are, and the longer they have been used the better; and, fixing the poker upright between the knees, hold it near to the top of one of the soft bars having its marked end downward, by a piece of sewing silk, which must be pulled tight with the left hand, that the bar may not slide; then grasping the tongs with the right hand a little below the middle, and laying them nearly in a vertical position, let the bar be stroked by the lower ent, from the bottom to the top, about ten times on each side, which will give it a magnetic power sufficient to lift a small key at the marked end; which end, if the bar was suspended on a point, would turn towards the north, and is, therefore, called the north pole, and the unmarked end is, for the same reason, called the south pole of the bar. Four of the soft bars being impregnated after this manner, lay the other two, fig. 2, parallel to each other, at the distance of about one-fourth of an inch between the two pieces of iron belonging to them, with a north and a south pole against each piece of iron; then take two of the four bars already made magnetical, and place them together so as to make a double bar in thickness, the north pole of one being even with the south pole of the other; and the remaining two being put to these, one on each side, so as to have two north and two south poles together, separate the north from the south poles at one end by a large pin, and place them perpendicularly with that end downward, on the middle of one of the parallel bars, the two north poles towards its south, and the two south poles towards its north end. Slide them backwards and forwards three or four times over the whole length of the bar, and, removing them from the middle of this, place them on the middle of the other bar as before directed, and go over that in the same manner; then turn both the bars with the other side upward, and repeat the former operation: this being done, take the two from between the pieces of iron; and, placing the two outermost of the touching bars in their room, let the other two be the outermost of the four to touch these; and this process being repeated till each pair of bars has been touched three or four times over, which will give them a considerable magnetic power, put the half dozen together after the manner of the four, fig. 3, and touch with them two pairs of the hard bars, placed between the irons, at the distance of about half an inch from each other: then lay the soft bars aside, and with the four hard ones let the other two be impregnated, fig. 4, holding the touching bars apart at the lower end nearly two-tenths of an inch, to which distance let them be separated after they are set on the parallel bar, and brought together again after they are taken off; this being observed, proceed, according to the method already described, till each pair has been touched two or three times over. But, as this vertical way of touching a bar will not give it quite so much of the magnetic virtue as it will receive, let each pair be touched once or twice over, in their parallel position between the irons fig. 5, with two of the bars held horizontally, or nearly so, by drawing at the same time the north of one, from the middle, over the south end of a parallel bar: then bringing them to the middle again, without touching the parallel bar, give three or four of these horizontal strokes to each side. The horizontal touch, after the vertical, will make the bars as strong as they possibly can be made; as appears by their not receiving any additional strength, when the vertical touch is given by a greater number of bars, and the horizontal by those of a superior magnetic power. This whole process may be gone through in the space of half an hour, and each of the larger bars, if well hardened, may be made to lift twenty-eight troy ounces, and sometimes more. And when these bars are thus impregnated they will give to a hard bar of the same size its full virtue in less than two minutes; and will, therefore, answer all the purposes of magnetism in navigation and experimental philosophy, much better than the load-stone, which is well known not to have sufficient power to impregnate hard bars. The half dozen being put into a case fig. 6, in such a manner as that two poles of the same denomination may not be together, and their irons with them as one bar, they will retain the virtue they have received; but if their power should, by making experiments, be ever so far impaired, it may be restored without any foreign assistance in a few minutes. And if, out of curiosity, a much larger set should be required, these will communicate to them a sufficient power to proceed with, and they may in a short time by the same method be brought to a full strength. Mr. Canton, by the same process, communicated nagnetic virtue in two large bars, each half an inch square, ten inches and a half in length, and weighing nearly ten ounces twelve pennyweights, to such a degree, that one of them lifted by one of its ends seventy-nine ounces and nine pennyweights and a flat semicircular magnet, weighing an ounce and twelve pennyweights, was made to lift, by applying its two ends together to an iron wedge, ninety troy ounces. The same ingenious gentleman could also readily deprive his bars of their virtue; and change the poles of a natural load-stone, by placing it in an inverted direction, between the contrary poles of his larger bars, laid down at some distance from each other, in the same straight line continued at the distance of about a quarter of an inch from either of the poles, without touching the stone with either of the bars. The method in which the steel he made use of was hardened is as follows:-Having cut a sufficient quantity of the leather of old shoes into very small pieces, an iron pan is provided, which a little exceeds the length of a bar, and is wide enough to admit of two bars side by side without touching each other on the pan, and at least an inch deep. This pan is nearly half filled with the bits of leather, upon which are laid the two bars, having fastened to the end of each a small wire for taking them out: the pan is then quite filled with the leather, and placed on a gentle flat fire, being covered and surrounded with charcoal. The pan, being brought to something more than a red heat, is kept about half an hour; and the bars are suddenly quenched in a large quantity of cold water. Mr. Horne, in his Essays on Iron and Steel, p. 147, claims the For bankrupts write when ruined shops are shut, As maggots crawl from out a perished nut: His hammer this, and that his trowel quits, And, wanting sense for tradesmen, serve for wits. Young. MAGGOT, or the fly-worm, is bred in flesh, from the egg of the great blue flesh-fly. Notwithstanding the distaste for this animal, its anatomy is worth attending to; and may serve as a general history of the class of worms produced from the eggs of flies. It is white and fleshy; its body is composed of a number of rings, like the bodies of caterpillars, and is capable at pleasure of assuming different figures, more or less extended in length, and consequently more or less thick. Although it has no legs, it is able to move itself very swiftly; and, in its frst attempt to move its body, is extended to its greatest length, and assumes something of the figure of a pointed cone. The pointed part of the cone is the head of the animal, and is not separated from the next ring by any deeper furrow than the rest of the rings are from one another. Sometimes two short horns are thrust out from the head; but more generally two scaly hooks are observable: these are, however, sometimes hid, and have each a case or sheath, into which the animal can retract them at pleasure. These hooks are bent into an arch, the concavity of which is towards the plane on which the creature is placed; and they are thickest at their insertion in the head, and thence diminish gradually, till they terminate in a fine sharp point. They are placed parallel, and can never come together, and therefore cannot serve in the place of teeth for grinding the food; but merely to pull and sever it in pieces, that it may be of a proper size for the mouth. The maggot has also a kind of dart, at an equal distance between these hooks, about one-third of their length. This also is brown and scaly like them; it is quite straight, and terminates in a fine point. The hooks have two scaly thorns at their points; and this dart seems intended, by reiterated strokes, to divide and break the pieces of flesh these have separated from the rest into smaller parts. Immediately below the apertures for the egress of the hooks is placed the mouth, which the creature does not show unless pressed, when something like a tongue appears. The hooks supply the place both of teeth and legs; as by fastening these hooks into the substance on which it is placed, and then drawing up its body to it, it pulls itself along. The back lowers itself by degrees as it approaches the extremity of the belly; and, near the place where the back begins to lower itself, are placed the two principal organs of respiration; which are two small roundish brown spots, easily distinguishable by the naked eye, as the rest of the body is white. Viewed through a microscope, each of these spots appears to be a brown circular eminence raised a little above the rest of the body. On each of them there are also three oblong oval cavities, of the shape of button-holes, each situated in a parallel direction to each other; and their length nearly perpendicular to that of the body of the animal. These apertures admit the air. It has six of these, three on each side of its body. The great transparency of its body shows that it has on each side a large white vessel running the whole length of the body. These vessels are most distinct towards its hinder part; and they terminate each in the brown spot above mentioned: hence they fications of these are very beautiful in this creaseem to be the two principal trachea. The ramiture, especially on its belly but no vessel analogous to the great artery in the caterpillar class can be discovered in these. See ENTOMO LOGY. MAGI, or MAGIANS, an ancient religious sect in Persia, and other eastern countries, who maintained that there were two principles, one the evil: and, abominating the adoration of images, cause of all good, the other the cause of all they worshipped God only by fire; which they looked upon as the brightest and most glorious symbol of Oromasdes, or the good god; as darkness is the truest symbol of Arimanius, Zoroaster, who maintained that there was one or the evil god. This religion was reformed by supreme independent being; and under him two and light, and the other of evil and darkness: principles or angels, one the angel of goodness that there is a perpetual struggle between them, which shall last to the end of the world; that then the angel of darkness and his disciples shall go into a world of their own, where they shall be punished in everlasting darkness; and the angel of light and his disciples shall go into a world of their own, where they shall be rewarded in everlasting light. The priests of the magi were the most skilful mathematicians and philomuch that a learned man and a magian became sophers of the ages in which they lived, insoequivalent terms. The vulgar looked on their knowledge as supernatural; and those who pretended to a knowledge of sorcery, divination, &c., taking upon themselves the name of magians, originated the signification which the word subsists under the denomination of gaurs, or magician now bears among us. This sect still guebres, in Persia, where they watch the sacred fire with the greatest care, and never suffer it to be extinguished. They are divided into three classes, of which the first and most learned neither eat nor kill animals; but adhere to the old institution of abstaining from all living creatures. The magi of the second class refrain only from tame animals; nor do the last kill all indifferently, it being the firm and distinguishing settled notion of them all, Tηy μeteμvoxwoiv eivai, that there is a transmigration of souls. MAGIC,n.s.& adj. Lat. magia, magicus, from Gr. uayos; Pers. majus, mugh (a magician). The pretended art of influencing or putting in action spirits, evil or good; sorcery; enchantment: the magician was the operator in this far famed art. And forth from this magician is gon Doun of his hors Aurelius light anon, Home to his hous, and made hem wel at ese; Hem lacked no vitaille that might hem plese. Chaucer. Cant. Tales. with the same poles the contrary way. It is necessary to observe that these bars must neither be taken out, nor put in, all, or too many on a side at once; for if two only be left with their poles of the same denomination the same way, without one or more on the other side to counterbalance their effects, they will injure each other. In order to make the marked ends of these bars south poles, and the other ends north poles, place six of them in a line north and south, bringing the unmarked end of one to touch the marked end of the next throughout; the marked ends lying towards the north, which will be some advantage to them. Then take an armed magnet, and placing it with both poles upon one of the bars, the north pole towards the marked end, which is to be a south pole, and the south pole towards the unmarked end, which is to be a north pole, slide it backwards and forwards from end to end of the whole line of bars three or four times, taking care that they all touch. Then, taking it off, remove the two endmost bars into the middle, and pass over them again three or four times. Having thus touched the bars, it will not be improper to turn them with the other side uppermost, and to magnetise again on that side as before, omitting the end most bars, till they are removed into the middle, when they inust undergo the same process. Professor Steinhauser has ascertained, that if, by the process of Canton, we unite, in the form of a square, two steel bars, and two contacts of iron, it is better to operate by the double touch in a circle, than by a motion backwards and forwards. Again, when we combine these bars in a square, the force of that which we wish to magnetise ought to increase in proportion as the other magnet has become more energetic. In magnetising horse-shoe magnets, it is much more advantageous to place two of these bent bars, with their friendly poles so situated, as that the magnetic circle shall be completed; and that we should then touch circularly, with the magnet destined to communicate the power. When the two horse-shoe bars are separated, they lose usually a considerable part of their force, if we do not previously decompose the great circuit into two smaller ones, by applying each contact to its curved magnet before the separation. In this way the two separated magnets lose little or nothing of their power; and two may be touched in the same time that one is on the usual plan. Among artificial magnets, those which are bent into the form of a horse-shoe, and therefore termed horse-shoe magnets, are reckoned the most powerful. To render such a shaped piece magnetic, place a pair of magnetised bars against the ends of the horse-shoe, with the south end of the bar against that of the horse-shoe which is intended to be north, and the north end of the oar to that which is to be the south; the lifter, of soft iron, to be placed at the other end of the bars. Also rub the surfaces of the horse-shoe with the pair of bars, disposed like the legs of compasses when a little open, or with another horse-shoe magnet, turning the poles properly to those of the proposed magnet; and being careful that these bars never touch the ends of the straight bars. To prevent a sudden separation VOL. XIII. of the bars from the horse-shoe, which would considerably diminish the force of the latter, slide on the lifter, or support, to the end of the horse-shoe magnet, but in such a manner that it may not touch the bars; they may then be taken away, and the support slid to its place. A A, fig. 7, represents a magnet thus contrived, and AF the armature or pieces of iron, the projections for which are at F F, and to which the central piece of iron Dis made to adhere. The dotted line represents a brass box, having a ring O at its upper part, by which the armed magnet may be suspended. Thus the two poles of the magnet, which are at F and F, are made to act on every part alike, and the straight piece of iron D may be conveniently applied for supporting a weight. The variable power of a magnet may be shown by suspending iron to it, in the following manner-Suspend a magnet in a place that is not much shaken, and apply to it as much weight of iron as it will just support. Let a hook or a scale, like those used for a balance, be fastened to the iron slide. On the day following the operator may put a little more weight into the scale, which the magnet will support. One or two days after a little more weight may be added, and so on; the power of the magnet increasing daily; and though this increase of power is neither unlimited nor very regular, being affected in some measure by the vicissitudes of heat and cold, yet, upon the whole, the power of a magnet will be considerably increased by this contrivance. It is very remarkable, that if, in the course of the operation, the iron were to drop from the magnet, on replacing it, you will find that the magnet will no longer support as much weight as it did a moment before; so that now you must diminish the weight, though in the course of the following days you may increase it gradually again; hence, in placing the weights into the scale, or upon the hook, care must be taken not to give it any jerk, so as to cause the iron to fall off, otherwise a great deal of the work will be lost. The reason of this experiment is, that the iron, being rendered magnetic, tends to strengthen the magnetism of the magnet in the same manner as any other magnet endeavours to render magnetic any ferruginous substance that is placed within its sphere of action. When the iron falls off the magnet loses part of the acquired power, especially if the magnet had acquired more than its point of saturation, there having been removed the cause which kept it up; and, when the iron is replaced, the magnet will not recover the lost power very readily, because there is required a considerable time to communicate a certain degree of magnetic power to a hard ferruginous substance, as the magnet is, especially when that magnetism must be communicated by the action of a proportionably weak magnet, like the iron weight. According to Epinus's hypothesis of the magnetic fluid, this experiment is thus explained :The magnetic fluid in a magnet is not equally dispersed through its substance, but one pol half of it is overcharged, and the other un 2 E pose. In the motion of these rings, about the pictures figured on the drum, they fancy to themselves some prediction in regard to the subject of their enquiries. MAGINDANAO, or MINDANAO. The name is a compound of Mag, related to-in, countryand danao, a lake, signifying Relations living in a country round a lake. It is the third division of the Philippine Islands, being next to Luconia in extent: it has nearly 300 leagues of circuit, but very irregular, being deeply indented by a gulf, enclosed by a peninsula on the west. The interior is occupied by lofty ridges of mountains, separated by plains and covered with forests of teak and poon. Its minerals are little known, but some gold dust is brought to market and tale is abundant. The island is profusely watered, containing more than twenty navigable rivers, and near the south is a lake sixty leagues in circuit which discharges its waters by a large river. The soil is extremely fertile, producing rice and sago in abundance, and a species of cinnamon, but inferior to that of Ceylon, is indigenous. The forests swarm with wild horses, bullocks, buffaloes, goats, and hogs. The seacoasts are occupied by Malay Mahommedans, who speak the Bissayan dialect as well as the Malay. In the interior is a race of negroes named Haraforas, who have little communication with the Malays. The island is politically divided into three sovereignties. The first, under the sultan, is the most considerable, and occupies the south-east portion of the island; his residence is at Selangan, on the east shore of the Great Illano Bay, and on the large river Pelangy, which empties itself by two branches, whose mouths are crossed by bars with two and three fathoms at high water. The town consists of about 100 houses, with a fortified palace of the sultan, and several wooden castles of the datoos or nobles. The passage of the river is also defended by a large pallisaded fort with many cannon and swivels. A number of Chinese are settled here. This is one of the chief residences of the pirates, and where they build their vessels. The second sovereignty of the island is the Illano country, and is of a feudal nature, being under many chiefs. The third and smallest portion, chiefly comprehending the sea coasts of the western peninsula, is subject to the Spaniards, whose principal establishment is Samboangan, on the south-west extremity of the peninsula. It consists of a fort of masonry surrounded by a rampart of earth; its ordinary garrison is about 150 men: it seems to be of little other use to the Spaniards than as a place of transportation of their convicts from the other islands. Misamis, the second Spanish establishment, is on the north side of the island, and has a garrison of 300 men. Correga, the third and last, is an insignificant post on the east. Hindostan cloths sell well here, especially long cloth; white, blue, and red handkerchiefs, of all kinds; chintz with dark grounds; Surat goods of most sorts, particularly pittolies; and all kinds of European cutlery. Chinese articles, carried from Sooloo to Magindanao, are kangans, Leads, gongs, china basins with red edges, deep brass plates five in a set, deep saucers three and four inches diameter, brass wire, and iron. Gold. is produced in many parts; besides which wax, rice, cassia, rattans, tobacco, and pepper, are exported. The sultan is the head of the state, and next to him is his successor. There are various other state functionaries, with extensive powers; six judges named by the sultan; and six amba rajahs, or assertors of the people's rights. Their office is hereditary. The sultan's vassals possess great estates. They are sometimes Mahommedans, though they are mostly native inhabitants. The latter only may be sold with the lands. They are more oppressed than the Mahommedans, who are bound to accompany their lords; but the Haraforas, being in a great measure excused from such attendance, pay certain yearly taxes which are not expected from the Mahommedan vassals. The inhabitants of Magindanao are all addicted to piracy, and frequently extend their depredations to Java, Sumatra, Borneo, and Celebes. When the prow is large they strike the mast and hide among the rocks or up a creek. Canoes are then detached to plunder, and the proceeds are brought to the large vessel. When they attack the Dutch possessions they will make slaves even of persons of their own religion. Their intercourse with Europeans has given the inhabitants a knowledge of some of the European arts: in others they are remarkably deficient, their blacksmiths being incapable of making any thing more complicated than a common nail. Their culinary utensils they procure from China. The male inhabitants pluck their beards out with pincers. They are remarkably fond of cock-fighting. The women, who are of stately appearance and manners, do not suffer the same strict confinement as in other Indian countries, being frequently present at audiences and public exhibitions. At the age of thirteen they have their teeth filed thin, and stript of the enamel, that they may be stained with black. The ladies visit each other with great ceremony on this occasion, and with a numerous train of attendants, who, as they approach the house, notify their approach by a disagreeable howl. They amuse themselves with playing at draughts, dancing, &c., on which occasion they move slowly round in a circle. The dress of the women consists of a jacket, common to both sexes, and a kind of petticoat. The men wear, besides the jacket, a cloth bound about the middle, coming up between the thighs. They tie up their hair in a singular manner, fixing it round a piece of wood five or six inches in diameter. The women tie their hair behind, and plait it like the Gentoo dancing girls. They also wear brass rings round the wrist, knee, and on each arm and leg. They are fond of wearing beads about their necks, and brass rings or beads dangling at their ears, which in both sexes are very wide and long. Magellan first touched at this island on Easter day, in 1521, and took possession of it in the name of Charles V. of Spain. The Spaniards afterwards made settlements here, and subdued the northern coast, but never made any farther |