M E C 
la fifteen eommunes. It is fix polls eafl-north-eaft of 
Paris. Lat.48. 58. N. Ion. 2. 57. E. 
MEB'ENDORF, a town of Germany, in the county of 
Henneberg: feven miles north-eaft: of Meinungen. 
MEBORE'A,/. in botany. See Rhopium. 
MEBU', a town of Japan, in the ifland of Niphon: 160 
miles north-welt of Jedo. 
MEBUNNA'I, [Hebrew.] A man’s name. 
MECATl'NA, an ifland in the gulf of St. Laurence. 
Lat. 50.48. N. Ion. 59. 10. W. 
MEC'CA, a city of Arabia, known to the Greeks un¬ 
der the name of Macoraba, is fltuated in a dry and barren 
traft of country, a full day’s journey from Jidda. “ Some 
latent motives, perhaps of fuperftition,” fays Gibbon, 
“ muft have impelled the founders of this city to the 
choice of a moft unpromifing fituation. Their habita¬ 
tions were erefted of mud or ltone, in a plain about two 
miles long and one broad, at the foot of three barren 
mountains; the foil being a rock; the water even of the 
holy well of Zemzem being bitter or brackilh ; the paftures 
remote from the city; and grapes tranfported to it above 
feventy miles from the gardens of Tayef. The fame and 
fpirit of the Koreiflmes, who reigned in Mecca, were con- 
fpicuous among the Arabian tribes; but their ungrateful 
foil refufcd the labours of agriculture, and their pofnion 
was favourable to the enterprifes of trade. By the fea- 
port of Gedda (or Jidda), at the diltance of only forty 
miles, they maintained an eafy correfpondence with Abyf- 
finia; and the Chriftian kingdom aftorded the firil refuge 
to the difciples of Mahomet. The treafures of Africa 
were conveyed over the peninfula to Gerrha or Katif, in 
the province of Bahrein, a city built, as it is laid, of rock- 
falt, by the Chaldean exiles ; and from thence, with the 
native pearls of the Perfian gulf, they were floated in rafts 
to the mouth of the Euphrates. Mecca is placed almolt 
at an equal diltance, a month’s journey, between Yemen 
on the right and Syria on the left hand. The former 
was the winter, and the latter the fummer, ftation of her 
caravans; and their feafonable arrival relieved the (hips of 
India from the tedious and troublefome navigation of 
the Red Sea. In the markets of Saana and Merab, in the 
harbour of Oman and Aden, the camels of the Koreifhites 
were laden with a precious cargo of aromatics; a fupply 
©f corn and manufactures was purchafed in the fairs of 
Boltra and Damafcus; the lucrative exchange diffufed 
plenty and riches in the flreets of Mecca ; and the nobleft 
of her Tons united the love of arms with the profefiion of 
merchandife.” On an approach to the high lands, a few 
leagues beyond it, abundance of excellent fruits is to be 
found. In the fummer-months, the heat is exceflive at 
Mecca; and, in order to avoid and moderate it as much as 
poffible, the inhabitants take care to (hut their windows 
and water the flreets. Inltances have occurred of perfons 
that have been fuffbcated in the flreets by the burning wind 
called famoom, or famiel, which we liippole to be the fame 
that is otherwife called the kamfm, or firocco. As many of 
the firfl: nobility in Hedjas reflde at Mecca, the buildings 
are better here than in any other city in Arabia. Among 
its elegant edifices the moft remarkable is the §aaba, or 
Houfe of God, which was held in high veneration by the 
Arabians, even before the days of Mahomet. See Caaba, 
vol. iii. p. 570. 
Niebuhr fays, that no Chriftian dares to enter Mecca, 
on account of the prejudices of the people with relpeft 
to the fan&ity of the place, who think that it would 
be profaned by the feet of infidels; although there is 
no prohibition to this purpofe in the laws of Mahomet. 
The fuperftitious people perluade themfelves, that Chrif- 
tians are reftrained from approaching it by a fupernatural 
power. We may hence prefume that the Chriftians of 
Europe, who defcribe Mecca as eye-witnelfes, have been 
renegadoes, who have dcaped from Turkey. The Ma¬ 
hometans have fuch high ideas of the laniftity of Mecca, 
that they fuppofe it to extend even to the environs 
of the city. Its territory is reputed facred, to a certain 
M E t ' 615 
diltance round it, which is indicated by marks fet lip for 
this purpofe. Every caravan finds one of thefe marks in 
its way, which warns the pilgrims to put on the modeft: 
garb which it becomes them to wear on that facred ground. 
The government of this holy city is feated in a Jhtrriff, 
who is a temporal prince ; and his revenue is increafed by 
the donations of Mahometan fovereigns. Lat. 21, 47. N. 
Ion. 56.46. E. 
Every Muflulman, it is well known, is obliged, once 
in his life, to vifit Mecca, and to perform acts of devo¬ 
tion in the facred places. But, if this duty were univer- 
fally performed, the concourfe of pilgrims would be im- 
menfe, and the city would not contain the crowds that 
would refort to it from every country in which the Ma¬ 
hometan religion has been introduced. Thofe, whofe 
circumftances do not admit of their undertaking this pil¬ 
grimage, are allowed to have a perfon to perform it for 
them. But a pilgrim of this description can act for no 
more than one perfon at the fame time; and, in order to 
prevent impofture, he muft bring back a formal attefta- 
tion from an imam at Mecca, teftitying, that he has actu¬ 
ally performed the appointed devotional exercifes in the 
holy places, in the name of fuch a perfon, living or dead ; 
for even after the death of any perfon, who, during life, 
has neglected this duty, it may be difcharged in his name, 
and for his benefit. The caravans that vifit this city, are 
frequently compofed of perfons who become pilgrims more 
from motives of intereft and traffic than from thofe of 
devotion. In the year 1814, a dreadful calamity overtook 
one of thefe caravans on its return from Mecca to Aleppo. 
Tiie caravan, or company, confilted of 2000 fouls; mer¬ 
chants and travellers from the Red Sea and Perfian Gulf, 
pilgrims returning from performing their devotions at 
Mecca, arid a numerous train of attendants, the whole 
elcorted by 400 military. The march was in three co¬ 
lumns. On the 15th of Augult they entered the great 
Arabian Defert, in which they journeyed feven days, and 
were already approaching its edge. A few hours more 
would have placed them beyond danger; but, alas! they 
were not permitted to return in fafety. On the morning 
of the 23d, juft as they had ftruck their tents and com¬ 
menced their march, a wind role from the north-eaft, and 
blew with tremendous violence. They increafed the ra¬ 
pidity of their march to efcape the threatened danger; 
but the fatal kamfin had fet in. On a fudden denfe clouds 
were obferved, whofe extremity obfeured the horizon, 
and fwept the face of the defert. They approached the 
columns, and obfeured the line of march. Both men and 
beafts, ftruck by a fenfe of common danger, uttered loud 
cries. The next moment they fell beneath its peftiferous 
influence lifelefs corpfes. Of two thoufand fouls com¬ 
peting the caravan not more than twenty efcaped ; and 
they owed their fafety to the fwiftnefs of their drome¬ 
daries. 
MEC'CA, a town of Morocco, near the coaft of the 
Atlantic. Lat. 29.45. S. Ion. 9.45. W. 
MECZE'NAS. See Maecenas, p. 81. 
MECHA'DER, a town of Arabia, in Yemen : feventy- 
two miles fouth of Sana. Lat. 14. 7. N. Ion. 44. 15. E. 
MECHAI'N (Peter Francis Andrew), a very able 
French mathematician and altronomer, was born at Laon 
in the year 1744. At an early age he difeovered a ftrong-. 
inclination for mathematical purfuits; and, while he 
was under the inltruftion of his tutors, correfponded 
with Lalande, whom he was defirous of affilling in his la¬ 
bours. In 1772, Mechain was invited to Paris, where h« 
w.,s employed at the depot of the marine, and affilted M. 
Darquier in correcting his obfervations. Here his merit, 
brought him acquainted with M. Doify, director of the 
depot, who gave him a more advantageous fituation at 
Verfajlles. At this place he diligently obferved the hea¬ 
vens ; and, in 1774, lent to the Royal Academy of Sciences 
a memoir relath e to an eclipfe of Aldebaran, obferved by 
him on the 15U1 ol April. He calculated the orbit of the 
comet of 1 774- 5 and difeovered that of 1781, In 1782, 
k* 
