Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XI.djvu/205

MARS consideration the theory of Mattieu Williams, that the climate of Mars is really unlike that of our earth, notwithstanding the similarity of the snow regions in extent. Without entering into the details of his theory, or accepting the rela- tions which he somewhat speculatively exhibits, we may thus far provisionally adopt his views as not improbable. Owing to the much small- er amount of solar radiation at the distance of Mars, and also to the much more limited ex- tent of his oceans, the quantity of aqueous va- por raised into his atmosphere must be very much less in proportion to the extent of his surface; and it is not unlikely that most of the precipitation of such vapor takes place in the form of snow, which would not fall thick- ly, and would be soon melted during the Mar- tial day in the tropical and subtropical regions. Thus we may explain the appearances which have hitherto been regarded as due to the dis- sipation of Martial rain clouds, and also the observed fact that the disk of Mars is whitish near the edge, and the markings invisible there. Thus whatever aqueous vapor, or cloud, was carried to the temperate regions, and whatever ice or snow accumulated in the polar regions, would be much smaller in amount than we should otherwise have inferred from the appa- rent extent of the polar snow caps, and these would therefore diminish in extent as summer advanced, much more quickly than they would if formed as in the earth's case. The general conclusion to which we should be led if we adopted this view would be that the planet pre- sents conditions unfavorable for the existence of such forms of life as we are familiar with. These questions derive their chief scientific in- terest, however, as suggesting the careful study of those Martial phenomena which presumably depend on the density of the planet's atmos- phere, and its general conditions as respects humidity and so on. MARS, Anne Fran^oise Hippolyte Bontet, a French actress, born in Paris, Feb. 9, 1779, died March 1847. She was the natural daughter of [acques Monvel, one of the first actors of the "ay, and a provincial actress named Mars- Joutet, and made her appearance upon the in her childhood. At 14 years of age le filled what the French call roles dlingenues, id when somewhat older attempted with suc- jeunes amoureuses ; but she made no de- sided impression upon the public until her rsonation in 1803 of a deaf and dumb girl the Able de VEpee. The grace and feeling rhich she evinced on this occasion created an ithusiasm in her favor, and soon after the re- irement of Mile. Contat in 1809, she assumed le position of the first comic actress of the ly. For the last 30 years of her professional she was without a rival on the French e in genteel comedy, every new part at- mpted by her being a success down to that Mile, de Belle-Isle in Dumas's drama of that le, produced in 1839, in which, although years of age, she appeared like a young wo- MARSALA 193 man of 20. She took her leave of the stage in March, 1841. Although some of her greatest triumphs were achieved in the plays of Victor Hugo, Dumas, and other modern writers, she greatly preferred the dramas of the old school, especially the comedies of Moliere and the pieces ^intrigue of Marivaux. Her persona- tions of the fashionable lady or coquette of the old regime in these works are among the most cherished traditions of the French stage. Her figure, voice, action, and toilette were alike admirable, and in the expression of her coun- tenance she invariably conformed to the spirit of the scene. She amassed a considerable for- tune, and the latter years of her life were passed in a sumptuous retreat, where she daily received visits from persons eminent in litera- ture or the arts. She left an estate valued at 800,000 francs to a son 50 years old at her death, whom during the greater part of her life she had persistently refused to see. MARSALA (anc. Lilybceum), a fortified sea- port town at the W. extremity of Sicily, adja- cent to Cape Boeo (anc. Promontorium Lily- bcBum), in the province and 16 m. S. S. W. of the town of Trapani; pop. about 18,000. It contains a cathedral, several churches, and va- rious monastic, educational, and charitable es- tablishments. It exports corn, cattle, oil, salt, and soda, but chiefly wine. The ancient city of Lilybamm, of which Marsala occupies only the southern half, was founded by a colony of Carthaginians who escaped, from the destruc- tion of Motya by the elder Dionysius in 397 B. C. It soon prospered, and became the chief bulwark of the Carthaginian power in Sicily. In 276 Pyrrhus of Epirus made an unsuccessful attempt to capture it ; and in 250 it was attacked by the Romans in the first Pu- nic war with two consular armies and a for- midable fleet. After several efforts to carry it by assault, the consuls converted the siege into a blockade, which was maintained for nearly ten years without accomplishing its object; nor did the Romans obtain possession of it until it was surrendered by the Cartha- ginians at the conclusion of the war, in part purchase of peace. From this period the har- bor of Lilybseum became a principal station of the Roman fleet, and the city one of the great points of communication between Rome and Africa. The place continued prosperous till the 16th century; but from the period when the emperor Charles V. caused its harbor to be blocked up with a mound in order to protect it from the attacks of the Barbary corsairs, it ceased to hold the first rank among the mari- time towns of W. Sicily, and gave place to Trapani. Few vestiges of the ancient city now remain. Numerous fragments of sculpture, however, vases, coins, &c., have been from time to time discovered, and some portions of an aqueduct are still standing. Marsala was Garibaldi's landing place in his expedition to Sicily in May, 1860, where he disembarked in presence of two Neapolitan war steamers.