MUS 
ter being always placed on the belly, or 
sounding-board, exactly between llie cen- 
tres of two sound-holes, which are in the 
form of an S ; the belly is supported by a 
small piece of rounded deal, called the 
sounding-port, without which the tones 
would be imperfect and harsh. The inven- 
tion of sounding-boards appears to have 
been taken from the echeia, or vases, placed 
among the audinm, and especially near the 
performers, in the ancient theatres, for the 
purpose of resonance. See Orchestra. 
The whole of those instruments, which 
are retained in modern use, are occasionally 
to be found collected in an orchestra ; but 
for a military band, such only can be adapt- 
ed as are portable, and are not subject to 
lose, or to change their intonations, or to 
be injured in tlie open air, or whose casual- 
ties could not be immediately made good. 
Hence all stringed instruments are unfit for 
the latter purpose. 
MUSICIAN, is defined, by i)r. Busby, 
as one who understands the science of »m- 
sic, or who sings, or performs some instru- 
ment according to the rides of art. Tliere 
are three kinds of musicians ; the specula- 
tive musician, or musical author, properly 
so called, who contemplates and writes on 
the laws of sound and harmony ; the practi- 
cal theorist, or composer, who produces 
music written agreeably to those laws ; and 
tlie performer, who, with his voice or in- 
strument, executes the music when writ- 
ten. 
MUSK, a substance secreted info a kind 
of bag in the umbilical region of the moschns 
moscliifer. It is of a brown red colour, 
feels unctuous, and has a bitter taste. Its 
smell is aromatic and intensely strong. It is 
partially soluble in water, which acquires its 
smell ; and in alcohol, but that liquid does 
not retain the odour of the musk. Musk is 
dissolved by nitric and sulphuric acids, but 
the odour is by tliem destroyed. Fixed 
alkalies develope the odour of ammonia. 
MUSKET, a fire-arm borne on the shoul- 
der, and used in war. Tlie lengtli of a 
musket is fixed at three feet eiglit inches 
from the muzzle to the pan, and it carries a 
ball of sixteen to the pound. 
In fortification, the length of the line of 
defence is limited by the ordinary dis- 
tance of a musket shot, which is about 
120 fiitlwnis ; and the length of alniiost all 
military architecture is regulated by this 
rule. 
MUSKETOON, a kind of short thick 
VOL. IV. 
MUT 
musket, whose bore is the thirty eighth part 
of its length ; it carries five ounces of iron, 
or seven and a half of lead, with an equal 
qu.Tntity of powder. This is the shortest 
sort of blmiderbusses. 
MUSLIN, a fine thin sort of cotton cloth, 
which bears a downy knap on its surface. 
There are several sorts of ntttslins brought 
from the East Indies, and more particrrlariy 
from Bengal ; srreh as doreas, betelles, 
mtrlrnrrls, tanjeebs, &c. 
MUSSjENDA, in botany, a germs of the 
Penlandr ia Monogyiria class and order. Na- 
ttrral order of Contort®. Rttbiacc®, Jus- 
sieu. Essential character : corolla fitunel 
for'tn ; stigmas tw o, thickish ; berry oblong, 
inferior ; seeds disposed in four rows. Ther e 
ar’e three species, natives of the East Indku, 
China, and Cochin Chiira. 
MUSSEL. See Mytilivs. 
MUSTER, in a tnililary sense, a review 
of troops under arms, to see if they be com- 
plete, and in good order ; to take an ac- 
count of their numbers, tire condition they 
are in, viewing their arms and accoutre- 
ments, &c. At a muster every man must 
be properly clothed and accoutr ed, &c. and 
answer to his name. 
Muster roll, a specific list of the offieert 
and men in every regiment, troop, or com- 
pany, which is delivered to the inspecting, 
field officer, muster-master-, regimental or 
district paymaster (as the case may the) 
whereby they ai-e paid, and their conditiou 
is know'll. The names of the officers are 
inscribed according to rank, those of the 
men in alphabetical succession. Adjutants 
of regiments make out the muster rolls, and 
when tire, list is called over, every indivi- 
dual must answer to his name. Every mus- 
ter-roll must be signed by the colonel or 
commanding officer, the payni-aster and ad- 
jutant of each regiment, troop, or company ; 
it must likewise be sw'orn to by the muster- 
master or paymaster (as the case may be) 
before a justice of the peace, previous to its 
being tr ansmitted to government. 
MUTE, in case auy person refnses to 
ple.Td to an in lictment for felony, &c. he is 
now by stat. 12 Geo. III. c. 20, to be con- 
sidered as pleading guilty, and to be pu- 
nished as upon confession. Formerly a plea 
was extorted from him by a process, whicli 
was called the p«itic/oi-fe ct dure, and which 
has been justly considered as inhuman and 
disgusting. In a late trial, the case of Go- 
vernor Picton, who was prosecuted for 
putting a young girl to tortur e, to extor t 
eq 
