Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume X.djvu/845

 M^ELAR MELAR, or Malar, a lake of Sweden, extend- ing from Stockholm on the east to Koping on the west, a distance of about 75 m., and com- prising an area of about 700 sq. m. It has numerous arms branching off in all directions, and communicates with the Baltic by the So- dertelge canal, and also by a short channel, on the shores and on an island of which stands the city of Stockholm. The principal streams fall- ing into it are the Fyrisa, Kolbiicksa, Arbogaa, and Thorshalla. On its shores are the cities of Stockholm, Upsal, Enkoping, Westeras, and other considerable towns, a great number of villages, and numerous palaces, chateaux, and villas. It contains more than 1,200 islands, of all sizes and of great beauty, upon which are 1 6 large villages and about 900 domains. About 50 steamers ply between the various ports. The picturesque scenery and abundant fishing give the lake great interest, and pleasure ex- cursions upon it are frequent. MAELSTROM (Norw. malestr&m, grinding or whirling stream), an ocean current or whirlpool off the coast of .Norway S. W. of the Loffoden islands, in lat. 67 48' N. and Ion. 12 E. It runs between the islands of Vser and Moskenes, or rather between Moskenes and a large soli- tary rock which lies in the middle of the strait dividing Moskenes from Vaer. It is produced by the currents of the Great West fiord. The old account of this whirlpool represents it as terrific, swallowing down ships and even whales ; but this was mere exaggeration. Ac- cording to a statement (1859) by Hagerup, min- ister of the Norwegian marine, and by Major Vibe, superintendent of the Norwegian hydro- graphic surveys, who personally examined the Maelstrom and made official reports upon it, when the wind is steady and not too violent, boats may venture upon the whirlpool in sum- mer at flood or ebb tide, when it is still for about half an hour. At the point half way between flood and ebb it is most violent, and boats would then be in danger. At certain times it may be passed at any state of the tide by steamers and by large ships with a steady wind. But in winter and in storms it would be highly dangerous for any vessel to attempt to pass the Maelstrom. During a storm blow- ing from the west, the stream in winter runs continually to the east at the rate of six knots an hour, without changing its direction with the rising or falling tide ; and if at such a time the tide is rising, the stream becomes entirely unnavigable. At certain states of the wind and tide in winter the whole stream boils in mighty whirls, against which the largest steamer could not successfully contend. These whirls, however, would not draw vessels to the hot-, torn as was formerly believed, but would de- stroy them by dashing them against the rocks, or in case of small vessels by filling them and thus causing them to founder. There is no reason to suppose that the Maelstrom has been changed by any convulsion, or by the wearing away of the rocks. MAESTRICHT 839 MAERLAXT, Jakob, a Dutch poet, born in Flanders about 1235, died at Damme, near Bruges, in 1300. His earliest poems, " The Trojan War" and "Alexander," imitations of French romances of chivalry, are yet unprint- ed. He afterward devoted himself to the elaboration of Biblical subjects and of didac- tic themes. He is styled the father of Dutch poetry. Among his metrical productions are a life of St. Francis, in which he follows the Latin of Bonaventura (Leyden, 1848); the HeimelijlcJieid der heimelijMeden (Dort, 1838), after the Secreta Secretorum falsely ascribed to Aristotle ; Wapen Martijn (Antwerp, 1496 ; Dort, 1834) ; and Van den lande van Oversee. He completed in 1270 a versified version of the Bible (Rijmbibel, edited by David, 2 vols. 1858-'60), and began in 1283 his SpieghelUsto- riael, which was continued by others after his death. Among his other works is Der naturen lloeme (edited by Bormans, Brussels, 1857). MAES, or Maas, Nicolas, a Dutch artist, born in Dort in 1632, died in 1693. In his youth he went to Amsterdam and entered the school of Rembrandt, under whose instruction he became an excellent colorist. He painted small his- torical subjects, and subsequently portraits. His cabinet pictures are very scarce and bring high prices. His portraits are distinguished by vigor of coloring and skilful relief. MAESTRICHT (Dutch, Maastricht), a city of the Netherlands, capital of the province of Limburg, on the Maas, 18 m. W. N. W. of Aix-la-Chapelle ; pop. in 1870, 28,840, mostly Roman Catholics. The river, which is span- ned by an ancient stone bridge 500 ft. long, divides the city into two parts, the smaller portion on the right bank constituting the suburb Wyk. The city is well built, and the finest squares are the market place and the Vrijhof or parade ground. It is famous as one of the strongest fortresses of Europe, and as the principal defence of Holland. The works consist of walls, ditches, and detached bastions, and of the citadel, built in 1701 on the Pietersberg, on the right bank of the river. The surrounding land can be easily laid under water by opening the sluices. The subter- ranean quarries, situated under the Pieters- berg, cover an area of 13 by 6 m., and contain about 16,000 passages, 20 to 50 ft. high and 12 broad. The galleries are supported by thou- sands of massive pillars, forming a labyrinth dangerous to enter without a guide. The rock resembles chalk, and is ill adapted for build- ing. The caverns abound with fossils, and the bones of a colossal lizard-like reptile, more than 20 ft. long, are found here, and known as the monitor. The most notable public build- ings are the town hall, a handsome edifice with a public library and Flemish paintings, and the church of St. Gervais, with five towers and the shrine of that saint, a fine doorway and nave, a "Descent from the Cross" by Van- dyke, and a monument of Charlemagne fin- ished in 1845. The interior of this church was