M I N 
4>0 
/berry one-celled. Gartner.) Or thus: “Calyx eight- 
parted in two rows ; corolla eight-parted, with the feg- 
ments entire or three-parted ; appendixes eight, fmall, 
like fcaies; drupe wdth one or two feeds.” Jnfficu. There 
are five fpecies. 
1. Mimufops elengi: leaves alternate, remote, lanceo¬ 
late,- acuminate. This is a middle-fixed tree, with pe- 
tioled, oval, acute, quite-entire, frnGoth leaves. Native 
of the Eaft Indies, where it is much planted on account 
of its fragrant white flowers, which come out chiefly in 
the hot feafon. The flowers are lacred to the Hindoo 
gods. 
2. Mimufops parvlfolia, or fmall-leaved mimufops: 
leaves oval, pointed, iinooth on both fides; flower-ftalks 
one to three, downy, longer than the downy leaf-ftalks. 
All that we know of this fpecies is from its difceverer 
Mr. Brown, who fays that if is very nearly allied to M. 
elengi, but that the flower-ftalks of the latter are more 
numerous, and fhorter than the leaf-ftalks, which are 
fmoothifh. Native of the tropical parts of New Holland. 
3. Mimufops kauki leaves on fhortifli ftalks, crowded 
together at the ends of the branches, ovate, obtufe, filvery 
beneath. The branches of this tree are thicker than thofe 
of M. elengi, having fmall fears fc.attered all over them. 
Flowers very flmilar in ftrufture, but larger than thofe of 
the firlt fpecies. The berries are eaten in their crude ftate 
by the natives of Macaflar, and are laid to have a pleafant 
flavour. The foliage is extremely ornamental, and the 
wood ufeful for the handles of tools and fuch purpofes. 
Native of the Eaft Indies and Arabia, as well as of the 
tropical parts of New Holland. 
Linnaeus, in his earlier works, having made no mention 
of the nectaries, Forfkahl took this for a diftinft genus, 
and named it Binedtaria. Juflieu from Commerfon’s ma- 
nuferipts, and after him Gmelin, made a diftinft genus of 
it, under the name of Imbricaria, 011 account of its fruit 
having eight cells and as many feeds ; but Commerfon 
obferved that four or more of thefe -were often abortive; 
and on the other hand Rumphius tells us that the Mimu¬ 
fops has often as many as three or four perfect feeds. It 
is probable therefore that the germ has eight cells and 
eight feeds, molt of which are generally abortive. 
4. Mimufops imbricaria : leaves crowded at the ends of 
the branches, ovate, obtufe, retufe; berry with many feeds. 
A native of the Ifle of Bourbon. We are inclined to be¬ 
lieve that this is very near M. kauki, or perhaps a variety 
of that fpecies, although we have adopted it on the au¬ 
thority of Willdenow. 
5. Mimufops hexandra, or flx-ftamened mimufops : 
leaves alternate, obovate, emarginate. This is a large 
tree with ail eredl trunk, and covered with an afh-colour- 
ed bark. When old, it has frequently large rotten exca¬ 
vations. Branches numerous, fpreadmg ; the extremities 
nearly eredl, forming a large fhady head. Leaves broad, 
wedge-form or inverfe-hearted, deeply-emarginate, very 
hard, deep fhining green on both tides, three to five inches 
long, an inch and a half or two inches wide. Petiole 
round, an inch or an inch and a half long; peduncles ax¬ 
illary, from one to fix, erebf or fpreafling, nearly as long 
as the petiole, clubbed, undivided, one-flowered. Flow¬ 
ers confiderably fmaller than in the firft fort, and varie¬ 
gated with white, lilac, and yellow. Berry ovate, the fize 
and (hape of an olive, with generally one ovate, com- 
prefled, lrnooth, fliining, chelnut-coloured feed. Native 
of the Eaft Indies, in the mountainous uncultivated parts 
of the Circars. The wood, being remarkably heavy, is 
much ufed by the yvafhermen to beetle their cloth on. 
This is reprelented on the annexed Plate. 
MI'NA, f. [Greek.] The Attic mina was either num¬ 
mary or ponfleral ; in the firft acceptation it w 7 as the lix- 
tietli part of a talent, and contained a hundred drachmte, 
or denarii, amounting in our coin (if we allow gd. for the 
value.of the drachma) to 3I. 13s. The mina of Athens 
contained,at firft, feventy-three drachmas; but Solon gave 
it J 3 . hundred. Mina, confidered as a w eight, was alfo di- 
M 1 N 
vided into a hundred drachmae. It was regarded as a 
pound weight of the country to which it belonged ; and 
the Attic pound is confidered as the fame with tire Ro¬ 
man, and very nearly one pound troy. 
Mina was alfo a medicinal weight, confifting of twelve 
Roman ounces ; but, as in coinage eight drachms were al¬ 
lowed to the ounce, the mina, or pound, contained ninety- 
fix ; i. e. the pound in weight conlifted in fa£l of ninety- 
fix drachmas, while the pound in tale had a hundred. 
Dr. Arbuthnot alferts that the common Attic pound con¬ 
tained fixteen ounces, and w r as equal to our pound avoir- 
dupoife ; but this aflertion feems to be contradicted by- 
ancient teftimony. 
MI'NA, or Mine, in modern commerce, a corn-mea- 
fure of Genoa: 100 Englifh quarters =233 mina. 
MI'NA, a town of Algiers : fifty miles fouth-eaft of 
Oran. 
MI'NA, a river of Algiers, which runs into the SheiifF 
tw-elve miles eaft of Mufti-gannim. 
MI'NA, or El Mina, or Oddena, a town of Africa, 
on the gold-coaft, fituated in a low flat peninlula, near 
the two forts St. George d’El Mina and Conradfburg. 
The natives of El Mina are well-limbed, clean-made, and 
robuft ; of a warlike difpofition, but more civilized and 
poiifhed than other negroes, on account of their familiar 
acquaintance with the Europeans. Their ufual occupa¬ 
tions are fifhing, trading, and making palm wine and oil. 
They come to market with their nfh about mid-day, pay¬ 
ing the Dutch a fifth by way of cuftoras. Their com¬ 
merce extends along the coaft even to Whidah. They 
have great addrefs in adulterating the precious metals, 
and pretend that they acquired the art from the Portu- 
guefe; if fo, they greatly excel their inftru&ors. Their 
artifans work in metals in a manner little inferior to the 
beft European mechanics; they eaft and carve in gold 
and filver; they make buttons, plain or filagree rings, 
chains, fword-hilts, and other ornaments ; nor are they 
ignorant of the method of cutting, grinding, and polifh- 
ing, cryftal and glafs, and of giving it all fhapes and 
forms. The towm is divided into three diftritts, each 
having Its peculiar rights, and governed by a chief, whom 
the negroes call bretff’o. Under them the braffos have ca- 
bucerues, and certain inferior officers, the minifters of juf- 
tice in ordinary cafes. The three chiefs, with their coun¬ 
cils, form the regency and legiflative part of this fmall re¬ 
public. They maintained their liberty under the Portu¬ 
guese, and afterwards under the Dutch ; but no fooner 
had the latter begun to limit their privileges, to retrench 
their rights, and to mix in their government, than that 
fpirit, which was the foul of their courage, vanifhed, and 
they became timid, cautious, and daftardly, like, flaves, 
fearful of difobeying the nod of an imperious maftef. 
.The citadel of El Mina, Handing in the centre of the 
gold-coaft, is very commodioufly fituated for the pur- 
poles of trade, and the protection and fecurity of the 
trader. Its fituation is upon a rock, bounded on onc fide 
by the ocean, and alfo defended by ltrong baltions. The 
whole building- is fquare, furrounded by a high ftone wall, 
cannon-proof. As the Dutch African Company have 
fpared no expenfe in beautifying and fortifying this fet- 
tlement, it is one of the molt complete on the coaft. Lat. 
5. 10. N. Ion. 2. 30. W. 
MI'NA, or Minau', a feaport-town of Perfia, in the 
province of Kerman, at the entrance of the Gulf of Perfia, 
in an unhealthy air, at the mouth of the river Ibrahim ; 
it is furrounded with walls, and defended with towers. 
Here are fome medicinal lprings and baths. It is forty- 
two miles weft of Ormus, and 160 fouth of Kerman. Lat. 
27. 8. N. Ion. 56.40. E. 
MINA'CIOUS, adj. [mi/iax, Lat.] Full of threats. 
MINA'CITY, Difpofition to ufe threats. 
MINA'DA, a town of Japan, in the ifland of Niphon : 
twenty miles north of Xenday. 
MINADA'H, a river of Bengal, which runs into the 
Ganges at its mouth; lat. 32.45.N. Ion. 91.3. E. 
MINA'ES 
