Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XI.djvu/843

 MOEELIA irred soil, it was the custom of the peasants encourage their growth by setting fire to le woods, a practice now prohibited by law. There are several other species of morchella in this country and Europe, all of which, ac- cording to some authors, are edible, while Berkeley says that M. semilibera is of doubtful reputation. There is no record in the princi- pal European horticultural works of any at- tempts to cultivate this fungus, but it would not be difficult to imitate the conditions under which it grows naturally. MORELIA, an inland city of Mexico, capital of the state of Michoacan and of a district of its own name, 125 m. W. by N. of Mexico ; pop. officially estimated in 1869 at 30,000. The city stands upon a rocky hill 6,438 ft. above the sea; its streets are wide and cross each other at right angles, but are mostly disfigured by open sewers. On one side of the Plaza de los Martires, the largest square, stands the ca- thedral, and the other sides are flanked by ex- tensive arcades, the principal business centre. The construction of the houses is remarkably substantial, but few of them are of more than two stories. The cathedral has two towers about 200 ft. high. The government palace has a handsome exterior. The San Nicolas college, first built in the 16th century, and re- constructed in 1868, in the renaissance style, is one of the finest edifices in the republic. The numerous convents and nunneries were sup- pressed in 1859, and the buildings are for the most part in ruins. Water is supplied by an aqueduct, constructed in 1788, 3 m. long, with vast and lofty arches, and of imposing aspect. The bull ring is one of the best and most spacious in Mexico. There are two asylums or houses of refuge, one for each sex, a hos- pital, a fine prison, two or three barracks, and two cemeteries. Besides the college above mentioned, including departments of law, medicine, pharmacy, and agriculture, there is a considerable number of schools of various grades. The manufacturing industry is limited to cotton and woollen fabrics, of which there are two factories, one having 68 looms and employing 200 hands ; and guay abate, a delicate fruit preserve, extensively exported to Mexico. The city was founded in 1541, and received the name of Valladolid, which in 1828 was changed to that of Morelia, in honor of the patriot Jose Maria Morelos, who as well as Iturbide was a native of the place. In spite of a somewhat insalubrious climate, periodical inundations, and occasional earthquakes, Mo- relia has rapidly increased in extent and im- portance; in 1856 it had only 30 streets, and now has 99. It was made a bishopric in 1863. MORELLA, Count de. See CABRERA, RAMON. MORELOS, an inland state of Mexico, bound- ed by the state and the federal district of Mex- ico, Puebla, and Guerrero ; area, 1,887 sq. m. ; pop. in 1868, 121,098; in 1873, according to the annual report of the ministry of public works, 147,039. This state, which was for- MORELOS 825 merly included in that of Mexico, forms a part of the S. E. slope of the central table land, and has a mean elevation of about 4,500 ft. above the sea. It is very mountainous, and the volcano of Popocatepetl, one of the highest points, if not the culminating point, of North America, is on the N. E. boundary; but the highest peaks are separated by plains of re- markable fertility. Almost the whole country is of volcanic formation. The cave of Caca- huamilpa, near the village of the same name, is reported one of the most curious in the world; the entrance is formed by an arch 75 ft. high and 150 wide; in the interior are vast natural divisions or compartments called alones, where snow-white stalactites and sta- lagmites abound, resembling obelisks, palms, &c. Numerous streams water the plains, but the Cuernavaca and Cuantla, tributaries of the Amacusaque, are the only considerable rivers. The climate, mild in the north, is extremely hot and insalubrious in the south ; malignant fevers and endemic dysentery are the prevail- ing maladies. The staple productions are the sugar cane and several varieties of exquisite fruits, immense gardens being laid out in various parts of the state for their cultiva- tion. There were 22 silver mines in operation in 1873, and gold, quicksilver, cinnabar, lead, chalk, and kaolin are produced. The prin- cipal industries are the manufacture of sugar, molasses, and rum of superior quality. The sugar manufactured in 1873 amounted to 20,- 478,200 Ibs., and the molasses to 3,632,211 gallons. There were in the state 184 public schools, 32 of which were for females, with an aggregate attendance of 7,271, exclusive of 36 enrolled in the state literary institute at Cuernavaca. Morelos is divided into five dis- tricts, and the chief towns are Cuernavaca, the capital, Cuautla de Morelos, Yautepec, Jo- nacatepe, and Tete-Cola. MORELOS, or Mpntemorelos, a city of Mex- ico, capital of a district of the same name, in the state of Nuevo Leon, 70 m. S. E. of Mon- terey; pop. about 9,000. The town is 2,000 ft. above the sea. The old portion is ruinous, but the modern part has wide and regular streets, substantial buildings, and courtyards filled with trees and flowers. Streams of pure water flow through the streets. There are sev- eral churches, three public schools, and manu- factories of sugar, rum, agricultural imple- ment, hardware, silver, and hats. The original name of the city was San Mateo del Pilon. MORELOS, Jose Maria, a Mexican revolution- ist, born in 1780, shot in the city of Mexico, Dec. 22, 1815. He was curate of Nucupetaro in Valladolid, and in October, 1810, joined the insurgent chief Hidalgo against the Spaniards, receiving a commission to act as captain gen- eral of the provinces on the S. "W. coast. He set out with five negroes to conquer Aca- pulco, which was strongly garrisoned. On his march he was joined by about 1,000 men, chiefly negro slaves, with whom under cover