Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 12.djvu/792

* MAIDEN ASSIZE. 704 MAIDU PEOPLE. MAIDEN ASSIZE. A session of the English Court of Assize at which the justice takes his scat of office, and immediatclj- adjourns without hearing any trials. It is customary for the sheriff of the county to present the judge with a pair of white gloves as a symbol of the un- tried character of his administration. See Assize. MAIDENHAIR (maiden + hair, so called from the shape of the stalks), Adiantum capil- his veneris. A small, delicate, and graceful fern, with bipinnate fronds, alternate obovatc and wedge-shaped membranaceous pinnules on capil- lary stalks. It grows on moist rocks and old wails, especially near the sea in the south of Kurope, where it covers the insides of wells and the basins of fountains with a tapestry of the most delicate green. It is probably native in places in the United States. Another species of the same genus. Adiantum pedatum. a native of Xorth America, with peiiate leaves, has a sweet, fragrant rootstock. from which capillaire is made. One of the most popular ferns in house culture is the Adiantum Karleyense. The name is also given to species of spleenwort ( Asplcnium ). one of which is shown on the Colored Plate of Ferxs. MAIDENHAIR TREE, Ginkgo iibohi. See Gl>'K(0 ; 1 ;v.l.NOSPERMS. MAIDENHEAD, nia'd'n-hed. A market- town in Berkshire. England, situated amid beau- tiful scenery, on the Thames, 26 miles west of London (Map: England, F 5). It carries on some trade in meal, malt, and timber. It is an ancient town, formerly known as Slaidenhythe. Its charter was granted by Henry VI. and in 1578 it was made a free borough. It owns re- munerative real estate and a large recreation ground, and maintains a bathing establishment, isolation hospital, and sewage farm. Population, in 1891, 10.007: in 1901. 13.000. MAIDEN QUEEN. A title given to Queen Elizaliftli iif luiglaiid. MAID MARIAN. A maiden presumably of French origin, the traditional female companion of Robin Hood, the legendary English outlaw. Later she is represented as one of the characters in the famous Morris dance (q.v.). which formed one of the essential features in all the principal village festivities during the reign of Henry VIII. of England. Maid Marian was personated origin- ally by a boy in girl's clothing, and was called queen of the May. as this dance was one of the sports of May Day. Holy Thursday, weddings, etc. See Hood. Ronix. MAID'MENT, .Tames ( 179.5? 1879). A Scot- tish antiquary, born in London. He was called to the Soottisii bar in 1817. and soon gained repu- tation as an advocate in peerage cases and in general practice. In consequence of his interest in antiquarian researches, he l)ecame known to Scott, and an intimate friendship followed. He died at Edinburgh, October 24. 1879. Among his many publications are: Rrliquw ficoticf (1828) : Analecta Scotica (18.34-37): Banmittiniona : Notices Rrlafire to the Bnnnatiine Cluh (1836) : Edinhurt/h Portraits (1837): S^rottish FAeninc Verses (1842); f!colti.ih Ballads and flongs (1859); A Book of Scottish PasquUs (1868); and. with W. H. Logan, the Dramatists of the Restoration (14 vols.. 1877). Maidment also gathered a library of rare books, the sale of which took fifteen days (1880). Consult Steven- son, Bibliography of ilaidment (Edinburgh, 1883). MAID OF ARTOIS, The. An opera by Balfe (1830) with libretto by Alfred Bunn. It intro- duces the song "The Light of Other Days," said to have been the most popular song of its time in England. MAID OF ATHENS. A well-known poem by Lord Byron, written in Athens and said to have been inspired by Theresa Macri, the daugh- ter of the English vice-consul. MAID OF BATH, The. ( 1 ) A title given to Miss Linley, afterwards the wife of Richard Brinslev Slieridan. (2) A farce by Foote (1711), in which, in the character of Flint, he pilloried Walter Long for his treatment of Miss Linley. MAID OF KENT. A name frequently given to Elizabeth Barton (q.v.). MAID OF ORLEANS. See Joan of Arc. MAID OF THE MIST. ( 1 ) A name given to the heroine in .Scott's Anne of Oeiersiein. (2) A small steamboat once used on the Niagara River, between the Falls and the Whirlpool Rapids, to carry visitors close to the cataract. In 1867, in order to avoid seizure by the sheriff, she made the dangerous trip through the Rapids with only slight injury. MAID'STONE. The county town of Kent, England, and a municipal borough, on the Med- way. 34 miles east-southeast of London ( Map : England. Go). It is built on the slopes of a pic- turesque valley on the east bank of the river, which is spanned by a handsome bridge. The principal buildings of interest are the ancient col- legiate Church of All Saints, the College of All Saints, both dating from the fourteenth century, and the sixteenth-century manor house, in which a museum is located. The municipality maintains free libraries, schools of science and art, art galleries, museums, parks and recreation grounds, public baths, labor bureau, a corn exchange, concert hall, and hospital. It also owns consid- erable remunerative real estate. Sewage is ehemicallv treated for fertilizing purposes, and there is a refuse destructor in conjunction with an electric lighting plant. JIaidstone is the cen- tre of a large agricultural and hop-growing dis- trict, and its industries include breweries, oil mills, and paper mills. It was the Saxon Medwe- gestun. It witnessed the defeat of the Kentish royalists by Fairfax in 1648. Population, in 1891, 32",150: in 1901. 33.500. Consult: Russell, His- toni of Maidstone (London. 1882: new ed. 1885) ; Gilbert, History of the CoUegiate Church of All Saints (Maidstone, 1866) ; and Cave-Browne, Maidstone (London. 1889). MAID'S TRAGEDY. A play by Beaumont and Fletcher, written not later than 1611 and printed in 1619. The fourth and fifth acts are mainlv bv Fletcher. The forsaken maid is As- pasia." betrothed to Amintor, who deserts her for Evadne, at the command of his prince. MAIDXJ (mi'doo) PEOPLE. A group of small tribes, of which the Concow were the best known, in a very low stage of culture, formerly living along the eastern affluents of the Lpper Sacramento River in northern California, where a small remnant still exists. They went nearly