M I T 
fiftint with the digmty'of the epifcopal confecration. It 
fiiould be mentioned, to the credit of thefe people, that I 
have had various offers of alfiftance ; and one man, owner 
of a quarry, will give all the ftone, with no other expenfe 
than that of railing it. I truft this zeal in fo good a caufe 
will be encouraged by the completion of the work ; and 
that, by means of it, true religion and pure morality may 
be the ornaments of the furrounding country. The im¬ 
portant effect may already be perceived which this mea- 
ihre w’ould have in making good Chriftians and peace¬ 
able fubje&s; nor does any other plan appear more likely 
to add ftrength in this quarter to our excellent eftablilh- 
ment both in church and ftate. I muff here mention that, 
on the other extremity of the foreft, near Monmouthlhire, 
the Rev. P. M. Proftor, vicar of Newland, has been un¬ 
wearied in his endeavours to benefit the inhabitants of 
the foreft on that fide. By the kind alfiftance of govern¬ 
ment and others, a chapel has been built in that part of 
the foreft, for the double purpofe of a fchool-room for the 
children and a place of divine worfliip for thofe whom 
age or infirmities might hinder from attending Newland- 
church ; for which latter purpofe it was licenfed by the 
bifliop of the diocefe. The diftance, however, being 
about eight miles, no advantage can be derived from it to 
the population on this fide, who are equally, if not more, 
numerous, and Hand in like need of inftruftion. I there¬ 
fore beg leave to folicit fubfcriptions, however fmall, in 
aid of this work, that the building may be commenced as 
early as circumftances will permit. I have only to add my 
hopes, that this intrufion of an humble individual on the 
public will be overlooked in the importance of the caufe 
which he pleads; and willies, that the kind contributors 
will feel rewarded in the reflection, that thoufands yet 
unborn may have caufe to blefs them, for thus providing 
for their fpiritual wants, and giving them the knowledge 
of thofe principles which alone can make them worthy 
members of fociety here, or lead them to provide well for 
their eternal welfare hereafter.” 
We are happy to fay that the appeal was not made in 
vain. Lord Liverpool, Mr. Vanfittart, the duke of Beau¬ 
fort, the bilhops of Durham and Gloucefter, lords Kenyon 
and Calthorpe, honoured Mr. Berkin with their counte¬ 
nance and liberal fubfcriptions. The church was built; 
and thus, by the joint efforts of two clergymen, will a 
large traft of country, which had hitherto been deprived 
of a regular patron and place of worfliip, be duly fupplied. 
See Newland. 
MIT'CHELDEVER, a village in Hampftiire, feven 
miles from Winchefter.—Wefton is a fmall village in the 
fame parifli, about half a mile diftant. 
MIT'CHELL (Jofeph), an indifferent dramatic writer, 
was the fon of a ftonecutter in North Britain, and was 
born about the year 1684. Cibber tells us, that he received 
an univerfity-education. He quitted his own country, 
and repaired to London, with a view of improving his 
fortune. Here he got into favour with fir Robert Wal¬ 
pole, on whom he was for great part of his life almoft en¬ 
tirely dependent. He received fo many obligations from 
that open-handed ftatefman, and was fo zealous in his in- 
tereft, that he was even diftinguiflied by the title of “ Sir 
Robert Walpole’s poet.” Notwithftanding this valuable 
patronage, however, his natural diflipation of temper, his 
fondnels for pleafure, and eagernefs in the gratification 
of every irregular appetite, threw him into perpetual dif- 
treffes, and all thofe uneafy lituations which are the natural 
confequences of extravagance. As to the particulars of 
his hiltory, there are not many on record ; for, his emi¬ 
nence in public character not •riling to fuch an height as 
to make the tranfaCtions of his life important to ftrangers, 
and the follies of his private behaviour inducing thofe 
who were more intimate with him rather to conceal than 
publilh his aCtions, there is a cloud of obfcurity hanging 
over them, which it is neither eafy, nor indeed much 
worth while attempting, to withdraw from them. His ge- 
M 1 T 591 
nius was of the third or fourth rate, yet he lived in good 
correfpondence with molt of the eminent wits of his time; 
particularly with Aaron Hill, whofe eftimable character 
rendered it an honour, and almoft a (lamp of merit, to be 
noticed by him. That gentleman, on a particular occa- 
fion, in which Mr. Mitchell had laid open to him the dif- 
treffed fituation of his circumftances, finding himfelf un¬ 
able, confiftently with prudence, to relieve him by pecu¬ 
niary alfiftance, found means of aflifting him effentially by 
another method ; which was, by prefenting him with the 
profits and reputation alfo of a dramatic piece in one aCt, 
entitled The Fatal Extravagance, a piece which feemed 
in its very title to convey a gentle reproof to Mr. Mitchell 
on the occafion of his own diftreffes. It was aCted and 
printed in.Mr. Mitchell’s name, and the emoluments arif- 
ing from it amounted to a very confiderable fum. Mr. 
Mitchell was ingenuous enough, however, to undeceive 
the world with regard to its true author, and on every oc¬ 
cafion acknowledged the obligations he lay under to Mr. 
Hill. The Highland Fair, an opera, is really Mr. Mit¬ 
chell’s, and does not want merit. This author died Feb. 6 , 
1738. His poems had been printed in 3 vols. 8vo. 1729. 
Biographia Dramatica. 
MITCHEL'LA, J'. [named by Linnreus in honour of 
his friend and correfpondent Dr. John Mitchell, a phyfi- 
cian at Virginia, whofe paper, defcribing thirty new ge¬ 
nera of plants, is publillied in the Ephemerides Natur?-. 
Curiolbrum, for 1748, preceded by a differtation on the 
principles of fyftematic botany and zoology. This trea- 
tife was afterwards publilhed feparately at Nuremberg in 
1769, about a year after its author’s death.] In botany, 
a genus of the clafs tetrandria, order monogynia, natural 
order of aggregatae, (rubiacese, Jujf.) Generic charac¬ 
ters—Calyx: flowers two, fitting on the fame germ; pe¬ 
rianths two, diftindl, four-toothed, ereft, permanent, fu- 
perior. Corolla: one-petalled, funnel-form; tube cylin- 
dric; border four-parted, fpreading, hirfute within. Sta¬ 
mina : filaments four, filiform, ere£t, within the finufes 
of the corolla; antheras oblong, acute. Piftillum: germ 
twin, orbiculate, common to two, inferior; ftyle filiform, 
the length of the corolla; ftigmas four, oblong. Peri- 
carpium: berry two-parted, globular, with feparate na¬ 
vels. Seeds: four, compreffed, callous.— EJJential Charac¬ 
ter. Corollas one-petalled, fuperior, two on the fame 
germ; ftigmas four; berry bifid, four-feeded. 
Mitchella repens, or creeping mitchella, a lingle fpecies. 
Native of Carolina, Maryland, and Virginia. Introduced 
about 1761, by Mr. John Bartram. It flowers in June. 
MIT'CHELSTOWN, a town of Ireland, in the county 
of Cork, built on the fite of an ancient town called Brio-h- 
gobhan, faid to have been founded by St. Finchu, whofe 
ltaff was long preferved, and venerated by the country 
people as a precious relic. The name of the parifli is 
Brigown. Here is a college, founded by a former earl of 
Kingfton, for the fupport of twelve decayed gentlemen 
and twelve decayed gentlewomen, who have each 40!. per 
annum, and comfortable apartments; and a chaplain with 
iool. per annum, and a houfe. A fine feat of the Kingfton 
family adjoins the town. Near this town, at the foot of 
one of the Gattee mountains, is the Cave of Skeheenrinky, 
which is defcribed by Arthur Young in his Irifli Tour, 
and preferred by him to the famous cave in the Peak of 
Derbylhire, as it was by lord Kinglborough to the Grot 
d’Aucel in Burgundy. Mitchelftown is 102 miles fouth- 
weft from Dublin, twenty-fix fouth-fouth-eaft from Lime- 
ric, and about twenty-four north-eaft from Cork, on the 
road from that city to Calhel. 
MITCHEOU', a city of China, of the fecond rank, in 
Se-tchuen: 875 miles fouth-weft of Peking. Lat. 30. 5.N. 
Ion. 103. 31. E. 
MITCHIGA'MAS, a nation of American Indians, 
who, with the Piorias, inhabit near the fettlements in the 
Illinois country. 
MITE, J\ [Fr. mijt, Dut.] A fmall infeft found in 
cheelc 
