288 M A H M A H The principal histories of Mahmiid s reign are Kitdb-i- Tamini (Utbi); Tartkh-us-Subuktigin (Baihaki); Tabakdt i Nasiri (Minhaj el-Sirdj); Eauzat-us-Safa (Mir Khond) ; Habib-us-Siyar (Khon- damir). See Elliot, History of India ; Elphinstone, History of India ; Jour. Roy. As. Soc., vols. ix., xvii. ; Jour. As. Soc. Bengal, vol. xii. ; As. lies., vols. xvi., xvii. (R. M L*.) MAHOGANY, a familiar dark-coloured wood largely used for household furniture, and supplied by a large tree indigenous to Central America and the Antilles. It was originally received from Jamaica; 521,300 feet were ex ported from that island in 1753. Swietenia Mahogani, L., is the sole species of the genus of the order Mdiacese, (Benth. and Hook., Gen. PL, i. 338). It bears imparipin- nate leaves, like those of the ash, and panicles of small pentamerous flowers with 10 monadelphous stamens. The fruit is a pear-shaped woody capsule, with many winged seeds. The dark-coloured bark has been considered a febrifuge, and the seeds were used by the ancient Aztecs with Oil for a cosmetic, but the most valuable product is the timber, first noticed by the carpenter on board Sir Walter Raleigh s ship in 1595, for its great beauty, hard ness, and durability. Dr Gibbons brought it into notice as well adapted for furniture in the early part of the 18th century, and its use as a cabinet wood was first practically established by a cabinetmaker named Wollaston, who was employed by Gibbons to work up some mahogany brought to England by his brother. Since its introduction no wood has been more generally used for cabinet-making purposes, and none possesses like advantages of combined soundness, large size, uniform grain, durability, beauty of colour, and richness of figure. In the trade the wood is generally classified under the two heads of Spanish Mahogany and Honduras Mahogany or Baywood. The former comprises the rich, solid, and heavy varieties, susceptible of a high degree of polish, and frequently showing rich wavy figuring, in which case the wood is enormously enhanced in value, and used only in the form of veneers. Under the name of Honduras maho gany or baywood is embraced the light open-grained and plain classes of mahogany, uniform in colour, and valuable for the ease with which they can be worked for an endless variety of uses where sound straight timber, free from all tendency to warp, is required. By importers, however, several classes of mahogany are recognized. The original Spanish mahogany is the produce of the island of San Domingo, whence only small supplies now come, and these mostly in logs of not more than 8 to 10 feet in length by 12 or 13 inches in thickness. Cuba mahogany is in richness of figure and other properties little inferior for ornamental purposes to San Domingo wood, while it possesses the advantage of being obtained in logs up to 35 feet long and 2 feet square in cross sec tion. Squared Honduras logs are sometimes obtained 40 feet long and 2 feet thick, and, although the wood is generally plain in character, richly figured logs are occasionally got. It appears that the Honduras wood obtained in the north, near the Mexican bound ary, is much more rich, dense, and solid than the soft swamp-grown timber, which commonly goes by the name of Honduras or bay- wood. In Mexico the mahogany tree attains its greatest dimensions, and thence logs squared to 40 and even 48 inches are sometimes obtained, whilst the common size of logs varies between 15 inches and 3 feet. The Mexican wood is cut into lengths of from 18 to 30 feet, for convenience of shipment, and, while in general the wood is plain and somewhat soft in the core, the produce of some provinces, Tabasco especially, is firm, solid, and not unfrequently richly figured. Occasionally the wood which has been .floated in tropical seas is found to be badly "wormed" or attacked by marine borers. The cutting, squaring, and shipment of the wood in the tropical regions which are its home are conducted under circumstances of great difficulty. The tree has recently been introduced into the north-west provinces of India under very favourable conditions, and its successful cultivation there is likely to prove a matter of considerable economic importance. Mahogany is included among the second-class woods in Lloyd s list for ship-building purposes ; it is a good deal employed in internal joiner work both in ships and houses ; it is a favourite turnery wood, and is equally preferred by wood-carvers. The imports of mahogany into the United Kingdom during 1881 were 42,412 tons, of an estimated value of 390,418, fully one-half of which came from Mexico. MAHOMET. See MOHAMMED. MAHONY, FRANCIS (1804-1866), "Father Trout," Roman Catholic priest, scholar, journalist, song-writer, and humorist, was born at Cork of a respectable middle- class family in 1804. His classical education was chiefly obtained at a Jesuit college at Amiens, and after studying theology at Paris he received clerical ordination, and served in Switzerland and Ireland. He then came to London, and officiated for some time in the chapel of the Bavarian Legation. While there he fell in with the coterie of wits and men of letters who were then engaged on Fraser s Magazine, and, soon finding their society and pursuits more congenial to him than those of the Romish priesthood, he, about 1834, began to contribute his cele brated Prout papers to Fraser. These consist principally of translations of well-known English songs into Latin, Greek, French, and Italian verse, which he humorously represents as being the true originals from which the English authors had merely plagiarized them. The songs of France, and those of modern and ancient Italy (includ ing among the latter many most felicitous renderings of Horace s odes), were then given in English versions, accompanied by a running commentary full of queer humour and often acute criticism. Prout s translations have been universally admired for the extraordinary command which they display of the various languages into which his renderings are made, and for their spirit and freedom both of thought and expression. Perhaps, how ever, the wonder at his polyglott learning has led to less attention than is deserved being paid to the remarkable excellence of many of his English versions of French and Latin odes. In happy abandon they are often almost unequalled, and most of them have all the unfettered character of original compositions. It might have been expected that with his great gift of poetical expression he would have left behind him more of what was exclusively his own. What he has given us in this line tends chiefly to show that with all his sarcastic and cynical wit his genius had also its tender, serious, and sentimental side. His " Bells of Shandon" have always been greatly admired ; and " The Mistletoe," " The Redbreast of Aquitaine," " The Lady of Lee," and the "Legend of Arethusa" are not without a certain sweetness and beauty. In 1846 Mahony became " own correspondent " at Rome to the Daily News, and his letters from that capital gave very vivid pictures, and contain much valuable and interesting information, of the first years, so full of liberal promise, of the reign of Pius IX. The last twelve or fifteen years of his life were spent at Paris, from which he supplied the Globe with a series of piquant letters on the incidents of the day. His death took place in May 1866. Mahony was not less dis tinguished as a conversationalist than as a writer. He had great stores of very various knowledge, had seen much of the world, and had a quick power of repartee and no end of sharp cynical wit. It is difficult to suppose that he could ever have been in his true place as a priest of the Roman Catholic Church. Bohemian as he was, however, he never separated himself from it, or seems to have lost his attach ment to it; and it is creditable to his character that, though living much among scorners and indifferentists, he would never suffer injurious reflexions either upon his church or upon Christianity to pass without sharp rebuke. The Iteliques of Father Prout were collected from Fraser s Magazine and published in two handsome volumes in 1836, a con siderably enlarged edition appearing in 1860. A biographical notice of him by his friend Mr Sheehan was prefixed to the Bcntlcy Ballads ; and many additional details were given, with a consider able amount of his fugitive work contributed to the Daily Ncics and the Globe, edited by Mr Blanchard Jerrold, in the Final Ileliqucs of Father Prout, published in 1876. MAHRATTAS. The Mahrattas inhabit that portion of India which is known by the ancient name of Maharashtra (Sanskrit for the great kingdom or region). This large
tract, extending from the Arabian Sea on the west to the