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MEI about 1686, was the first to introduce iron-founding into Scotland.—, millwright, in the early part of the eighteenth century went to Holland at the instance of Fletcher of Saltoun, to study the agricultural machinery used by the Dutch; and in 1720 he brought to Scotland and set up the first pair of fanners, or winnowing machine, ever seen in that country. He left an only son, the subject of the following article:—

, a Scottish mechanic and engineer, the inventor of the thrashing-machine, was born about 1720, and died in 1811 at Houston Mill, near East Linton in the county of East Lothian, where from his youth he had earned on the occupation of farmer, miller, and millwright. His skill in mechanics was long well known and extensively employed throughout the south of Scotland. He invented many improvements in millwork and in agricultural machinery. The most important of these was the now well-known thrashing-machine, which, after many trials, patiently carried on for a long series of years, he perfected in 1787, and secured by a patent in 1788. It has been estimated that the value of the saving to Britain alone, through the superiority of that machine to the flail, is about £2,000,000 a year; but it produced little pecuniary profit to its inventor beyond a sum of £1500, which was collected for him by subscription in 1809, through the exertions of Sir John Sinclair. One of his claims to distinction is that of having been the first master of the great engineer, John Rennie.—His son,, was also a skilful machinist and engineer.—(Smiles' Lives of the Engineers, vol. i.)—W. J. M. R.  MEIKLE,, a Scottish poet was born in 1734. He was the son of the Rev. Alexander Meikle, who was at one time an assistant to Dr. Isaac Watts in London, and afterwards minister of the parish of Langholm in Dumfriesshire. On the death of his father young Meikle went to Edinburgh to reside with a relation who was a brewer there, and was ultimately admitted to a share in the business. He was unsuccessful, however, in this calling, and in 1763 proceeded to London in the hope of procuring a commission in the marine service. In this he was disappointed; but having already composed his tragedies and some minor poems, he introduced himself to Lord Lyttleton, who encouraged him to persevere in his poetical studies. In 1765 he obtained the situation of corrector of the Clarendon press in Oxford. From this time onward he published a succession of short poems, some of which attracted considerable notice, and also several pamphlets. At an early age he had projected a translation of the Lusiad of Camoens, and in 1771 he published the first book as a specimen. The complete version appeared in 1775, and was so well received that a second edition was required in 1778. In the following year he was appointed secretary to Governor Johnston, who had obtained the command of the Romney man-of-war, and accompanied him to Lisbon, where he was nominated joint-agent for prizes, and received many flattering marks of attention. Returning to England with a moderate independence, he married in June, 1782, and spent the remainder of his life in literary leisure at Wheatley in Oxfordshire, where he died in 1788, in the 55th year of his age. A complete edition of his poems was published in 1794, and another with a memoir appeared in 1802. Meikle's poems are characterized by sweetness, rather than by originality or power. His ballad of "Cumnor Hall," which suggested the novel of Kenilworth, is distinguished by its fine melody; and the song "There's nae luck about the house," which is not certainly known to be his, but has been claimed for him on apparently good evidence, is one of the most beautiful lyrics in the Scottish language.—J. T.  MEINERS,, a very learned German author, was born in 1747 at Warstade, near Otterndorf, in North Germany. He was put to school at Otterndorf and Bremen, and finished his education in the university of Göttingen. Having highly distinguished himself in his academic course, he was made extraordinary professor of philosophy at Göttingen in 1772, and ordinary professor in 1775. He was also made hofrath or court-councillor. He was closely associated in friendship and literary undertakings with Spittler and Feder, and continued to write and publish with great rapidity and copiousness on religious, moral, historical, and biographical subjects till his death, which took place in 1810. Of his numerous works, the following may be mentioned as among the most interesting and valuable—"History of the Rise, &c., of the Sciences, in Greece and Rome," 1781, 3 vols.; "History of Thinking in the Earliest Centuries after Christ," 1782; "History of all Religions," 1785; "Outline of the Theory and History of the Fine Arts," 1787; "History of the Rise and Progress of Universities," 1802, 4 vols.; "History of the Female Sex," 1798; "Biographies of the Revival of Learning," 1796, 8 vols.; "Historical Comparison of the Manners of the Middle Ages with those of our own times," 1793, 3 vols. He was in truth a polyhistor, and was very famous in his own age for the extent and variety of his learning. But in the judgment of his countrymen of the present day his erudition was more remarkable for massiveness than for critical accuracy; he was less able and acute than learned; and with the exception of a few, his multitudinous works are already almost entirely forgotten in Germany. We can bear testimony, however, to the value of his biographies of the age of the revival of letters, and frequent references to his works occur in the erudite writings of the late Sir William Hamilton.—P. L.  MEINHOLD,, a German divine, poet, and novelist, was born at Netzelkow in the island of Usedom. He studied theology at Greifswald, and successively became pastor of various parishes in Pomerania, until in 1850 he resigned and retired to Charlottenburg, where he died November 30, 1851. His lyric and epic poems had as little success as his plays; but he created a great sensation by his two novels, the "Amber Witch," 1843, and "Sidonia von Borck, or the Cloister Witch." The former was written with the purpose of hoodwinking the critics, and of ridiculing the critical inroads made into scriptural history. The author pretended to have dug out his novel from among old monkish MSS., and really succeeded in deceiving the public for some time. The "Amber Witch" was translated into English, and even adapted for the stage.—K. E.  * MEISNER,, a Swiss botanist, professor of botany at Basle. He has published—"Monographiæ Generis Polygoni Prodromus," 1826; and "Plantarum Vascularium genera secundum ordines naturales digesta," 1836-43.—J. H. B.  * MEISSNER,, a German poet and novelist, was born at Teplitz on 15th October, 1822. He studied medicine at Prague, but at the same time, with great ardour, entered upon a literary career. He then lived successively at Leipsic and Paris, and since 1850 has settled at Prague. His lyric poems as well as his "Ziska," an epic poem, are full of passion and energy, and give utterance to highly advanced political and socialist feelings. He has also published several dramas and tragedies; a continuation of Heine's Atta Troll; "Reminiscences of H. Heine;" novels, and sketches of travel.—K. E.  * MEISSONIER, t, a popular French painter, was born at Lyons in 1813, and learned painting in the atelier of L. Cogniet at Paris. M. Meissonier's first pictures in his peculiar style, "Le Petit Messager," and "Les Joueurs d'Echecs," exhibited at the Salon in 1836, secured the public favour, and his popularity has never waned. His pictures are scenes of genteel life—sometimes of the present day, more often of "sixty years since "—painted on panels of small size, with extreme refinement and finish. He has in fact applied the art of the old Flemish painters to the conventionalities of good society, adding to their truth and force of colour, and chiaroscuro, and delicacy of manipulation, the extreme of Parisian neatness, vivacity, and brilliancy. His little pictures, almost miniatures in size as well as finish, are consequently extravagantly admired by the highest classes of his countrymen and command enormous prices. To be without a Meissonier is in fact to be without taste, or, which is worse, without the means of gratifying it. About 1851-52 Meissonier painted some pictures on a larger canvas and of a somewhat different class of subjects; but they were regarded as curiosities, and the painter was still estimated by his little society subjects: and happily for his own reputation and the comfort of his many admirers, he soon returned to his old way. Meissonier has of course numerous imitators; but though some of them M. Chavet for example, are artists of great ability, he still remains unapproached in the line he was the first to open. M. Meissonier has received abundant honours as well as profit. Besides those of lower classes he has been awarded two medals of the first class (1843 and 1848); and a great medal at the Exposition Universelle of 1855. In 1846 he was created a knight, and in 1856 an officer of the legion of honour; and in November, 1861, he was elected member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts as successor to Abel de Pujol.—J. T—e.  MEKHITAR. See. <section end="404H" /> <section begin="404Zcontin" />MELA,, a Roman geographical writer, was born at a town called Tingentera in Spain. The time when he <section end="404Zcontin" />