M O R 
a- veil falling down on the (boulders, as a mark of their 
virginity. The better fort adorn their caps with firings 
of filver coins, among which are frequently feen very 
ancient and valuable ones; they have moreover ear-rings 
of very curious work, and fmall filver chains with the 
figures of half-moons (aliened to the ends of them. But 
the poor are forced to content themfelves with plain caps ; 
or, if they have any ornaments, they confid only of fmall 
exotic (hells, round glafs beads, or bits of tin. The prin¬ 
cipal merit of thefe caps, which copditute the good tafle 
as well as vanity of the Morlach young ladies, is to attraft 
and fix the eyes of all who pafs near them by the mul¬ 
titude of ornaments, and the noife they make on the lead 
motion of their heads. Both old and young women w'ear 
about their necks large firings of round glafs beads, of 
various fize and colour; and many rings of brafs, tin, 
or filver, on their fingers. Their bracelets are of leather 
covered with wrought tin or filver; and they embroider 
their domachers, or adorn them with beads or (hells. But 
the ufe of (lays is unknown, nor do they put whalebone 
or iron in the flomacher. A broad woollen girdle fur- 
rounds the petticoat, which is commonly decked with 
(hells, and of blue colour, and called modrina. The gown 
as well as petticoat is a kind of ferge, reaching to the 
ancle : the gown is bordered with fcarlet, and called fa dak. 
The girls always wear red (lockings; and their (hoes are 
like thofe of the men, called opanhe: the foie is of un- 
dreJfed ox-hide, and the upper part of fheep’s-fkin thongs 
knotted, which they cMapute; and thefe they fallen above 
the ancles, fomething like the ancient cothurnus. 
Nothing is more common among the Morlachi than 
marriages concluded between the old people of the re- 
fpeftive families, efpecially when the parties live at a 
great didance, and neither fee nor know each other; and 
the ordinary motive of thefe alliances is the ambition of 
being related to a numerous and powerful family, famous 
for having produced valiant men. The bride is con¬ 
duced to church, veiled, and furrounded by the friends 
of the bridegroom, or fvati as they are called, on horfe- 
back ; and the facred ceremony is performed amidd the 
noife of mufkets, piftols, barbaric fhouts and acclama¬ 
tions, which continue till (lie returns to her father’s 
liouie, or to that of herhufband, if not far off. The firil 
day’s entertainment is fometimes made at the bride’s 
houfe, but generally at the bridegroom’s, whither the 
fvati haflen immediately after the nuptial benediftion ; 
and at the fame time three or four men run on foot to 
tell the good news; the firil who gets to the houfe has a 
kind of a towel embroidered at the ends, as a premium. 
The domachin, or head of the houfe, comes out to meet 
his daughter-in-laiv; and a child is handed to her, before 
fhe alights, to carefs it. When (lie alights, (lie kneels 
down, and kifies the threfhold. Then the mother-in-law, 
or in her place fome other female relation, prefents a 
corn-fieve, full of different kinds of grain, nuts, almonds, 
and other fmall fruit, which the bride fcatters upon the 
fvati, by handfuls, behind her back. The moll extra¬ 
vagant abundance reigns at thefe fealls ; and each of the 
fluid contributes, by lending a fhare of provilions. The 
dinner begins with fruit and cheefe ; and the Coup comes 
lad; jull contrary to our cuftom. All forts of domeltic 
fowls, kid, lamb, and fometimes venifcn, are heaped in 
prodigal quantities upon their tables. Thefe nuptial 
leads, cz\\e&jdrave by the ancient Huns, are by the Mor¬ 
lachi called J'dravize, from whence the Italian word j'tra- 
vizzo is undoubtedly derived. They continue three, fix, 
eight, or more, days, according to the ability or prodigal 
difpofition of the family where they are held. The new- 
married wife gets no inconfiderable profit in thefe days 
of joy; for it ufually amounts to much more than all 
the portion (he brings with her, which often confilts of 
nothing but her own clothes, and perhaps a cow ; nay, it 
happens fometimes that the parents, inflead of giving 
money with 1 their daughter, get fomething from the 
bridegroom by way of price. The bride carries water 
M O R 
every morning to wafh the hands of her gUeds as long 
as the feading lads ; and each of them throws a fmall 
piece of money into the bafon after performing that funo- 
tion, which is a very rare one among them, excepting on. 
fuch occafions. 
The ordinary nourilhment of the Morlachi is coagu¬ 
lated milk, and the whey is their common and favourite 
drink. Their bed difh to a gued is new cheefe, fried 
with butter : and they make cakes of millet, barley, 
Indian corn, and fometimes of wheat: they prepare cab¬ 
bages fimilar to thofe ufed in Germany; and roots and 
herbs, which they find in the woods, ferve as part of their 
cheap and falutary diet; but garlic and onions are pecu¬ 
liarly agreeable to thefe people, and road meat is their 
mod luxurious difh. Thofe that are in the mod eafy 
circumdances have no other bed than a dole blanket, 
made of goats’ hair, after the Turkidi fafliion ; and they 
deep between two blankets of this manufafture, without 
(heets or any other bedding. Their houfehold furniture 
confills of a few fimple articles ; their houfes are low and 
mean, feidom covered with dates or tiles; the fire¬ 
place is fituated in the middle of the building, and the 
lmoke efcapes at the door. In their lamps they bum 
butter indead of oil; but their common fubditUte for 
candles is cleft fir. Upon the whole, the riched Mor¬ 
lachi are, in a date very little advanced above that of 
favages. Over the dead, the family weeps and howls ; 
and perfons wliifper in the ears of dead perfons, pretend¬ 
ing to give them commifiiont to the other world ; the 
body is then covered with a white cloth, and carried to 
church, where they renew their lamentations, and the 
praifes of the deceafed are fung by the relations, or others 
appointed for the purpofe, their fongs being accompanied 
with weeping. After the corpfe is interred, the whole 
company returns to the houfe, where the funeral ceremony 
terminates with an odd mixture of feading and lamen¬ 
tation. 
MORLA'IX, or Morlais, a town of France, and prin¬ 
cipal place of a didrift, in the department of the Finif- 
terre ; fituated on a navigable river, with the tide of the 
Englifh Channel coming up to it, which renders it a 
place of trade. The harbour is defended by a fort, which 
(lands on an ifland. It contains three churches. It is 
(even pods ead-north-ead of Bred, and fixty-feven and 
a quarter well of Paris. Lat. 48. 34. N. Ion. 3. 45. W. 
In the year 1S11, a fubmarine forell was difeoverei 
near Morlaix, of which M. de la Fruglaye, the difeoverer,. 
wrote an account in the Journal des Mines. One day, 
after a temped, he law the appearance changed, the fine 
and level fand having dilappeared, and in its place was 
a black mould, ploughed in long furrows. The mould 
was compofed of a heap of decayed vegetable fubdances, 
among which he didinguifhed many aquatic plants, and 
fome branches of forell-trees; beneath this bed, there 
were reeds, bullruflies,afparagus, fern, and other meadow- 
plants, of which many were extremely well preferved. 
M. de la Fruglaye dug down to the fubmarine fored, and 
drew out, among other things, a beautiful trunk of a 
yew, which was of a fine red colour, and very loft, but, 
when expofed to the air, loll its colour, and acquired cor.- 
fidency. Having profecuted thefe refearches for a fpace 
of (even leagues along the drand, he every-where found 
the remains of the ancient buried forell. 
MOR'LAIX CAS'TLE. See Merthyr Tydvil, p. 164, 
MOR'LAND (Sir Samuel), an Englifli datelman, was 
born in fome part of Berklhire; but of his early life no¬ 
thing is recorded. He was under-fecretary to Thurloe, 
and employed by Cromwell in feveral embafiies, though 
he had been in great favour with Charles I. and, for the 
Cervices which he rendered that king, was honoured with 
the title of baronet. He wrote a work, which was pub- 
lilhedin an oftavo volume, entitled “ Urim of Confidence;” 
His foil was mailer of mechanics to Charles II. and in¬ 
vented the lpeaking-trumpet; afire-engine; a cupdan, 
to heave up anchors; and two arithmetical ma'chinesj 
2 ©£' 
