748 M O N 
•nearly in the centre and at the interfedion of the turn¬ 
pike leading to the city of New York with the one lead¬ 
ing to Philadelphia. The village is at prefent but fmall, 
containing about twenty houfes, together with a neat 
court-houfe. When thefe roads Shall be finillied, it is 
expeded the village will improve rapidly in confequence 
of its eligible fituation. Monthly Mag. Nov. 1816. 
MONTROSIE'RS, a town of France, in the depart¬ 
ment of the Aveyron : ten miles north-eaft of Rhodez. 
MONTROSS', _/! An under gunner, or afliftant to a 
gunner, engineer, or fire-mafter. 
MONTROU'GE, a town of France, in the department 
of Paris : two miles fouth of Paris. 
MONTROU'GE, a town on the weft coaft of Hifpa- 
niola : fifty-eight miles fouth-fouth-eaft of St. Mark. 
MONTS, a town of France, in the department of the 
Vienne: four miles fouth-fouth-eaft of Loudun,and feven 
north of Mirebeau. 
MONTSELPCE. See Monselice, p.698. 
MONTSERRAT', a mountain in Spain, in Catalonia, 
one of the molt Angular in the world for fituation, lhape, 
and composition. It Hands fingle, towering over a hilly 
country like a pile of grotto-work or gothic fpires ; and 
its height fo great, that to a beholder on the top the 
neighbouring mountains appear to be funk to a level 
with the plain. It is compofed of lfeep rocks, which at 
a diftanee feem indented; whence it is faid to have re¬ 
ceived the name Mont-Jerrat from the Latin word ferra, 
a “ faw.” It is impoflible to defcribe the beauty, rich- 
nefs, and variety, of the landfcapes difcovered from the 
1110ft elevated point: but the extenfivenels of the profped 
may be conceived by the reader, upon being told that the 
iflands of Minorca and Majorca, which are at the diftanee 
of lixty leagues, are difcovered from this elevation. 
Montferrat is particularly famous for the adoration 
that is paid to an image of the Virgin, which according 
to tradition was found in a cave in this mountain by fome 
Ihepherds in the year 880. Over this image, Guthred 
earl of Barcelona caufed a monaftery and chapel to be 
ereded ; but after remaining in this receptacle upwards 
of 700 years, Philip II. and Philip III. built a magnificent 
church for its reception. Innumerable and aftonilhing 
miracles are aferibed to this holy image. The convent 
or monaftery is Situated in a nook of the mountain ; it 
feems as if vaft torrents of water, or fome violent con- 
vullion of nature, had fplit.the eaftern face of Montferrat, 
and formed in the cleft a Sufficient platform to build the 
monaftery upon. The river Llobregat roars at the bot¬ 
tom, and perpendicular walls of rock of prodigious height 
rile from the water-edge near half-way up the mountain. 
Upon thefe malfes of white ftone refts the fmall piece of 
level ground which the monks inhabit. Clofe behind 
the abbey, and in fome parts impending over it, huge 
cliffs fiioot up in a femicircle to a Stupendous elevation : 
their fummits are Split into Sharp cones, pillars, pipes, and 
other odd Shapes, blanched and bare ; but the interftices 
are filled up with forefts of evergreen and deciduous trees 
and plants. Fifteen hermitages are placed among the 
woods ; nay, Some of them on the very pinacles of the 
rocks, and in cavities hewn out of the loftieft of thefe 
pyramids. 
This celebrated monaftery is deferibed by fir John Carr 
as “ a vaft pile of brick refembling in form and fize the 
extenfive cotton-mills at Lanark in GlaSgow, an appear¬ 
ance not very pidurefque, nor correspondent with the 
romantic feenery furrounding and impending over it. 
Afterpaffing a fountain well Supplied with water, we en¬ 
tered the yard, beholding with amazement an enormous 
rock, nearly Suspended over one fide of the convent, from 
winch evidently a valt fragment had been Shattered. We 
halted at the gateway between two coloffal figures of 
Saints, mounted upon pedeftals, where we were kindly 
received by one of the brethren, all of whom belong to 
the order of St. Benedid, and conducted through the 
cloifters, which are faid to be a thousand years old, to 
MON 
the apartment of one of the- canonicos, where we were 
regaled with chocolate and cakes, and foon after intro¬ 
duced to the fuperior, who occupied a handfome fuite 
of apartments, and by whom we were very politely re¬ 
ceived. After this we were Shown to the room allotted 
for us, containing two beds, where, owing to the cold 
blafts blowing from the Pyrennees in the neighbourhood, 
we were glad to get a good copa of charcoal. This fuel 
is powdered and called carbonilla, and is very unwhole- 
fome. A piece of lemon is fometimes thrown into the 
fire, from a belief that it correds the noxious effed of 
the carbonilla. Juft as we were fitting down to a good 
fupper, the fuperior fent us a prefent of a very large 
bottle of moft excellent black wine: when this was gone, 
we paid for more, as we did for every thing ell’e. The 
kitchen is very ancient, fpacious, and fable, and a tolera¬ 
ble rival of that of Chrift Church, Oxford. A ftream of 
water runs through the middle of one of its divifions, in 
which plates and knives are expeditiously cleaned, and 
offal immediately carried away. Every room kept foe 
Strangers was crowded, owing to the number of emigrants 
from Barcelona, [it was in 1809, during the war, that 
fir John Carr vilited this place,] which is diftant about 
eight leagues. Two or three families llept in the next 
room to ours, and appeared to fufter but little from their 
exile ; for they were reciting from dramas, finging, and 
dancing, the greater part of the night. 
“From a height near the monaftery, Padre de Schilling 
pointed out the road below, which he took when he 
headed the monks and the peaSants of the eftates belong¬ 
ing to the monaftery, gave battle to the French, and de¬ 
feated them. Of this Singular conflid he furnished me 
with the following model!:, brief, and fimple, narrative in 
writing: I am by birth a German nobleman, and was 
formerly in the army : when we received intelligence of 
the French having marched from Barcelona to furprife 
us, I put mylelf at the head of our peafants, and, followed 
by fome of the monks, advanced to engage the military 
banditti. We met at the village of Bruch, near Mont- 
ferrat; the enemy had about four thoufand cholen men, 
well equipped. My ruftic force was about the fame num¬ 
ber, but badly armed, and few of them aecuftomed to 
military manoeuvres. However, full of loyalty and ar¬ 
dour in defence of ourlacred mountain, and committing 
ourlelves to the protedion of God, we gave them battle, 
and, after an obftinate and bloody conteft, fucceeded in 
driving them as far as Martorel, making in the courle of 
three hours great Slaughter amongft: them. In this battle, 
one of the hermits fought bravely, and died gloriously. 
When the enemy halted at Molins de Rey, upon their 
retreat, I difpatched a mefienger to the general command¬ 
ing the French forces, with a challenge to meet me in 
perfonal combat with the Sabre; but he refilled, and with 
his forces he returned to Barcelona. On the 24th of the 
fame month, the French returned in considerable force, 
to the attack, but were again repulled. In this affair 
I flew the French commander. On the 3d of January, 
1809, about four o'clock in the afternoon, the enemy, 
amounting to about one thoufand nine hundred men, 
under the command of general Davouft, again Suddenly 
and unexpectedly appeared before the mountain. The 
monks fled to the Summit, and I went to colled my 
peaSants. The French entered the monaftery, where, 
after killing two of our people left in it, they broke open 
our apartments, and carried off whatever was easily re¬ 
movable. Davouft, with Solemn aftedation of piety, and 
declaring himfelf to be a good catholic, would not permit 
any of the Soldiers to enter the church. His objed was 
to Secure a choice of the precious treafure of our Virgin, 
which he doubtlefs felt fure of finding; but we had pre¬ 
viously buried it, and the Secret was confined to myielf 
and two of my brethren. Accordingly, the French com¬ 
mander returned to his impatient l'oldiers, who foon 
heard the mortifying intelligence, that the riches of our 
Lady of the Mount had been removed, and that no one 
knew 
