M O E 
(510 M O E 
canals (thofe of Tamieh and of Bouch), which, as well as 
the former, ferve for watering the fields, which is natu¬ 
rally performed. At the head of the canals fluices are 
formed, which are opened at pleafure ; whether to intro¬ 
duce or to let off the waters.” 
At prefent this lake is only about fifty leagues in cir¬ 
cuit ; but this diminution by no means proves that He¬ 
rodotus and Pliny were deceived in their calculations. 
Confidering the revolutions to which Egypt has been 
fubjett: for a feries of 2000 years, it might have undergone 
ftill greater changes. The nobie defign of forming this 
lake is faid to have been conceived by one of the Pharaohs, 
called Mceris ; and he determined to change a part of the 
country, which w'as fandyand defert, into an ufeful lake. 
After the excavation had been made by the labour of 
dome thoufands of men, and at an immenfe expenfe, he 
drew a canal forty leagues in length, and three hundred 
feet w'ide, for the purpofe ofcondufting thither a part of 
the waters of the Nile. This great canal, which ftill fub- 
fifts entire, is known under the name of “ Bahr Joufeph,” 
Jofeph’s River. It opens near Tarout Eccherif, and ends 
at Birket Kerun. As in feveral places this canal was cut 
out of the rock, the labour and expenfe mull; have been 
very great. Jt was not fufficient to have dilengaged Egypt 
from the excefs of the inundation, which in thofe remote 
ages remained too long on the lands, at that time lower 
than they are in our days, and occaiioned its fterility ; it 
was neceflary alfo to render thefe waters ufeful to agricul¬ 
ture. This great prince fucceeded in doing this by draw¬ 
ing two other canals from the lake to the river. At their 
opening were formed two fluices, which were kept lhut 
during the increafe of the Nile ; then the waters conveyed 
by the C3nal of Joleph were heaped up in the immenfe in- 
clofure of lake Mceris, encompafied with dykes and moun¬ 
tains. During the fix months that the Nile was on the 
decline, thefe lluices were opened, and a furface of water 
of about eighty leagues in circumference, and thirty feet 
higher than the ordinary level of the river, formed a fe- 
cond inundation, to be directed at pleafure. One part re¬ 
turned to the Nile, and ferved for the navigation ; the other 
part branched out into innumerable rivulets, watered the 
fields, and diffufed fertility even to the very fandy hills. 
This great work fupplied the deficiency of water in years 
of a moderate overflow, by retaining thofe precious waters, 
which otherwife would have flowed ufelefsly to the fea. 
Its benefits were ftill more ftrongly marked in the time of 
a great inundation.: it received that hurtful fuperfluity 
of them which would have prevented the lowing of the 
earth. Left this artificial fea lhould break down the bar¬ 
riers that were oppofed to it, and caufe frightful devalua¬ 
tion in the country, a canal was cut through the moun¬ 
tains, by which the luperfluous waters were poured into 
the fands of Libya. At prelent this lake has loft almoft 
all its advantages. From the period of nearly 1200 years, 
lince which Egypt has fallen into the hands of barbarous 
nations, they have either deftroyed, or fullered to perilh, 
the chief part of thefe monuments. The Mareotis is dried 
up, the canal of Alexandria is no longer navigable, and 
the Mceris is only fifty leagues in circumference. If the 
Canal of Jofeph were cleared out, where the mud is col- 
letted to a vail height, if the ancient dykes were re-ella- 
blilhed, and the lluices of the canals of Tamieh and of 
Bouch reftored, lake Mceris would ftill ferve the fame 
purpoles. It would prevent the devallation of the too- 
great fwellings of the rivers, and fupply the deficiency of 
thofe which are inadequate. We lhould lee it, as on 
former occafions extending itfelf from Nefle and Arfinoe 
to the Lybian Mountains, and offering to the view of the 
aftoniflied traveller a fea formed by the hand of man. See 
the article Egypt, vol vi. 
MOERSBER'GEN, a town of Holland, ip. the depart¬ 
ment of the Utrecht: ten miles eaft of Utrecht. 
MOE'SCHE, a town of France, in the department of 
the Scheldt: three miles north-eaft of Dendermond. 
MCE'SIA, called by the Greeks Mijfui, in ancient geo¬ 
graphy, a country of Europe, which lay north of Mace¬ 
donia and Thrace, and extended from fouth to north as 
far as the right bank of the Danube; from weft to eaft; 
it extended from Pannonia, where the Drinus (Drin), 
palling.to Sirmium and Singidunum (Belgrade), in order 
to difcharge itfelf into the Danube, ferved for its boun¬ 
dary; to the weft, comprehending the territory called 
Pontus-Euxinus, from the promontory called Hanni-Ex- 
trema; and to the fouth, as far as the Iftropolis. This 
large extent of country was divided into two diftirift ter¬ 
ritories, partly by the mountains, and partly by the river 
Cebrus (Zebris), which difcharged itfelf into the liter. 
The part comprehended between the Drinus and the Ce¬ 
brus was called Majia Superior, and that which extended 
from the Cebrus to the fea was called Mccfia Inferior; 
i. e. Upper and Lower Moefia. The principal river of 
Upper Mcefia was the Margus (Morava), formed of two 
other rivers; and farther to the eaft it had the Tinacus 
(Timak). The principal towns were Singidunum (Bel¬ 
grade), Viminacium (Minas), Bonomia (Vidin), and Ra- 
tiara (Artzar). In the interior of the country k Neiffus 
(Nifla) ; befides other places mentioned by Ptolemy. The 
principal rivers of Lower Mcefia were the CEfcus (Elker), 
the Ofmus (Olino), the Utus (Vid), the Iatrus (Jantra); 
all which rivers ran from fouth to north, and emptied 
themfelves into the Danube: the Panyfus ran from weft 
to eaft, and difcharged itfelf into the Euxine Sea, near 
Odeflus (Vafna). The principal towns are, upon the 
Danube, CEfcus (Artzar), Nicopolis (Nicopoli), Durof- 
tom (Driftra or Siliftria), Axopolis (Raffovat), and Traf- 
mi. In the interior country were Sardica or Triaditza, 
near Sophia, Taurefium, the birth-place of Juftinian, called 
Juftiniana Prima (Dginftendil), Nicopolis ad Hsemum 
(Ternova), Nicopolis ad Iatrum (Nicopi), and Mariano- 
polis (Marienopoli). Upon the coafts of the Euxine Sea, 
in the part called Scythia, and fouth of this part, were 
Tomi (Temefwar), the place of Ovid’s exile, Caria (Kal- 
gri), and Odeflus (Varna). 
MOE'SKIRCH, a town of Germany, and capital of a 
lordlhip, belonging to the princes of Furftenburg: eigh¬ 
teen miles north of Conftance, and fifty-two fouth of 
Stuttgart. Lat. 47. 59. N. Ion. 9. 14. E. 
MOE'SCRON, or Mou'scron, a village of France, in 
the department of the Lys : three miles fouth-eaft of 
Menin. 
MOE'STLIN (Michael), a German Lutheran divine, 
and celebrated mathematician, in the feventeenth century, 
was born at Goppingen in the duchy of Wirtemberg, but 
in what year we are not informed. He was fent on an 
exhibition from the duke of Wirtemberg to the univer- 
fity of Tubingen, where he diftinguiflied himfelf by his 
diligence and proficiency, and was admitted to the de¬ 
grees of B. A. and M. A. Afterwards he applied himfelf 
to the ftudy of divinity; and, being received into the 
miniftry, was chofen pallor of the town of Tetfchen. The 
duties of this office he difcharged to the great fatisfaftion 
of his flock, and acquired univerfal refpett by his unaf- 
fetted piety and exemplary manners. He alfo obtained 
conliderable reputation for profound (kill in the mathe¬ 
matical lciences, to which his genius was peculiarly 
adapted. This circumilance, after he had refided four 
years at Tetfchen, induced duke Louis of Wirtemberg to 
offer him the chair of mathematical profeffor at Heidel¬ 
berg, which he accepted. Three years afterwards, he was 
removed to occupy the fame poll in the univerfity of Tu¬ 
bingen ; which he appears to have held during the re¬ 
mainder of his life, with high credit to himfelf, and effen- 
tial benefit to the interells of lcience. He died in the 
year 1650. It is faid that he was the firft who explained 
the caufe of the pale light obfervable on the dilk of our 
attendant planet, a little before and a little after the time 
of new-moon. He made an excurfion into Italy, where 
he delivered an harangue in defence of the Copernican. 
dottrinej 
