M O N 
INI O N 
knew where. The next morning, the mifcreants, hearing 
that our peafants were collecting, retired about eight 
o’clock: as they defcended, we difpatched about thirty 
of them by firing, and hurling down large Hones upon 
them, from the heights which we occupied. We after¬ 
wards heard that general Duhefme ordered Davouft to be 
put unclef arreft for attacking our mountain without 
orders. 
“ Padre de Schilling informed me, that the prefent po¬ 
pulation of the mountain was as follows : 
Sacerdoci, or monks 56 
Laici, or lay brothers - - - 17 
Picoli, or young chotillers 24 
Heremetos, or hermits 7 
Emigrants from Barcelona - - 70 
Total 174.” 
The monaftery is one of the forty-five religious houfes 
of the Spanifh congregation of the order of St. Benedict ; 
their general chapter is held every fourth year at Val¬ 
ladolid, where the deputies choofe abbots and other dig¬ 
nitaries for the enfuing quadrennium. In this monaftery, 
they eleft for abbot a Catalan and a Caftilian alternately. 
Their pofielfions are great, confifting of nine villages 
lying to the fouth of the mountain; but the king has 
lately curtailed their income about 6000 livres a-year, by 
appropriating to his own ufe the bell houfe in each 
village, fome of which, with their tythes, are worth 200 
dollars per annum. Their original foundation, in 866, 
gave them nothing but the mountain ; and to donations 
and economy they owe the great increafe of their landed 
property. They are bound to feed and harbour for three 
days all poor pilgrims that come up and pay their homage 
to the Virgin; and the allowance is a luncheon of bread 
in the morning, as much more with broth at noon, and 
bread again at night. Sometimes, on particular feftivals, 
7000 perfons arrive in one day; but people of condition 
)pay a reafonable price for what they eat. The church is 
a gloomy edifice; and the gilding is much fullied with 
the fmoke of eighty-five lamps of filver, of various forms 
and fizes, that hang round the cornice of the fanftuary. 
Funds have been bequeathed by different devotees for 
furnifhing them with oil. The choir above Hairs is de¬ 
corated with the Life of Chrift, in good wooden carving. 
A gallery runs on each fide of the chancel, for the con¬ 
venience of the monks. A large iron grate divides the 
church from the chapel of the virgin, where the image 
Hands in a niche over the altar, before which burn four 
tapers in large iilver candlefticks, the prefent of the duke 
of Medina Geli. In the facrifty, and paffages leading to 
it, are prefles and cupboards full of relics and ornaments 
of gold, filver, and precious Hones; they point out, as 
the rnoft remarkable, two crowns for the virgin and her 
fon, of ineftimable value ; fome large diamond rings ; an 
excellent cameo of Medufa’s head ; the Roman emperors 
inalabafter; and the fw.ord of St. Ignatius. But, as no 
offerings to this miraculous ftatue can be rejefted or 
otherwife difpofed of, the (helves are crowded with moft 
whimfical ex votos, viz. filver legs, fingers, breafts, ear¬ 
rings, watches, two-wheeled chaifes, boats, carts, and 
fuch like trumpery. 
On different paYts of the mountain, as already noticed, 
are a number of hermitages. Each of thefe folitary re¬ 
treats, which at a diftance feem deftitute of every thing, 
has a chapel, a cell, a well in the rock, and a little garden. 
The inhabitants of one of them, which is dedicated to 
St. Beneto, has the privilege of making an annual enter¬ 
tainment on a certain day ; on which day ail the other 
hermits are invited, when they receive the facrament 
from the hands of the mountain-vicar, and after divine 
fervice dine together. They meet alfo at this hermitage, 
on the days of the (hints to which their feveral hermitages 
are dedicated, to fay mafs and commune with each other. 
But at other times they live in a very folitary and reftuie 
Vol. XV. No. 1080. 
749 
manner, perform various penances, and adhere to very 
drift: rules of abftinence. They never eat flefh ; nor are 
they allowed to keep within their walls either dog, cat, 
bird, or any living thing, left their attention (hould be 
withdrawn from heavenly to earthly affeftions. Moft of 
thele hermits are faid to be perfons of fortune and family, 
difgufted with the world, who have retired thither to 
devote themfelves to meditation, felf-denial, and con¬ 
trition. 
The whole extent of this mountain is fuppofed to be 
about 'twenty-four miles in circumference, confifting 
chiefly of round lime-ftone, firmly conglutinated with a 
yellow calcareous earth and (and, with a farther addition 
of round white quartz, (freaked with red, as well as touch- 
done, all cemented together, and forming one folid mafs. 
In the courfe of time, however, torrents of rain have 
walked away the earth, formed by .decompofition, and 
have fplit the mountain into clefts and precipices of the 
moft grotefque and frightful figures; whilft other parts 
confift of immenfe rocks, bare and branched, in form of 
cones, pillars, and jagged fragments, apparently fcaled 
upon one another to the height of upwards of 3000 feet 
above the level of the lea. The lower part of the moun¬ 
tain, having been decompofed fooner than the upper- 
parts, and converted into foil, produces corn, vines, and 
olives ; while the (helving rocks facilitate a palfage to the 
fiummit, and exhibit to the curious botanill above two 
hundred forts of trees, fhrubs, and'plants, that feem to 
(hoot up fpontaneoufly. The direftion of this mountain 
is from eaft to weft, rather vilibly inclining to the well. 
Montferrat is twenty miles north-weft of Barcelona. 
MONTSERRAT', one of the leeward Caribbee ides, 
belonging to Great Britain. It is a linall but very plea- 
firnt illand ; and was fo called by Columbus from its re- 
femblance to the famous mountain near Barcelona, juft 
defcribed. It lies in lat. 16. 50. N.'loU. 61. o. W. having 
Antigua to the north-eaft, St. Chriftopher’s and Nevis 
to the north-weft, and Guadaloupe fouth-fouth-eall at 
the diftance of about nine leagues. It is about nine 
miles in diameter, and is fuppofed to contain about 
40,000 or 50,000 acres. The climate is warm, but lefs 
fo than in Antigua, and is efteemed very healthy. The 
lurface is mountanous, but with pleafant, rich, and 
fertile, valleys ; the hills are covered with cedars and other 
fine trees. Here are all the animals as well as vegetables 
and fruits that are to be found in the other illands. The 
inhabitants railed formerly a confiderable quantity of 
indigo: the produce now is chiefly cotton, rum, and 
l’ugar. There is no good harbour, but three tolerable 
roads, at Plymouth, Old Harbour, and Kers’ Bay. 
MONTSERRATE', a town of Bralil, in the govern¬ 
ment of St. Paul: thirty-five miles north-weft of St. Paul. 
MONTSES'TIN, a town of France, in the department 
of Marengo : three miles fouth-eaft of Crefcentino, and 
three eaft of Verrua. 
MONTSOL'S. See Montsol, p. 699. 
MONTSOREAU', a town of France, in the depart¬ 
ment of the Maine and Loire: fix miles fouth-eaft of 
Saumur, and two north of Fontevrauld. 
MONTSfJ'RS, a town of France, in the department of 
the Mayenne: nine miles eaft-north-eaft of Laval, and 
ten miles fouth of Mayenne. 
MONTU'CLA (John Stephen), a celebrated mathema¬ 
tician, was born at Lyons in the year 1725. Kis father 
wilhed to bring him up to trade, in which he himfelf was 
engaged; but the youth gave early indications of a love 
of learning, and was placed under the inftruftions of the 
Jefuits, who carefully cultivated his opening genius. In 
their feminary he acquired an intimate acquaintance 
with the ancient and modern languages, and made a con¬ 
fiderable progrefs in the mathematics. When he left the 
jefuits’ college, at the age of lixteen, having loft both his 
parents, he went to Touloufe to lludy the law, and was, 
in due time, admitted an advocate, though without much 
intention of praStiiing at the bar. Having completed 
9 E his 
