246 MET M E T 
perfon, or laying it upon fomething as a caufe. Thus, 
Adam’s excufing himfelf by blaming Eve, is an example 
of the former; and the laying the crime of drunkennefs 
upon the wine, is an inftance of the latter. 
METASTEL'MA, / in botany, the name of a genus 
propofed by Mr. Brown in the Wern. Tranf. p. 52. It 
confifts but of a fingle fpecies, which is our Cynanchum 
parviflorum. See vol. v. p. 514. 
METASYN'CHRISIS, / [from the Gr. againft, 
and avyxqio-ii;, a concretion.] A reftoration ; the removal 
of a morbid obftruCtion. Phillips. 
METATAR'SAL, adj. [from metaturfus. ] Belonging 
to the metatarfus.—The bones of the toes, and part only 
of the metatarfal bones, may be carious; in which cafe 
cut off only lo much of the foot as is difordered. Sharp's 
Surgery. 
METATAR'SUS, / [from the Gr. gna, againft, and 
a hurdle.] The middle of the foot, coniifting of 
five fmall bones connected with the tarfus.—The con¬ 
junction is called fynarthrofis, as in the joining the tarfus 
to the metatarfus. Wifeman. 
METATEPEC', a town of Mexico, in the province of 
Guafteca : fifty miles fouth of Panuco. 
METATHE'SIS, [from the Gr. p.vru, againft, and 6ec-tf, 
a pofition.] A tranfpofition. 
META'TOR, / Among the Romans, a quarter-mafter. 
Out of every legion a tribune and fome centurions were 
appointed to go before the army, in order to choofe a place 
for a camp, and aftign and mark out quarters to each legion. 
METAWAU'MKEAL, the north branch of the river 
Penobfcot. 
METAU', a river of Bohemia, which runs into the 
Elbe near Jaromitz. 
METAU'RO, a river of Naples, which runs into the 
fea fix miles fouth of Nicotera, in Calabria Ultra. 
METAU'RUS. See Metro. 
METCALF' (John), a man of extraordinary talents 
and induftry, though blind. We are happy to notice 
luch inftances when they occur, becaufe, nine times in 
ten, the blind are in a ftate of helplefs dependence. He 
was born at Knarefborough in Yorkfhire, in the year 1717 ; 
and loft his fight when only four years old. He was early 
inftruCted to play on the violin; and afterwards attended 
as a mufician at the Queen's Head, High Harrowgate, for 
many years ; and was the firft perfon who fet up a wheel- 
carriage, for the conveyance of company to and from the 
places of public refort in the neighbourhood. In 1745 
he engaged to ferve as mufician in Col. Thornton’s vo¬ 
lunteers, and was taken pril'oner at the battle of Falkirk. 
Being foon releafed, he returned to Knarelborough, and 
commenced common carrier between that town and York; 
and often lerved as a guide in intricate roads over the 
foreft during the night, or when the tracks were covered 
with fnow ; nor was any perfon more eager in the chace, 
which he would follow, on foot or on horleback, with the 
greateft -avidity. Strange as this may appear to thofe who 
can fee, the employment he followed for more than forty 
years was ftill more extraordinary, and one of the laft to 
which we could fuppofe a blind man would turn his at¬ 
tention—that of projecting and contracting for the mak¬ 
ing of high roads, building bridges, houfes, &c. With 
no other affiftance than a long ftaff in his hand, he would 
alcend the precipice and explore the valley, and invefti- 
gate the extent of each, its form and fituation. The 
plans which he made were done by a method peculiar to 
himfelf; and which he could not well convey the meaning 
of to others. In the year 1760, he was employed to make 
between twenty and thirty miles of turnpike-road lead¬ 
ing from Wakefield to Manchefter. The truftees were 
very anxious to have it fpeedily done ; fo that he was 
obliged to employ about four hundred men. He had 
them in five companies ; each company a few miles dif- 
tant from each other. He ftationed himfelf and family, 
with a number of horfes and carts, at a place called Lepton, 
near the road fide, about five miles eaft of Huddersfield, 
said eight weft of Wakefield. 
This lingular character died at Spofforth, near Knaref- 
borough, (between Witherby and Harrowgate,) in April 
1810, aged ninety-three, leaving four children, twenty 
grandchildren, and ninety great and great-great-grand 
children. His epitaph, in Spofforth church-yard is as 
follows: 
Here lies John Metcalf; one whofe infant fight 
Felt the dark preffure of an endlefs night: 
Yet fuch the fervour of his dauntlefs mind. 
His limbs full ftrung, his fpirit unconfin’d, 
That, long ere yet life’s bolder years began, 
His fightlefs efforts mark’d the afpiring man : 
Nor mark’d in vain ; high deeds his manhood dar’d. 
And commerce, travel, both his ardour lhar’d. 
’Twas his a guide’s unerring aid to lend, 
O’er tracklefs waftes to bid new roads extend 5 
And, when rebellion rear’d her giant fize, 
’Twas his to burn with patriot enterprife ; 
For parting wife and babes one pang to feel, 
Then welcome danger for his country’s weal. 
Reader, like him exert thy utmoft talent given ! 
Reader, like him adore the bounteous hand of Heaven 1 
Gent. Mag. 1810 and 1814. 
METCHETNAI'A, a fort of Ruffia, in the government 
of Saratov : twelve miles weft of Tzaritzin. 
MET'CHICOT, a lake of Canada. Lat. 50. 22. N. 
Ion. 88.30. W. 
METCHIGA'MIAS, a lake or expanfion of the river 
St. Francis, in Louifiania: four miles from Old Kappas. 
METE, a fmall ifland in the Arabian Sea, near the 
coaft of Adel. Lat. 11.10. N. 
To METE, v. a. [mctior , Lat.] To meafure ; to reduce 
to meafure.—I will divide Shechem, and mete the valley 
of Succoth. PJ'alms. —To meafure any diftance by a line, 
apply fome known meafure wherewith to mete it. Holder . 
Though you many ways purfue 
To find their length, you’ll never mete the true. 
But thus; take all that fpace the fun 
Metes out, when every daily round is run. Creech. 
MET'ECAL, or Metical, /. A weight for gold, fil- 
ver, and diamonds, in the Levant. At Aleppo it is ufed 
for weighing pearls and ambergris, and is if dram, or 
73 Englifh grains. At Damafcus, filver is fold by the 
ounce of 10 pefi, or 6-| metecalli, weighing 19 dwt. 4 gr. 
Englifh troy. At Smyrna, gold and filver lace is fold by 
the metical of if dram avoirdupois, or 72 grains troy 
weight, very nearly. 
METEA'RA, a town of Hindooftan, in Bahar: twenty- 
three miles fouth-eaft of Saferam. 
ME'TEGAVEL,/ [Sax. meat-tax.] In our old writers, 
a tribute or rent paid in victuals ; which was a thing ufed 
in this kingdom, as well with the king’s tenants as others, 
till the reign ofking Henry I. 
METEL', f. in botany. See Datura metel, vol. v. 
p. 609. 
MET'ELAR, one of the Laccadive Iflands, in the In¬ 
dian Sea. Lat. 12. 18. N. Ion. 72. 25. E. 
MET'ELE, a town of Lithuania, in the palatinate of 
Troki : thirty-fix miles north of Grodno. 
MET'ELEN, a towm of Germany, in the bifhopric of 
Munfter: nineteen miles north-weft of Munfter. Lat. 52. 
14. N. Ion. 7. 10. E. 
MET'ELIN, or Mityle'ne, the ancient Lejbos, one 
of the moft confiderable iflands of the Grecian Archipe¬ 
lago, is fituated in the vicinity of the coaft of Natolia, 
which it feems to command ; and it is placed at an equal 
diftance from the Gulf of Smyrna and the channel of 
Conftantinople, not far from the principal iflands of the 
Archipelago. By this pofition the poffeflion of it is ex¬ 
tremely important, more efpecially as its interior ref’ources 
render it fufceptible of the moft flourilhing ftate. But, 
being in the hands of the Turks, the advantages of its 
fituation are loft ; and its population, agriculture, and in¬ 
duftry, are from day to day diminifhing and falling into 
• *’• decay. 
