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 172 MARIPOSA observation and doubt, and who in- spired that scrupulousness and caution so ne- cessary to those who interrogate nature and in- terpret her responses." His collected works were published at Ley den in 1717, and at the Hague in 1740, in 2 vols. 4to. They contain papers upon a great variety of subjects in phys- ics and natural philosophy, and are filled with accounts of his numerous and ingenious ex- periments. His principal discoveries were : 1, the l:iv in regard to gases, usually called Mari- otte's law, that, the temperature of a gas re- maining fixed, its volume varies inversely as the pressure upon it (see PNEUMATICS) ; 2, that air exists in liquids, especially in water ; 3, that the part of the retina where the optic nerve enters it is insensible to light. He also in- vented the now common experiment of drop- ping a coin and a feather in the exhausted re- ceiver of an air pump, to show that both will fall through equal distances in equal times. MARIPOSA, an E. county of California, drained by the Merced and Mariposa rivers, affluents of the San Joaquin; area, 1,440 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 4,572, of whom 1,084 were Chinese. The surface is mountainous, the E. part being traversed by the Sierra Nevada; the soil in the TV. is of great fertility. Gold abounds throughout the county, being found in nearly every creek and gulch and in quartz veins. Three placers and three quartz mines were in operation in 1870. It contains the Yosemite falls and the Mammoth Tree grove. (See CALIFORNIA.) The chief productions in 1870 were 4,275 bushels of wheat, 8,135 of barley, 1,712 of potatoes, 87,816 Ibs. of wool, and 2,499 tons of hay. There were 1,110 horses, 923 milch cows, 6,118 other cattle, 18,442 sheep, and 8,577 swine; 1 iron foun- dery, 2 breweries, 4 saw mills, and 2 quartz mills. Capital, Mariposa. MARITZA (anc. Hebrus), a large river of Rou- melia, European Turkey. It rises on the N". E. flank of the Despoto Dagh (anc. Ehodope), a branch of the Balkan mountains, flows E. S. E. and S. S. TV., and after a course of about 300 in., during which it passes Filibe (Philippopo- lis) and Adrianople, enters the Grecian archi- pelago by two mouths. MARIIS, Cains, a Roman soldier, born near Arpinum in 157 B. C., died in Rome in 86. His origin was humble, and his parents are said to have been clients of the Herennii, an eminent plebeian family. That he ever labored for wages may be doubted, and may have been one of the reports invented to injure him by the optimates, and accepted by him to make his elevation seem the greater by contrast with his original position. Marius had no third name, or cognomen, nor did he ever win one, not- withstanding his brilliant military services. A in Velleius Paterculus, which repre- M -ins him to be of equestrian birth, is believed to be an error of some transcriber. Plutarch pivly states that his parents were obscure, and that they gained their living by the labor ; MARIUS of their hands. The first mention of him in history is as a soldier in the army with which the second Scipio Africanus besieged Nurnantia in 134, when he was but 23 years old. His bra- very, his sobriety,. and the readiness with which he submitted to the severe reforms that Scipio found it necessary to introduce into the Ro- man army, attracted the attention and won the commendation of that great general. The tradition was, that Marius was so encouraged by Scipio's words, deeming them to form a di- vine intimation, that he entered on a political career; yet it was not until 15 years later that he achieved his first political success, being then chosen tribune of the people (119). This office he obtained through the influence of Metellus, who belonged to the Csecilian gens, one of the most distinguished plebeian houses in Rome. He had previously been unanimous- ly elected military tribune. As tribune of the people he introduced a bill calculated to pro- mote the freedom of elections, which was op- posed by the optimates, then at the height of their power, immediately after the fall of Cains Gracchus; but Marius, by the most vigorous measures, carried his point, though the oppo- sition was headed by his patron, the consul Metellus. He showed his firmness in another way, by opposing a distribution of corn among the people, because he believed it*in jurious to their interests. He sought the curule sedile- ship, but was forced to withdraw from the contest ; and he was beaten as a candidate for the plebeian sedileship. Elected praetor, his name was the lowest on the list. He was then proceeded against for bribery, but escaped con- viction, the votes of his judges being equal- ly divided. He was prsetor in 115, but did not leave Italy. As proprietor, the next year, he served in Further Spain, which he is report- ed to have cleared of robbers. Shortly after- ward he married Julia, a sister of the father of Julius Caesar, who belonged to one of the most illustrious of the patrician gentes. When Q. Caecilius Metellus took command of the Roman army employed against Jugurtha (109), Marius became one of his legates, and distinguished himself in the war, being very popular with the common soldiers, and attracted the atten- tion of his countrymen at home. He asked leave of Metellus to go to Rome, that he might offer himself as a candidate for the consulship ; but his commander, after first seeking to argue against his supposed unreasonable ambition, and then declaring that he could not be spared from the army, finally refused his request in an insulting manner. Marius then commenced intriguing against Metellus, whom he accused of prolonging the war, which he offered to bring to a prompt conclusion with one half the force then employed against Jugurtha. These things were all known at Rome, where they increased the popularity of Marius. To get rid of an enemy, Metellus granted him the permis-. sion he had asked, but only 12 days before the time of election. Arriving at Rome, Marius en-