M I N 
the lady's defire was fatisfied, and the child prevented, 
perhaps, from being marked in fome part of its body witli^ 
a inulic-paper, or from having, an Italian fong written with 
indelible characters on its face. 
Mingotti remained two years in Spain, whence fhe came 
to England, for the firft time, in 1754. How much her 
performance-was then admired many perfons now living 
can well remember, (Dr. Burney writes in 1789.) and tra¬ 
dition has told the reft. She afterwards fung in every 
great city of Italy; but always regarded Drefden as her 
home during the life of Auguftus, the late king of Poland. 
She was now fettled at Munich, more it was thought from 
economy than attachment. She had no penfion from the 
court of Bavaria, as was reported ; but, with care and pru¬ 
dence, Hie had juft fufficient from her favings to bring her 
fafely through the year. She feemed to live very com¬ 
fortably, to be well received at court, and to be efteemed 
by all fuch as were able to appreciate her underftanding, 
and enjoy her converfation. It gave us great pleafure to 
hear her fpeak concerning dramatic mulic, which fhe did 
with more intelligence than any maeftro di cappella with 
whom we ever converfed. Her knowledge and experience 
in finging, and powers of expreffion in different ftyles, 
were ftiil aftonifning, and mull have delighted all fuch as 
could receive pleafure from fong unaccompanied with the 
blandilhments of youth and beauty. She fpoke three 
different languages, German, French, and Italian, fo well, 
that it was difficult to fay which was her own. Englilh 
ffie likewife fpoke, and Spaniih, well enough to converfe 
in them, and underftood Latin ; but in the three lan¬ 
guages firft mentioned Hie was truly eloquent. Her ftyle 
of finging was always grand, dramatic, and fuch as dis¬ 
covered her to be a perfedt miftrels of her art; ffie was a 
moft judicious and complete adtrefs, extending her intel¬ 
ligence to the poetry, decorations, and every part of the 
drama. Yet her greateft admirers allowed that her voice 
and manner would have been more irrefiftible, if nature 
had allowed her a little more female grace and foftnefs. 
Her performance of male parts, however, obviated every 
objection that her greateft enemies could make toiler per- 
fedtion, either as a finger or adtrefs. 
The firft time Mingotti came to England, fhe remained 
here three years ; during part of which time ffie and 
Giardini were joint managers; by which their celebrity 
was more increafed by their talents, than their fortune by 
the profits of the theatre. Burney’s, Hill, of Mufic. 
MIN'GRAY, a town of Spain, in Catalonia,'near the 
mouth of the Tet: fifteen miles eaft of Gerona. 
MINGRE'LIA, a country of Afia, anciently a part of 
Colchis; bounded on the north by Circaffia, on the caft 
and fouth-eaft by Imiretta, on the fouth by Guriel, and 
on the weft by the Black Sea and Abafcia. The country 
is covered with forefls of wood, with a fmall proportion of 
arable land. The foil and climate are relaxed by moifture ; 
and the ground in many places founds hollow, which has 
given rife to an opinion that.there is a fubterraneous com¬ 
munication between the Euxine and the Cafpian Seas. 
The earth is in general too foft to bear well the operation 
of the plough. The principal food of the inhabitants is 
gom, a fmall grain like millet; bread of wheat is ufed 
only by the prince and nobility. 
This country is watered by a great many rivers ; as the 
Corax, the Hippus, the Cyaneus, the Chariftus, the Phafis, 
where the Argonauts landed, the Abfarus, the Ciffa, and 
the Ophis, all emptying tliemfelves into the Euxine Sea. 
■The Phafis (now the Rione ) does not fpring from the 
mountains in Armenia, near the fources of the Euphrates, 
the Araxes, and the Tigris, as Strabo, Pliny, Ptolemy, 
Dionyfius, and after them Arrian, Reland, Calmet, and 
•Sanfon, have fallely afferted ; but riles in Mount Caucalus; 
and flows, not from fouth to north, but from north to 
fouth, as appears from the map of Colchis or Mingrelia 
in Thevenot’s Collection, and the account which lir John 
Chardin gives of that country. This river forms in its 
courie a fmall ifland called alfo Phajis ; whence the phea- 
M 1 N 587 
fants, if Ifodorus is to be credited, were firft brought to 
Europe, and thence called by the Greeks phafiani. 
The whole kingdom of Colchis was in ancient times 
very pleafant and fruitful, as it is ftiil where duly culti¬ 
vated ; abounded in all neceflaries of life ; and was en¬ 
riched with many mines of gold, which gave occaftion to 
the fable of the Golden Fleece and the Argonautic expe¬ 
dition, fo much celebrated by the ancients. Sir John 
Chardin tells us, that this counfry extends above 100 
miles in length and 60 in breadth; being not near fo ex- 
tenfive as the ancient Colchis, which reached from the 
frontiers of Iberia or Georgia Proper, weftward to the 
Palus Maeotis : that it is beautifully diverfified with hills, 
mountains, valleys, woods, and plains, but badly culti¬ 
vated; that there are all the kinds of fruits which are 
found in England, growing wild, but tafteiefs and infipid 
for want of culture : that, if the natives underftood the 
art of making wines, thofe of this county would be the 
fineft in the world: that the country abounds in beeves, 
hogs, wild boars, flags, and other venifon; and in par¬ 
tridges, pheafants, and quails; that falcons, eagles, peli¬ 
cans, lions, leopards, tigers, wolves, and jackals, breed 
on Mount Caucafus, and lbmetimes greatly annoy the 
country: that the people are generally handfome, the 
men ftrong and well made, and the women very beauti¬ 
ful ; but both fexes very vicious and debauched : that 
they marry their nieces, aunts, or other relations, indif¬ 
ferently; and take two or three wives, and as many con¬ 
cubines as they will: that they not only make a common, 
practice of felling their children, but even murder them, 
or bury them alive, when they find it difficult to bring 
them up : that the gentry have an ablolute power over 
their vaflals, which extends to life, liberty, and eftate : that 
their arms are the bow and arrow, the lance, the fabre or 
broadfword, and the buckler : that they are very nafty, 
and eat fitting crofs-legged ttpon a carpet, like the Per- 
fians: but the poorer fort upon a mat or bench, in the 
fame pofture : that the country is very thin of inhabi¬ 
tants, no lefs than 12,000 being luppofed to be fold year¬ 
ly to the Turks and Perfians : that the principal commo¬ 
dities exported from it are, honey, wax, hides, caftor, mar¬ 
tens’ fkins, flax-feed, thread, filk, and linen cloth ; but that 
there are no gold or filver mines notv, and very little mo¬ 
ney : that the revenue of the prince or viceroy amounts 
to about 20,000 crowns per annum : that the inhabitants 
call tliemfelves Chrijliuns ; but that both they and their 
priefts are altogether illiterate, and ignorant of the doc¬ 
trines and precepts of Chriftianity : that their bilhops are 
rich, have a great number of vaflals, and are clothed in 
fcarlet and velvet; and that their fervice is according to 
the rites of the Greek church, with a mixture of Judaiftn 
and Paganifm. 
The cities of moft note in this country in ancient times 
were Pityus ; Diofcurias, or Diofcorias, which was fo call¬ 
ed from Caftor and Pollux, two of the ■•Argonauts, by' 
whom it is fuppoled to have been founded, and who in 
Greek are ftyled Diofcuroi ; at prefent known by the 
name of Savatapoli ; Aea on the Phafis, fuppoled to be the 
fame as Hupoiis; P/iaJis, fo called from the river on which 
it flood; Cyta, at the mouth of the river Cyaneus, the 
birth-place of the famous Medea, called from thence, by 
the poets, Cytccis ; Saracse, Zadris, Surium, Madia, and 
Zolifla. As for modern cities, it does not appear that 
there are any : the villages are few ; and Cotatis, the ca¬ 
pital, contains hardly above 200 houfes. Frequent rain 
renders the air unwholefome, efpecially to ftrangers ; nei¬ 
ther do the natives often live longer than flxty years. 
The pallures are excellent, and feed a great many horfes. 
The general occupation of the inhabitants is the chafe ; 
and their greateft happinefs confifts in the poffeffion of 
a horfe, a good dog, and a well-trained falcon. The 
principality is hereditary ; the prince takes the title of 
Dadian, or “ the chief of juftice.” The tribute exadted by 
the Turks is a quantity of linen cloth, made in the coun¬ 
try. Ehcij. Brit, and Gibbon. ■ 
MIN'HENOIT. 
