598 M O 
very fmall, inclofed In the hardened bottom of the calyx. 
—Effential Char after. Calyx four-parted, fuperior ; co¬ 
rolla none ; feed one, enclofed in the tube of the calyx. 
This genus is akin to Scleranthus, from which it differs 
in the ltamen being, for the moft part, folitary ; the calyx 
four-cleft; and the ftalks two-flowered, with fourbractes 
at the fummit. The leed in both genera is inverted, the 
embryo curved round the albumen, the radicle fuperior. 
Brown. 
1. Mniarum biflorum : Item tufted; branches very 
fmooth; leaves finely toothed at the bafe only, fhorter 
than the fruit-ftalks. Native of New Zealand, Terra del 
Fuego, and Van Diemen’s Land. The items compofe 
clenl'e malty tufts, varying in height, with the afpedt of a 
Minnartia. Every part of the herb is fmooth. Leaves 
oppofite, awl-fhaped, united and finely toothed at the 
bale; otherwife entire; flower-flaiks axillary, folitary, 
Ample, at firlt fliort, but fubfequently elongated beyond 
the leaves ; each bearing a pair of minute feflile greeniflt 
flowers, accompanied by four little ovate bradtes. The 
calyx of the fruit is hardened, tumid, ovate, clofed about 
the feed, and crowned with its own little permanent feg- 
ments. 
2. Mniarum fafciculatum : ftemsprocumbent, branched ; 
branches minutely downy ; leaves finely toothed through¬ 
out; fruit-ftalks lcarcely fo long as the leaves. Gathered 
by Mr. Brown in Van Diemen’s Land. 
MNI'CHOW, a town of the duchy of Warfaw : five 
miles fouth of Gnefna. 
MNI'UM,/ [from the Gr. pnov, mofs.] Spring-Moss; 
in botany, a genus of the clafs cryptogamia, order mufei. 
—Effential Generic Char after from Linnaeus : Capfule with 
a lid; calyptre fmooth; brittle from a terminating tuber¬ 
cle; male flowers headed or difeoid.—From Withering : 
Capfule with a veil; fringe with fixteen teeth ; fometimes 
though rarely with four. Male. Bud circular, rarely 
knob-like, moltly on a feparate plant.—From the Linn. 
Tranf. vol. vii. Capfule cylindrical, at length furrowed. 
Outer fringe of fixteen tapering teeth ; inner a laciniated 
membrane; veil fmooth; flowers terminal. The furrow's 
are always fixteen, being equal in number to the teeth of 
the outer fringe, and indeed to the principal fegments of 
the inner one. 
In the i+th edition of Syftema Vegetabilium, twenty 
fpecies of Mnium are enumerated. Dr. Withering has 
twenty-four Britiih fpecies, beiides many varieties, in the 
third edition of his Botanical Arrangement. Figures of 
thefe may be feen in Dillenius, Hedwig, Vaillant, Miclieli, 
Morifon, Dickfon, Flora Danica, &c. 
Of thefe one of the moft remarkable is Mnium hygrome- 
trienm. If the fruit-ftalk be moiftened at the bottom, the 
head makes three or four turns ; and, if the head be moif¬ 
tened, it turns the contrary way. By fome authors this 
is ranged with the Bryums ; and Hedwig makes it a 
Koelreuteria. In Schreber’s edition of Linnceus’s genera, 
this genus wholly difappears, being immerfed in thofe of 
Bryum, Tetraphis, Dicranum, Tortula, Funaria, Media, 
See. 
MO, adj. [ma, Sax. mae, Scot.] Making greater num¬ 
ber ; more. Obj'olete: 
Calliope and mufes mo, 
Soon as your oaken pipe begins to found. 
Their ivory lutes lay by. Spevfer. 
With oxbows and oxyokes, with other things mo, 
For oxteem and horleteem in plough for to go. TtiJJer. 
MO, adv. Further ; longer. Obfulete : 
Sing no more ditties, fing no mo 
Of dumps fo dull and heavy ; 
The frauds of men were ever fo, 
Since fummer was firft leafy. Shalicfpcare. 
MO, a town of Sweden, in Ilelfingland : fix miles weft 
of Soderhamn. 
M O A 
MO-TCHOU', a town of Corea : thirty miles weft of 
Long-Kouang. 
MO'A, an ifland intheEaftern Indian Sea, about thirty 
miles long, and ten broad. Lat. 8.21.S. Ion. 127. 4.5. E. 
MO'AB, in ancient geography, fo called from Moab 
one of the inceftuous fons of Lot, was fituated in Arabia 
Petraea, on the north of Midian, having the river Arnon 
on the weft, which divided it all the way from the tribe of 
Reuben, the Iihmaelites on the eaft, and the land of Gi¬ 
lead on the north. Their country was at firft inhabited 
by the gigantic Emims, whom they expelled, making 
themfelves mailers of it, and of all its cities, which were 
both numerous and confiderable. Some of thefe cities, 
mentioned by Jofephus, were on the other fide of the 
Arnon, and therefore not fo properly in Moabitis, or the 
land of Moab, as in the land of the Amorites, orReuben- 
ites; particularly Helhbon ; but they might have been 
inhabited by the Moabites. The limits of this country, 
indeed, were continually fluctuating ; fo that we read of 
the Plains of Moab, called alio by Mofes the Land of 
Moab ; but which had been taken by Silion, quite as far 
as the river above-mentioned. Mount Nebois placed by 
Mofes in the land of Moab, though leated on the other 
fide of the Arnon, in the kingdom of Sihon. This river, 
however, feems.to have been the proper northern boundary 
between thefe two kingdoms, as Moab feems to have been 
thefouthern boundary between Arabia Petrsea and Delerta. 
The Moabites were governed by kings, praftifed cir- 
cumcifion, and employed themfelves mollly in pafturage- 
and breeding cattle, which conftituted their chief wealth. 
It is probable that their language was a dialed of the 
Canaanitifti, or Hebrew. They had once the knowledge 
of the true God ; and retained it till the time of Mofes, 
even after they had very much corrupted their religion by 
introducing the worlhip of falfe gods. The idols of the 
Moabites, mentioned in feripture, were Chemoflr and 
Baal-Peor. Some fuppofe that thefe were different names 
of the lame idol; but others think that Baal-Peor was 
Bacchus, and Chemolh feems to have been a different 
idol. In the pradice of their religious rites, they fa-< 
crificed both in the open air, on mountains dedicated to 
that lervice, and in temples built for their idols in the 
cities ; beiides oxen and rams, they offered on extraordi¬ 
nary occafions human viClims, according to the Phoenician 
cuftom. 
The firft inhabitants of the country were a gigantic 
race, called Emims, or Terribles, probably defendants of 
Ham. Thefe were expelled by. the Moabites ; but the 
latter in procefs of time loft that part of their land which 
lay to the north of the river Arnon. When the Ifraelites, 
after the death of Othniel, returned again to idolatry, 
Eglon, king of Moab, was an inftrument in punilhing 
them ; he invaded Ilrael, and kept the Ifraelites in fub- 
jeCtion eighteen years. Elnid, having fecretly put Eglon 
to death, was obliged to make his efcape beyond Jordan ; 
and there he affembled a body of forces, who attacked the 
Moabites, and flew 10,000 of their belt men. By this dif- 
after the power of the Moabites was broken, and the If¬ 
raelites were freed from the yoke of that nation. Not- 
withftanding the protection which the king of Moab af¬ 
forded to the parents of David and to David himfelf, 
when he was perfecuted by Saul, as foon as he came to 
the crown the Moabites entered into a confederacy againft 
him ; but, in confequence of a fignal victory which he 
obtained over -them, many of them were put to the fword, 
and the reft became his vafials and tributaries. From this 
time they continued fubjeCt to Solomon and Rehoboam, 
until the revolt of the ten tribes, upon which they be¬ 
came tributaries to the kings of Ilrael, though they had 
kings of their own, who were little better than viceroys. 
After the death of Ahab, Melha king of Moab rebelled 
againft his fon Ahaziah; but, the Ihort reign of this prince 
not permitting any attempt to reduce him, his brother 
and lucceffor Jehoram, alfifted by jeholhaphat king of 
Judah, 
