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'hand, and her ®gis nr shield in the left, on which is representedMedusa ’s head encircled with snakes, and her helmet usually en-twined with olives. Minerva had several temples both in Greece and Italy . The usual victim offered her was a white heifer, neveryoked. The animals sacred to her were the cock, the owl, andthe basilisk.

Minervje Arx, Minervje Castrum, Minervium, orTiiM-plum Minkrvje, a citadel, temple, and town, on the Ionian sea ,beyond Hydros; now called Castro, a town Of Otranto in Naples .Lon. 19 . 25. E. Lat. 46. 8 . N. ;

Minerva Promontorium, in ancient geography, the seat ofthe Sirens, a promontory of Italy, in the Sinus Paestanus , nowcalled Capo della Minerva, on the W. coast of Naples , overagainst the island Capri.

M1NERVALIA, in Roman antiquity, festivals celebrated inhonour of Minerva; in March the scholars had a vacation, andusually made a present to their masters, called from this festivalMinerval.

MINGALLA, one of the Western Islands of Scotland , ninemiles S. of Barra.

MINGAN ISLANDS, a cluster of islands on the S. coast ofLabrador, so named from the largest one.

MINGO, an Indian town, on the W. bank of the Ohio , 40miles S. \V. of Pittsburg.

MINGOES, a nation of N. American Indians, who inhabit thebanks of the S. branch of the Sciola.

MINGRELIA, a part of Western Georgia, in Asia , ancientlycalled Colchis; bounded on the E. by Iberia, or Georgia properlyso called; cri the W. by the Euxinc Sea ; on the S. by Armenia ,and part of Pontus; and on the N. by Mount Caucasus. It iswatered by many rivers; particularly the C’orex, the Ilippus, theCyaneus, the Charistus, the Phasis, where the Argonauts landed,the Absarus, the Cissa, and the Ophis, all runningintothcEuxineSea. The whole kingdom of Colchis was in ancient times wrypleasant and fruitful, as it is still where duly cultivated ; aboundedin all the necessaries of life ; and was enriched with many minesof gold, which gave occasion to the fable of the Golden Fleece and•the Argonautic expedition so much ■celebrated by the ancients.

MlNHO, a great river in Spain, which taking its rise in Galicia ,divides that province from Portugal , and tails into the Atlantic atCaminha.

MINIATO, St. an episcopal town of Etruria , on the Arno, 20■miles S. W. ofFiorence. Lon. 10 . 45. E. Lat. 43. 40. N.

MINIATURE PAINTING, a delicate kind of painting, in■which the subjects are represented on a very small scale. Theeffect is usually produced by little points or dots done on vellum,ivory, or paper, with water-colours. The word comes from theFrench mignature, from mignon, fine, or pretty, on account of itssmallness and delicacy : and it may be ultimately derived from(wixjor, small, or minimus, least, -Miniature is distinguished fromother kinds of painting by the smallness and delicacy of its figures;on which account it requires to be viewed very closely. As manypersons wish to amuse themselves with painting in miniature, whoknow little of nothing of the principles of drawing or painting,various methods have been invented, such as copying by squares,on oiled paper, &c. Perhaps one of the best mechanical inventionsto assist such persons is the mathematical compass called a Pen-tagraph, which sec. This instrument may be made of tenpieces of wood or brass in form of rulers, half a quarter of an inchthick, six inches broad, and about a fool long. See Plate CXV III.fig. 2. Thelittle board A is of fir, covered with linen, asthe piece to becopied, and the paper or vellum, are'to be fixed upon it. On thisthe compass must be fixed with a pin, by the end of the first footB, deep enough to keep it close, but not so deep as to hinder itfrom turning easily. To reduce a figure, place the original onthe side of the foot C, and the vellum or paper on the side of thefoot B ; removing the vellum, or drawing it nearer, as it is wished toreduce or enlarge. A crayon or black-lead-pencil must be put inthe foot under which the'vellum lies, and a pin blunted in thatover the original, with which the traces aie to be copied. SeeDrawing, and Painting . For a longtime miniature-paintingwas employed upon vellum, paper, See. but in the present im-proved state of the art, ivory is more used than any of these ma-terials. The chief colours made use of in miniature-painting are :Carmine. Venice and Florence-lake. Rose-pink. Vermillion.

Red lead. Brown red. Red orpiment. Ultramarine. Verdd el "indigo. Gall-stone. Yellow ochre.' Dutch-pink. Gambog'yNaples-yellow. Pale masticot. Deep yellow maslicot. Ivor.'''black. Lamp-black. True iudian-ink. Bistre, or wood-soo' -Raw umber. Burnt umber. Sap-green. Verdigrise. Flake-whib’’

MINIM, in music, a note equal to two crotchets, or half a sen"'breve. See Music. .

MINIMS, a religious order in the church of Rome , founderby St. Francis de Paula, towards the end of the 1jlh cenGO''r I heir habit is a coarse black woollen stuff, with a w o®llen girdh’-*of the same colours, tied in five knots.

MINIMUM, in the higher geometry, the least quantity attain'able in a given case.

MINION, [ mignon , Fr.] a favourite; a darling; a low <' ,e 'pendant; one who pleases rather than benefits. A word of ci" 1 'tempt, or of slight and familiar kindness.

Minion, a piece of camion, at present but little used in the tic'' 1,

MINISTER, a person who preaches, performs religious " 01 'ship in public, administers the sacraments, &c.

Minister, Foreign, a person sent into a foreign country, 10manage the affairs of his province, or of the state to which he b e "longs. Of these there are two kinds: those of the first rank » rl!ambassadors and envoys extraordinary, who represent the perso " 3of their sovereigns: the ministers of the second rank are the orib'nary residents.

Minister or State. See Privy Council.

M1N1TOBA, a lake of Canada , 100 miles long, and from 'to 13 broad. Lon. ! 00 . 20 . W. Lat. 50. 40. N. ,

MINIUM, or RED LEAD, an oxide of lead of a vivid redcolour, which it acquires by a slow calcination and reverberatio" -The minium in commerce is chiefly brought from Holland , "h<- ,r . elarge quantities of it are manufactured. The method in which m 1 'ilium is made in large quantities with us is this: The' first bud 1lead in a furnace info a kind of litharge, by continually stirring 11while melted with an iron-rake; this they afterwards grind with t"’,®pairs of stones, which deliver it from one to another, the first p al ‘grinding it coarser, the second finer ; these are worked by mea nSof a mill which moves six paiis of them at once- When thusfi'duced to a fine powder, it is washed, and then put into a furiia ,c ’and is burnt with a reverberatory fire for two or three days, allwhile they continue stirring it with a large iron-rake, hung 011 ! lswivel or iron-hook ; and toward the end of the time they " alt Iits being of the right colour. When this is doing, the fire m“ snot he carried beyond a certain degree, lest the matter clot and i ' 111together. See Lead.

MINNOW, a species of Cyprinus, which see.

MINONG, an island of Canada, in Lake Superior , 30 nm clong and 10 broad. Lon. 89 . 0 . W. Eat. 48. 0 . N.

MINOR, [Lat.] in law, denotes a person under age; or " b*by the laws ot the country, is not arrived at the power of admin 13lering his own allairs, or the possession of his estate. Among li j’a person is a minor till the age of 21 ; before which time his m 3are invalid. See Age, Infant, and Major. it is a maxi " 1the common law, that in the King there is no minority, and lb 1 ’ 11 'fore he hath no legal guardian ; and his royal grants and assent* ^acts of parliaments are good, though he has not, in his natural c ‘pacity, attained the legal age of 21 . It is also provided by jcustom and law of parliament, that no one shall sit or vote in eiu ! ‘,house, unless lie be 21 years of age. This is expressly deck" 1 ’ ^by stat. 7 and 8 William HI. cap. 25, with regard to the lious® 0commons.

Minor, in logic, is the second proposition of a formal or 1gular syllogism, called also the assumption. See Logic. ... r/ Minor, in music, is applied to certain concords, which dii^..from, or are lower than, othi rs of the same- denomination by a ^semitone or four commas. Tims we say, a third minor or P'jthird, or a sixtli major and minor. Concords that admit ot majo 1 'minor, i. e. greater anil less, are said to be imperfect coiico ,<See Major.

Minors, Friars Minor , or Minorites, appellations "b 1 ^,the Franciscans assume. See Franciscans . There is als® Lorder of Regular Minors at: Naples , winch was established in i-' 1 " ’and confirmed by Sixtus V. :

MINORB1NO, a town and bishop’s see of Naples , i ' 1 *'<*26 miles N. of Circnza. Lon. 16 . 19. E. Lat. 41. 8 . N. ..a

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