Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 16.djvu/827

Rh M N M N 797 of a mass of granite about 3000 feet in compass and 165 feet in height, rises at a distance of nearly a mile from the shore in the bay of St Michel, near the mouth of the Couesnon, at the vertex of the angle formed by the coasts of Brittany and Normandy. The quicksands by which it is surrounded, and which stretch far to seaward, are ex posed at low water, and highly dangerous to those who venture on them without a guide. Recently efforts at reclamation have been made, and amongst other works a causeway has been constructed connecting Mont St Michel with the nearest point of the mainland (near Moidrey) ; an unfortunate consequence of these operations has been that some portions of the ramparts of the island have been sapped by the altered tidal currents. The fortress-abbey, to which the rock owes its fame, stands upon the more precipitous side towards the north and west ; the sloping portion towards the east and south is occupied by dwelling- houses. The strong machicolated and turreted wall by which the whole is surrounded is pierced only by a single gateway. The northward wall of the abbey (La Merveille), dating from the 1 3th century, is of remarkable boldness ; it is 246 feet in length and 108 feet in height, is sup ported by twenty buttresses, and is pierced by a variety of openings. The single street of the island, leading from the one gateway up to the donjon of the fortress, is lined with houses, most of them used as lodging-houses by visitors and pilgrims ; it contains an old parish church, and the house of Du Guesclin is also pointed out. The abbey consists principally of two parallel buildings of three stories each, that on the east containing hospitium, refectory, and dormitory, and that on the west the cellar, knights hall, and cloister. The knights hall is a superb piece of Gothic architecture, measuring 85 feet by 59, with three rows of richly-ornamented pillars. The cloister is one of the purest and most graceful works of the 13th century (1228). The church has a number of imperfect turrets, and is surmounted by a square tower of the 17th century, with a statue of St Michael, which was crowned in 1877. The nave, which dates from the llth century, is Norman ; but the choir, which collapsed in 1421, has been rebuilt in the flamboyant style. Beneath is a fine crypt. Mont St Michel was a sacred place even in the time of the Druids. It became a seat of Christian worship in the 8th century, when a monastery was founded upon it (with the usual miraculous accom paniments) by St Aubert, bishop of Avranches. It soon became a favourite resort of pilgrims, not only from all parts of France, but also from Great Britain and Ireland, and even from Italy. It was plundered by the Normans ; but Rollo, on his conversion, made restitution. At the time of the Conquest it supplied William of Xormandy with six ships, and received a considerable share of the English spoils. About this time the monks began to give them selves to learning and to collect a large library, and in the 12th century the establishment reached its highest prosperity. It was burnt by the troops of Philip Augustus, who afterwards furnished large sums for its restoration (La Merveille). St Louis (Louis IX.) made a pilgrimage to Mont St Michel, and was afterwards very liberal to it. During the hundred years war it offered a memorable resist ance to the English ; and here, on 1st August 1469, Louis XI. instituted the order of St Michel, and held a brilliant chapter. A similar celebration was held by Francis I. During the religious wars the Huguenots made repeated unsuccessful attempts to seize the fortress ; it opened its gates to Henry IV. after his abjuration. About 1615 the Benedictine monks of Mont St Michel were re placed by monks of the Congregation of St Maur ; after the Revolu tion the abbey was used as a prison for political offenders. It is now an historical monument; it contains an orphanage, and is under going repairs. MONTSERRAT, one of the Leeward Islands in the West Indies, situated 16 45 N. lat. and 62 7 W. long., is 1 2 miles long and 8 broad in its widest part, and has an area of 32 square miles. The uneven and rugged surface suggests possibly volcanic origin. Its general appearance is very picturesque, the most interesting natural feature being the Souffriere. The island was discovered by Columbus in 1493, and received its name either because of its broken appearance or after the mountain in Spain. It was colonized by the English under Sir Thomas Warner in 1632, and was taken by the French in 1664. Restored to the English in 1668, it capitulated to the French in 1782, but was again restored in 1784. It is now a pre sidency under the general government at Antigua, and has a legislative council, composed of officials and crown nomi nees. The climate is the most healthy in the West Indies. The population (10,087) consists principally of negroes, with several hundred whites. The revenue and expendi ture average 5600 per annum. Sugar exports range from 1200 to occasionally 2000 tons. An important industry is the cultivation of limes and the manufacture of juice. About 700 puncheons of raw lime juice, 300 hogsheads of concentrated juice, and an increasing quantity of fresh green limes are exported annually. For the three years ending 1880 the average value of imports was 26,390, of exports 32,963. The principal town is Plymouth, lying midway along the south-west coast. MONTSERRAT. Thirty miles to the north-west of Barcelona in Spain there rises a very remarkable mountain of grey conglomerate, 24 miles in circumference, and at its loftiest point (San Geronimo) a little more than 4000 feet in height. From the comparative lowness of the surround ing district, and from its extraordinary configuration, it is a conspicuous object for many miles around. The mountain consists of jagged pinnacles and spires rising abruptly from the base of the mass, which is cloven with many clefts, and abounds with steep precipices. It is the Mons Serratiis of the Romans, the Monte Serrado of the Spaniards, and is thus named either in allusion to its jagged appearance, like the teeth of a saw, or because the eastern face is split, as if sawn, which occurred, say the Spanish legends, at the time of the crucifixion, when the rocks were rent. The arms of the monastery represent a mountain with a saw resting upon it and penetrating some distance into its mass. Its pinnacles and pyramids and sharp angular masses resemble a mountain of hard crystalline volcanic tuff which occurs between Akureyri and Kalmanstunga in Iceland. The effect of Montserrat may be realized faintly if we place ourselves upon the roof of Milan cathedral, and imagine the forest of spires magnified a thousandfold. The central spire will represent San Geronimo. The result of this varied contour in the case of Montserrat is to make it one of the most picturesque places in Europe. Paths wind along the faces of the precipices, ascending to bare grey summits, descending to sheltered valleys filled with evergreens and flowers. The Pyrenees are seen in one direction, the sea in another, while the Llobregat winds at the foot of the mountain through the village of Monistrol. Manresa and other villages are seen scattered over the plain ; and hills covered with a warm red soil alternate with rich valleys. Street says of Montserrat, &quot;After much experience of mountains, it strikes me more each time that I see it as among the very noblest of rocks.&quot; The monastery, a great pile of buildings, stands upon a narrow platform on the edge of a vast chasm in the eastern face of the mountain. It owes its existence to an image of the Virgin, said to have been carved by St Luke, and brought to Barcelona by St Peter in 30 A.D. When the Moors invaded the province in 717, the image was taken to Montserrat and hidden in a cave. In 880 Gondemar, bishop of Vich, was attracted to the cave by sweet sounds and smells, and there found the image, which he determined to take to Manresa. But at a certain spot on the mountain the image refused to proceed farther ; there it was conse quently deposited, and a chapel was erected to contain it. A stone cross near the walls of the monastery still marks the spot where the image refused to move. Round the chapel a nunnery was built, and in 976 this was enlarged