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ever be known concerning it, as in 1768 the crews of the ships in pursuit of sea otters had entirely exterminated it; it has met the fate of the dodo, but at a much more recent period; a skull and a few fragments are said to exist in European museums. It had no teeth, the jaws being covered with an undulating surface of horny tubular matter; the head was small, the body covered with a thick, fibrous, fissured epidermis, and the caudal fin lunate. It attained a length of 25 ft., and formerly lived in the neighborhood of Behring island on the coast of Kamtchatka. The epidermis had a singular structure, being composed of perpendicular horny tubes, sometimes an inch in length, of a blackish brown color, rough and wrinkled like the bark of a tree, and so tough as to be with difficulty cut with an axe; it served to protect the animal from the ice and sharp rocks among which it fed. They lived in shallow water in troops, the older protecting the younger; they were harmless and very tame, and strongly attached to each other; they fed on fuci under water, and the skin, fat, and flesh were esteemed by the natives.
MANATEE, a S. W. county of Florida, bordering on the gulf of Mexico, touching Lake Okeechobee at the S. E. corner, bounded S. by the Caloosahatchee river, and watered by the Manatee river, Pease creek, and other streams; area, 4,070 sq. m.; pop. in 1870, 1,931, of whom 88 were colored. Along the coast are numerous low sandy islands, within which lie Sarasota bay and Charlotte harbor. The surface of the mainland is low and level, and not very fertile. The chief productions in 1870 were 12,727 bushels of Indian corn, 21,652 of sweet potatoes, 29 bales of cotton, 41 hogsheads of sugar, and 71,452 lbs. of rice. There were 330 horses, 44,970 cattle, and 5,197 swine. Capital, Manatee, or Pine Level.
MANAYUNK. See Philadelphia.
MANBY, George William, an English officer, born at Hilgay, Norfolk county, Nov. 28, 1765, died at Southtown, Nov. 18, 1854. He was educated at the military college of Woolwich, and became in 1803 barrack master at Great Yarmouth. Here he attempted casting a rope from the shore to a wreck by means of gunpowder. The problem to be solved was the maintenance of the connection between the rope and the mortar during its transmission. Chains were unable to stand the shock of the discharge, but stout strips of raw hide closely platted together were found to answer; and on Feb. 12, 1808, the entire crew of the brig Elizabeth, wrecked within 150 yards of the beach, were rescued by this simple contrivance. In 1810 his invention was brought before a committee of the house of commons, and he received a grant of money, and all the dangerous stations on the British coasts were supplied with his apparatus. He also contrived a pyrotechnic which renders vessels visible from shore on the darkest night; and shells filled with luminous matter, to enable the crew to perceive the approach of the rope. He published “The History and Antiquities of the Parish of St. David, South Wales” (1801), and kindred works; also “Journal of a Voyage to Greenland in 1821” (1822).
MACHA, La, an old province of Spain, chiefly in the S. part of New Castile, now included in the central and eastern portions of Ciudad Real, and the adjoining parts of Cuenca and Albacete; area, about 7,000 sq. m.; pop. about 200,000. The N. W. and S. E. portions are mountainous, and the centre in general a desolate sandy plateau. The towns are few and uninteresting; the cottages in the villages are built of mud. Most of the country is denuded of trees, exposed to the wintry blasts, and scorched by the summer heat. The earth is arid and stony; the dust is impregnated with saltpetre, and the glare of the sun almost blinds the eye. Water is wanting, and dry dung is used for fuel. In some places, however, corn, saffron, and wines are produced; and the mules of La Mancha are celebrated. The natives are jovial, honest, industrious, brave, and temperate. The scenery has become celebrated by the descriptions in “Don Quixote.”
MANCHE, La, a N. W. department of France, in Normandy, bordering on the English channel and the departments of Calvados, Orne, Mayenne, and Ille-et-Vilaine; area, 2,289 sq. m.; pop. in 1872, 544,776. The coast is generally flat, and lined with swamps. There are several excellent harbors, the principal of which are Cherbourg, La Hogue, and Granville. La Manche has several short but navigable rivers, the principal of which is the Vire, and is traversed from N. to S. by a hilly range of moderate height, called Cotentin, which gives its name to the peninsular portion of the department. The rest of the surface is undulating, the soil rich, and the climate moist and mild. A prevailing crop is a species of black oats. The quantity of cider made is very great. A considerable portion of the land is under pasturage. The horses are among the best in France. Iron, lead, and coal are mined, and granite, marble, slate, and limestone are quarried. Salt is largely manufactured on the coast, and in the towns iron, zinc, copper, woollen, and cotton. The department is divided into the six arrondissements of St. Lô, Avranches, Cherbourg, Coutances, Mortain, and Valognes. Capital, St. Lô.
MANCHESTER, one of the shire towns of Hillsborough co., New Hampshire, and the largest city in the state, situated on both banks (but chiefly on the E.) of the Merrimack river, 18 m. S. by E. of Concord, and 46 m. N. W. of Boston; pop. in 1850, 13,932; in 1860, 20,107; in 1870, 23,536, of whom 7,158 were foreigners, including a considerable number of French Canadians. The villages of Amoskeag and Piscataquog are on the W. side of the river, which is crossed by five bridges. The city is regularly laid out in squares, and the main street is 100 ft. wide, planted with elms on each side at in-
