Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 13.djvu/55

* MABA. 37 MARAJO. Court Opera, and in 1771 accepted an engagement lor life at llie liorlin Court Ui)era. In iierlin she married the violoncellist ilara, who squandered her fortune. In 17S0, owing to a series of an- noyances, she broke her contract and went to Vienna, and from there, in 1782. to Paris, where her great rivalry with Todi (q.v. ) became an his- toric event, and the French public was divided into 'Maradists' and 'Todists,' With the excep- tion of two visits to Italy, she spent the period from 17S4 to 1.S02 in Kngland. Upon leaving London she went to Paris, and then, after an ex- tensive tour, to Russia, where she lost her prop- erty at the time of the French invasion. Her voice had now' failed her, and she became a singing teacher at Reval, where she died in great poverty. Consult Rochlitz, Fiir Freunde dcr Tonkanst, vol. i. (Leipzig, 1824). MARABOU (mar'a-boo') STORK (Fr, mar- ahuut, J-^p. iiiarabu, from Ar. iiiiirahif, hermit, from ruhdlu, to bind). The African name of a stork allied to the adjutant (q.v.) or argala of India. Both species belong to the genus Leptop- tilus, which is remarkable for having the feathers of the anal region lengthened, so as to conceal the true tail feathers, and these elongated feath- ers al'e the so-called 'marabou feathers' which were formerly much used for trimming ladies' hats and dresses. The African species is Leptop- tilus crumcnifer. It is white with the back and wings greenish slate color. The sausage-like pouch which hangs from .its neck is capable of being inflated, giving the bird a strange appear- ance. It is gregarious in its wild state, frequent- ing the mouths of rivers, and living upon animals too large for other storks to swallow. It is easily domesticated, but its exceeding voracity impels it on every occasion to purloin poultry, cats, and puppies, swallowing them whole. MARABOUTS, mar'a-boots'. The French form of the name of a Mohammedan sect, from which sprang the Almoravides (q.v.), who founded a dynasty in Northwest Africa and in Spain during the eleventh century. The descendants of these ascetic missionaries form to-day a sort of order among the Berbers, leading a sanctified and contemplative life, though the appellation Mara- bout is generally given them only after their death. They are the western counterpart of the eastern Mnjohid. who. suppressing the passions, seeks union (Ittihad) with Allah, and of the saints (iciilis) of the Sufis. They are often at- tached to mosques, chapels, or places of pilgrim- age, explaining the Koran and providing the faithful with amulets. As their influence is very great, their orders are implicitly obeyed. There are various divisions among them: the higher Marabouts living in a soi-t of monastery {ZO- imyah ), composed of a mosque, a domed-building {kiihhnh) , in which are the tomb of some saint, .schools for children and for the teaching of the Koran and the sciences, as well as living rooms for scholars and travelers. The tomb of the saint is sometimes itself called a Marabout, and is an object of pilgrimage for the pious Mohammedans. Consult Rinn, Marabouts el Khoiians (Algiers, 1SS4). MARACAIBO, mii'n'i-kl'b.'i. A city of Vene- zuela, situated on a sandy plain on the west shore of the strait Avhich connects Lake Maracaibo with the Gulf of Maracaibo (or of Venezuela) (Jlap: Venezuela, 1). It is a handsome town, with a hot but healthful cliuuUe, and has several fine buildings, notably the Oovernment palace, the city hall, and the school of arts. Among its other educational institutions arc a nautical school and several libraries. The town hospital has a fine location on an island opposite the city. Its streets are lighted by electricity and traversed by surface railroads, ilaracailio does some manufacturing, but its importance is due to its harbor, which has the finest dockyards in the Republic, and is deep enough to admit the largest vessels; the entrance is, however, made diflicult by a shifting bar. The chief articles of ex- port are coffee, hides, and cabinet woods. Steam- ship lines run to the LTnited States, and a United States consulate is established here. Population, 35,000. Maracaibo was founded in 1571 by Manso Pacheco. It was formerly the capital of the State of Zulia. MARACAIBO, Gulf of. See Venezuela, Gulf of. MARACAIBO, Lake. A large sheet of water in the northwestern part of Venezuela, connected with the Gulf of Maracaibo ( or of Venezuela ) by a strait nearly nine miles wide (Map: Venezuela, C 2 ), It is of nearly rectangular shape, with a length from north to south of 100 miles and a width of 50 to 60 miles. Its extreme depth in the north- ern part is 500 feet, but it shoals rapidly toward the south, where the shores are low and marshy and the water shallow. The entrance is obstruct- ed by a bar with only 7 to 14 feet of water, so that large vessels cannot enter. Owing to the narrow entrance and to the great number of rivers which discharge into it, the water of the lake is fresh and the tides are scarcely felt, so that, though its form is that of a marine inlet, it is to be considered as an inland lake. It occu- pies part of a mvich larger lake basin surrounded by lofty moimtains. This basin has been partly filled up by alluvium, leaving a number of smaller lakes connecting by creeks with the main lake. MARAGHA, ma'ra-ga'. An old town in the west of Persia, in the Province of Azerbaijan, 55 miles south of Tabriz and 20 miles east of Lake Urumiah (Map: Persia, B 3). It consists mostly of mud houses inclosed by a high, dilapi- dated wall. The town is celebrated as the site of an observatory which Hulaku Khan built for the astronomer Nasir-ed-Din. The famous uuirble pits produce a nearly transparent marble. Pop- ulation, about 15,000. MARAIS, ma'ra', Le. (I) A name given during the French Revolution to the centre party of the Legislative Assembly and of the Conven- tion, usually called the Plain. (2) A quar- ter of Paris, built on marshy ground, east of the Rue Saint Denis and including the Place des Vosges. formerly, as the Place Royale. the centre of aristocratic Paris. H; contains fine buildings from the time of Henry IV. and Louis XIIL (3) Vast plains in the west of France, reclaimed from the sea. consisting of two distinct divisions, the Breton or western and the Poitevin or southern. The soil, since the draining of the region, is exceedingly fertile. The Marais con- tains many scattered hills, representing former islands. Tt is still jntnidated during the winter. MARAJO, mii'ra-zho'. or Joannes. A large island formed by the estuaries of the Amazon and the Para and the network of river arms connect-