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sum boiled in glue, only differently coloured, and thus are the dif-ferent colours of the original represented. In order that the ne-cessary colours and teints may lie ready at hand, the quantities ofthe gypsum are tempered with the'several colours’in pots. Afterthe design has been thus filled and rendered visible, by half-polishing it with brick and soft stone, they go over it again, cuttingsuch places as are either to be weaker or more shadowed, and fill-ing them with gypsum; which work they repeat till all the coloursbeing added one after the other, represent the original to the life.When the work is finished, they scour it with soft stone, sand, andwater; after that, with a pumice-stone; and in the last place po-lish it with a wooden mullet and emery. Lastly, they gave it alustre, by smearing it over with oil, and rubbing it a long timewith the palm of the hand, which gives it a lustre no ways inferiorto that of natural marble.

Mosaic Work of Marble, Method of Performing. Theground of mosaic works, wholly marble, is usually a massive mar-ble, either white or black. On this ground the design is cut witha chisel, after it has been first calked. After it has been cut of aconsiderable depth, i. e. an inch or more, the cavities are filled upwith marble of a proper colour, first fashioned according to thedesign, and reduced to the thickness of the indentures with variousinstruments. To make the piece thus inserted into the indenturescleave fast, whose several colours are to imitate those of the design,they use a stucco, composed of lime and marble-dust; or a kindof mastic, which is prepared by each workman, after a mannerpeculiar to himself. The figures being marked out, the painter orsculptor draws with a pencil the colours of the figures not deter-mined by the ground, and in the same manner makes strokes orhatchings in the place where shadows are to be: and after he hasengraven with the chisel all the strokes thus drawn, he fills themup with a black mastic, composed partly of Burgundy pitch pour-ed on hot; taking off afterwards what is superfluous with a pieceof soft stone or brick, which, together with water and beaten ce-ment, takes away the mastic, polishes the marble, and renders thewhole so even that one would imagine it only consisted of onepiece. This kind of mosaic work is used in large works, as thepavements of churches, basiliscs, and palaces, and in the veneeringof their walls. It is seen in the pompous church of the invalids atParis, and the fine chapel at Versailles , with which some entireapartments of the palace are incrustated.

Mosaic Work of Precious Stones, Method of Perform-ing. For this purpose,- other and'finer instruments are requiredthan those used in marble; as drills, wheels, &c. used by lapida-ries, and engravers on stone. As none but the richest marblesand stones enter this work, to make them go the farther, they aresawn into the thinnest leaves imaginable, scarcely exceeding half aline in thickness; the block to be sawn is fastened firmly withcords on the bench, and only raised a little on a piece of wood,one or two inches high. Two iron-pins, which are on one sidethe block, and which serve to fasten it, are put into a vice con-trived for the purpose; and with a kind of saw or bow, made offine brass-wire, bent on a piece of spongy wood, together withemery steeped in water, the leaf is gradually fashioned bv follow-ing the stroke of the design, made on paper and glued on thepiece. When there are pieces enough fastened to form an entirefiower, or some other part of the design, they are applied to theground. The ground which supports this mosaic work is usuallyof free-stone. The matter with which the stones are joined toge-ther-is a mastic, or kind of stucco, laid very thin on the leaves asthey are fashioned; and this being done, the loaves are appliedWith plyers. If any contour, or side of a leaf, be not either squar-ed or rounded sufficiently, so as to fit the place exactly into whichit is to be inserted, when it is too large, it is to be brought downWith a brass-file or rasp ; and if it be too little, ft is managed witha drill and other instruments used by lapidaries. This kind of mo-saic work- is only used in small works, as ornaments for altar-P'eces, and tables for rich cabinets, precious stones being sov ery dear.

Mosaic Works of the Fe athers of Birds. &c. In Clavige-Fo’s history of Mexico is described a curious kind of mosaic workHiade by the ancient. Mexicans of the most delicate and beautifulfeathers of birds. They raised for this purpose various species

birds of fine plumage with which that country abounds, not onlyfile palaces of tire king, where there were all sorts of animats, hut

likewise in private houses: and at certain seasons they carried offtheir feathers to make use of them on this kind of work, or to sellthem at market. They set a high value on the feathers of those •wonderful little birds which they call IluitzitzUin and the Spa-niards Picafloras, on account of the smallness, the fineness, andthe various colours, of them. In these and other beautiful birds •nature supplied them with all the colours which art can produce,and also some which art cannot imitate. At the undertaking of -every mosaic work several artists assembled: After having agreedupon a design, and taken their measures and proportions, eachartist charged himself with the execution of a certain part of theimage, and exerted himself so diligently in it with such patienceand application, that he frequently spent a whole day in adjustinga feather; first trying one, then another, viewing it sometimesone way, then another, until he found one which gave his partthat ideal perfection proposed to be attained. When the partwhich each artist undertook was done, they assembled againto form the entire image from them. If any part was acci-dentally deranged, it was wrought again until it was perfectlyfinished. They laid hold of the feathers with small pincers, thatthey might not do them the least injury, and pasted them on thecloth with tzauhtli, or some other glutinous matter: then theyunited all the parts upon a little table, or a plate of copper, andflattened them softly, until they left the surface of the image soequal and smooth that it appeared to be the work of a pencil.These were the images so much celebrated by the Spaniards andother European nations. Whoever beheld them was at a losawhether to praise most the life and beauty of the natural colours,or the dexterity of the artist and the ingenious disposition of art.“These images (says Acosta) are deservedly admired; for it iswonderful how it was possible, with the feathers of birds, to exe-cute works so fine and so equal, that they appear the perform-ance of the pencil ; and what neither the pencil nor the colours inpainting can effect, they have, when viewed from a side, anappearance so lively, beautiful, and animated: Some Indians, whoare able artists, copy whatever is painted with a pencil so perfectlywith plumage, that they rival the best painters of Spain .” Theseworks of feathers were even so highly esteemed bv the Mexicansas to be valued more than gold. Cortes, Bernal Diaz, Gomara ,Torquemada , and all the other historians who saw them, wereat a loss for expressions sufficient to praise their perfection. Seve-ral works of this kind, our author says, are still preserved in themuseums of Europe, and many in Mexico ; but few, he appre-hends, belong to the 16th century, and still fewer, if any, are ofthose made before the conquest. The mosaic works also w-hichthe Mexicans made of broken shells were extremely curious; thisart is still practised ill Guatimala.

MOSAMBIQUE, a kingdom of Africa lying S. of Quiloa.

MosAMBiauE, the capital of the above kingdom, is situatedon an island, at the mouth of a river both of the same name. Theisland is 30 miles in circumference, and very populous, thoughthe air is said to be very hot, and the soil in general dry, sandy,and barren; yet they have most of the tropical fruits with blackcattle, hogs, and sheep.- There is a kind of fowls here, boththe feathers and-flesh of which are black, insomuch that, whenthey are boiled, the broth looks like ink ; and yet their flesh is verydelicate and good. The town of Mosambique is regularly forti-fied, and has a good harbour, defended by a citadel, with severalchurches and monasteries. The Portuguese shipping to and fromIndia touch here for refreshments. Lon. 40. 10. E. Lat. 15.5. S. 1

MOSCIIATEL. SeeADOXiA. '

MOSCHUS, a Grecian poet of antiquity, usually coupled withBion. They were both contemporaries with Theocritus. - In thetime of the latter Grecians, all the ancient Idylliums were collect-ed and attributed to Theocritus :- bot the claims of Moschus andBion have been admitted to some few little pieces. All that isknown about- them is collected from their own- remains. Moschus,by composing his delicate elegy on Bion, has given the best me-morials of Bion’s life: Moschus and ft heocritus have by some

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others again suppose him to have been the scholar of Bion, andprobably his successor in governing the poetic school; which,

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