Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XI.djvu/164

This page needs to be proofread.

152 MARCHISIO Dolorosa with the Dead Christ on her Lap," known as " The Good Mother," or " The Cele- bration of Good Friday," is considered to be liU ma-terpiriv; this was presented by the emperor Francis to the city of Milan, and in the church of San Carlo. M UM HMO. tarlotta, an Italian vocalist, born in Turin in 1835, died in 1872. She inherited the musical talents of several members of her family, and thoroughly studied harmony, counterpoint, and other departments of the art. Her magnificent soprano voice secured her success on her first performance in Venice in 1858. Her surviving sister, BARBARA (born in 1838), who has a fine contralto voice, appeared on the same occasion, and the two sisters per- formed together in Italy, France, and almost all nver Europe. Rossini composed for them his Petite mease, which they executed for the first time in 1865. They were much admired in Paris in Semiramis, and Barbara won great applause as Azucena in II trovatore. M ARC I0. See GNOSTICS, vol. viii., pp. 53, 54. II VIUOMAVM (Ger., men of the marches or borders), an ancient German people of Suevic race. They appear to have originally dwelt in the regions of the Main and Neckar in S. W. Germany, whence they followed Ariovistus across the Rhine on his invasion of Gaul, and afterward their own chief Maroboduus into the land of the Boii, which embraced parts of mod- ern Bohemia and Bavaria. Having subdued that people, they established a powerful king- dom N. of the Danube, which soon became in- volved in wars with the Cherusci, and after- ward with the Romans. Their longest and bloodiest war was that waged in alliance with the Quadi, Hermunduri, Narisci, and other Ger- man tribes, against the emperor Marcus Aure- lius. The latter having died (180) in Vindo- bona (Vienna) on his last expedition against them, his son and successor Commodus has- tened to conclude by purchase a shameful peace with the barbarians. In the 3d and 4th centuries the Marcornanni made some new in- cursions into the Danubian provinces of the Unmans, but during the following great mi- gration of northern nations they finally disap- peared from history. MARCO POLO. See POLO. MARCOr, Jules, a French geologist, born at Salins, in the department of Jura, April 20, 1824. He completed his studies at the col- 16ge St. Louis in Paris, and published in 1846, in the memoirs of the geological society, his Recherche* geologiques ur le Jura salinois. In the same year he was attached to the min- eralogical department of the Sorbonne. In 1847 he was employed in classifying the pa- Ifflontological collection at the museum, for liirh Institution he made geological inves- tigations in various parts of Europe, and from 1848 to 1850 in the United States and Canada. In ls.v;-'4 lie explored the Rocky mountains, under the auspices of the American govern- ment ; and he continued his American explora- MARCY tions in 1860, after having in the interval filled the chair of palaontological geology at the poly- technic school in Zurich. His principal works are: "Geological Map of the United States" (English, 1853), followed in 1855 by a resume of the same, including Canada ; Le terrain car- bonifere dans VAmerique du Nord ; Sur le gisement de Vor en Calif ornie ; Lettres sur les rockers du Jura et leur distribution geogra- phique dans les deux hemispheres (1857-'60); "Geology of North America" (1858); Drias et trias, ou le nouveau gres rouge en Europe, dans VAmerique du Nord et dans Vlnde (1859) ; Carte geologique de la terre, according to the Jura strata (1862) ; and Derniers tra- vaux sur le drias et le trias en Russie (1870). MARCUS AURELIUS. See ANTONINUS. MARCY, William Learned, an American states- man, born at Southbridge, Mass., Dec. 12, 1786, died at Ballston Spa, N. Y., July 4, 1857. He was the son of a farmer, graduated at Brown university in 1808, and studied law in Troy, N. Y., where he was admitted to practice. When the war with England broke out in 1812, he was a lieutenant in a military company be- longing to Troy, and was stationed at French Mills, now Fort Covington. On the night of Oct. 22, 1812, he was sent with a detachment under command of Major Young to capture a party of Canadian militia posted at St. Regis. Lieut. Marcy led the attack, broke open the door of the blockhouse occupied by the Cana- dians, and when they surrendered received their arms. These were the first prisoners taken by the Americans on land, and their flag the first standard captured in the war. He re- mained in service till the close of hostilities. From 1816 to 1818 he was recorder of Troy. He then became editor of the Troy Budget," a daily newspaper, which he soon made a lead- ing organ of the democratic party. In January, 1821, he was appointed adjutant general of the state militia; and in February, 1823, he was elected by the legislature comptroller of the state, when he removed to Albany. In 1829 he was appointed an associate justice of the New York supreme court, which office he held till Feb. 1, 1831, when he was elected United States senator. During his term he was chair- man of the committee on the judiciary. In 1832 he was elected governor of New York, and resigned his senatorship. He was re- elected in 1834, and again in 1836, but was de- feated by Mr. Seward in the election of 1838. He was appointed by President Van Buren one of the commissioners to decide upon the claims of the Mexican government under the conven- tion of April, 1839, and performed the duties of this office till 1842. In 1845 President Polk appointed him secretary of war, a post whose duties were made peculiarly difficult and re- sponsible by the breaking out of the war with Mexico in the spring of 1846. As a member of President Folk's cabinet his diplomatic pow- ers were exerted to advantage in the settlement of the Oregon boundary dispute with England,