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Mieris firft he took his fubjects from private life, in the manner of Francis; fuch as tradefmen in their fhops, or a Mignard. peafant felling vegetables and fruit, and fometimes a woman looking out at a window; all which he copied minutely after nature, nor did he paint a fingle object without his model. As Mieris had obferved the compofitions of Gerard Laireffe, and other great hiftorical painters, with fingular delight, he attempted to defign fubjects in that ftyle; and began with the ftory of Rinaldo fleeping on the lap of Armida, furrounded with the loves and graces, the fore-ground being enriched with plants and flowers; a work which added greatly to his fame, and was fold for a very high price. This mafter alfo painted landfcapes and animals with equal truth and neatnefs; and modelled in clay and wax, in fo fharp and accurate a manner, that he might juftly be ranked among the moft eminent fculptors. In the delicate finishing of his works, he imitated his father; as he likewife did in the luftre, harmony, and truth, of his paintings, which makes them to be almoft as highly prized; but they are not equal in refpect of defign, or of the ftriking effect, nor is his touch fo very exquifite as that of the father. The works of the old Mieris are better compofed, the figures are better grouped, and they have lefs confufion; yet the younger Mieris is acknowledged to be an artift of extraordinary merit, although inferior to him, who had fcarcely his equal. He died in 1747.

MIERIS (Francis), called the Young Francis, was the son of William, and the grandfon of the celebrated Francis Mieris; and was born at Leyden in 1689. He learned the art of painting from his father, whofe manner and ftyle he always imitated; he chose the fame fubjects, and endeavoured to refemble him in his colouring and pencil. But with all his industry he proved far interior to him: and moft of thofe pictures which at the public fales are faid to be of the young Micris, and many alfo in private collections afcribed to the elder Francis, or William, are perhaps originally painted by this maler, who was far inferior to both; or are only his copies after the works of thofe excellent painters, as he spent abundance of his time in copying their performances.

MILZA, (anc. geog.), a town of Macedonia, which was anciently called Strymonium, fituated near Stagira. Here, Plutarch informs us, the ftone feats and fhady walks of Ariftotle were fhown. Of this place was Peuceftas, one of Alexander's generals, and therefore furnamed Mizaus, (Arrian.)

MIGDOL, or MAGDOL, (anc. geog.), a place in the Lower Egypt, on this fide Pihahiroth, or between it and the Red Sea, towards its extremity. The term denotes a tower or fortrefs. It is probably the Magdolum of Herodotus, feeing the Septuagint render it by the fame name.

MIGNARD (Nicholas), a very ingenious French painter, born at Troyes in 1628; but, fettling at A. vignon, is generally diftinguithed from his brother Peter by the appellation of Mignard of Avignon. He was afterwards employed at court and at Paris, where he became rector of the royal academy of painting. There are a great number of his hiftoric pieces and portraits in the palace of the Thuilleries. He died in 1690.

MIGNARD (Peter), the brother of Nicholas, was

born at Troyes in 1610; and acquired fo much of the Mignon, taste of the Italian fchool, as to be known by the name Migration. of the Roman. He was generally allowed to have a fuperior genius to his brother Nicholas; and had the honour of painting the popes Alexander VII. and Urban VIII. befides many of the nobility at Rome, and feveral of the Italian princes: his patron, Louis, fat ten times to him for his portrait, and refpected his talents fo much as to ennoble him, make him his principal painter after the death of Le Brun, and appoint him director of the manufactories. He died in 1695, and many of his pieces are to be feen at St Cloud. MIGNON, or MINJON, (Abraham), a celebrated painter of flowers and ftill life, was born at Franckfort in 1639; and his father having been deprived of the greatest part of his fubftance by a series of loffes in trade, left him in very neceffitous circumstances when he was only feven years of age. From that melancholy fituation he was refcued by the friendthip of James Murel, a flower-painter in that city; who took Mignon into his own houfe, and inftructed him in the art, till he was 17 years old. Murel had often obferved an uncommon genius in Mignon: he therefore took him along with him to Holland, where he placed him as a difciple with David de Heem; and while he was under the direction of that mafter he la

boured with inceffant application to imitate the manner of De Heem, and ever afterwards adhered to it; only adding daily to his improvement, by ftudying nature with a moft exact and curious obfervation."When we confider the paintings of Mignon, one is at a lofs (Mr Pilkington obferves) whether moft to admire the freshnefs and beauty of his colouring, the truth in every part, the bloom on his objects, or the perfect refemblance of nature vifible in all his performances. He always fhows a beautiful choice in those flowers and fruits from which his fubjects are compo fed: and he groups them with uncommon elegance. His touch is exquifitely neat, though apparently easy and unlaboured; and he was fond of introducing infects among the fruits and flowers, wonderfully finished, fo that even the drops of dew appear as round and as translucent as nature itself." He had the good fortune to be highly paid for his works in his lifetime; and he certainly would have been accounted the best in his profeffion even to this day, if John Van Huyfum had not appeared. Weyerman, who had seen many admired pictures of Mignon, mentions one of a moft capital kind. The fubject of it is a cat, which had thrown down a pot of flowers and they lie feattered on a marble table. That picture is in every refpect fo wonderfully natural, that the fpectator can fcarce perfuade himself that the water which is fpilled from the veffel is not really running down from the marble. This picture is diftinguifhed by the title of Mignon's Cat. This painter died in 1679, aged only 40.

MIGRATION, the paffage or removal of a thing out of one place into another.

MIGRATION of Birds.-It has been generally believed, that many different kinds of birds annually pafs from one country to another, and spend the fummer or the winter where it is moft agreeable to them; and that even the birds of our own island will feek the most diftant fouthern regions of Africa, when directed by a peculiar instinct to leave their own country. It has

Migration. long been an opinion pretty generally received, that fwallows refide during the winter-feafon in the warm fouthern regions; and Mr Adanfon particularly relates his having feen them at Senegal when they were obliged to leave this country. But befides the fwallow, Mr Pennant enumerates many other birds which migrate from Britain at different times of the year, and are then to be found in other countries; after which they again leave thefe countries, and return to Britain. The reafon of these migrations he fuppofes to be a defect of food at certain feasons of the year, or the want of a fecure afylum from the perfecution of man during the time of courtship, incubation, and nutrition. The following is his lift of the migrating fpecies.

1. Crows. Of this genus, the hooded crow migrates regularly with the woodcock. It inhabits North Britain the whole year: a few are said annually to breed on Dartmoor, in Devonshire. It breeds alfo in Sweden and Auftria: in fome of the Swedish provinces it only fhifts its quarters, in others it refides throughout the year. Our author is at a lofs for the fummer retreat of those which vifit us in fuch numbers in winter, and quit our country in the fpring; and for the reafon why a bird, whofe food is fuch that it may be found at all feafons in this country, fhould leave us. 2. Cuckoo. Difappears early in autumn; the retreat of this and the following bird is quite unknown to us. 3. Wryneck. Is a bird that leaves us in the winter. If its diet be ants alone, as feveral affert, the cause of its migration is very evident. This bird difappears before winter, and revifits us in the fpring a little earlier than the cuckoo.

4. Hoopoe. Comes to England but by accident: Mr Pennant once indeed heard of a pair that attempted to make their neft in a meadow at Selborne, Hampfhire, but were frighted away by the curiofity of people. It breeds in Germany.

5. Grous. The whole tribe, except the quail, lives here all the year round: that bird either leaves us, or elfe retires towards the fea-coafts.

6. Pigeons. Some few of the ring-doves breed here; but the multitude that appears in the winter is fo difproportioned to what continue here the whole year, as to make it certain that the greatest part quit the country in the fpring. It is most probable they go to Sweden to breed, and return from thence in autumn; as Mr Ekmark informs us they entirely quit that country before winter. Multitudes of the common wild pigeons alfo make the northern retreat, and vifit us in winter; not but numbers breed in the high cliffs in all parts of this ifland. The turtle alfo probably leaves us in the winter, at least changes its place, removing to the fouthern counties.

7. Stare. Breeds here. Poffibly feveral remove to other countries for that purpose, fince the produce of thofe that continue here feems unequal to the clouds of them that appear in winter. It is not unlikely that many migrate into Sweden, where Mr Berger obferves they return in fpring.

8. Thrushes. The fieldfare and the redwing breed and pafs their fummers in Norway and other cold countries; their food is berries, which abounding in our kingdoms, tempts them here in the winter. These two and the Royston crow are the only land-birds that re

gularly and conftantly migrate into England, and do Migration. not breed here. The hawanch and crossbill come here at fuch uncertain times as not to deserve the name of birds of paffage.

9. Chatterer. The chatterer appears annually about Edinburgh in flocks during winter; and feeds on the berries of the mountain-afh. In South Britain it is an accidental vifitant.

10. Grosbeaks. The grofbeak and crossbill come here but feldom; they breed in Auftria. The pine grofbeak probably breeds in the forefts of the Highlands of Scotland.

11. Buntings. All the genus inhabits England throughout the year; except the greater brambling, which is forced here from the north in very severe feafons.

12. Finches. All continue in fome parts of these kingdoms, except the fifkin, which is an irregular vifitant, faid to come from Ruffia. The linnets fhift their quarters, breeding in one part of this island, and remove with their young to others. All finches feed on the feeds of plants.

13. Larks, fy-catchers, wagtails, and warblers. All of thefe feed on infects and worms; yet only part of them quit these kingdoms; though the reafon of migration is the fame to all. The nightingale, blackcap, fly-catcher, willow-wren, wheat-ear, and whitethroat, leave us before winter, while the small and delicate golden-crested wren braves our fevereft frofts. The migrants of this genus continue longest in Great Britain in the fouthern counties, the winter in those parts being later than in thofe of the north; Mr. Stillingfleet having obferved feveral wheat-ears in the ifle of Purbeck on the 18th of November. As thefe birds are incapable of very diftant flights, Spain, or the fouth of France, is probaby their winter-afylum.

14. Swallows and goat-fucker. Every fpecies difappears at the approach of winter.

WATER-FOWL.

Of the vast variety of water-fowl that frequent Great Britain, it is amazing to reflect how few are known to breed here: the cause that principally urges them to leave this country, feems to be not merely the want of food, but the defire of a fecure retreat. Our country is too populous for birds fo fhy and timid as the bulk of thefe are: when great part of our island was a mere wafte, a tract of woods and fen, doubtlefs many fpecies of birds (which at this time migrate) remained in fecurity throughout the year.Egrets, a fpecies of heron now fcarce known in this ifland, were in former times in prodigious plenty; and the crane, that has totally forfaken this country, bred familiarly in our marhes: their place of incubation, as well as of all other cloven-footed water-fowl (the heron excepted), being on the ground, and expofed to every one. As rural economy increafed in this country, thefe animals were more and more difturbed; at length, by a series of alarins, they were neceffitated to feek, during the fummer, fome lonely safe habitation.

On the contrary, thofe that build or lay in the almost inacceffible rocks that impend over the British feas, breed there ftill in vaft numbers, having little to fear from the approach of mankind: the only difturbA 2

ance

Migration ance they meet with in general being from the defperate attempts of fome few to get their eggs. CLOVEN-FOOTED WATER-FOWL.

15. Herons. The white heron is an uncommon bird, and vifits us at uncertain feafons; the common kind and the bittern never leave us.

16. Curlers. The curlew breeds fometimes on our mountains; but, confidering the vaft flights that appear in winter, it is probable that the greater part retire to other countries: the whimbrel breeds on the Grampian hills, in the neighbourhood of Inver. cauld.

17. Snipes. The woodcock breeds in the moift woods of Sweden, and other cold countries. Some fnipes breed here, but the greatest part retire elfewhere; as do every other fpecies of this genus.

18. Sandpipers. The lapwing continues here the whole year; the ruff breeds here, but retires in winter; the redfhank and fandpiper breed in this country, and refide here. All the others absent themselves during fummer.

19. Plovers and ofter-catcher. The long legged plover and fanderling vifit us only in winter; the dottrel appears in fpring and in autumn; yet, what is very fingular, we do not find it breeds in fouth Britain. The oyster-catcher lives with us the whole year. The Norfolk plover and fea-lark breed in England. The green plover breeds on the mountains of the north of England, and on the Grampian hills.

We must here remark, that every fpecies of the genera of curlews, woodcocks, fandpipers, and plovers, that forfake us in the fpring, retire to Sweden, Poland, Pruffia, Norway, and Lapland, to breed: as foon as the young can fly, they return to us again, because the frofts which fet in early in those countries totally deprive them of the means of fubfifting; as the drynefs and hardness of the ground, in general, during our fummer, prevent them from penetrating the earth with their bills, in search of worms, which are the natural food of thefe birds. Mr Ekmark speaks thus of the retreat of the whole tribe of cloven-footed water fowl out of his country (Sweden) at the approach of winter; and Mr Klein gives much the fame account of thofe of Poland and Pruffia.

20. Rails and gallinules. Every fpecies of these two genera continue with us the whole year; the land-rail excepted, which is not feen here in winter. It likewife continues in Ireland only during the fummer-months, when they are very numerous, as Mr Smith tells us in the Hiftory of Waterford, p. 336. Great numbers appear in Anglefea the latter end of May; it is fuppofed that they pafs over from Ireland, the paffage between the two islands being but small. As we have inftances of these birds lighting on fhips in the channel and the Bay of Bifcay, we may conjecture their winter-quarters to be in Spain.

but quit their quarters in winter. They are then fhot Migration, in different parts of the kingdom, which they vifit, not regularly, but accidentally.

24. Auks and guillemots. The great auk or pinguin fometimes breeds in St Kilda. The auk, the guillemot, and puffin, inhabit most of the maritime cliffs of Great Britain, in amazing numbers, during fummer. The black guillemot breeds in the Bafs Ifle, and in St Kilda, and fometimes in Llandidno rocks. We are at a lofs for the breeding place of the other fpecies; neither can we be very certain of the winter refidence of any of them, excepting of the leffer guillemot and blackbilled auk, which, during winter, vifit in vaft flocks the Frith of Forth.

25. Divers. These chiefly breed in the lakes of Sweden and Lapland, and in fome countries near the pole; but fome of the red-throated divers, the northern and the imber, may breed in the north of Scotland and its ifles.

26. Terns. Every fpecies breeds here; but leaves us in the winter.

27. Petrels. The fulmar breeds in the Ifle of St Kilda, and continues there the whole year except September and part of October: the fhearwater vifits the Ifle of Man in April; breeds there; and, leaving it in Auguft or the beginning of September, difperfes over all parts of the Atlantic ocean. The ftormfinch is feen at all diftances from land on the fame vaft watery tract; nor is ever found near the fhore except by fome very rare accident, unless in the breeding feafon. Mr Pennant found it on fome little rocky ifles, off the north of Skie. It also breeds in St Kilda. He also fufpects that it neftles on the Blafquet Ifles off Kerry, and that it is the gourder of Mr Smith.

28. Merganfers. This whole genus is mentioned among the birds that fill the Lapland lakes during fummer. Mr Pennant has feen the young of the redbreafted in the north of Scotland: a few of these, and perhaps of the goofanders, may breed there.

29. Ducks. Of the numerous fpecies that form this genus, we know of few that breed here: The fwan and goofe, the fhield-duck, the eider-duck, a few fhovelers, garganies, and teals, and a very small portion of the wild ducks.

The reft contribute to form that amazing multitude of water-fowl that annually repair from moft parts of Europe to the woods and lakes of Lapland and other arctic regions, there to perform the functions of incubation and nutrition in full fecurity. They and their young quit their retreat in September, and dif. perfe themselves over Europe. With us they make their appearance the beginning of October; circulate first round our fhores; and, when compelled by fevere froft, betake themselves to our lakes and rivers. Of the web-footed fowl there are fome of hardier conftitutions than others: thefe endure the ordinary winters of the more northern countries; but when the cold reigns there with more than common rigour, they repair for fhelter to thefe kingdoms: this regulates the ap pearance of fome of the diver kind, as alfo of the wild fwans, the fwallow-tailed shield-duck, and the different forts of goofanders which then vifit our coafts. Barentz found the barnacles with their nefts in great numbers in Nova Zembla. (Collect. Voy. Dutch Eaft-India Com23. Avofet. Breed near Fofsdike in Lincolnshire; pany, 8vo. 1703, p. 19.) Clufius, in his Exot. 368. alfo

FINNED-FOOTED WATER-BIRDS.

21. Phalaropes. Vifit us but feldom; their breeding place is Lapland, and other arctic regions.

22. Grebes. The great-crefted grebe, the black and white grebe, and little grebe, breed with us, and never migrate; the others vifit us accidentally, and breed in Lapland.

WEB-FOOTED BIRDS.

Migration. alfo obferves, that the Dutch difcovered them on the rocks of that country and in Waygate Straits. They, as well as the other fpecies of wild-geefe, go very far north to breed, as appears from the hiftories of Greenland and Spitzbergen, by Egede and Crantz Thefe birds feem to make Iceland a refting place, as Horrebow obferves: few continue there to breed, but only vifit that ifland in the fpring, and after a fhort stay retire ftill further north.

3c. Corvorants. The corvorant and fhag breed on moft of our high rocks: the gannet in fome of the Scotch ifles, and on the coaft of Kerry: the two first continue on our shores the whole year. The gannet difperfes itself all round the seas of Great Britain, in pursuit of the herring and pilchard, and even as far as the Tagus to prey on the fardina.

But of the numerous fpecies of fowl here enumerated, it may be obferved how very few intrust themfelves to us in the breeding season, and what a diftant flight they make to perform the first great dictate of

nature.

There feems to be fcarcely any but what we have traced to Lapland, a country of lakes, rivers, fwamps, and alps, covered with thick and gloomy forefts, that afford fhelter during fummer to these fowls, which in winter difperfe over the greatest part of Europe. In those arctic regions, by reafon of the thickness of the woods, the ground remains moift and penetrable to the woodcocks, and other flender-billed fowl and for the web-footed birds, the waters afford larvæ innumerable of the tormenting knat. The days there are long; and the beautiful meteorous nights indulge them with every opportunity of collecting fo minute a food: whilft mankind is very sparingly scattered over that vaft northern waste.

Why then fhould Linnæus, the great explorer of these rude defarts, be amazed at the myriads of waterfowl that migrated with him out of Lapland? which exceeded in multitude the army of Xerxes; covering, for eight whole days and nights, the furface of the river Calix! His partial obfervation as a botanift, would confine their food to the vegetable kingdom, almoft denied to the Lapland waters; inattentive to a more plenteous table of infect food, which the all-bountiful Creator had spread for them in the wilderness. It may be remarked, that the lakes of mountainous rocky countries in general are deftitute of plants: few or none are seen on those of Switzerland; and Linnæus makes the fame observation in respect to thofe of Lapland; having, during his whole tour, discovered only a fingle fpecimen of a lemma trifulca, or " ivy-leaved duck's meat," Flora Lap. n° 470.; a few of the fcirpus lacuftris, or "bullrush," n° 18.; the alopecurus geniculatus, or "flote foxtail grafs," no 38.; and the ranunculus aquatilis, n° 234.; which are all he enumerates in his Prolegomena to that excellent performance.

Under the article SWALLOW will be found the principal arguments for and againft the migration of Iwallows.

Here we shall give a short abstract of the arguments used by the Hon. Daines Barrington against the migration of birds in general, from a paper publifhed by him in the 62d volume of the Philofophical Tranfactions. This gentleman denies that any well. attested inftances can be produced of this fuppofed mi

gration; which, he thinks, if there were any fuch perio- Migration. dical flight, could not pofiibly have efcaped the frequent obfervation of feamen. It has indeed been alerted that birds of paffage become invifible in their flight, because they rife too high in the air to be perceived, and because they choofe the night for their paffage. The author, however, expreffes his doubts "whether any bird was ever feen to rife to a greater height than perhaps twice that of St Paul's crofs;" and he further endeavours to fhow, that the extent of fome of these fuppofed migrations (from the northern parts of Europe, for instance, to the line) is too great to be accounted for, by having recourse to the argument founded on a nocturnal paffage.

The author next recites, in a chronological order, all the inftances that he has been able to collect, of birds having been actually seen by mariners when they were croffing a large extent of fea; and he endeavours to fhow that no ftrefs can be laid on the few cafual observations of this kind that have been produced in support of the doctrine of a regular and periodical migration.

Mr Barrington afterwards proceeds to invalidate M. Adanfon's celebrated obfervation with refpect to the migration of the swallow in particular, and which has been confidered by many as perfectly decifive of the prefent queftion. He endeavours to fhow that the four fwallows which that naturalift caught, on their fettling upon his fhip, on the 6th of October at about the distance of 50 leagues from the coaft of Senegal, and which he fuppofes to have been then proceeding from Europe to pass the winter in Africa, could not be true European fwallows; or, if they were, could not have been on their return from Europe to Africa. His objections are founded principally on fome proofs which he produces of M. Adanfon's want of accuracy on this fubject, which has led him, in the present inftance, to mistake two African species of the swallowtribe, defcribed and engraved by Briffon, for European fwallows, to which they bear a general refemblance; or granting even that they were European fwallows, he contends, that they were flitting from the Cape de Verd Iflands to the coast of Africa; "to which fhort flight, however, they were unequal, and accordingly fell into the failor's hands." See the article SWALLOW.-We fhall here only add, in oppofition to the remarks of Mr Barrington, the following * Natural obfervations of the Rev. Mr White* in a letter to Hiftory of Mr Pennant on this fubject. Selborne, Litter ix.

"We must not (fays he) deny migration in gene ral; because migration certainly does fubfift in fomt places, as my brother in Andalufia has fully informed me. Of the motions of thefe birds he has ocular demonftration, for many weeks together, both spring and fall: during which periods myriads of the swallow kind traverse the Straits from north to fouth, and from fouth to north, according to the feafon. And thefe vaft migrations confift not only of hirundines, but of bee-birds, hoopoes, oro pendolos, or golden thrushes, &c. &c. and also of many of our foft-billed fammer birds of paffage; and moreover of birds which never leave us, fuch as all the various forts of hawks and kites. Old Belon, 200 years ago, gives a curious account of the incredible armies of hawks and kites which he faw in the spring-time traverfing the Thra

I

cian

land and Scotland, but also, as I have been always told, St Mig■ Devonshire and Cornwall. In those two latt counties we cannot attribute the tailure of them to the want of warmth: the defect in the weft is rather a prefumptive argument that these birds come over to us from the continent at the narroweft paffage, and do not ftroll fo far weftward."

Migration. cian Bofphorus from Afia to Europe. Befides the above mentioned, he remarks, that the proceffion is fwelled by whole troops of eagles and vultures. "Now it is no wonder that birds refiding in Africa fhould retreat before the fun as it advances, and retire to milder regions, and especially birds of prey, whose blood being heated with hot animal food, are more impatient of a fultry climate: but then I cannot help wondering why kites and hawks, and fuch hardy birds as are known to defy all the feverity of England, and even of Sweden and all north Europe, fhould want to migrate from the south of Europe, and be diffatisfied with the winters of Andalufia.

"It does not appear to me that much ftrefs may be laid on the difficulty and hazard that birds muft run in their migrations, by reafon of vaft oceans, crofs winds, &c.; becaufe, if we reflect, a bird may travel from England to the equator without launching out and expofing itself to boundless feas, and that by croffing the water at Dover and again at Gibraltar. And I with the more confidence advance this obvious remark, because my brother has always found that fome of his birds, and particularly the fwallow kind, are very fparing of their pains in croffing the Mediterranean: for when arrived at Gibraltar, they do not,

"rang'd in figure, wedge their way,
"and fet forth

"Their airy caravan high over feas

..

Flying, and over lands with mutual wing "Eafing their flight."

MILTON.

but fcout and hurry along in little detached parties of fix or seven in a company; and sweeping low, juft over the furface of the land and water, direct their course to the oppofite continent at the narrowest paffage they can find. They ufually flope across the bay to the fouth-weft, and fo pafs over oppofite to Tangier, which it seems is the narroweft space.

"In former letters we have confidered whether it was probable that woodcocks in moon-fhiny nights crofs the German ocean from Scandinavia. As a proof that birds of lefs speed may pafs that fea, confiderable as it is, I fhall relate the following incident, which, - though mentioned to have happened fo many years ago, was ftrictly matter of fact:-As fome people were shooting in the parish of Trotton, in the county of Suffex, they killed a duck in that dreadful winter 1708 9, with a filver collar about its neck (I have read a like anecdote of a fwan), on which were engraven the arms of the king of Denmark. This anecdote the rector of Trotton at that time has often told to a near relation of mine; and, to the best of my remembrance, the collar was in the poffeffion of the rec

tor.

"At prefent I do not know any body near the feafide that will take the trouble to remark at what time of the moon woodcokes first come. One thing I used to obferve when I was a fportfman, that there were times in which woodcocks were fo fluggish and fleepy that they would drop again when flushed juft before the spaniels, nay juil at the muzzle of a gun that had been fired at them: whether this ftrange laziness was the effect of a recent fatiguing journey, I fhall not prefume to fay.

"Nightingales not only never reach Northumber

MIGRATION of Fishes. See CLUPEA.

ST MIGUEL, one of the Azore islands, fituated in W. Long. 22. 45. N. Lat. 38. 10. This ifland appears to be entirely volcanic. The beft account we have of it hath been published in the 68th volume of the Philofophical Tranfactions by Mr Francis Maffon. According to him, the productions differ greatly from those of Madeira, infomuch that none of the trees of the latter are found here, except the faya: it has a nearer affinity to Europe than Africa. The mountains are covered with the erica vulgaris, and an elegant ever-green shrub very like a phillyrea, which gives them a moft beautiful appearance.

It is one of the principal and moft fertile of the Azorian iflands, lying nearly eaft and weft. Its length is about 18 or 20 leagues; its breadth unequal, not exceeding five leagues, and in fome places not more than two. It contains about 80,000 inhabitants.

Its capital, the city of Ponta del Guda, which contains about 12,000 inhabitants, is fituated on the south fide of the ifland, on a fine fertile plain country, pretty regularly built; the streets ftraight, and of a good breadth. It is fupplied with good water, which is brought about the diftance of three leagues from the neighbouring mountains. The churches and other religious edifices are elegant and well built for fuch an ifland. There is a large convent of Fraciscan friars and one of the order of St Auguftin, four convents for profeffed nuns, and three Recolhimentos for young ́ women and widows who are not profeffed. The veffels anchor in an open road; but it is not dangerous, as no wind can prevent their going to fea in cafe of stormy weather.

The country round the city is plain for feveral miles, well cultivated, and laid out with good taste into fpacious fields, which are fown with wheat, barley, Indian corn, pulfe, &c. and commonly produce annually two crops; for as foon as one is taken off, another is immediately fown in its place. The foil is remarkably gentle and eafy to work, being for the most part compofed of pulverifed pumice-ftone. There are in the plains a number of pleafant country-feats, with orchards of orange-trees, which are esteemed the beft in Europe.

The fecond town is Ribeira Grande, fituated on the north fide of the island, containing about as many inhabitants as the city; a large convent of Franciscan friars, and one of nuns. It gives title to a count, called the Conde Ribeira Grande, who firft inftituted linen and woollen manufactories in the island.

The third town is Villa Franca, on the south fide of the island, about fix leagues east of Ponta del Guda. It has a convent of Francifcan friars, and one of nuns, which contains about 300. Here, about half a mile from the fhore, lies a small island (Ilhao), which is hollow in the middle, and contains a fine bafon with only one entrance into it, fit to hold 50 fail of veffels fecure from all weather; at prefent it wants cleaning

out,

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