inter, 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 illustrative 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-shire; 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 coarse 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
f