516 M A S 
lar-globular, fmooth ;—EJfential C/iarafler. Corolla inferior, 
with a fix-parted border; filaments on the neck of the 
tube; capfule three-winged, three-celled, nvany-feeded. 
i. MalTonia latifolia, or broad-leaved mafionia: leaves 
roundifh, fmooth, fpreading; fegments of the corolla 
fpreading. Leaves next the root, one pair, fmooth, and 
even. Flowers aggregate, fefiile, without any fcape. Fruit 
not berried, but a membranaceous capfule; in which it 
differs from Haemanthus. 
z. MafTonia anguftifolia, or narrow-leaved mafionia : 
leaves lanceolate, fmooth, upright; fegments of the corolla 
reflex. This has the fame ftruflure as the preceding; but 
the leaves are narrow, of an oblong-lanceolate form, and 
the fegments of the corolla are bent back at the end, 
whereas in the firft they fpread ftraig'nt out. Both are 
natives of the Cape of Good Hope, where they were found 
by Thunberg and Maflon. The latter introduced them 
here in 1775. They flower in March and April. 
3. Mafionia undulata, or wave-leaved mafionia : leaves 
lanceolate, waved, fmooth. 4. Mafionia echinata, or 
rough-leaved mafionia: leaves ovate, muricated, hairy. 
Both found alfo at the Cape by Thunberg. 
5. Mafionia muricata, or prickly-leaved mafionia: leaves 
nearly orbicular, depreffed, prickly on the upper fide to¬ 
wards the point. Native of the Cape ; introduced by 
Mr. Mafion to Kew-garden in 1790. It differs from M. 
latifolia in the prickles of the leaves. The flowers more¬ 
over are white in every part, except the anthers before 
they burft, and the very tumid rim of the neftary, which 
are of a bluifti-green. The nectary itfelf is defcribed by 
Mr. Ker as brimful of honey, which furely jultifies its 
Linnsean and Thunbergian appellation, though the inge¬ 
nious author w'e have quoted, prefers calling it merely 
the tube of a monopetalous corolla. 
6. Mafionia fcabra, or (hagreen-leaved mafionia: leaves 
nearly orbicular, depreffed, their upper fide covered with 
prominent tubercles. Sent by Mr. Mafion from the Cape 
in 1790. It flowers here from January to April, and is 
faid in the Bot. Mag. to be as eafy of culture as any 
other Cape bulb. This fpecies has the habit and fize of 
the preceding. 
7. Mafionia pauciflora, or few-flowered mafionia: leaves 
lanceolate or elliptical, veinlefs, covered with naked tu¬ 
bercles. Petals ovate. Sent with the preceding from the 
Cape by Mr. Mafion, in 1790. It is faid to flower in May. 
8. Mafionia enfifolia, or trumpet-flowered mafionia : 
leaves lanceolate, fpreading, fmooth ; tube of the neftary 
five times longer than the recurved petals, fwelling gradu¬ 
ally upwards, open-mouthed ; three ltamens fhorter than 
the reft. Native of the Cape, where it was gathered by 
Thunberg and Mafion ; but introduced into this country 
by Mr. Williams of Turnhain Green, who is recorded to 
have railed it from Cape feeds in 1790 or 1791. It flowers 
from September to February. The leaves are two only, 
and moft refemble thofe of M. anguftifolia. The flowers 
grow in a rather denfe fliort-ftalked duller, and are of a 
pale lilac hue, very remarkable for their long flender 
gently-fwelling tube orneftary, their minute bratles, and 
unequal ltamens. Thefe circumftances, and the habit of 
the plant, have caufed much difference of opinion refpeft- 
ing its proper genus 5 and Cavanilles, it feetns, has made 
it a Hyacinthus, to which the good fenfe of Dr. Sims 
appears to have difpofed him to alfent; but Mr. Ker has 
thought otherwife, and he is followed by the editors of 
the Hort. Kew. 
Propagation and Culture. The fame as Htemanthus. 
MASS'NITZ, a town of Saxony, in the bilhopric of 
Nauinberg : three miles north of Zeitz. 
MASSOO'LA,/. A flight kind of boat ufed on the 
Coromandel coaft. 
MASSO'R AH, a town of Hindooftan, in Bahar: twenty- 
three miles eaft-louth-eaft of Bahar. 
MASSOU'DI, the furname of Aboul Hassan Ali, a 
celebrated Arabian geographer and hiltorian, defcended 
from Maffoud Ebn Maffoud, one of the molt confidential 
MAS 
friends of Mahomet, and floudfhed in the tenth century. 
He was the author of a work, entitled Moroug eddheheb u 
Mahaden al Gevahar; or, “ Golden Meadows and Mines 
of precious Stones which he wrote in the year 336 of 
the Hegira, correfponding with the year 947 of the Chrif- 
tian era, and under the reign of the caliph Mothi Lillah. 
It is an hiftorical and geographical treatife, comprifed in 
two volumes; the firft of which commences with the 
creation of the world, and cornes down to the birth of 
Mahomet; and the fecond continues the hiftory from 
that date to the author’s time. The fame Maffoudi is the 
author of another hiftory, entitled Akhbar Alzaman ; and 
of a regiller of the lands in Egypt. There is alfo a cof- 
mography written in the Perfian language, under the title 
of Gihan Danefck, which is attributed to him ; as is fike- 
wife a work entitled Akhbar al Khauareg ; or, “ A Hiftory 
of Infurgents at various Periods againlt lawful Authority, 
and particularly that of the Caliphs.” Maffoudi died at 
Grand Cairo in Egypt, in the year 346 of the Hegira, or 
the year of Chrift 957. 
There was another Massoudj, named Ahmed, who 
wrote a hiftory of Syria and Damafcus, entitled Raoudh Al 
Scham, or “ The Garden of Syriaand a work entitled 
Merah alarouah fil tajrif, which is a treatife on the conju¬ 
gation of the Arabic verbs, that has been commented upon 
by Ahmed Al Doughouz. D'Herbelot’s Bibl. Orient. 
MASSO'W, a town of Hinder Pomerania : twenty miles 
fouth-fouth-eaft of Cammin, and nine north of Stargard. 
Lat. 53. 57. N. Ion. 15. 5. E. 
MASSOW'BA, a town of Congo, in Africa: ten miles 
north of Bombi. 
MASSU'AH, or Matsu'ah, meaning, fays Bruce, the 
Port or Harbour of the Shepherds, a final! ifland of the 
Red Sea, near the coaft of Abyfllnia, in a bay, with an 
excellent harbour, governed by a chief called the Naybe 
of Arkeeko. The water in the harbour is deep enough 
for firips of any fize, which may ride in it fecure from 
any wind. It was called by the Greeks Sebajlicum Os, from 
the capacity of its port, which is diftributed into three 
divifions. The ifland itfelf is very fmall, fcarcely three- 
quarters of a mile in length, and about half that in breadths 
one-third occupied by houfes; one by cifterns or tanks, 
of which there are about thirty, to receive the rain-water j 
and the laft referved for burying the dead. 
When Arabia Felix was conquered by the arms of Se¬ 
lim, emperor of Conftantinople, Maffuah was a place of 
great commerce, poffefling a (liare in the Indian trade, in 
common with the other ports of the Red Sea near the 
mouth of the Indian Ocean. Its exports were brought 
to it from an inhofpitable and almoft inacceflible moun¬ 
tainous country behind it: thefe confided of gold and 
ivory, elephants’ and buffaloes’ teeth, and, above all, (laves. 
Along its coaft were found pearls, confiderable for fize, 
water, or colour. As long as commerce flourifhed, Maf¬ 
fuah continued to be a place of much refort; but it fell 
into obfeurity very fuddenly under the oppreflion of the 
Turks, who completed the ruin ef the Indian trade in the 
Red Sea, which had commenced fome years before by the 
difeovery of the Cape of Good Hope, and the fettlements 
made by the Portuguefe on the continent of India. The 
firft government of Maffuah under the Turks was by a 
ba(haw fent from Conftantinople; but, when it ceafed to 
be a place of trade, it was not thought worth while to 
keep up the expenfive eftablifhment of a bafhalik. In re¬ 
ward for the afliitance given to the Turks, when they con¬ 
quered this place, by a tribe of Mahometans called Be- 
lowee, (hepherds inhabiting the coaft of the Red Sea, un¬ 
der the mountains of the Habah, the Turks gave their 
chief the civil government of Maffuah and its territory, 
under the title of Naybe of Maffuah ; who held it, after 
the baihaw was withdrawn, of the grand fignior, for an 
annual tribute, upon receiving a firman from the Ottoman 
Porte. The janizaries, eltablilhed there as a garrifon, in¬ 
termarried with the women of the country ; and, in cou- 
fequence of thefe intermarriages, Moors and natives of 
3 Maffuah 
