MUL 
MULLER, or Mijllar, denotes a stone 
flat and even at the bottom, but round at 
top, used for grinding of matters on a mar- 
ble. The apothecaries use mullers to pre- 
pare some of their testaceous powders, arid 
painters for their colours, either dry or in 
oil. Muller is also an instrument used by 
the glass-grinders ; being a piece of wood, 
to one end whereof is cemented the glass to 
be ground. It is ordinarily about six inches 
long, turned round. 
MULLERA, in botany, so named in 
memory of Otho Frederick Muller, a genus 
of the Diadelphia Decandria class and or- 
der. Natural order of Papilionacea?. Le- 
guminosoe, Jussieu. Essential character: 
pericarpium elongated, fleshy, necklace 
form, with one-seeded globules. There is 
only one species, tiz. M. moniliformis, a 
native of Surinam. 
MULLET, or Mollet, in heraldry, a 
bearing in form of a flat, or rather of the 
rowel of a spur, which it originally repre- 
sented. The mullet has but five points ; 
when there are six it is called a star ; though 
others make this difference, that the mullet 
is, or ought , to be always pierced, which a 
star is not. 
MULLUS, the surmullet, in natural his- 
tory, a genus of tishes of the order Thora- 
cici. Generic character : head compressed 
and scaly ; month bearded ; gill-membrane, 
with three rays ; body round, long,, and 
red, coated with large and easily deciduous 
scales. There arc six species according to 
Gmelin. Shaw reckons thirteen. The M. 
rubea, or red surmullet, is the fish which 
was one of the favourite delicacies of Roman 
epicurism, and which, when particulaily 
scarce, might be sold for its weight in sil- 
ver coin. Its colonrs are a rose red, olive 
and silver, exquisitely blended ; and, in a 
dying state, the surmullet exhibits those 
rapid and contrasted changes which have 
often been described as particularly at- 
tending the expiring dolphin. From this 
circumstance this fish was considered, 
among the Romans, as exhibiting a feast to 
the eye as well as the palate. Before it was 
delivered over to the cook, it was displayed 
in a transparent vase to the company as- 
sembled, and considered as affording a 
most interesting spectacle, by those rapid 
changes of colour which accompanied its 
expiring struggh-s, sometimes glowing with 
intense ardour, then fading into deathful 
liallidness. It is found in the Mediterranean 
and in the North Seas, and is about four- 
teen inches long. 
MUL 
MULTANGULAR, a figure, or body, 
which has many angles. 
MULTILATER/VL, in geometry, is ap- 
plied to those figures which have more 
than four sides or angles, more usually 
called polygons. 
MULTINOMIAL, or multinomial roots, 
in mathematics, such roots as are composed 
of many names, parts, or members; as 
a 6 -|- (Z -j- c, &c. See Root. 
MULTIPLE, in arithmetic, a number 
which comprehends some other several 
times, thus 6 is a multiple of 2, and 12 is a 
multiple of 6, 4, and 3, comprehending the 
first tw'ice, the second thrice, iee. 
Multiple ratio, or proportion, is that 
which is between multiples. If the la'ser 
term of the ratio be 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 snbmul- 
tiples of 9. Duple, triple, &c. ratios, as also 
subdnples, subtriples, &c. are so many spe- 
cies of multiple and submultiple ratios. 
MULTIPLICAND, inarithmetic, one of 
the factors in tlie rule of multiplication ; 
being that number which is given to be 
multiplied by another, which is called the 
miiltiplicator, or multiplier. 
MULTIPLICATION, in general, the 
act of increasing the number of any thing. 
See Arithmetic and Algebra. 
Multiplication, cross, otherwise called 
duodecimal arithmetic, is an expeditious 
method of multiplying things of several spe- 
cies, or denominations, by others likewise of 
different species, &c. e. g. Shillings and 
pence, by shillings and pence ; feet and 
inches, by feet and inches. 
This is much used in measuring, &c. and 
the method is thus : 
Suppose 5 feet 3 inches to be multiplied 
by 2 feet 4 inches ; say 2 times 5 feet is 10 
feet, and 2 times 3 is 6 inches ; again, say 4 
times 5 is 20 inches, or 1 foot 8 inches ; and 
4 times 3 is 12 parts, or 1 inch : the whole 
sum makes 12 feet 3 inches. In the same 
manner yon may manage shillings and 
pence, &c. 
Ft. In. 
5 3 
2 4 
10 6 
1 8 
12 -.3 
