Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XI.djvu/250

238 MASCARA MASINISSA MASCARA, a town of Algeria, in the province and 46 m. S. E. of the city of Oran ; pop. in 1866, 9,442. Jt lias two public squares, two market places, a mosque, and carpet factories, the residence of Abd-el-Kader, and in 1885 was burned down by the French. Sub- sequently it was rebuilt, and it is now an im- portant emporium of inland trade. MASCAKKVE ISLES, the name of a group of islands in the Indian ocean including Mauritius (formerly Isle of France) and Rodriguez, which belong to Great Britain, and the French island of Reunion (formerly Bourbon). The name is derived from that of Mascarenhas, the Portu- guese discoverer of the group. MASCOITINS, an Algonquin tribe, near Lake Michigan, who figure largely in early French accounts. They were closely united with the Foxes and Kickapoos, and when first known to the French, about 1620, were at war with the Ottawas and even with the Neutral Nation on Niagara river. Allouez in 1669 found them on the Wisconsin, and later they were on the Fox. Some at a still later day removed to the Ohio. In 1712 they joined the Foxes and Kickapoos against the French, and maintained a hostile attitude till the close of the French rule. They showed similar hostility to the Eng- lish, attacking Col. Croghan near the Wabash in 1765; and to the Americans, attempting to cut off Clarke by treachery in 1777. In all these operations they appear acting with one of their kindred tribes, and in this century are never treated as a distinct body. The Hurons called them Asistaeronon, or Fire Nation, but some writers at an early date declared the translation erroneous, and maintained that the name Mascoutin meant prairie. MASERES, Francis, commonly called Baron Mas^res, an English mathematician, born in London, Dec. 15, 1731, died at Reigate, May 19, 1824. lie was educated at Cambridge, studied law, and after a few years' practice was appointed attorney general for Canada, and iv>i.lrd in Quebec till 1773. After his return to England he recommended conciliatory mea- sures with the American colonies, and was ap- pointed to the sinecure office of cursitor baron of the exchequer. He wrote " The Elements of Plane Trigonometry" (1750); a treatise against the abuse of the negative sign in alge- bra (1758); a learned treatise on "Life An- nuities" (1783); and numerous papers in the "Philosophical Transactions." He also pub- lished Scriptores Logarithmici (6 vols., 1791- 1807), and Scriptores Optici (1823). MASH AM, Abigail, lady, the favorite of Queen Anne of England, born about 1670, died Dec. 6, 1734. The place of her birth was probably London, where her father, Francis Hill, was a merchant, and married the aunt of the duchess of Marlborough, a Miss Jennings. He ruined liim-df by becoming a speculator, and-Abigail, Ins eldest daughter, became a waiting woman to the wife of Sir John Rivers. When the duchess of Marlborongh learned of the pov- erty of her relatives, the Hills, she afforded them great assistance. By her influence Abi- gail was appointed bedchamber woman to the princess; but the arrogance of the duchess offended all the recipients of her bounty. Availing herself of her confidential position in the service of Anne, who had become queen, Abigail Hill was steadily undermining the duchess of Marlborough at court. Samuel Masham, a gentleman of the bedchamber to the prince of Denmark, became attached to Abigail, and the queen was the confidante of their courtship, of which the Marlboroughs knew nothing. Anne was present at their marriage, which took place in 1707. After a long and bitter struggle, the Marlborough in- fluence was overthrown, the whig ministry was dismissed, and the tories came into power, and made the treaty of Utrecht with Louis XIV. At the close of 1711 her husband was made Baron Masham of Otes, being one of the twelve peers created to enable the tory minis- ters to force their measures through the house of lords. In the quarrel between Oxford and Bolingbroke, Lady Masham sided with the latter. On the death of Queen Anne in 1714, her court favor came to an end, and she and her husband retired to their seat at Otes. MASIMSSA, or Massinissa, a king of Numidia, born about 240 B. C., died in 148. He was the son of Gala, king of the Massylians, the most powerful tribe in E. Numidia, and re- ceived a superior education at Carthage, which when he reached the age of manhood com- menced its second great struggle against Rome, under the lead of Hannibal. The Carthagin- ians prevailed on the Massylians to declare war against Syphax, king of the Masssesylians, a rival Numidian tribe, who had espoused the cause of the Romans. Masinissa commanded his father's army, routed Syphax (213), and crossed over to Spain, where the Numidian horse greatly contributed to the defeat of the brothers Cneius and Publius Scipio. Scipio Africanus the elder, by the return of Massiva, the captive nephew of the Numidian, to his uncle with presents and a courteous message, paved the way for a secret understanding with the latter, which proved disastrous to Carthage when Scipio finally carried the war into Af- rica. Masinissa is said to have been influenced by resentment against Hasdrubal, who had be- trothed to him his daughter Sophonisba, but in order to gain over Syphax broke his prom- ise and gave her to the latter. Returning to Africa, where his father had in the mean while died, Masinissa reconquered his kingdom from a usurper, but was soon attacked by the Car- thaginians and their new ally, was repeatedly routed, and saved his life by flight. At this juncture Scipio landed in Africa (204), and Masinissa was enabled not only to regain his possessions, but while assisting his victorious allies, jointly with Lselius, one of their com- manders, took Cirta, the capital of Syphax. Sophonisba became his captive, and soon his