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356 MEDOC MEERSCHAUM the top of the fruit is a broad hairy disk, sur- rounded by the calyx lobes, which remain green and leafy until the fruit is nearly mature ; when ripe the skin of the fruit is brown, and the flesh firm and austere; the fruit is only eatable after having been kept until the first stage of decay, called bletting, has thoroughly softened the flesh to a pulp ; in this state the medlar is highly prized by some, who are fond of its rich subacid flavor, but it is not regarded as a popular fruit. Of the varieties, that called the large Dutch is preferred; the trees are propagated by grafting upon seedling medlars or upon the pear and thorn. The plant has been used for hedges, and it is sometimes set as an ornamental tree where the effect of rus- ticity is desired. It is very seldom cultivated in this country. The Japan medlar (eriobotrya Japonica of most authors, but by Hooker and Bentham reduced to Photinia), also known by the Chinese name of loquat, is a favorite ornamental tree in our warmer states. It is largely cultivated in Japan and China, and was Medlar. introduced into Europe nearly a century ago. In its native country it forms a large tree ; its large evergreen leaves are rough, bright green above, and downy beneath ; the flowers, pro- duced in autumn, are in large terminal spikes, and pleasantly fragrant; the fruit, which ri- pens the following spring, is of the size of a small apple, oval, pale orange with a blush of red, and an orange-colored subacid pulp re- sembling an apple in flavor. The tree does not produce fruit in the north of Georgia, but has done so in Louisiana ; wherever it will en- dure the winter, it is a valuable tree both on account of its handsome foliage and its late season of blooming. MEIWC. See FRANCE, WINES OF. MEIMSA, in mythology. See GORGONS. IEIH'S.4, in zoology. See JELLY FISH. MKUWAY (anc. Vaga), a river of England, which rises in the S. E. part of Surrey, trav- erses Kent, flowing mainly E. and N., and falls into the estuary of the Thames at Sheerness near its mouth. It is about 60 m. long, and navigable to Penshurst, 40 m. In its lower course it expands into a broad, deep tidal inlet, and a little above its embouchure it sends off a navigable branch on the right called the East Swale, which cuts off from the mainland the isle of Sheppey. The Medway is one of the most important havens for the British navy, and on its banks are two large government dockyards, Sheerness and Chatham. Ships of the linje can anchor in the channel as far up as Maidstone. MEEK, Alexander Beaufort, an American au- thor, born in Columbia, S. C., July 17, 1814, died in Columbus, Miss., Nov. 30, 1865. He graduated at the university of Alabama, was admitted to the bar in 1835, and in the same year became editor of a newspaper at Tusca- loosa. He served as a lieutenant of volunteers against the Seminoles in 1836, and at the close of the campaign was appointed attorney gen- eral of the state, but soon resigned this post and resumed his practice. He was judge of the county court from 1842 to 1844, during which time he prepared a supplement to Aiken's " Digest of Alabama." From 1848 to 1852 he was associate editor of the "Mobile Register." He was elected to the legislature in 1853, and secured the establishment of a free school sys- tem in the state. He was a presidential elector on 'the democratic ticket in 1856, was again elected to the legislature in 1859, and was cho- sen speaker of the house. He published " Ro- mantic Passages in Southwestern History," and " Songs and Poems of the South " (New York, 1857), and left an unfinished " History of Ala- bama." MEEKER, a S. central county of Minnesota, watered by Crow river, and containing nu- merous small lakes ; area, 558 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 6,090. The surface is rolling, consisting mostly of fertile prairies. It is traversed by the St. Paul and Pacific railroad. The chief productions in 1870 were 135,147 bushels of wheat, 28,974 of Indian corn, 92,532 of oats, 10,492 of barley, 39,913 of potatoes, 142,771 Ibs. of butter, and 15,329 tons of hay. There were 963 horses, 1,871 milch cows, 3,837 other cattle, 2,936 sheep, and 2,687 swine; 4 flour mills, and 4 saw mills. Capital, Litchfield. MEERANE, a town of Saxony, in the circle and 9 m. N. by "W. of the city of Zwickau ; pop. in 1871, 19,187. In 1858 the population was 11,- 147. The increase is due to the progress in the production of woollen and semi-woollen goods. The town contains upward of 100 manufacto- ries of such goods, the exports of which are valued at about 15,000,000 thalers annually. Plush, dyestuffs, and other articles are alsa made here. It once belonged to Bohemia, and became part of Saxony in 1779. MEERSCHAUM (Ger., sea foam, so called from its lightness and whitish appearance), or Mag- nesite, a hydrous silicate of magnesia, of com- position represented by the formula MgO, SiO s + 2HO. It is a mineral of soft earthy texture somewhat resembling chalk, of hard- ness 2 - 5, and of variable specific gravity. It is found in Spain and several countries at the