Middlewich

Middlewich, an old-fashioned market-town of Cheshire, on the river Dane and the Grand Trunk Canal, 21 miles E. of Chester. Its salt-manufacture has declined. Pop. 4706.

Midhurst

Midhurst, a market-town of Sussex, on the Rother, a navigable tributary of the Arun, 65 miles by rail SW. of London and 12 N. of Chichester. Cobden was born close by, and Lyell was educated at the grammar-school (1672). Cowdray House, 1/2 mile NE., was built about 1530 by the Earl of Southampton, and for 239 years had been the seat of eight Viscounts Montague, when in 1793 it was reduced by fire to a beautiful ruin. Till 1885 Midhurst borough (35 sq. m. in area) returned a member to parliament. Pop. of parish, 1674.

Midi

Midi, Canal du. See Garonne. Midlothian. See Edinburghshire.

Midnapur

Midnapur, a town of Bengal, on the Kasai River, 68 miles W. of Calcutta. Pop. 33,264.

Midsomer Norton

Mid'somer Norton, a town of Somerset, 10 miles SW. of Bath, with malting and brewing, and a R.C. college (1814). Pop. 5850.

Miknas

Miknas, or Mequinez, a walled town of Morocco, 32 miles W. by S. of Fez and 70 from the coast. The palace is the sultan's summer residence, and the mosque of Muley Ismail is the royal burial-place. Pop. 30,000.

Milazzo

Milazzo (Milat'so; anc. Mylœ), a fortified seaport of Sicily, on a promontory 21 miles W. of Messina. Off MylAe in 260 B.C. the Romans won a great sea-fight over the Carthaginians; and here in 1860 Garibaldi, with 2500 men, defeated 7000 Neapolitans. Pop. 7971.

Milbome Port

Milbome Port, a town of Somerset, 3 1/2 miles NE. of Sherborne. Pop. of parish, 1951.

Mildenhall

Mildenhall, a Suffolk market-town, on the Lark, 12 miles NW. of Bury-St-Edmunds. Pop. of parish, 3732.

Miletus

Mile'tus, anciently the most flourishing city of Ionia, in Asia Minor, stood near the mouth of the MAeander. It was the birthplace of Thales, Anaximander, Anaximenes, and HecatAeus.

Milford

Milford, a parliamentary borough (contributory to Pembroke) and seaport of South Wales, in the county of Pembroke, on the north side of Milford Haven, 271 miles W. of London. The fortified Haven, which as a natural harbour is unequalled in area, complete shelter, and facility of entrance, stretches inland 10 miles, varies in breadth from 1 to nearly 2 miles, and has a depth in most places of from 15 to 19 fathoms. In 1485 the Earl of Richmond (afterwards Henry VII.) disembarked here from Brittany shortly before the battle of Bosworth. Docks designed by Sir E. J. Reed, and capable of accommodating vessels of the largest size, were completed in 1882, but not opened to shipping until 21st September 1888: their total area is 60 acres, and the depth of water inside 28 feet. Pop. 5110.

Milford

Milford, a town of Massachusetts, 36 miles W. by S. of Boston, with boot-factories. Pop. 11,380.

Military Frontier

Military Frontier. See Croatia.

Militello

Militello, a town of Sicily, 21 miles SW. of Catania. Pop. 10,505.