. 
MULTILATERAL, in geometry, is ap- 
plied to those figures which have more than 
tour sides or angles, more usually called po- 
lygons. v & 
MULTINOMIAL, or Multinomial 
ROOj^s, ill mathematics, such roots as are 
composed of many names, parts, or mem- 
bers ; as, a -f- -j- d -f- c, &c. See Root. 
MULI IPLL, in arithmetic, a number 
which comprehends some other several times, 
thus 6 is a multiple of 2. 
Multiple ratio, or proportion, is 
that which is between multiples. If the less 
term ot the ratio is an aliquot part of the 
greater, the ratio of the greater to the less is 
called multiple, and, that of the less to the 
greater submultiple. A submultiple number 
is that contained in the multiple ; thus, the 
numbers 1, 2, and 3, are submultiples of 9. 
Duple, 'triple, &c. ratios, as also subdupies, 
subtriples, &c. are so many species of mul- 
tiple and submultiple rati®s. See Ratio. 
MULI IPLICAND. See Arithmetic. 
MULTIPLICATION. See Arithme- 
tic, and Algebra. 
MULTIPLYING GLASS. See Op- 
tics. 
MUM, a kind of malt liquor, much drunk 
in Germany, and chiefly brought from Bruns- 
wick, which is the place ot most note for 
making it. 
MUMMY. See Embalming. 
MUNCH AUSIA, a genus of the class 
and order polyadelphia polyandria. The ca- 
lyx is six-cleft; petals clawed; stamina in 
six bodies ; pistils superior. There is one 
species, a tree of Java. 
MUNICIPAL, in the Roman civil law, 
an epithet which signifies invested with the 
rights and privileges of Roman citizens. 
Thus the municipal cities were those whose 
inhabitants were capable of enjoying civil 
offices in the city of Rome. 
Municipal, among us, is applied to the laws 
that obtain in any particular city or province : 
and those are called municipal officers who 
are elected to defend the interest of cities, to 
maintain their rights and privileges, and to 
preserve order and harmony among the citi- 
zens ; such as mayors, sheriffs, &c. 
MUNTINGIA, a genus of the class and 
order polyandria monogynia. The calyx is 
five-parted ; corolla five-petalled ; berry five- 
celled ; seeds many. T here is one species, 
a shrub of Jamaica. 
MURiENA, a genus of fishes of the order 
apodal. The generic character is, body 
eel-shaped ; pectoral fins none ; spiracle on 
each side the neck. 
1. Murana Helena, Roman murana. This 
fish, the celebrated favourite of the antieut 
M U R 
Romans, who considered it as one of the 
most luxurious articles of the table, is found 
in considerable plenty about several of the 
Mediterranean coasts, where it arrives at a 
size at least equal, if not superior, to that of 
an eel. Its colour is a dusky greenish-brown, 
pretty thickly variegated on all parts with 
dull-yellow subangular marks or patches, 
which are disposed in a somewhat different 
manner in different individuals, and are ge- 
nerally scattered over with smaller speck- 
lings of brown, the whole forming a kind of 
obscurely reticular pattern. The murana is 
capable of living with equal facility both in 
fresh and salt waiter, though principally found 
at sea. In its manners, it much resembles 
the eel and the conger, being extremely vo- 
racious, and preying on a variety of smaller 
animals. The antients, who kept it in reser- 
voirs appropriated for the purpose, are said 
to have sometimes tamed it to such a degree 
as to come at the signal of its master in order 
to receive its food. Pliny records a most 
disgusting and barbarous instance of tyranny 
practised by one Vedius Pollio, who was in 
the habit of causing his offending slaves to be 
throwm into the reservoirs in which he kept 
his mu ran as ; expressing a savage delight in 
thus being able to taste in an improved state 
their altered remains. The emperor Augus- 
tus, according to Seneca, honoured this man 
with his presence at one of his entertain- 
ments ; when a slave happening to break a 
valuable chrystal vase, was immediately or- 
dered to be thrown to the muranae; but the 
poor boy, flying to the feet of Augustus, re- 
quested rather to die any death than thus to 
be made the food of fishes. T he emperor, 
being informed of this extraordinary mode of 
punishment, immediately ordered all the 
chrystal vessels in the house to be broken 
before his fiice, and the ponds of the barba- 
rous owner to be completely filled up ; at the 
same time giving the slave his freedom, but 
sparing the life of the offender in considera- 
tion of former friendship. See Plate Nat. 
Hist. fig. 276. 
2. Murana ophis, spotted murana. Ob- 
served by Forskal ; native of the Red Sea ; 
has a rising callus between the eyes, gold- 
coloured irides, upper lip shorter than the 
lower, and the dorsal and anal fins united at 
the tail. See Plate Nat. Hist. fig. 275. 
3. Murana catenata, chain-striped mu- 
rana. I his species, ot which the individuals 
hitherto described appear to be of the size of 
a smallish eel, is of a brown colour, crossed 
by large chainlike white bands, somewhat 
irregular in their form on different parts of 
the animal, and marked by numerous brown 
spots and freckles. This 'fish is a native of 
Surinam. 
4. Murana reticulata, reticulated murana. 
In size and general form, this resembles the 
preceding species, but differs in colours and 
in the disposition of the dorsal fin, which' 
commences immediately at the back of the 
head, and is continued round the tail, where 
it unites with the vent-fin. Native of the 
Indian seas. 
5. Murana conger, conger eel; inhabits 
the European seas and rivers ; is extremely 
voracious, feeding on other fish, crabs in 
their soft state, and particularly carcases. It 
grows^ to a vast size. See Plate Nat. Hist, 
fig. 274. T here are four other species. 
M U R 
k 
MURDER, or Murther, See Homi- 
cide. 
MUREX, in natural history, a genus of 
univalve or simple shells, without any hinge, 
formed of a single piece, and beset with tu- 
bercles or spines. The mouth is large and 
oblong, and lias an expanded lip, and the 
clavicle is rough. 
1 he clavicle of the murex is in some spe- 
cies elevated, in others depressed ; and the 
mouth is sometimes dentated, and at others 
smooth ; the lip also in some is digitated, in 
others elated, and in some laciniated ; and 
the columella is in some smooth, in others 
rugose. 
Murex, in zoology, a genus of insects be- 
longing to the order ot vermes teslacea. 
This animal is of the snail kind: the shell 
consists of one spiral valve, rough, with mem- 
branaceous furrows ; and the aperture termi- 
nates in an entire canal, either straight, or 
somewhat ascending. T here are 60 species, 
particularly distinguished by peculiarities in 
their shells, &c. See Plate' Nat. Hist, fias 
277, 278. ° 
In the accounts of a Spanish philosopher it i 
is mentioned, that on the coasts of Guayaquil 
and Guatemala in Peru, the murex is also 
found. T he shell which contains it adheres j 
to the rocks that are washed by the sea. It ;| 
is ot the size of a large walnut. The liquor j 
may be extracted two ways : some kill the 
animal after they have drawn it out of the I 
shell, then press' it with a knife from head to J 
tail, separate from the body the part where 1 
the liquor is collected, and throw away the I 
rest. When this operation, after being re- 1 
peated on several snails, has afforded a cer- j 
tain quantity of fluid, the thread intended to J 
be dyed is clipped in it, and the process is 1 
finished. The colour, which is at first of the 1 
whiteness of milk, becomes afterwards green, j 
and is not purple till the thread is dry. Those J 
who disapprove of this method draw the fish ] 
partly out of the shell, and, squeezing it, I 
make it yield a fluid which serves for dyeing : I 
they repeat this operation four times at 'differ- 1 
ent intervals, but always with less success. 1 
If they continue it, the fish dies. No colour 1 
at present known, says the Abbe Raynal, can 1 
be compared to this, either as to lustre, live- j 
liness, or duration. It succeeds better on j 
cotton than wool, linen, or silk. 
MU PI AT, green sand of Peru. This I 
ore, which was brought from Peru by Dom- 1 
bey, is a grass- gr ten powder, mixed with 1 
grains of quartz. When thrown on burnimr 
coals, it communicates a green colour to the I 
flame. It is soluble both in nitric and mu- ] 
viatic acids without effervescence. The so- I 
lution is green. This mineral was first proved j 
to contain muriatic acid by Berthollet. Af- 1 
terwards Proust analyzed it. But Vauquelin I 
announced that he considered it merely as j 
an oxide of copper mixed \yith common salt, j 
However, a subsequent examination con- j 
vinced him that his opinion was unfounded - ] 
and that the mineral was really a carbonat’ 1 
as had been affirmed by Berthollet and ] 
Proust. This conclusion has been confirmed j 
by Klaproth, who found the green sand of 1 
Peru composed of 
73.0 oxide of copper 
10.1 muriatic acid 
16.9 water. 
100.0 
