•274 M E T 
green, often flightly downy; ftamens and ftyle an inch 
long, prominent, of a beautiful Ihining crimfon. 
i z. Metrofideros lanceolata, or lanceolate metrofideros: 
leaves alternate, lanceolate, pointed, fmooth; flowers la¬ 
teral, crowded, feffile. Native of New South Wales. Fre¬ 
quent in greenhoufes. This firft flowered in the late 
marchionefs of Rockingham’s collection about the year 
1790. It differs from the laft only in foliage; the leaves 
of the prefent being truly lanceolate, about two inches in 
length, and half an inch broad, with a flender marginal 
rib. Flowers exaCtly like the laft. 
13. Metrofideros faligna, or willow-leaved metrofideros: 
leaves alternate, lanceolate, tapering at each end, pointed ; 
flowers lateral, crowded, feffile, lmooth in every part. 
Native of New South Wales. Sent to Kew by lir Jofeph 
Banks, about the year 1788. It flowers in May and June ; 
and differs from M. lanceolata in its lefs-rigid leaves, 
tapering remarkably at each extremity; flowers not above 
half fo large, with yellowifh ftamens, their petals not 
even fringed, but quite fmooth in every part, as well as 
the calyx. To tliefe marks the ingenious Ventenat added, 
that the fcales of the buds are externally ftriated, which 
is not the cafe in the lanceolata; finally, the faligna has 
no aromatic flavour. 
14. Metrofideros viminalis, or wand-like metrofideros: 
Jeaves alternate, linear-lanceolate; flowers lateral, crowd¬ 
ed, feffile, downy. Native of New Holland. Very different 
from the laft, its leaves being more linear, and not taper¬ 
ing towards the extremities. The flowers are downy, and 
yather fmaller. It is in fir Jofeph Banks’s herbarium. 
1 3. Metrofideros capitata, or round-headed purple me¬ 
trofideros : leaves fcattered, rough-edged, obovate, with 
a minute point; heads of flowers terminal; calyx and 
young branches hairy^ Found near Port Jacklon, New 
South Wales, by Dr. J. White. An humble, much- 
branched, fhrub; flowers numerous, purple, in little 
round compaCt terminal heads. The leaves are fcarcely 
aromatic, but rather aftringent, with a flight flavour 
like tea. 
16. Metrofideros ericifolia, or heath-leaved metrofide- 
yos: leaves imbricated, linear, pointed, hairy, channelled 
above, convex beneath; heads of flowers terminal; braCtes 
feathery; calyx fmooth. Gathered by Mr. A. Menzies, 
near King George’s Sound, on the weft coaft of New 
Holland. It has the habit of an Erica, Dioima, or Phy- 
lica. The Item is leafy, ereCt, with copious fhort lateral 
branches. Leaves very numerous, crowded, about a 
quarter of an inch long, dark green. Heads of flownrs 
terminal, about the fize of the laft. The leaves have a 
flight aftringency, with feme flavodr of turpentine, but 
by no means powerful. This fpeeies was firft deferibed 
in Dr. Rees’s Cyclopaedia. 
There are feveral other fpeeies of this genus, but they 
are not yet lufficiently ascertained. M. gummifera of 
Gawtner is an Eucalyptus. M. armillaris and nodofa be¬ 
long to the genus Melaleuca. 
ME'TROVITZ, a town of Dalmatia: fix miles north 
of Narenta. 
MET'S Eft COUTU'RE, a town of France, in the de¬ 
partment of the Straits of Calais: nine miles eaft of 
Bapaume. 
METSAMA'A, a town of Sweden, in the government 
of Abo : thirty-eight miles north-north-eaft of Biorne- 
borg, 
MET'SCHQVSK, a town of Ruflia, in the government 
of Kaluga : forty miles weft-fouth-weft of Kaluga. Lat. 
54,12. N. Ion. 34. 50. E. 
METT, J. [Saxon.] A dry meafure of the Saxons, con¬ 
taining about a bulhek 
METT'ADEL, J'. A certain meafure of wine at Flo¬ 
rence ; half a flalk. 
MET'TENSTORFF, a town of Auftria : five miles 
fouth-weil of Grein. 
MET'TER, a river of Wurtembcrg, which runs into 
the Enz. near Bietigheim. 
M E T 
MET*TE$HEP, or Mettenschep, f. in our old 
writers, an acknowledgment paid in a certain meafure 
of corn ; or a fine or penalty impofed on tenants, for de¬ 
faults in not doing their cullomary fervice in cutting the 
lord’s corn. 
METTIJI'AH. See Metitche. 
METTIN'GEN, or Mottengen, a town of Germany, 
in the county of Tecklenburg : fix miles north of Teck- 
lenburg. 
MET'TINGEN, a village of Germany, in the princi¬ 
pality of Oettingen : four miles fouth-ealf of Nordlingen. 
MET'TINICK I'SLAND, an ifland in the Atlantic, 
near the coaft of Main. Lat. 43. 51.N. Ion. 68. 59. W. 
MET'TLE, J\ [corrupted from metal, but commonly 
written fo when the metaphorical lenfe is ufed.] Spirit; 
fpritelinefs ; courage.—Upon this heavinefs of the king’s 
forces, interpreted to be fear and want of mettle, divers 
reforted to the feditious. Hayward's Edward VI.—-He had 
given fo frequent teftimony of fignal courage in feveral 
actions, that his mettle was never fufpeCted. Clarendon . 
What a blunt fellow is this grown to be ! 
He was quick mettle when he went to fchool. Skakefpeare. 
’Tis more to guide than fpur the mufe’s fteed, 
Reltrain his fury, than provoke his fpeed; 
The winged courfer, like a gen’rous horfe. 
Shows moll true mettle when you check his courfe. Prior, 
Subftance : this at leaft lliould be metal: 
Oh thou ! whole felf-fame mettle. 
Whereof thy proud child, arrogant man, is puft. 
Engenders the black toad, and adder blue. Shakefpcare,, 
MET'TLED, adj. Spritely,; courageous; full of ar¬ 
dour ; full of fire.—An ineffectual lazinefs is the feminary 
both of vice and infamy : it clouds the metalled mind, it 
mills the wit, and choaks up all the fciences. Felt/ium, 
Nor would you find it eafy to compofe 
The mettled Heeds, when from their noftrils flows 
The fcorching fire that in their entrails glows. Addifoa, 
MET'TLESOME, adj. Spritely; lively ; gay; brifk j 
airy ; fiery; courageous.—Their force differs from true 
lpirit, as much as a vicious from a mettlefome horfe. Tatler. 
MET'TLESOMELY, adv. With fpritelinefs. 
METTO'NE. See Mellone, p. 64. 
METTRI'E (Julien Offray de la), a phyfician and phy- 
fiologift, was the Ion of a merchant of St. Malo, where he 
was born in 1709. He itudied phyiic at Leyden under 
Boerhaave ; and then came to Paris, where the duke de 
Gramont patronifed him, and appointed him phyfician 
to his regiment of French, guards. La Mettrie accom¬ 
panied his patron to the liege of Freyberg, where he fell 
dangerouily ill; and it is laid that this iilnefs, inftead of 
inlpiring thole religious lentiments which are often con- 
lequent upon dileafe, had in him the oppolite eft’eCt of 
making him doubt of the exiftence of an immortal prin¬ 
ciple in man, and precipitated him into a lyllem of ma- 
terialifm. Fie wrote, under the feigned name of Cliarpe, 
a work, entitled “ Hilloire naturelle de l’Ame,” 1745, in 
which he denied the immateriality of the human foul, and 
afferted that man was an animal of the ape genus. He was 
protefted by the duke de Gramont from the llorm of this 
doCtrine, regarded as the height of impiety, brought upon 
him ; but on the death of that nobleman he loll liis place. 
Having further rendered ins brethren of the facility his 
enemies by his “ Penelope, ou le Machiavel en Medecine,”' 
3 vols. 1748, in which he attacked aimoft all the phyli- 
cians ot his time, elpecially his mailer Boerhaave,'he 
thought proper to retire to Holland. He there pubiilh-- 
ed his moll celebrated work, IS Homme machine, 1748, 
which he had the confidence to dedicate to Haller, on 
account of the theory of the latter of the innate irrita¬ 
bility of the animal fibre. Haller, one of the molt reli¬ 
gious of philolophers, was highly offended with this li¬ 
berty, and has not Ipared him in the account of his 
5 writings 
