Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 2.djvu/889

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below,and two above ; whereas the two lateral fegments are very large, of a roundifti figure, and reprefent a lower lip ; the the upper one being fmall, and bipartite. The framen is a fingle membranaceous filament, much refembling a ferment of the corolla ; the anthera is of a linear figure, and affixed to the fide of the filament; the germen of the piftil is roundifti, and is placed beneath the receptacle of the flower ; the ftyle is fimple, and of the length of the flower ; and the ftigma is fomewhat trigonal and bent. The fruit is a roundifti capfule, fomewhat obfeurely trigonal, and com- pofed of three valves, in each of which there is a fingle, hard, rugofe feed, of an ovated figure.

It is a native of America, defcribed by Plumier, and is nearly allied to the Canna, but cannot be joined with it. Vid. - Linnsei Gener. Plantar, p. 2.

MARJORAM (Suppl.) — Spanijh ; Marjoram, a name ufed ■ by fome for the Urtica, with pellitory leaves and round balls. See the article Urtica, Suppl.

Sweet Marjoram, a name given by fome to a- genus of plants, called by others Partheniunu See the article PaR- thenium, Suppl.

MARKING- Jtfnz, in fhips of war, is white yarn fpun the wrong way, and put into all cordage of three inches and up- <^ - wards, as the king's mark. Blanckley's Naval Expofitor, p. 103.

'MARSH- £/<&r, or Water-Elder, the name by which fome call the Opulus. See the article Opulu;, Suppl.

lAARsn-fever, is a fpecies of bilious fever. See the article Bi- lious, Append.

Thofe, feized with the Marjh-fever, are tormented with a burning heat, and violent head-ach. They complain likewife of intenfe thirft, aking of the bones, a pain of the back, great laffitude and inquietude j and frequently of a naufea, ficknefs, or a pain about the pit of the flomach ; which is fometimes attended with a vomiting of green or yellow bile, of an offenfive fmell. The head is fometimes fo fuddenly and violently affected, that without any previous complaint, the patients run about in a wild manner, as if they were mad ; and would throw themfelves out of windows, or into the water, if not prevented. Pringle, Obferv. on the Dif. of the Army, p, 171.

Marsh trefoil, the name of a genus of plants, called by au- thors Menyanthes. See the article Menyanthes, Suppl.

Marshy Countries. It is to be obferved, that neither canals, nor even large inundations, where the water is deep, are nearly fo dangerous in regard to peoples health, or exhale fo much noxious vapours, as marjhy grounds, or meadows that have been once floated, and but lately drained 5 and that fields, tho' dry in appearance, may neverthelefs be moift:, by the tranfpiration of fubterraneous water. Prhigle, Obferv. on the Dif. of the Army, p. 82.

By this exhalation, as well as by that of ditches and canals, in all which innumerable plants and infects die and rot, the atmofphere is filled, efpecially during the latter part of fummcr and autumn, with moift, putrid, and infalutary va- pours. Add to this, that marjhy countries being low, and without hills to receive the winds, or direct them in ffrcams upon the lower grounds, the air is apt to ftagnate and cor- rupt. The common water too, being either collected from rains, and preferved in cifterns, or drawn from fhallow wells, is, in hot and dry feafons, ( foon corrupted ; fo that every thing confpires, in fummer, not only to relax the folids, but to difpofe the humours to putrefaction. Id. ibid. p. 2.

In marjhy countries rainy and moift: feafons differ greatly ; fince intenfe and continued heats occafion the greatelt moi(t- ure in the atmofphere, by the immenfe exhalations they raife ; whereas frequent fhowers, during the hot feafon, cool the air, check the excefs of vapours, dilute and refrefh the corrupted ftagnating water, and precipitate all putrid and noxious effluvia. But, if heavy rains in the beginning of fummer, are fucceeded by great and uninterrupted heats, thofe rains, by overflowing the meadows, ferve only for mat- ter of more exhalation, and to make the feafon more fickly, and the diftempers more fatal. Id. ibid. p. 5. The epidemic of the hot feafon, and the great endemic of marjhy countries, is a fever of an intermitting nature, com- monly of a tertian ihape, but of a bad kind ; which in the damper places and worft: feafons, appears in the form of a double tertian, remittent, continued, putrid, or even an ardent fever. Murfoy countries are likewife fubjec'i, more than any others, to the cholera morbus, dyfentery, and a kind of fcurvy, peculiar to a moift and corrupted air j the fymptoms of which laft agree fo much wich the fea-fcurvy, that they may be accounted the fame difeafe ; the exhalations of the canals and marjhes, in hot weather, acting like the vapour which rifes from the bildge-water oi a fhip. Id. ibid. p. 6, feq.

As to the diet neccfTary in moift places, it may be obferved in general, that thofe who can afford to live above the com- mon rate, keep freeft from the difeafes of the tnarjhes. For fuch climates require dry houfes, the apartments raifed from the ground, proper exercife, without labour in the fun, or APPEND.

M E C

es, ale extremely fickly iu. ibid. p. 9. tire mine given by Cottle to" feveral fpecies of

_ in the evening damps, a juft quantity of vinous

vifluals of good nourishment. Without fuel, helps, not only ftrangers, but the natives themfelves, areextrem,' after hot and clofe fummers. Id. ibid, o o

MARTAQON, the name given by fome to ,

.. *-'•'■>■ ^ 'he article Lilium, Suppl.

MARTIN, in ornithology, the Englifh name of the black Hl- rmid, w ,tn only the throat white. See the article Hirvu-

DO, hupp I.

MARYGOLD ( Suppl.) _ %M ARyGOLD) the name by wrnch fome call the decides of botanifts. See the article ouppl. and Append.

MAbH, the name of a drink given to horfes or cattle. It is made of half a peck of ground malt, put into a pail : on which is poured as much hot fcalding water, as will wet it well j therrflirnng it about half an hour, till it becomes luke- warm, and fweet like honey, it is to be given to the horfe. A majb is only g IVtn after a pur^e, to make it work better ; after hard labour, or for drink in time of ficknefs. Ruft. Uict. in vcc.

MAST£R-zw,-r, a name fometimes given to the Aftrantia of botanical writers. See the article Astrantia, Suppl

MAS1 IC-tree, the name by which fome call the Lentifcus of authors. See the article Lentiscus, Suppl.

MASTic-r>w of Jamaica, a name fometimes given to the Ca- laba, or Caryopbillum. See the article Caryophillum, Append.

Indian Mastic, the name by which the Molle, or Peruvian Lentiftc is fometimes called. See the article Molle Suppl.

MATFELON, a name fometimes gived to the Jacea of bo- tanifts, more ufually called Knapweed. See the article Ja- cea, Suppl.

MATURATION of fruit. For the feveral ways of haftenihg the ?naturaticn of fruit, lee the articles HoT-beds, Forcing,' and Caprification, Suppl.

MAUDLIN, the Englifh name of a genus of plants, called by botanifts Ageratum. See the article Ageratum, Suppl.

MAUROCENIA, in botany, the name of a genus of plants, the characters of which are thefe ; the cup is a very fmall one-leaved perianthium, divided into five fegments, and per- manent ; the flower confifts only of one leaf, divided into five oval, patent fegments ; the ftamina are five erect fubulated filaments, longer than the flower ; the anthers are fimple 5 the germen of the piftil is conic ; there is no l.yle ; the ffig-, mata are three, and gibbous ; the fruit is an oval beny, urn- bilicated with the ftigmata ; the feeds are three, oblong, and fcarce feparable from the pulp.

Dillenius makes this genus a fpecies of Frangula. Vid. Lh:- ntsi Gen. Plant, p. 125.

MAW", or Sea-Maw, the fame with the Sea-Mall. Seethe article Mall, fupra.

MAY-£h/J, in botany, a name fometimes given to the Mefpi- lus, or Medlar. See the article Mespilusj Suppl.

NL.w-duke, a name ufed among Gardeners for a fpecies of cherry-tree. See the article Cerasus, Suppl.

May-Mv, a name fometimes ufed for the Gonvallaria, or Lilium Ccnvallium. Seethe article Lilium Convallium, Suppl.

MAY-zveed, a name by which fome call the Chamamile. See the article Cham^melum, Suppl.

MAZE, in gardening, the fame with Labyrinth. See the article Labyrinth, CycL. and Suppl.

MEAOOW-graJs 9 in botany. See the article Grass, Append.

M.EABOW-rue, the Englifh name of a genus of plants, cal- led by botanifts IhaiiStrum. See the article Thalic-

TRUM, Suppl.

Meadow-/Wj, in botany, the Englifh name of a genus of plants, called by authors Ulmaria. See the article Ulma- ria, Suppl.

MEALY-fn^, in botany, a name fometimes given to the Vi- burnum, See the article Viburnum, Suppl.

MECHANICS (Cycl.) — The term Mechanics has of old been, and ftill is, ufed in a double fenfe in very different feien- ces, both with refpect to their objects and principles. For the name Mechanics is applied equally to that fcience which treats of the equilibrium and comparifon of powers j and to that fcience in which the nature, generation, and altera- tion of motion is explained. To avoid ambiguity, there- fore, it would be proper to give the name Statics to the fcience of the equilibrium and companion of powers, and to reftrain the term Mechanics to the fcience of motion. Thefe two fciences not only differ as to their objects and principles, but alfo. with refpect to the times in which they have been cultivated. Some of the principles of Sta- tics were eftablifhed by Archimedes ; but Galileo laid the firft foundation of Mechanics, when he inveftigated the defcent of heavy bodies j and fince his time, by the affiftv ance of the new methods of computation, a great progreii has been made, particularly by Sir Ifaac Newton, in his Principia. This admirable work is now rendered more ac- celfible to beginners by the learned comment of the fathers le Seur and Jacquier, printed, with the text, at Geneva, aF ^739.