1 7 o.6, ma'dle a furvey of the capital and its environs, which 
was engraved the fame year on four large flieets. In 
1709, difputes had arifen between the emperor and 
tome of the neighbouring fovereigns-in regard to their 
boundaries ; and, as the pretentions on each fide were in¬ 
volved in fuch intricacy, that it required a man of great 
prudence and ability to fettle them, Marinoni was appointed 
engineer of Lower Aultria. In 1714, he invented an in- 
ftrument for meafuring fuperficies in an eafy manner and 
without calculation, to which he gave the name of plani- 
.metre balance. The work in which he explained the ufe of 
this inftrument he dedicated to the emperor Charles VI. 
but it was never printed. Thefe continued proofs of his 
talents and application dill tended to heighten thatedeem 
in which he was held ; but nothing gained him fo much 
vefpeft as his integrity and goodnefsof heart. The mea- 
iures, therefore, which he propofed, were readily adopt¬ 
ed, becaufe every one was convinced of the purity of his 
intentions. In 1717, he formed a plan for the eilablifh- 
,ment of an academy dedined to geometry and the mili¬ 
tary fciences, which, being approved by the emperor, was 
immediately carried into execution ; and, next year, Ma- 
rinoni was appointed fub-direftor of the new eftablidi- 
inent. In 1719, he received a patent as firlt mathema¬ 
tician to his majelty; and in that quality was fent to the 
Milanefe to make a furvey of the duchy; a labour on 
which he was employed three years, and which lie com¬ 
pleted to the fatisfa&ion of his fovereign. In 1726, he 
-was admitted into the clafs of the nobility of the empire, 
and appointed chief direftor of the military academy. 
Great difputes having, about this time, arifen in Italy re- 
fpefting the limits of the different dates, in confequeace 
of changes which had taken place in the courfes of the 
,rivers, Marinoni was requeded, in 1729, not only by his 
imperial majedy, but by feveral of the Italian princes, to 
refume the difcudions entered into on that fubjeft, and, 
•if podible, to bring them to a conclufion. Though this 
undertaking required talents of no ordinary caft, as the 
quedion was not merely to aflign to each by meafure- 
inent what belonged to him, but to reconcile a multitude 
of complex and oppofite intereds, refulting from the pre- 
tendons of the different claimants, he fettled the whole to 
the fatisfa&ion of every perfon concerned. About the 
commencement of the lad century, he had purchafed 
from an officer, then commandant of Vienna, a piece of 
ground and a houfe, where he propofed to ere£t an ob- 
lervatory ; but the active life he was condantly engaged 
in had retarded the execution of this project for thirty 
years. In 1730, however, he edabliffied what he called 
Jpecula domejlica ; caufing all the indruments he intended 
to ufe to be conltrufled under his own infpeftion ; and it 
was a curious fpedtacle to fee the number of workmen he 
had collected at his houfe, where they laboured at a very 
inconfiderable expenfe. Marinoni was accudomed, in 
general, to conftmft every thing he nfed, fuch as carriages, 
harnels, &c. and he kept in condant employment around 
him printers, engravers, bookbinders, &c. by which means 
every thing lie undertook was brought as near to perfec¬ 
tion as poflible. He was, confequently, enabled to form 
one of the mod complete obfervatories in Europe; and 
lie made obfervations which may be placed in the fame 
clafs with thole of the ableft adronomers. The fruits of 
his labour he afterwards publifhed in his magnificent 
work, “ De Specula Domeftica,” which he prefented to 
the fon of Charles VI. in 1745. Next year he was eleft- 
ed a member of the Royal Academy of Sciences at Ber¬ 
lin, on the recommendation of Maupertuis, then prefi- 
dent; and in 1751 lie publifhed a new work entitled, “ De 
Re Ichnograpliica.” This was to have been fucceeded 
by another, “ De Re Ichnometria,” in which he propofed 
to introduce his planimttre balance; but the printing of 
it was interrupted by that malady which put a period to 
his exiltenceon the 10th of January, 1755. He continued 
a bachelor, which rendered him rnader of his time; and, 
as li.e lived in the molt exemplary manner, he enjoyed 
MAR 
good health to a very adVanced period. He left behind 
him thirty-fix volumes of adrpnomical obfervations, ar¬ 
ranged in the belt order. During the laft twenty years 
of his life, he feldom loft a moment of his time. All his 
domeftics were aftronomers, each of whom had his ap¬ 
pointed functions to perform 5 and, provided'they dif- 
charged their duty well in this department, he pardoned 
their negligence in every thing elfe. He poffeffed a valu¬ 
able colleition of mathematical and aftronomical inftru- 
ments, the latter of which he bequeathed to the emprefs 
queen, who accepted the legacy, and made the molt gene¬ 
rous ufe of it by prefenring it to the nniverfity. Formey 
Eloges des Academiciens de Berlin. 
MARI'NUM, in ancient geography, a town of Italy, 
placed by Strabo in Umbria. 
MARI'NUS, an engraver, who flourifhed about the 
year 1630, and refided principally at Antwerp. His plates, 
Mr. Strytt obferves, are executed in a very lingular Ityle, 
with the graver only: the ftrokes are very fine and deli¬ 
cate, and croffed over each other in a lozenge-like form, 
which he filled up with thin long dots. His prints, though 
generally very neat, want the Ityle of the mailer in the 
determination of the folds of the draperies and the out¬ 
line of the human figure; the extremities of which are 
heavy, and not marked with precifion. Fine impreffions 
from his belt plates are, however, much fought after by 
collectors; thofe efpecially after Rubens and Jordans are 
held in high eftimation. 
MARIO'LA,y. A little image or fhrine of the Virgin 
Mary. 
MARIO'LA, a mountain of Spain, in the province of 
Valencia, abounding in rare plants: twenty-five miles 
north of Alicant. 
MA'RION, a county of South Carolina. 
MA'RION, a diftrifl of South Carolina, containing 
6914 inhabitants, of whom 2155 are flaves. 
MA'RION’s and CROZET’s I'SLANDS, four ifiands 
in the Indian Ocean, difcovered by captains Marion and 
Crozet, French navigators, in 1772 ; but not named till 
feen by captain Cook, in the year 1776, who called them 
after their difcoverers. Lat.48. S. Ion. 47. E. 
MARIO'NIS, in ancient geography, a town of Ger¬ 
many : now Hamburg .—Another Marionis (Ptolemy), 
thought to be Wijmar, in the duchy of Mecklenburgh. 
MAR'JORAM,/. [ marjorana , Lat. marjolaine, Fr.] A 
fragrant plant of many kinds; the baltard kind only groves 
here. See Origanum. —The nymphs of the mountains 
would be drawn, upon their heads garlands of honey* 
fucRles, woodbine, and fweet marjoram. Peacham. 
MAR'JORAM (Spanilh.) See Urtica. 
MA'RIOS, in ancient geography, a town of Laconia, 
north of Geronthrae, plealiantly fituated near a wood, and 
amidft fountains ; and having in its vicinity a temple 
called Pantheon, from its being dedicated to all the gods. 
In the town was alfo a temple of Diana, in which were 
fountains. 
MARIOT'TE (Edme), an eminent French philoio- 
pher, who flouriffied about the middle of the feventeenth 
century, was a native of the province of Burgundy. He 
was brought up to the church, and obtained the priory 
of St. Martin fous Beaume, four leagues from Dijon. 
He was admitted a member of the French Academy of 
Sciences in 1666 ; and died in 1684. He was an excel¬ 
lent mathematician, and one of the earlieft French philo- 
fophers who applied to experimental refearches. His 
principal works are, 1. A Treatife on the Shock or Col- 
lifion of Bodies. 2. An Effay on Phyfics. 3. A Trea* 
tife on the Preffure and Motion of Fluids. 4. New Dii- 
coveries relating to Vifion. 5. A Treatile on Levelling. 
6. A Treatife on the Motion of Pendulums. 7. Experi¬ 
ments on Colours. He alfo communicated many curious 
and valuable papers to the academy, which were inferted 
in their Memoirs., from vol. i. to x. A colleftion of a'U 
his pieces was publilhed at Leyden in 17x7, in 2 vols. 
4to, Gen. Biog . 
^ 1 
MARIOU'A, 
