Part 295 (1/2)
MACKENZIE, HENRY, novelist, born in Edinburgh; bred to law; author of ”The Man of Feeling,” ”The Man of the World,” and ”Julia de Roubigne,”
written in a sentimental style; held the office of Controller of Taxes in Scotland by favour of Pitt (1745-1831).
MACKENZIE RIVER, a river in N. America, rises in the Rocky Mountains; is fed by mighty streams in its course, and falls into the Arctic Ocean after a course of over 2000 m. in length.
M'KINLEY, WILLIAM, American statesman, of Scottish parentage; served in the Civil War; born at Niles, Ohio; entered Congress in 1877; made his mark as a zealous Protectionist; pa.s.sed in 1890 a tariff measure named after him; was elected to Presidency as the champion of a sound currency in opposition to Mr. Bryan in November 1896; _b_. 1844.
MACKINTOSH, SIR JAMES, philosopher and politician, born in Inverness-s.h.i.+re; took his degree in medicine, but went to the London bar; was a Whig in politics; wrote ”Vindiciae Gallicae” in reply to Burke's philippic; defended Peltier, Bonaparte's enemy, in a magnificent style, and contributed a masterly preliminary ”Dissertation on Ethics” to the ”Encyclopaedia Britannica” (1763-1832).
MACLAREN, IAN (_nom de plume_ of Rev. John Watson), born in Ess.e.x, of Scottish parents; studied in Edinburgh; was minister of the Free Church in Logiealmond and in Glasgow, and translated to Sefton Park Presbyterian Church, Liverpool, In 1880; wrote a series of idylls ent.i.tled ”Beside the Bonnie Brier Bush,” and a second series ent.i.tled ”The Days of Auld Lang Syne”; both had a large circulation, and a number of other works, religious as well as fict.i.tious; _b_. 1850.
MACLAURIN, COLIN, mathematician, born in Kilmoden, Argylls.h.i.+re; was professor of Mathematics in Aberdeen and in Edinburgh; wrote a ”Treatise on Fluxions,” in defence of Newton against Berkeley, and an ”Account of Newton's Discoveries”; did much to give an impetus to mathematical study in Scotland (1698-1746).
MACLEOD, NORMAN, liberal Scottish clergyman, born at Campbeltown, son of the manse; a genial, warm-hearted man; an earnest, powerful, and vigorous preacher, and a humorous writer; a visit to India in connection with missions shortened his days (1817-1872).
MACLISE, DANIEL, painter, born at Cork, of Scottish extraction; among his oil-paintings are ”Mokanna Unveiling,” ”All Hallow Eve,”
”Bohemian Gipsies,” and the ”Banquet Scene in Macbeth,” his last work being a series of cartoons painted in fresco for the palace of Westminster ill.u.s.trative of the glories of England (1811-1870).
MACMAHON, DUKE OF MAGENTA, marshal of France, born at Sully, of Irish descent, second President of the third French republic from 1873 to 1879; distinguished himself in Algeria and at the Crimea, and took part in the Franco-German War to his defeat and capture (1808-1893).
MACPHERSON, JAMES, a Gaelic scholar, born in Ruthven, Inverness-s.h.i.+re; identified with the publication of the poems of Ossian, the originals of which he professed to have discovered in the course of a tour through the Highlands, and about the authenticity of which there has been much debate, though they were the making of his fortune; he was buried in Westminster Abbey at his own request and expense (1738-1796).
MACRAMe LACE, a coa.r.s.e lace made of twine, used to decorate furniture generally.
MACREADY, WILLIAM CHARLES, English tragedian, born in London; he began his career as an actor in Birmingham in the character of Romeo, and was enthusiastically received on his first appearance in London; was distinguished for his impersonation of Shakespeare's characters, but suffered a good deal from professional rivalries; leased in succession Covent Garden and Drury Lane theatres with pecuniary loss, and when he took farewell of the stage he was entertained at a banquet, attended by a host of friends eminent in both art and literature (1793-1873).
MACROMETER, an optical instrument to determine the size or distance of inaccessible objects.
MACTURK, CAPTAIN HECTOR, ”the man of peace” in ”St. Ronan's Well.”
MADAGASCAR (3,500), largest island in the world but two, in the Indian Ocean, 300 m. off the Mozambique coast, SE. Africa; is nearly three times the size of Great Britain, a plateau in the centre, with low, fertile, wooded ground round about; has many extinct volcanoes and active hot springs; the highest peak is Ankaratra (9000 ft.), in the centre; the NW. coast has some good harbours; there are 300 m. of lagoons on the E.; the biggest lake is Alaotra, and the rivers flow mostly W.; the climate is hot, with copious rains, except in the S.; rice, coffee, sugar, and vanilla are cultivated; many kinds of valuable timber grow in the forests, and these, with cattle, hides, and india-rubber, const.i.tute the exports; gold, iron, copper, lead, and sulphur are found, and the natives are skilled in working metals; the Malagasys possess civilised inst.i.tutions; slavery was abolished in 1879; a quarter of the population is Christian; the heathen section, though untruthful and immoral, are affectionate, courageous, and loyal; Antananarvo (100), the capital, is situated in the interior, and has many fine buildings; chief ports, Tamatave on the E. and Majunga on the NW. coasts; the island has been under French protection since 1890, and is a French colony since 1896.
MADEIRA (140), the chief of a group of small volcanic islands with precipitous coasts, in the Atlantic, 400 m. off Morocco; has peaks 6000 ft. high and deep picturesque ravines; the island is a favourite resort for consumptives; the climate is very mild and equable, the rainfall moderate, and the soil fertile; crops of cereals and potatoes are raised; oranges, lemons, grapes, figs, and bananas abound; Madeira wine is famous, and the chief export; Funchal (21) is the capital, with an exposed harbour and some good buildings; the islands form a province of Portugal.
MADEIRA RIVER (i. e. river of the wood), formed by the junction of the Mamore and Beni on the borders of Bolivia and Brazil, flows 900 m.