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different degrees of intensity, occurs most frequently in velvety drusy coatings, and disseminated, is feebly glimmering, bordering on dull, scarcely soils, has a shining streak, and is very soft and light. See COBALTUM.

THIRTEENTH GENUS. Nickel.

First species. Copper nickel

Is of a red copper-colour of different degrees of intensity; it occurs usually massive and disseminated, is internally glistening, and has a metallic lustre. It is usually unseparated; sometimes, however, it is found in coarse and small granular distinct concretions, is semihard, in a high degree brittle, not very easily frangible, and heavy. Before the blowpipe it emits an arsenical smell and odour,and afterwards melts, though with difficulty. It is found in Cornwall, Norway, and many other countries, and is nearly allied to cobalt.

Second species. Nickel schre

Is of an apple-green colour, occurs always as a coating or efflorescence, is composed of dull dusty particles, loose, or little cohering, feels meagre, and is light. It is found in the same situations with the preceding species. It is not certain that native nickel has yet been discovered, though it is mentioned by some mineralogists. See NICCOLUM.

FOURTEENTH GENUS. Manganese.

First species. Grey manganese ore. Radiated grey manganese ore is of a dark steel grey colour, occurs massive, disseminated, and Crystallized in prisms of different varieties. It is found in coarse, large, and small granular distinct concretions; soils strongly when rubbed, is soft, brittle, rather difficultly frangible, and not particularly heavy. It is produced in several counties of England and Scotland, and in different parts of Germany.

Second species. Black manganese ore

Is of an intermediate colour between brownishblack and dark-greyish black, occurs massive, disseminated, and in octahedral crystals. It is found in small and fine granular concretions; is opaque, semibard, brittle, and heavy; but is a rare mineral, and hitherto found only in a few places of Germany and Spain.

Third species. Red manganese ore Is of a light rose-red colour, occurs massive and disseminated, is internally dull, translucent in a slight degree, hard, brittle, easily frangible, and heavy. It is found in veins in Norway, France, and some other countries. See MAGNESIUM,

FIFTEENTH GENUS. Molybdina.

First species. Molybdena.

Its colour is a fresh burning lead-grey; it occurs usually massive and disseminated, but also crystallized in six-sided tables, and short sixsided prisms; internally it is splendent, the fracture perfectly foliated, and is found in large and coarse granular distinct concretions. It soils a little, is very soft, easily frangible, its thin leaves common flexible, sectile, feels greasy, and is heavy. It is one of the oldest of metals, and occurs only in primitive mountains, disseminated, or in veins; and is produced in Norway, Sweden, Bohemia, and other countries. See MOLYBDENUM.

SIXTEENTH GENUS. Arsenic.

First species. Native arsenic.

When fresh broken it is of a light whitish leadgrey colour, but it speedily tarnishes; it occurs massive, disseminated, reniform, and in plates, with various impressions. It is found in thin, curved, lamellar, distinct concretions; in the streak it becomes shining and metallic, semihard in a high degree, very easily frangible, and between sectile and malleable. It occurs only in primitive mountains, and in veins of a newer formation, and is found in various parts of Germany, in France, and in Chili.

Second species. Arsenic pyrites.

Common arsenic pyrites is, when fresh, of a silver-white colour, but soon acquires a yel'lowish tarnish; it occurs massive, disseminated, and also in crystals of various figures. In ternally, it is shining, with a metallic lustre; and is found usually unseparated, is hard, brittle, not easily frangible, and heavy. It occurs only in primitive mountains and in beds, and is produced in Norway, Germany, and Siberia. From this ore the white oxide of arsenic is principally obtained.

Third species. Orpiment.

Red orpiment is of an aurora-colour, of different degrees of intensity: it occurs massive, disseminated in membranes, and also crystallized in oblique four-sided and six-sided prisms. It is translucent, but the crystals are transparent, is very soft, yields a lemon or orange-coloured streak, and is easily frangible. It is found both in primitive and floetz mountains, and is produced in Germany, France, Italy, and the West Indies. It is used as a pigment.

Yellow orpiment is of a perfect lemon-yellow colour, occurs massive, and in very minute crystals, is found in large, coarse, and small angular granulated distinct concretions, is translucent, very soft, sectile, and common flexible. It occurs principally in floetz mountains, in several parts of Germany and the East.

Fourth species. Arsenic bloom.

The colour is a reddish-white and snow-white; it occurs as a coating, in small balls, &c. and in very delicate capillary shining crystals, is translucent on the edges, very soft, easily frangible, and soils. It is produced in rents of a granite rock, and hitherto has only been discovered in Swabia. See ARSENICUM.

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massive, and also crystallized in broad six-sided prastas, and rectangular four-sided tables; and is found in fortification-wise curved lamellar distinct concretions. It is opaque, yields a reddishbrown streak, is soft, brittle, and uncommonly heavy. It is produced in the primitive mountains, almost always accompanied with tin, in Cornwall, and some other countries. See TUNGSTENUM.

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First species. Menacbanite

Is of a greyish black colour, inclining to ironblack, occurs only in small fattish angular grains. Internally is glistening, with an adamantine lustre, is perfectly opaque, soft, brittle, retains its colour in the streak, is easily frangible, and moderately beavy. It is attractable by the magnet, and is found in Cornwall, accompanied by fine quartz-sand, in the isle of Providence in America, and at Botany Bay.

Second species. Octrahedrite.

Its colour passes from indigo-blue to many other shades; it occurs only crystallized, and that in very acute octahedrons. It is chiefly translucent, and semitransparent, semihard, britule, and borders on heavy. It is found in Dauphiny, and appears from accurate experiments to be an oxide of menachine mixed with silica.

Third species. Rutile

Is of a dark blood-red colour, of various de

grees of intensity; it occurs always crystallized in four-sided and six-sided prisms, and also in compressed acicular and capillary crystals. Externally it is shining, internally splendent, translucent in a slight degree, Lardish, easily frangible, and not very heavy. It is found imbedded in drusy cavities of granite, &c. in different parts of Germany, France, Spain, Siberia, and South Carolina.

Fourth species. Nigrine

Is of a dark brownish-black colour, passing to velvet-black; it occurs in larger and smaller angular grains, and in rolled pieces. Externally moderately glittering, internally the same, with an adamantine lustre, is opaque, semibard, brittle, and yields a yellowish-brown streak. is found in alluvial hills in several parts of Germany, and also in Ceylon.

Fifth species. Iserine

Second species. Uran mica.

The principal colour is a grass-green, passing into various allied shades; it occurs sometimes in membranes, but commonly crystallized in rectangular four-sided tables. The fracture is foliated, the fragments and distinct concretions are too minute to be determined. It is more or less translucent, soft, sectile, easily frangible, and is found in iron-stone veins in Cornwall, Saxony, and France.

Third species. Uran ochre.

Friable uran ochre is usually of a straw-yellow colour: it generally occurs as a coating or efflorescence on pitch ore; is friable, and composed of dull dusty particles, which feel meagre, and are not particularly heavy.

Indurated uran ore is of the same colour as the preceding: occurs massive and disseminated, is generally dull, internally opaque, soft, brittle, and soils a little, and is found along with the other ores of uran. See URANIUM.

TWENTIETH GENUS. Sylvan.

First species. Native sylvan

Is of an intermediate colour between white and silver-white: occurs massive and disseminated, and also crystallized in four and six-sided prisms, in small three-sided pyramids, in cubes, and in short acicular crystals. It is soft, not very brittle, easily frangible, and heavy; and before the blowPiple melts as easily as lead, burning with a light green colour, and emitting a sharp, disagreeable odour. Hitherto it has only been found at Facebay, in Transylvania.

Second species. Graphic ore.

Its colour is a light steel-grey: it occurs massive and crystallized; externally is splendent, internally glistening. When massive, it shews a tendency to fine granular distinct concretions: it is soft, brittle, sectile, and heavy, and is worked as an ore of gold in Transylvania, where alone it has yet been found.

Third species. Yellow sylvan ore

Is of a silver-white colour, inclining to brass: it occurs disseminated and crystallized yellow: It in very small and rather broad four-sided prisms; is soft, rather sectile, and uncommonly heavy. It is found along with the other species of the genus, and contains a considerable portion both of gold and silver.

Is of an iron-black colour, somewhat inclining to brownish-black; it occurs usually in small obtuse angular grains, and in rolled pieces, internally glistening, with a semimetallic lustre, is completely opaque, hard, brittle, and retains its colour in the streak. Hitherto it has been found only in the stream called Iser in Germany, from which it receives its appellation. It bears a great resemblance to iron-sand. See TITANIUM.

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Fourth species. Black sylvan ore

Is of an intermediate colour between iron-black and blackish lead-grey: it occurs massive, and in small, thin, and longish six-sided tables, which are usually imbedded. Externally it is splendent; internally shining, soils a little, is very soft, sectile, Splits easily, and in thin leaves is common flexible. It melts easily before the blowpipe; occurs. in veins along with other minerals, but is only found in Transylvania, where it is worked for the gold and silver it contains. See TELLURIUM.

TWENTY-FIRST GENUS. Chromes

First species. Acicular, or needle øre.

Its colour is dark steel-grey: occurs in imbedded acicular crystals: internally shines with a metallic lustre, is soft, not very brittle, heavy,

and is always accompanied with chrome ochre, and sometimes with native gold. It is found in Siberia.

Second species. Chrome ochre

Is of a verdigris green, passing through several neighbouring shades: it occurs massive, disseininated, and in membranes; is dull, soft, not very heavy, and is found with the preceding species. See CHROMIUM.

Having already extended this article to a greater length than was intended, in order that we might be able to give a satisfactory view of the beautiful system of Werner, we shall only subjoin the names of some other minerals, which either have not been regularly classed, or are but recently discovered, and therefore have not been accurately investigated: these are

Earthy fossils, foliated prehnite, schmelzstein, spodumene, meionite, somnite, glassy felspar, spinthere, metallic fossils, pitchy iron ore, gadolinite, copper-sand or muriat of copper, phosphat of copper, corneous lead ore, reniform lead ore, bournonite, columbite, tantalite, yttertantalite. Of these however several will be found noticed in their alphabetical arrangement.

To which may be added loisite, needle or acicular-stone, fish eye-stone, iron-clay, figure-stone, granular actynolite, dolomite, foliated celestine and its varieties, silver black with its sub-species. For the various figures assumed by mineral substances on crystallizing, see the article CRYSTALLOGRAPHY, and Plate 107, subjoined to that

article.

MINERVA, the goddess of wisdom, war, and all the liberal arts, was produced from Jupiter's brains without a mother. The god married Metis, whose superior prudence made him apprehend that the children of such an union would be more intelligent than their father. To prevent this, Jupiter devoured Metis in her pregnancy, and, some time after, to relieve the pains which he suffered in his head, he ordered Vulcan to cleave it open. Minerva came all armed and grown up from her father's brain, and immediately was admitted into the assembly of the gods. The power of Minerva was great in heaven, and she was the only one of all the divinities whose authority and consequence were equal to those of Jupiter. The actions of Minerva are numerous. Her quarrel with Neptune concerning the right of giving a name to the capital of Cecropia deserves attention. The assembly of the gods settled the dispute by promising the preference to whomsoever of the two gave the most useful present to the inhabitants of the earth. Neptune, upon this, struck the ground with his trident, and immediately a horse issued from the earth. Minerva produced the olive, and obtained the victory by the unanimous voice of the gods, who observed, that the olive, which is the emblem of peace, is far preferable to the horse, which is the symbol of war. The victorious deity called the capital Athenæ, and became the tutelar goddess of the place. Minerva was always very jealous of her power, and the manner in which she punished the presumption of Arachne is well known. (Vide ARACHNE.)

The attempts of Vulcan to offer her violence are strong marks of her virtue. (Vide ERICHTHONIUS.) She was known among the ancients by many names. She was called Athena, Pallas, (vide PALLAS.) Parthenos, from her remaining in perpetual celibacy. The worship of Minerva was universally established; she had magnificent temples in Egypt, Phoenicia, all parts of Greece, Italy, Gaul, and Sicily. The festivals celebrated in her honour were solemn and magnificent. (Vide PANATHENEA.) She was invoked by every artist, and particularly such as worked in wool, embroidery, painting, and sculpture. Minerva was represented in different ways, according to the different characters in which she appeared. She usually was represented with a helmet on her head, with a large plume nodding in the air. In one hand she held a spear, and in the other a shield, with the dying head of Medusa upon it. Sometimes this Gorgon's head was on her breast-plate, with living serpents writhing round it, as well as her shield and helmet. When she appeared as the goddess of the liberal arts, she was arrayed in a variegated veil, which the ancients called peplum. She was partial to the olive tree; the owl and the cock were her favourite birds, and the dragon among reptiles was sacred to her.

Cicero, L. 3. de Nat. Deor. speaks of five Minervas: the first, which he says was the mother of Apollo: the second brought forth by the Nile, which the Egyptian Saites worshipped. Plutarch in his treatise of Osiris, says that the image of Minerva or Pallas was in the city of Sai, with this inscription: Eyw #s παν το γεγονός, και ον, και εσόμενον, και τον εμον πέπλον εδεις πω θνητος αποκαλυψεν, « I am all that was, is, and is to come; and my veil no mortal hath hitherto uncovered:" the third is she that came out armed from Jupiter's brain: the fourth was the daughter of Jupiter and Corypha, the daughter of Oceanus, who invented chariots with four wheels: the fifth was the daughter of Pallantis, whom she killed because he would have ravished her: this last they made to have wings to her feet, in the same manner as Mercury. Arnobius pursues the same distinction. We may with certainty conclude, that the second of these Minervas is the most ancient of any of them. Plato in his Timæus, speaking of the city of Sai, says, that Minerva was worshipped there, and called by the name of Neith. Syncellus intimates that the name of queen Nitotris, which includes that of Neith, signified as much as victorious Minerva. Plutarch speaks also of the Minerva of Sai, and says that some made no distinction between her and Isis.

The Phoenicians, according to the relation given us by Sanchniatho, had their Minerva also, and they made her to be the daughter of Saturn, and attributed the invention of arts and arms unto her: this is what Eusebius says of her: "Saturnus liberos procreavit, Proserpinam et Minervam ; ac prior quidem Virgo diem obiit; Minerva autem Mercurioque auctoribus falcem ex ferro hastamque conflavit." It was from the Egyptians or Phoenicians that the Greeks

εργανη,

borrowed their Minerva, and Cecrops was the first who taught the Athenians to worship Minerva and Jupiter, as Eusebius says. The conveniency of neighbourhood made Minerva pass from Egypt into Lybia before Cecrops went over into Greece. Herodotus assures us the Lybians made her to be the daughter of Neptune, and the lake Triton, though afterwards upon the account of some misunderstanding between her and her father, she went to Jupiter, who adopted her for his daughter. Pausanias assures us the Athenians were much devoted to the worship of the Gods, and that they were the first who gave Minerva the name of operaria, machinatrix. He says elsewhere, they built a temple to Minerva, Mayaviris, machinatrix, as being the goddess that had introduced arts and inventions into the world: he speaks moreover of a statue of Minerva that fell from heaven. He says Minerva aided Perseus in his conflict against Gorgon, near the lake Triton, for which reason that country was consecrated to her. Lastly, the said author declares, the Baotians affected to give the name of Triton to a brook that run near Minerva's temple, from which she had been named Tritonia. As for Minerva, says St. Augustine, L. 18. C. 9. de Civ. Dei, She is much more ancient than Mars or Hercules, and they said she lived in the days of Ogyges, near unto the lake Tritou, from whence she was named Tritonia: she was the inventress of many rare and useful things; and men were so much the more inclined to believe she was a goddess because ber original was not known; for as to the story of her coming full armed from the head of Jupiter, that is manifestly a fable of the poets."

MINERVALIA, festivals at Rome in honour of Minerva, celebrated in the months of March and June. During the solemnity scholars cbtained some relaxation from their studious pursuits, and the present, which it was usual for them to offer to their masters, was called Minerval, in honour of the goddess Minerva, who patronized literature,

MINFELD, a town of Germany, in the duchy of Deux Ponts, eight miles S. of Landau. To MINGLE. v. a. 1. To mix; to join; to compound; to unite with something so as to make one irass (Rogers). 2. To contaminate; to make of dissimilar parts (Rogers). 3. To confuse (Milton).

To MINGLE. v. n. To be mixed; to be united with (Rowe).

MINGLE. s. (from the verb.) Mixture; medley; confused mass (Dryden).

MINGLER. s. He who mingles. MINGRELIA, a province of Asia, which makes parts of Georgia; bounded on the W. by the Black Sea, on the E. by Imeritia, on the S. by a part of Georgia, and on the N. by Circassia. It is governed by a prince, who is tributary to the sovereign of Imeritia. The face of this country, its products, and the customs and manners of the inhabitants, are similar to those of Georgia.

MINIATO, ST. an episcopal town of TusVOL. VIII.

cany, seated on the Arno, 20 miles SW. of Florence. Lon. 10. 45 E. Lat. 43. 40 N.

MINIATURE, or MIGNATURE, a delicate kind of painting, consisting of little points or dots, instead of lines; usually done on vellum, ivory, or paper, with very thin, simple water-colours.

The word comes from the Latin minium, red lead; that being a colour much used in this kind of painting. The French frequently call it mignature, from mignon, fine, pretty, on account of its smallness and delicacy: and it may be ultimately derived from gos, small.

Miniature is distinguished from other kinds of painting by the smallness and delicacy of its figures, the weakness of their colours, and faintness of the colouring; and on this account it requires to be viewed very near.

Those colours that have the least body are the best and most commodious for painting in miniature; such are carmine, ultramarine, fine lakes, and green made of the juices of several kinds of herbs and flowers.

The colours commonly used in miniature painting are for red, carmine, lake, rose-pink, vermilion, red lead, scarlet-oker, common Indian red, red oker, Venetian red, and Spanish brown; for blue, ultramarine, ultramarine ashes, Prussian blue, verditer, indigo, smalt, blue bice, and litmus: for yellow, gamboge, Naples yellow, Dutch pink, English pink, gallstone, masticot, French berry wash, turmeric wash, zedoary wash, and tincture of saffron : for green, sap-green, verdigrise, distilled verdigrise, and terra verte: for purple, true Indian red, archal, and logwood wash: for brown, bistre, umbre, brown oker, Cologn earth, and terra japonica: for white, flake white, white lead, calcined hartshorn, pearl white, Troy white, lake white, and egg-shell white: and for black, Indian ink, lamp black, ivory black, and blue black.

Painting in miniature is the nicest and most tedious of all others; being performed wholly with the point of the pencil.

There are some painters who never use any white colour in miniature, but make the ground of the vellum serve to raise their figures; in which case, the lights appear bright in proportion to the depth and strength of the colours of the figures. Others before they go to work, give the vellum a light wash with white lead, well prepared and purified.

When paper of any proper kind is used, it is sufficient to prime it with isinglass size, thickened properly with pearl white, and any pigment which will give the ground the desired colour. But common paper may be rendered stronger and fitter for receiving the colours, by laying on the back of it a coat of starch, boiled with water to a moderate consistence, and rendered more tenacious by the addition of a little singlass. This should be laid on very smoothly with a brush, and the paper, when nearly dry, must be put betwixt two leaves of a book, or betwixt two sheets of paper and two boards, and compressed by a weight laid upon them. Two sheets of paper cemented together by the

F

starch and isinglass, and treated in the same manner, make a very commodious substance for painting in miniature. Vellum requires only to be strained on a pasteboard, and primed in the same manner; and if it should be greasy, rubbed over with the gall of any beast.

When the colours are laid on flat without dotting, though the figures be sinall, and the ground either vellum or paper, it is not called miniature, but washing.

The colours for miniature may be mixed up with a solution of gum arabic, or gum tragacanth, in water, or with isinglass size.

MINIKIN. a. Small; diminutive (Shaks.). M'INIKIN. S. A small sort of pins. MINIM. s. (from_minimus, Latin.) A small being; a dwarf (Milton).

MINIM, in music, a note, or character of time; equal to two crotchets, or half a semibreve.

The invention of the minim is ascribed to a certain priest in Navarre, but the first who used it was Philip de Vitriaco, in whose time it was the smallest note in practice. See TIME, CHARACTERS, and MUSIC.

MINIMA NATURE, or MINIMA NATURALIA, among philosophers, the primary articles, whereof bodies consist; the same with what are otherwise called corpuscles, and

atoms.

MINIMA, in the higher geometry, the smallest quantities attainable in any given case. See MAXIMUM.

MI'NIMUS. 5. (Latin.) A being of the least size (Shakspeare).

MINION. s. (mignon, French.) A favourite; a darling; a low dependant (Swift). MINIOUS. a. (from minium, Latin.) Of the colour of red lead or vermilion (Brown).

To MIʼNISH. v. a. (from diminish; minus, Lat.) To lessen; to lop; to impair (Psalms). MINISTER. s. (minister, Latin.) 1. An agent; one who is employed to any end; one who acts under another (Sidney). 2. One who is employed in the administration of government (Bacon). 3. One who serves at the altar; one who performs sacerdotal functions (Addison). 4. A delegate; an official (Skaks.). 5. An agent from a foreign power.

MINISTER OF STATE, a person to whom the prince intrusts the administration of government. See COUNCIL.

MINISTER (Foreign), is a person sent into foreign country, to manage the affairs of his province, or of the state to which he belongs. Of these there are two kinds: those of the first rank are embassadors and envoys extraordinary, who represent the persons of their sovereigns; the ministers of the second rank are the or dinary residents.

To MINISTER. v. a. (ministro, Latin.) To give; to supply; to afford (Otway).

To MINISTER. v. n. 1. To attend; to serve in any office (Milton). 2. To give medicines (Shakspeare). 3. To give supplies of things needful; to give assistance; to contribute; to afford (Smalr.). 4. To attend on the service of God (Romans).

MINISTERIAL. a. (from minister.) 1. Attendant; acting at command (Brown). 2. Acting under superior authority (Rogers). 3. Sacerdotal; belonging to the ecclesiastics or their office (Hooker). 4. Pertaining to ministers of state.

MINISTERIALLY. ad. In a ministerial manner (Waterland).

MINISTERY. s. (ministerium, Latin.) Office; service: commonly ministry (Digby). MINISTRAL. a. (from minister.) Pertaining to a minister.

MINISTRANT. a. (from minister.) Attendant; acting at command (Milton).

MINISTRATION. s. (from ministro, Lat.) 1. Agency; intervention; office of an agent delegated or commissioned by another (Taylor). 2. Service; office; ecclesiastical function.

MINISTRY. s. (contracted from ministery.) 1. Office; service (Sprat). 2. Office of one set apart to preach; ecclesiastical function (Locke). 3. Agency; interposition (Bentley). 4. Business (Dryden). 5. Persons employed in public affairs of state (Swift).

MINIUM, in the arts, red lead, and oxide of lead. See LEAD.

MINNIN, a stringed instrument of music among the ancient Hebrews, having three or four chords to it; though there is reason to question the antiquity of this instrument; both because it requires a hair-bow, which was a kind of plectrum not known to the ancients, and because it so much resembles the modern viol. Kircher took the figures of this, the machul, chinnor, and psaltry, from an old book in the Vatican library.

MINO, a river of Spain, which rises in Galicia, near Castro del Rey, and passing by Lugo, Ortense, and Tey, it then divides Galicia from Portugal, and falls into the Atlantic Ocean at Caminha.

MI'NOR. a. (Latin.) 1. Petty; inconsiderable (Brown). 2. Less; smaller (Clarendon).

MINOR, a Latin term, literally denoting less; used in opposition to major, greater.

MINOR, in law, denotes a person under age; or who, by the laws of the country, is not yet arrived at the power of administering his own affairs, or the possession of his estate. Among us, a person is a minor till the age of twentyone: before which time his acts are invalid. (See AGE and INFANT.) It is a maxim in the common law, that in the king there is no minority, and therefore he hath no legal guardian; and his royal grants and assents to acts of par liament are good, though he has not in his natural capacity attained the legal age of twentyone. It is also provided by the custom and law of parliament, that no one shall sit or vote in either house, unless he be twenty-one years of age. This is likewise expressly declared by stat. 7 and 8 Will. III. cap. 25. with regard to the house of commons.

MINOR, in logic, is the second proposition of a formal or regular syllogism, called also the assumption.

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