Part 299 (1/2)
MAMMON, the Syrian G.o.d of riches, which has given name to the modern pa.s.sion for material wealth, specially conceived of as an abnegation of Christianity, the profession of which is in flat antagonism to it.
MAMMOTH, an extinct species of elephant of enormous size found fossilised in Northern Europe and Asia in deposits alongside of human remains, and yielding a supply of fossil ivory.
MAMMOTH CAVE, a cave in Kentucky, U.S., about 10 m., the largest in the world, and rising at one point to 300 ft. in height, with numerous side branches leading into grottoes traversed by rivers, which here and there collect into lakes; name also of another of smaller dimensions in California.
MAN, ISLE OF (56), a small island in the Irish Sea, 35 m. W. of c.u.mberland and about the same distance E. of Co. Down; from its equable climate and picturesque scenery is a favourite holiday resort; it has important lead mines at Laxey and Foxdale; fis.h.i.+ng and cattle-grazing are profitable industries; the people are Keltic, with a language and government of their own; the island is a bishopric, with the t.i.tle Sodor and Man.
MAN OF DESTINY, name given to Napoleon Bonaparte as reflecting his own belief, for he was a fatalist.
MAN OF FEELING, the t.i.tle of a novel by Henry Mackenzie, frequently applied to himself as well as his hero.
MAN OF ROSS, John Kyrle, a public-spirited gentleman, immortalised by Pope from the name of his parish in Hereford. See KYRLE.
MAN OF SIN, name given in 2 Thess. ii. 3 to the incarnation at the height of its pride of the spirit of Antichrist, synchronous with the day of its fall.
MANa.s.sEH-BEN-ISRAEL, a Jewish rabbi, born at Lisbon; settled at Amsterdam; wrote several works in the interest of Judaism (1604-1659).
MANBY, CAPTAIN, a militia officer, born in Norfolk; was inventor of the apparatus for saving s.h.i.+pwrecked persons, and by means of which he saved the lives of nearly a thousand persons himself (1765-1854).
MANCHA, LA, an ancient province of Spain, afterwards included in New Castile, the greater part of which is occupied by Ciudad-Real; it is memorable as the scene of Don Quixote's adventures.
MANCHE, LA, the French name for the English Channel, so called from its resemblance to a sleeve, which the word in French means.
MANCHESTER (505), on the Irwell, in the SE. of Lancas.h.i.+re, 30 m. E.
of Liverpool, the centre of the English cotton manufacturing district, with many other textile and related industries, is an ancient, rich, and prosperous city; it has many fine buildings, including a Gothic Town Hall and a.s.size Court-House by Waterhouse; there is a picture-gallery, philosophic and other inst.i.tutions, and technical school; Owens College is the nucleus of Victoria University; the subst.i.tution of steam for hand power began here about 1750; the industrial struggles in the beginning of the 19th century were severe, and included the famous ”Peterloo ma.s.sacre”; the Anti-Corn-Law League originated in Manchester, and Manchester has given its name to a school of Liberal politicians identified with the advocacy of peace abroad, free trade, no government interference with industry, and _laissez-faire_ principles at home; the Bridgewater Ca.n.a.l 1762, the railway 1830, and the s.h.i.+p Ca.n.a.l to the mouth of the Mersey 1894, mark steps in the city's progress; since 1888 Manchester with Salford (198), on the opposite bank of the Irwell, have formed a county.
MANCHESTER, EDWARD MONTAGU, EARL OF, English statesman and general, eldest son of the first earl; sided with the Parliament in the Civil War, and commanded in the army, but was censured by Cromwell for his slackness at Newbury, which he afterwards resented by opposing the policy of the Protector; he contributed to the restoration of Charles II., and was in consequence made Lord Chamberlain (1602-1671).
MANCHURIA (21,000), a Chinese province lying between Mongolia and Corea, with the Amur River on the N. and the Yellow Sea on the S., is five times the size of England and Wales; the northern, central, and eastern parts are mountainous; the Sungari is the largest river; the soil is fertile, producing large crops of millet, maize, hemp, &c., but the climate in winter is severe; pine forests abound; the country is rich in gold, silver, coal, and iron, but they are little wrought; beans, silk, skins and furs are exported; the imports include textiles, metals, paper, and opium; the Manchus are the aristocracy of the province; Chinese settlers are industrious and prosperous; the chief towns are Moukden (250) in the S., Kirin (75) on the Sungari, and New-Chw.a.n.g (60) on the Liao River, a treaty-port since 1858; Russian influence predominates in the province since 1890.
MANDaeANS, a community found working as skilled artisans in the Persian province of Khuzistan, and in Basra on the Euphrates; are a religious sect; called also Sabians, and holding tenets gathered from Christian, Jewish, and heathen sources, resembling those of the ancient Gnostics; their priesthood admits women; their chief rite is baptism, and hence their old name, Christians of St. John the Baptist.
MANDALAY (189), capital of Upper Burma, on the Irawadi, in the centre of the country, 360 m. N. of Rangoon; was seized by the British in 1885. The Aracan PaG.o.da, with a brazen image of the Buddha, attracts many pilgrims, and Buddhist monasteries cl.u.s.ter outside the town. There are silk-weaving, gold, silver, ivory, and wood work, gong-casting and sword-making industries. Great fires raged in it in 1886 and 1892.