M O N 
ment of the Upper Rhine; before the revolution the ca¬ 
pital of a principality, which, though infulated in France, 
was confidered as belonging to Germany. It was built 
by a count of Burgundy, who endowed it with great pri¬ 
vileges, to induce people to live in it. It Hands at the 
foot of a pretty conliderable hill, and is watered by the 
river Halle, which fills the town-ditches, and foon after 
falls into the Doubs. It was formerly fortified, and de¬ 
fended by a citadel; but the fortifications were deftroyed 
by the French in the year 1677. The fituation of the 
town is pleafant, the foil fertile, and the air wholefome. 
The inhabitants carry on a confiderable trade in linen, 
leather, {lockings, and cutlery. In the neighbourhood 
are fome vineyards, and not far from the town a confi¬ 
derable iron-mine. The principality was about thirty 
miles in length, and twenty-four in its greateft breadth, 
fituated to the fouth of Lorraine. The inhabitants were 
chiefly Proteftants ; and compofed of Swifs, Germans, and 
French. The foil is fertile, producing the chief necef- 
faries of life in abundance, but the iron-mines were the 
bed branch of the royal revenue. By the peace of Lune- 
ville, the whole was ceded to France. It is thirty-two 
miles well: of Bale, and thirty-two north-eaft of Befangon. 
Lat. 4.7. 31. N. Ion. 6. 44. E. 
MONTBELLIA'RD (Philibert-Gueneau de), a natu- 
ralill and eloquent writer, was born in 1720 at Semur in 
Auxois. He fpent part of his youth at Dijon ; and after¬ 
wards came to Paris, where he made himfelf known as a 
man of fcience. He continued with reputation the Col¬ 
lection Academique, a work which gave a view of every 
thing interefting contained in the memoirs of the different 
learned focieties in Europe. He was chofen by the illuf- 
trious Buffon to be his affociate in his great work on na¬ 
tural hiftory; and the continuation of the ornithology was 
committed to him. His firft labours in this department 
palled under the name of his principal, and no difference 
of ftyle and manner was obferved by the public. Buffon 
himfelf announced his colleague in his preface, and faid 
of him, “ that of all men he was the perfon whofe manner 
of feeing, judging, and writing, was moll conformable to 
his own the higheft praife, doubtlefs, in his opinion, 
that he could beltow ! When the clafs of birds was 
finilhed, Montbelliard undertook that of infeCts, relative 
to which he had already furnilhed feveral articles to the 
New Encyclopedia ; but his progrefs was cut lliort by his 
death, which took place at his native town in 1785. He 
was of a kind and tender difpofition, and in his laft ill- 
nefs exprelfed his willingnefs to die, “ that his friends 
might no longer feel the pain of feeing him fuller. ” He 
had a wife, whofe knowledge of various languages and 
fciences abridged the labour of her hulband’s refearches. 
Gen. Biug. 
MONTBELTRA'N, a town of Spain, in Old Caftile : 
twenty-fix miles fouth of Avila. 
MONTBERO'N, a town of France, in the department 
of the Charente; fix miles fouth-eall of Rochefoucauld, 
and fifteen eall of Perigueux. 
MONTBOISSIE'R, a town of France, in the depart¬ 
ment of the Puy de Dome : ten miles eaft of Iffoire. 
MONTBOSO'N, a town of France, in the department 
of the Upper Saone : ten miles fouth-fouth-eaft of Vefoul, 
and fifteen north-r.orth-eaft of Befancon. 
MONTBRISO'N, a city of France, and capital of the de¬ 
partment of the Loire, celebrated for its medicinal waters. 
It contains about 4700 inhabitants : 250 miles fouth of 
Paris, and thirty-three fouth-fouth-weft of Lyons. Lat. 
45. 36. N. Ion. 4. 9. E. 
MONTBRO'N, a town of France, in the department 
of the Charente: fifteen miles eall of Angoulefme. 
MONTBRUN', a town of France, in the department 
of the Upper Garonne : twenty-four miles eaft of St. 
Gaudens, and nine fouth of Rieux. 
MONTBRUN', a town of France, in the department 
of the Drfime: eighteen miles fouth-eaft of Nions. 
MONTCEAU'X, a town of France, in the department 
M O N 723 
of the Saone and Loire: four miles north of Mareigny, 
and ten fouth-weft of Charolles. 
MONTCE'NIS, a town of France, in the department 
of the Saone and Loire: ten miles fouth-fouth-eaft of 
Autun, and eighteen weft of Chalons fur Saone. 
MONTCHAL' (Charles de), a learned French prelate 
in the feventeenth century, was the fon of an apothecary 
at Arnonfay in the Vivarais; but the time of his birth is 
not recorded. He was educated at the college of Autun 
•at Paris, and rofe, ftep by ftep, to the poll of principal 
of that inftitution. Afterwards he was nominated canon 
of Angouleme, abbot of St. Amand, and, in the year 1628, 
upon the refignation of the cardinal de Valette, to whom 
he had been tutor, archbilhop of Touloule. He had ob¬ 
tained a high reputation for piety, as well as for his ac¬ 
quaintance with facred and profane hiftory, the canon and 
civil law, and the Greek and Hebrew languages. He died 
in the year 1651. Father Le Quien has preferved feveral 
of the Letters of this prelate, in the firft volume of his 
folio edition of The Works of St. John of Damafcenus; 
which fliow that he pofleffed a true talle for literature, 
and was the patron of learned men. By numbers of the 
latter he has been highly panegyrized, and among others, 
by Rigault, Sirmond, Holftenius, Allatius, Saint-Marthe, 
Amelot de la Houflaye, &c. In the year 1718, an anony¬ 
mous editor publiihed at Amfterdam, “ Memoirs of M. 
de Montchal, Archbilhop of Touloufe, containing Parti¬ 
culars of the Life and Miniftry of Cardinal Richelieu,” 
2 vols. iamo. Thefe Memoirs, written by M. de Mont¬ 
chal, owe their origin to the exclufion of our prelate, with 
others of his brethren, from the aflembly of the clergy 
held at Mante in 1641, by the king’s exprefs orders. In 
this performance we are prefented with a hiftory of that 
proceeding; and, fince Richelieu was, without doubt, the 
caufe of the injurious treatment Ihown to the clergy, the 
author has not fpared that minifter. This is a curious 
and interefting work ; but edited in the moft carelefs and 
incorreft manner. In the journal called L’Europe Sga- 
vante, for the month of November, 1718, a long lift is 
given of grofs blunders which fometimes obfeure, and at 
other times totally deftroy, the fenfe of the author. In 
the fame critical work a piece is attributed to our prelate, 
which reflects little honour on his patriotifm, and is a 
proof of his fubferviency to the papal power. The objeft 
of it is to maintain, “ that fecular authorities have no 
right to impofe any tax on ecclefiaftical property, without 
firft obtaining the confent of the church itfelf.” Moreri. 
MONTCHEVRIE'R, a town of France, in the depart¬ 
ment of the Indre : twelve miles fouth-eaft of Argenton. 
MONTCHU', a river of Thibet, which runs into the 
Sanpoo twelve miles weft of Rimbu. 
MONTCORNE'T, a town of France, in the depart¬ 
ment of the Ailhe : nine miles fouth-eaft of Vervins, and 
eighteen north-eaft of Laon. 
MONTDIDIE'R, a town of France, and principal place 
of a dillrift, in the department of the Somme: eighteen 
miles fouth-eaft of Amiens, and twenty-two fouth-louth- 
weft of Peronne. Lat. 50. 5. N. Ion. 2. 39. E. 
MONTDOUBLEAU', a town of France, and principal 
place of a diftrift, in the department of the Loire and 
Cher: thirty miles north-north-weft of Blois, and thirty 
eaft of Le Mans. Lat.47. 58. N. Ion. o. 58. E. 
MONTDRAGO'N, a town of France, in the depart¬ 
ment of the Drome : nineteen miles fouth of Montelimart, 
and feven north-north-weft of Orange. 
MON'TE (Giambaptifta da), a learned and eminent 
phyfician of the fixteenth century, defeended from the 
noble family of Monte in Tufcany, was born at Verona. 
He ftudied Greek under Mufuro, and philofophy under 
Pomponazzo; and, being deftined by his father to the 
profelfion of the law, he was lent to ftudy at Padua. His 
inclination, however, led him to phyfic; and, as he re- 
folved to follow it, he incurred the dilpleafure of his fa¬ 
ther, who withdrew all fupport from him. Trufting to 
his own induftry and abilities, he vifited feveral of the 
principal. 
