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JAMES MONROE MONSERRAT 763 sire on his part that such should be the case. The course of the administration was in con- formity with these assurances, and secured the support of an overwhelming majority of the people. The great body of recommendations in the president's message were approved by large majorities. The tone of debate was far more moderate ; few of the bitter criminations which had been the fashion in the past were uttered; and the period became known as "the era of good feeling." Among the im- portant events of the first term of President Monroe were the admission into the Union of the states of Mississippi, Illinois, and Maine. In 1818 a convention was concluded between Great Britain and the United States in relation to the Newfoundland fisheries, the restoration of slaves, and other subjects; and in 1819 Spain ceded to the United States her posses- sions in East and West Florida, with the ad- jacent islands. In 1820 Monroe was reflected president almost unanimously, receiving 231 out of 232 electoral votes. On Aug. 10, 1821, Missouri became one of the states of the Union, after prolonged and exciting debates, resulting in the celebrated "Missouri compromise," by which slavery was permitted in Missouri, but for ever prohibited elsewhere N. of the parallel of 36 30'. Other events of public importance during the second term of President Monroe were the recognition in 1822 of the indepen- dence of Mexico, and the provinces in South America formerly under the dominion of Spain ; and the promulgation, in his message of .Dec. 2, 1823, of the policy of neither entangling our- selves in the broils of Europe, nor suffering the powers of the old world to interfere with the affairs of the new, now generally known as the " Monroe doctrine." On this occasion the president declared that any attempt on the part of the European powers to " extend their system to any portion of this hemisphere" would be regarded by the United States as "dangerous to our peace and safety," and would accordingly be opposed. On March 4, 1825, Monroe retired from office, and returned to his residence of Oak Hill, in Loudon Co., Va. He was chosen a justice of the peace, and as such sat in the county court. In 1829 he became a member of the Virginia conven- tion to revise the old constitution, and was chosen to preside over the deliberations of that body ; but he was compelled by ill health to resign his post in the convention, and to. re- turn to Oak Hill. Pecuniary embarrassment was added to bodily infirmity, and although he had received $350,000 for his public services, he was in his old age harassed by debt. His wife died in 1830, and in the summer of that year he removed to the residence of his son- in-law, Samuel L. Gouverneur, in the city of New York, where he died. In 1858 his re- mains were removed with great pomp to Rich- mond, Va., and reinterred on July 5 in the Hollywood cemetery. Monroe held the reins of government at an important period, and administered it with prudence, discretion, and a single eye to the general welfare. He went further than any of his predecessors in devel- oping the resources of the country. He en- couraged the army, increased the navy, aug- mented the national defences, protected com- merce, approved of the United States bank, and infused vigor and efficiency into every depart- ment of the public service. His honesty, good faith, and simplicity were generally acknowl- edged, and disarmed the political rancor of his strongest opponents. Madison thought the country had never fully appreciated the robust understanding of Monroe. This may be par- tially accounted for by the fact that he never acquired distinction in oratory. In person, Monroe was tall and well formed, with a light complexion and blue eyes. The expression of his countenance was an accurate index of his simplicity, benevolence, and integrity. MONS (Flem. Bergen), a fortified city of Bel- gium, capital of the province of Hainaut, on the river Trouille, 32 m. S. S. W. of Brussels ; pop. in 1871, 27,764. It communicates with the Scheldt by the canal of Mons, and is con- nected by railways with Brussels, Namur, and Valenciennes. The E. side is protected by two large ponds, and the surrounding country may be flooded by admitting the river Trouille. The walls are in the form of a polygon, and have five gates and 14 bastions. The princi- pal church is that of St. Wandru (Waltrudes), a fine Gothic edifice begun in 1460. Among other principal public buildings are the castle, the Gothic town hall, court house, theatre, arsenal, and military hospital. The town con- tains also a college, which in 1873 had 252 stu- dents, a school of art, a public library, and a society of art and science. There are several salt and sugar refineries. In the vicinity are coal mines which give employment to more than 25,000 persons. The coal basin in which the city is situated is called the Borinage, and the miners Borains. In coal, flax, hemp, grain, timber, horses, cattle, and manufactures an active trade is carried on. MONSEIGNEUR (Fr. mon, my, and seigneur, lord), a French title once applied to saints, and subsequently to princes, nobles, certain high dignitaries of the church, and other titled per- sonages. Under the monarchy the dauphin's eldest son was styled Monseigneur, without any addition. The title is now given only to prelates. The Italian monsignore has a similar signification. M01VSERRAT, or Montserrat, a mountain in Catalonia, Spain, on the right bank of the riv- er Llobregat, in the province and about 25 m. N. W. of the city of Barcelona. It is about 24 m. in circumference, and its summit consists of several jagged serrated peaks, the highest of which is 4,057 ft. above the sea. Far up the E. side stands the monastery of the same name, which owes its origin to an image of tho Virgin, said to have been made by the apostle Luke and brought to Barcelona in A. D. 50 by