MEEHAN. 27 Advancement of Seieiiee, lie coutributej to their I'rufccdiiiys; edited tlic (Jardciicrs' Monthly from ISJ'J to 1S80, and Mcclutn's Monthly from 1892 to 1001. He wrote a Handbook of Urna- inctilal Tries (1853), and The Flowirs and Ferns of the United States (first series, 1878; second, 1880; tliird, 1887). MEEK, Alexander Beaufort (1S14-G5). An Aniciiian journalist and jurist. He was born in Columbia, S. (.'., was a j,'raduatc of the University of Alabama, and, having' studied law, was ad- mitted to the State bar in 1835. He served as a lieutenant of volunteers against the Seminoles in 1830, and was afterwards Attorncy-Cieneral of the State. He was maile county judge in 1842. In 18o3 and 1859 he was a member of the State Legislature. There he distinguished him- self by organizing and establishing the free-school system in Alabama. From 1848 to 1852 he was assoeiat<' editor of the Motiile Kegister. He wrote and published several volumes of poems and sketches, besides compiling a history of Ala- bama. liEEK, Fielding Bradfoed (1817-70). An American geologist and ])alcontologist, born at iladison, Iowa. In 1848 he assisted in the geolog- ical survey of Iowa, Wisconsin, and ilinncsota, and after completing tliis work was atlaclied to the New York State Ucohigieal Survey under the leadership of James Hall. He accompanied F. V. Hayden in 1853 on a geological expedition to Dakota. During the latter part of his life he was engaged in describing the fossil invertebrates collected by Government expeditions. His larger works are: Paleontolofiy of the Upper Missouri (1805) : Check-List of the Inverteljrute Fossils of Jiorth America (1804) : and Report on the In- vertebrate Cretaceous and Tertiary Fossils of the Upper Missouri Country (1870). MEEKS, EuoEXE (1843—). An American genre and historical painter, born in New York City. He studied there under Wust, at The Hague, and in Antwerp under Van I.crius. De Keyscr. and Bource. Afterwards he settled in Florence, where he became a member of the Florence Academy in 1883 with the title of pro- fessor. His works include: "Little Xell and Her Grandfather" (1870): "Bridal Chamber in Palazzo ^lanzi-Lucea :" "Gondola Party — Ven- ice:" :iiid "Fishing Boats — Venice." MEERANE, ma-r;l'nc. A flourishing indus- trial town in the Kingdom of Saxony, situated 27 miles by rail west of Chemnitz (Map: Ger- many, E 3). It is ;in important centre of the textile industiy, and has a number of manu- factories of woolen and semi-woolen materials, spinning and dyeing establishments, machine and boiler works, and manufactures of footwear. Its chief educational establishments are a realschule, a school of commerce, and a textile school. The products of Moerane are extensively exported to foreij.ni countries. Populalion, in 'l890, 22,440; in lono. 23.797, chielly Pn.tcstnnts. MEER'KAT, or STJ'RICATE (Dutch, sea- cat I . A small, furry, diurnal, vegetable-eating and burrowing civet iSurieata telrndactyla) of South .frica. allied to the mongooses. It is gregarious, and a colony makes burrows close to- gether, like a prairu'-dog 'town.' In captivity it becoiius :iii amusinj; and delightful pet. meerschaum:, mer'shiim (Ger.. sea-foam) , or Sepiolite. A compact, earthy mineral hy- 5 MEGALICHTHYS. diated magnesium silicate. It is grayish white or white with a faint yellowish or reddish tint. It occurs in stratilied earthy or alluvial de- posits on the plains of Eski-Shehr and elsewhere in Asia Minor; also in Greece, at Hrubsehilz iu Moravia, and in Morocco. The deposits in Asia Minor arc worked by pits and galleries at a depth of 24 to 30 feet. The mineral, when brought to the surface, is so soft as to be easily cut with a knife. It is scraped to remove any adhering material, dried in the sun for about a week, then again scraped and polished with wax. Meerschaum is used chiefly in the manufacture of bowls for tobacco pipes, and factories for their production exist in Austila and in France. MEERUT, or MIRAT, me'riit. The capital of the district and division of Meerut, Agra, India, 39 miles northeast of Delhi, on the Northwestern Railway (Map; India, 3). The city is irregu- larly laid out with narrow, unclean streets; there are several mosques and temples, of which the Juninia JIusjid, dating from 1019, is the most noteworthy. The military cantonment is one of the largest and most ini|)ortant in India. The first uprising of the Indian Mutiny of 1857 oc- curred here. Population, in 1891, 119,390; in 1001, 118,642. MEES, Artiil-r (IS-jO— ). An American musical conductor, born in Columbus, Ohio. He was graduated from Concordia College, Fort Wayne, Ind., and after a course of thorough preparation under native instructors, he studied from 1873 to 1870 at Berlin ipider Kullak, Weitz- niann, and Dorn (the latter for score-reading and conducting). He was conductor of the Cincin- nati Jlay Festival Chorus, assistant conductor of the Chicago Orchestra, and then he took up his residence in New York and became the conductor of important choral organizations. In 1S9S he was elected, on the resignation of MacDowell, to the conductorship of the Mendelssohn Glee Club. He published iu 1901 Choirs and Choral Musir, which has been accepted as a standard authority. A book of piano studies has also obtained general recognition. MEG'ABAR'IE (from Gk. /idyat, mepas, great + /Sapiis, barys, heavy) . The practical unit of pressure in the C. G. S. system; it equals one barie X 10°. See Barie. MEG'ADAC'TYLUS (Xeo-Lat., from Gk. ^^7as. mcjros, great + daKTvXot. daktylos, finger). A Triassic dinosaur. See AxcmsAVRfS. MEG.ffi'RA. One of the Eumenides. MEG'ALE'SIA, or MEG'ALEN'SIA (Lat., from Gk. Me-yaXTjo-ia, from JIe-)'aXi}, Megale, epi- thet of the Great ilother. fern. sg. of u^z-oi, nicf/as, great). A festival at Rome, instituted in honor of Cybelc in n.c. 204. when her symbol was brought to Rome. The celebration included a stately procession of the eunuch priests of Cybele through the city carrying the sacred ensign, games held on the Palatine and in later times in the theatres, and a great carnival. The festival lasted for seven days, April 4th to 10th, and were originally under the charge of the curule
- vdilp. later of the pra>tor.
MEG'ALICH'THYS. A genus of fossil ganoid fishes, characterized by their great size and for- midable appearance. The body was covered by huge bony jilates, and the teeth attained a length of four inches or more. The remains of Mega-
