Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 12.djvu/754

* MAGDEBTJBG. 672 MAGELLANIA. The lar-^er part of the Six volumes of a, new edition by Baunigarten and " -. . . . gemier appeared at Nuremberg (lioi-Ua). MAGDEBTJBG HEMISPHERES (so called from the jilace where they were invented). Two hollow hemispheres, of copper or braso, with their edges accurately fitting each other, one of which is furnished with a stop-cock. When the eages are rubbed with grease, pressed tightly together, and the globe thus formed exhausted of air by means of an air-pump, the hemispheres, which fell apart before exhaustion, are now pressed to- gether with immense force; e.g. if they are one foot in diameter, they will, after exhaustion, be pressed together with a force of nearly a ton. This experiment was first performed by Otto von Guericke (q.v.) in 1054 at the Imperial Diet at Katisbon. MAGEE, m'ge', William Connor (1821-91). An English prelate. He was born at Cork; was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, and held a curacy in that city, which ill health compelled him to relinquish." Later he held two cures in Bath, and became minister of Quebec Chapel, London, in 1859. A year later he returned to Ireland, where he became rector of Inniskillen, and Dean of Cork in 1804. as well as dean of the Chapel Koval. Dublin, in 1800. He was apnointed Bishop of "Peterborough in 1808. and Archbishop of York in 1891, only a few weeks before he died. Dr. Magee was active in the organization of the Church Defense Society, which was intended to counteract the efforts "of the Liberation Society to bring about the disestablishment and disendow- ment of the Church of England. He was presi- dent of the Church congress that met at Leices- ter in 1880, and from 1880 to 1882 was select preacher to the University of Oxford. He was a frequent contributor to the Fortnightly Review and other periodicals, and published The Gospel and the A'le (1884) and The Atonement (1887). A posthun"ious volume of addresses and speeches, and two sermons were published in 1891-92. Con- sult his Life and Correspondence by JLacdonnell (London, 1890). The anced at $2,258,020. .^ - a-,. ., revenue is derived from direct taxes. The total fi.»ures as to population swelled very rapidly during the second half of the nineteenth century on account of the annexation of suburbs as well as of adjacent independent communities. From 84 401 in 1871. the figures rose to 202,234 in 1890 and to 229.003 in 1900. The inhabitants are mostly Protestant. History. Magdeburg first appears in history in the ninth centurv, and in 937 a monastery was erected there bv Otho the Great. In 968 the city was made the seat of an archbishop, and was henceforth an outpost against the Slays, becom- ing later an important commercial city and a member of the Hanseatic League. The municipal law developed in Magdeburg in the Middle Ages, and known as the Magdeburg Right, was widely adopted in the granting of charters to cities in Germany and elsewhere. The city was very promine"nt during the course of the Reforma- tion, which it adopted in 1524. It declined to make any compromise with Charles v., and hence was besieged in 1550 by Maurice of Sax- ony, whom in 1551 it was compelled to accept as" overlord. It subsequently came under the control of Brandenburg, since the successors of its old archbishops, the so-called 'administrators,' were chosen ironi the HohenzoUern. During the Thirty Years' War it sulTered greatly; besieged unsuccessfully by Wallenstein in 1029, it was once more invested in 1031, this time by Tilly, the Imperial general. The citizens hoped for rescue from the Swedish King. Ciustavus Adolphus. but he was delayed by negotiations with the Electors of Brandenburg and Saxony, who refused him passage through their terri- tories. On May 20 (May 10, old style), 1031, the city was taken by surprise, and destroyed almost completely. Thiitv thousand of the inhabitants perished. 'During the rest of the Thirty Y'ears' War it changed hands repeatedly, until in 1038 Duke Augustus of Saxony became Administrator. By the Peace of Westphalia (1048) it was to be- come the possession of Brandenburg after the death of Duke Augustus. This occurred in 1080. From that time Magdeburg has shared the his- tory of Brandenburg and Prussia. During the Kapoleonic wars it fell into French hands ( 1806). but bv the Peace of Paris (1814) was returned to Prussia. For its role in the Thirty Years' War, consult: Dodge, Gustavus Adolphus (New York, 1896) ; Klopp, Tilly im dreissigjahrigen Kriege (2d ed., Paderborn, 1894-05) ; also Wolter, Geschichte der Sladt iJagdcburg (Sd ed., Magde- burg. 1901). MAGDEBTIKG CENTURIES (Lat. Cen- turia; Magdeburgenses). The name given to the first comprehensive Protestant work on the his- tory of the Christian Church. The arrangement of this work was such that it devoted a volume to each centurv, whence the name 'centuries,' and the authors were called 'centuriators'; it is called Magdeburg Centuries because be- gun in that city (in 1552). The chief of the centuriators was Matthias Flaeius (q.v.), and his principal collaborators were Johann Wi- gand. Matthias .Judex. Basilius Faber. Andreas Corvinus, and Thomas Holzhuter. The expenses of the work were borne by certain princes and noblemen. It was published at Basel (1559-74) in 13 volumes, bringing the history down to 1300. MAGELLAN,, ma-jel'km, Ferdinand. discoverer of tlie Strait of Magellan. See GALllAES. FeRNAO. MAGELLAN, Strait of. An irregular wind- ing passage between the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans, separating the islands of Tierra del Fuego from the southern extremity of the South American continent, about latitude 53° south (Map: Chile, D 14). Its extreme length is 370 miles, and its breadth varies from 2i..j to 70 miles. It has numerous bays and branches, especially at its southwestern end", where it separates into chan- nels inclosing a number of islands. The scenery along its shores is varied ; at the eastern end the land" is low and treeless, toward the middle it becomes mountainous and forested, in some places forming loftv precipices. Though the strait is generally free from shoals and other obstructions-, its western portion is subject to impetuous cur- rents and to rough and squally weather, render- ing the passage unsafe for sailing vessels, which generally pass around Cape Horn. The strait is, however, very convenient for steamers. Its only considerable harbor is Punta Arenas (q.v.). The strait was discovered by Magellan in 1520. MAGELLANIA, maj'el-la'ni-a (Neo-Lat., from the proper name Magellan). A genus of