Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 13, MAT-MIC

Melothria
MEL
Melton
MELOTHRI A, a genus of plants belonging to the
triandria clafsj and in the natural method ranking under
—J the 34th order, Cucurbitacece. See Botany Index.
MELPOMENE, in Fabulous Hi/lory, one of the
xnufes, daughter of Jupiter and Mnemofyne. She pre-
fided over tragedy. Horace has addrefled the finelt of
his odes to her, as to the patronefs of lyric poetry.
She was generally reprefented as a young woman with
a ferious countenance. Her garments were fplendid ;
ftie wore a bulkin, and held a dagger in one hand and
in the other a fceptre and crown.
MELROSE, a town of Scotland, in the county
of Selkirk, and on the confines of Tweedale, feated on
the fouth fide of the river Tweed ; with an ancient
abbey, now in ruins. W. Long. 2. 32. N. Lat. 55.
32;, .
This abbey was founded by King David I. in
1136. He peopled it with Ciftertians brought from
Rivale abbey in Yorkfhire, and dedicated it to the
Virgin Mary. At the reformation James Douglas was
appointed commendator, who took down much of the
building, in order to furnifh materials for a large houfe
to himfelf, which Hill remains, and is dated 1590.
Nothing is left of the abbey excepting a part of the
cloifter walls elegantly carved; but the ruins of the
church are of moft uncommon beauty. Part is at
prefent uled for divine fervice, the reft uncovered 5
but every part does great honour to the architect.
Alexander II. was buried beneath the great altar, and
it is alfo the place of interment of the Douglales and
other potent families.—Its fituation is extremely plea-
fant. J r
MELT of fishes. In the melt of a living cod
there are fuch numbers of thofe animalcules faid to be
found in the femen of all male animals, that in a drop
of its. juice no larger than a grain of fand, there are
contained more than 10,000 of them 5 and confidering
how many fuch quantities there are in the whole melt
of one fuch fifh, it is not incredible, that there are
more animals in one melt of it than there are
living men at one time upon the face of the earth.
However ftrange and romantic fuch a conjeaure
muft appear, a ferious confideration and calculation
v ill make it very evident. An hundred fuch grains
of fand as thofe juft mentioned will make about an
inch in length ; therefore in a cubic inch there will
be. a million of fuch fands j and if there be 10,000
animals in each of thofe quantities, there muft be in
the whole 130,000 millions, which is a number vaftly
exceeding that of mankind, even fuppofing the whole as
populous as Holland.
MELTING cone, in eflaying, an hollow cone of
brafs or call iron, into which melted metalline fub-
ftances are thrown, in order to free them from their
fconae. When, a fmall quantity of' matter is melted,
it will be fufficient to rub the infide of the cone with
greafej but when the quantity is large, efpecially if
it contains any thing fulphureous, this caution of tal¬
lowing the moulds is not fufficient. In this cafe the
eflayer has recourfe to a lute reduced to thin pap
witn water, which effe&ually prevents any injury to the
cone.
MELTON Moubray, a town of Leicefterffiire,
10S miles from London. It is a large wrell-built place,
111 3 fertile foil j with a market on Tuefday, the moft
[ 5°o 1
MEM
Melton
confiderable tor cattle of any in this part of the ifland.
It is almoft encompafled with a little river called the
Lye, over winch it has two fine bridges j and has a Memrin
large handfome church, with a free fchool. Here are ' ^
frequent horfe races, and three fairs in the year.
MELVIL, Sir James, defcended from an honour¬
able Scots family, being the third fon of the laird of
Kaeth, was born about the middle of the 16th centqry.
He went to France very young, in the capacity of
page to Queen Mary, then married to the dauphin :
and on the death of her hufband, followed her to
Scotland, where he was made gentleman of her cham¬
ber, and admitted a privy counfellor. She employed
him in her moft important concerns, till her unhappy
confinement in Lochleven, all which he difcharged
with the utmoft fidelity ; and, from his own accounts,
there is reafon to conclude, that, had (be taken his
advice, fhe might have avoided many of her misfor¬
tunes. When. ftie was prifoner in England, Hie re¬
commended him ftrongly to her Ion James j with
whom he continued in favour and employment until
the death of Queen Elizabeth : James would then have
taken him to England } but Melvil, now grown old,
was defirous of retiring from bufinefs, and in his re¬
tirement he drew up the memoirs of his paft life for
the ufe of his fon. Thefe Memoirs were accidentally
found in Edinburgh caftle in the year 1660, though
nobody knew bow they came to be depolited there ;
and were publilhed in folio in 1683.
MEMBERS, in Anatomy, the exterior parts, arifing
from the trunk or body of an animal, like the boughs
from the trunk of a tree.
Member, in ArchiteBure, denotes any part of a
building ; as a frieze, cornice, or the like.
Member is fometimes alfo ufed for moulding.
Member, in Grammar, is applied to the parts of a
period or fentence.
Member, is alfo ufed to denote fome particular or¬
der or rank in a ftate or government : thus we fay,
“ member of a corporation, member of parliament,
member of the council,” &c.
MEMBRANE, Membrana, in Anatomy, afimilar
part of an animal body j being a thin, white, flexible,
expanded fldn, formed of feveral forts of fibres inter¬
woven together, and ferving to cover or wrap up cer¬
tain parts of the body. See Anatomy pajjim.
MEMEL, or Memmel ; a town of Pruffia, fituat-
ed on the northern extremity of the Curifche Haf,
an inlet of the fea about 70 miles in length, which
is here joined to the Baltic by a narrow ftrait.—It is
an ill built toivn, with narrow dirty ftreets ; but re¬
markable for its extenfive commerce, being provided
with the fineft harbour in the Baltic. In 1784, 996
fhips, amongft which were 300 Engliih, arrived here.
The imports chiefly are, fait, iron, and falted herrings ;
the exports, which greatly exceed the imports, are am¬
ber, corn, hemp, flax, and particularly timber. An Eng-
lilh conful refides here. The trade increafed greatly on
account of the high duties laid on the imports of Riga.
E. Long. 21. 23. N. Lat. 33. i;o.
MEMNON, in fabulous hiftory, a king of Ethiopia,
fon of 1 ithonus and Aurora. He came wdtb a body
of 10,000 men to affift his uncle Priam, during the
Trojan war. He behaved with great courage, and
killed Antilochus, Neftor’s fon. The aged father chal¬
lenged