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MICIPSA S. W. by the Pacific, and "W. by Colima and Jalisco; area, 21,609 sq. m. ; pop. in 1868, 618,240. The face of the country is extremely mountainous, being traversed in every direction by the Sierra Madre and its branches ; there are several peaks of considerable elevation, espe- cially in the S. portion, where, among other volcanoes, is that of Jorullo. (See JORULLO.) The culminating point is the Cerro de Santa Rosa, in the district of Tlapujahua, about 17,000 ft. Between the ridges stretch elevated and fertile valleys, watered by several rivers, the principal of which are the Lerma and Mescala or Balsas, and a great number of mountain torrents. Of the 11 lakes, those most note- worthy are Chapala, about 60 m. long by 20 m. in width, and the Patzcuaro, 30 m. in circum- ference. Along the coast line, 100 m. in ex- tent, the only ports are those of San Telmo, Buceria, and Maratua ; the first was formerly open to foreign and coasting trade, but did not prosper owing to the want of suitable shelter for shipping. Michoacan has .a great variety of climates, from extreme cold to ex- cessive heat ; but it is in general very healthy. The mean annual temperature at Morelia is 71 F. The mineral productions are silver with an admixture of gold, copper, cinnabar, iron, coal, lead, emery, sulphur, copperas, lithographic stone, marble, &c. The mines, now com- paratively few, yield annually $1,175,300, of which silver is about one third. The soil, wherever accessible, is extremely fertile ; maize in most parts yields 400 fold. Cattle, horses, mules, asses, and hogs are extensively reared ; and the lakes and rivers abound in ex- cellent fish, the taking of which forms an im- portant industry. Among the manufactures are rebozos, sarapes (Mexican shawls), blan- kets, and silver ware of various kinds ; and there are numerous flour mills, a glass factory, and in Morelia a steam weaving factory. The ex- ports embrace gold, silver, copper, cabinet and dye woods, coffee, indigo, and silk, mostly sent to the states of Mexico, San Luis Potosi, and Durango, and to Guatemala. There are good roads in the state; and in 1872 Morelia was placed in communication with the principal telegraph lines of the republic. The value of real estate in 1869 was estimated at $18,498,- 951 10; and the government expenditure in the same year was $382,917 66. Michoacan has a state college, 53 schools for males and 28 for females, with an attendance of 11,426. There are several benevolent institutions. The state is divided into 17 districts. The capital is Morelia (formerly Valladolid) ; and the chief commercial towns are Morelia, Puruandiro, Zamora, Ario, Zacambaro, and Tar6tan. MICIPSA. See JUGURTHA. MICKIEWICZ, Adam, a Polish poet, born in Novogrodek, Lithuania, in 1798, died in Con- stantinople, Nov. 27, 1855. He studied phys- ics and chemistry at the university of Wilna, but finally devoted himself almost exclusively to literature and poetry, and became professor MICKIEWICZ 509 of literature at Kovno. In 1822 he published at Wilna two small volumes of poetry, after- ward augmented, which contained some of the finest ballads in the Polish language, a his- torical epic, Grazyna, and under the title of Dziady a romantic autobiographical drama. This publication raised Mickiewicz to the highest rank in Polish poetry. He was idol- ized by the revolutionary youth of Poland, particularly after he was tried for participa- tion in the secret associations of Zan, impris- oned in the Basilian convent at Wilna, and finally condemned in 1824 to perpetual ban- ishment from his native country. He was removed to St. Petersburg, where he became familiar with the most distinguished Russian liberals, and subsequently to Odessa, whence he was allowed to make a tour through the Crimea. This he partly described in his " Sonnets," which were followed by his sec- ond epic, Wallenrod, published in 1828 at St. Petersburg, whither he had received per- mission to return. This poem, the theme of which is the struggle of the Lithuanians in the 14th century against their oppressors, the Teutonic knights, was favorably received in Russia, being also translated into the Russian language, and the author was even allowed to enter upon a tour through Germany and France to Italy for the restoration of his health. At Rome he received the news of the outbreak of Nov. 29, 1830; but he did not reach the con- fines of his native country until the struggle had ended, and he never again entered Poland. He went to Dresden, and there wrote the sec- ond part of Dziady (Paris, 1832), in which he described his imprisonment and the cruelties perpetrated by Russian tyranny on Poland. His next publication was Ksiggi narodu pol- slciego i pielgrzymstwa polslciego ("Books of the Polish Nation and the Polish Pilgrim- age," 1832), which was followed by another poetical work, Pan Tadeusz (" Sir Thaddeus," 1834), a picture of Lithuanian life and society in 1812 at the approach of Napoleon's in- vasion. He had lived for some years in Paris when in 1839 he accepted a professorship of classical literature at Lausanne; but in a year he returned to Paris to fill the chair of Slavic literature in the college de France. He was now known as a zealous advocate of Roman Catholicism, from which he hoped for a regen- eration of his country, as well as of Panslavic tendencies, which were not shared by all of his fellow exiles. His " Lectures on Slavic Literature," published both in French and German, gradually developed still more sur- prising phases. The inspiring genius of the poet was now a fanatical Polish priest, Towi- anski, who had mesmerized Mme. Mickiewicz in a dangerous illness in 1841, from which she recovered, and who, pretending to be enlight- ened by celestial visions, was followed ^ by Mickiewicz as the Messiah of a new religion, in which the memory of Napoleon received almost divine honors. In order to gain over