Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XI.djvu/575

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MILLS Montesquieu. He then devoted himself to the preparation of historical works for schools, which obtained for him in 1768 the chair of history at the college of nobles in Parma. In 1777 he became a member of the French acad- emy, and in 1778 preceptor of the duke d'En- ghien. His works on French, English, and general history were united under the title of CEuvres de VabU Millot (15 vols., 1800; 2d ed., 12 vols. 8vo, 1819). MILLS. I. A S. "W. county of Iowa, border- ing on Nebraska, from which it is separated by the Missouri river, and drained by the Nish- nabatona river and branches ; area, about 400 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 8,718. It is inter- sected by the Burlington and Missouri River, and the Kansas City, St. Joseph, and Coun- cil Bluffs railroads. The chief productions in 1870 were 162,901 bushels of wheat, 1,380,- 055 of Indian corn, 191,569 of oats, 80,- 074 of potatoes, 11,652 Ibs. of wool, 182,755 of butter, and 16,471 tons of hay. There were 4,122 horses, 3,638 milch cows, 6,816 other cat- tle, 3,354 sheep, and 13,985 swine; 3 manu- factories of brick, 2 of brick and stone, 4 saw mills, and 5 flour mills. Capital, Glenwood. II. A S. E. central county of Dakota, recently formed, and not included in the census of 1870 ; area, about 1,000 sq. m. It is intersected by the Dakota river and several of its affluents. The surface is rolling, and consists mostly of prairies. MILLS, Charles, an English historian, born at Greenwich, July 29, 1788, died in London, Oct. 19, 1825. He studied law, but abandoned it for literary pursuits. His principal works are: "History of Mohammedanism" (8vo, London, 1817); "History of the Crusades" (2 vols. 8vo, 1820); and "History of Chival- ry" (2 vols. 8vo, 1825). MILLS, Clark, an American sculptor, born in Onondaga co., N. Y., Dec. 1, 1815. He lost his parents in childhood, and learned the trade of a plasterer, which he followed in Charles- ton, S. 0., for nine years. He early manifest- ed a taste for sculpture, and in 1846 made a marble bust of John 0. Calhoun, which was purchased for the city hall of Charleston. In 1848 he was invited to furnish a design for an equestrian statue of Jackson, for Lafayette square, Washington. His design was accepted, and he finished, after two years' labor, a full- sized model in plaster, which was so balanced that it rested on the horse's hind feet alone, without other support. Mills had now to build a foundery and to learn the practical business of casting, for there was no establishment large enough for the purpose, and no workman in the country capable of casting so large a mass. After numerous trials, interrupted by unfore- seen accidents, he produced a perfect cast in October, 1852, and the statue was set up in 1853, on Jan. 8, the anniversary of the battle of New Orleans. It was completed at a loss to him of $7,000, but congress made him an appropriation of $20,000. At the same ses- M1LLSTONE 557 sion the sum of $50,000 was appropriated for a colossal equestrian statue of Washington, which was inaugurated in Washington on Feb. 22, 1860. Mr. Mills's next employment was the casting of the colossal statue of Liberty, from a design by Crawford, which now crowns the dome of the capitol. It was finished in 1863. MILLS, Samuel John, jr., an American cler- gyman, born in Torrington, Conn., April 21, 1783, died at sea in June, 1818. His father was a Congregational minister. He entered Williams college in 1806. In September, 1808, a society was formed in the college " to effect, in the persons of its members, a mission or missions to the heathen ;" and the first name appended to its constitution was that of Mr. Mills. This was the first foreign missionary organization in America. He graduated in 1809, spent some months at Yale college, and in the spring of 1810 entered Andover theo- logical seminary, where he found others in- terested in the subject; and on June 28, in connection with Messrs. Judson, Nott, and Newell, he presented a memorial to the gen- eral association of Massachusetts, stating their views and wishes, and asking advice. This led directly to the formation of the American board of commissioners for foreign missions. In 1812, soon after he was licensed, he went on a missionary tour to the southwestern states, under the combined patronage of the Connec- ticut and Massachusetts missionary societies. On this tour he preached and organized Bible and other religious benevolent societies. In July, 1814, he made a second tour to the same region, accompanied by the Rev. Daniel Smith. He published an account of these two trips on his return (Andover, 1815). He was ordained June 21, 1815, and passed most of the next two years in Albany, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington. Among the fruits of these two years' labor may be named the establish- ment of the foreign mission school at Corn- wall, Conn., the organization of the American Bible society and of the united foreign mission- ary society, afterward merged in the American board, the first movement for city missions in New York, the establishment of a school for the education of colored preachers and teachers at Parsippany, N. J., by the synod of New York and New Jersey, and the organization of the American colonization society. Almost imme- diately after its organization, the colonization society sent Mr. Mills and the Rev. Ebenezer Burgess to Africa, to select a site for a colony. In February, 1818, they embarked at London for the African coast, where they spent two months. Having fulfilled the object of theii' mission, they sailed on their return. May 22, 1818, and Mr. Mills died before reaching home. See " Memoirs of Samuel J. Mills," by the Rev. Gardiner Spring (8vo, New York, 1820). MILLSTONE, a hard and rough stone in one or many pieces, formed into cylindrical shape, from 3 to 7 ft, in diameter, and 8 to 18 in. thick, used together with another of the same