MAJOLICA

majolica, a name properly applied to a species of italian ware in which the body is coated with a tin-enamel, on which is laid and fired a painted decoration. it is also applied to similar wares made in imitation of the italian ware in other countries. the word in italian is _maiolica_. du cange (_gloss. s.v._ "majorica") quotes from a chronicle of verona of 1368, in which the form _majolica_ occurs for the more usual latin form _majorica_. it has usually been supposed that this type of pottery was first made in the island of majorca, but it is more probable that the name was given by the italians to the lustred spanish ware imported by ships hailing from the balearic islands. (see ceramics: _medieval and later italian_.) major (or mair), john (1470-1550), scottish theological and historical writer, was born at the village of gleghornie, near north berwick, scotland, in the year 1470. he was educated at the school of haddington, where john knox was later a pupil. after a short period spent at cambridge (at god's house, afterwards christ's college) he entered the university of paris in 1493, studying successively at the colleges of st barbe, montaigu and navarre, and graduating as master of arts in 1496. promoted to the doctorate in 1505, he lectured on philosophy at montaigu college and on theology at navarre. he visited scotland in 1515 and returned in 1518, when he was appointed principal regent in the university of glasgow, john knox being among the number of those who attended his lectures there. in 1522 he removed to st andrew's university, where in 1525 george buchanan was one of his pupils. he returned to the college of montaigu in 1525, but was once more at st andrew's in 1531, where he was head of st salvator's college from 1534 until his death. major's voluminous writings may be grouped under (a) logic and philosophy, (b) scripture commentary, and (c) history. all are in latin, all appeared between 1503 and 1530, and all were printed at paris. the first group includes his _exponabilia_ (1503), his commentary on petrus hispanus (1505-1506), his _inclitarum artium libri_ (1506, &c.), his commentary on joannes dorp (1504, &c.), his _insolubilia_ (1516, &c.), his introduction to aristotle's logic (1521, &c.), his commentary on the ethics (1530), and, chief of all, his commentary on peter lombard's _sentences_ (1509, &c.); the second consists of a commentary on matthew (1518) and another on the four gospels (1529); the last is represented by his famous _historia majoris britanniae tam angliae quam scotiae per j. m._ (1521). in political philosophy he maintained the scotist position, that civil authority was derived from the popular will, but in theology he was a scholastic conservative, though he never failed to show his approbation of gallicanism and its plea for the reform of ecclesiastical abuses. he has left on record that it was his aim and hope to reconcile realism and nominalism in the interests of theological peace. he had a world-wide reputation as a teacher and writer. buchanan's severe epigram, perhaps the only unfriendly words in the flood of contemporary praise, may be explained as a protest against the compromise which major appeared to offer rather than as a personal attack on his teacher. major takes a more independent attitude in his _history_, which is a remarkable example of historical accuracy and insight. he claims that the historian's chief duty is to write truthfully, and he is careful to show that a theologian may fulfil this condition. the _history_, on which his fame now rests, was reprinted by freebairn (edinburgh, 1740), and was translated in 1892 by archibald constable for the scottish history society. the latter volume contains a full account of the author by aeneas j. g. mackay and a bibliography by thomas graves law. major (lat. for "greater"), a word used, both as a substantive and adjective, for that which is greater than another in size, quality, degree, importance, &c., often opposed correlatively to that to which "minor" is applied in the same connotation. in the categorical syllogism in logic, the major term is the term which forms the predicate of the conclusion, the major premise is that which contains the major term. (for the distinction between major and minor intervals, and other applications in music, see music and harmony.) the use of _major_ as part of an official title in med. lat. has given the span. _mayor_, fr. _maire_, and eng. "_mayor_" (q.v.). in english the unadapted form "major" is the title of a military officer now ranking between a captain and a lieutenant-colonel. originally the word was used adjectivally in the title "sergeant-major," an officer of high rank (third in command of an army) who performed the same duties of administration, drill and encampments on the staff of the chief commander as the sergeant in a company performs as assistant to the captain. this was in the latter half of the 16th century, and very soon afterwards the "sergeant-major" became known as the "sergeant-major-general"--hence the modern title of major-general. by the time of the english civil war "majors" had been introduced in each regiment of foot, who corresponded in a lesser sphere to the "major-general" of the whole army. the major's sphere of duties, precedence and title have since varied but little, though he has, in the british service, taken the place of the lieutenant-colonel as second in command--the latter officer exercising the command of the cavalry regiment, infantry battalion or artillery brigade, and the colonel being, save for certain administrative functions, little more than the titular chief of his regiment. junior majors command companies of infantry; squadrons of cavalry and batteries of artillery are also commanded by majors. in most european armies, however, and of late years in the army of the united states also, the major has become a battalion commander under the orders of a regimental commander (colonel or lieutenant-colonel). the word appears also in the british service in "brigade-major" (the adjutant or staff officer of a brigade). "town-majors" (garrison staff officers) are now no longer appointed. in the french service up to 1871 the "major-general" was the chief of the general staff of a field army, and thus preserved the tradition of the former "sergeant-major" or "sergeant-major-general." majorca (_mallorca_), the largest of the group of spanish islands in the mediterranean sea known as the balearic islands (q.v.). pop. (1900), 248,191; area, 430 sq. m. majorca has the shape of a trapezoid, with the angles directed to the cardinal points; and its diagonal, from cape grozer in the west to cape pera in the east, is about 60 m. on the north-west the coast is precipitous, but on the other sides it is low and sloping. on the north-east there are several considerable bays, of which the chief are those of alcudia and pollensa; while on the south-west is the still more important bay of palma. no fewer than twelve ports or harbours are enumerated round the island, of which may be mentioned andraitx and soller. in the north-west majorca is traversed by a chain of mountains running parallel with the coast, and attaining its highest elevation in silla de torrellas (5154 ft.). towards the south and east the surface is comparatively level, though broken by isolated peaks of considerable height. the northern mountains afford great protection to the rest of the island from the violent gales to which it would otherwise be exposed, and render the climate remarkably mild and pleasant. the scenery of majorca has all the picturesqueness of outline that usually belongs to a limestone formation. some of the valleys, such as those of valdemosa and soller, with their luxuriant vegetation, are delightful resorts. there are quarries of marble of various grains and colours--those near santany, in the district of manacor, being especially celebrated; while lead, iron and cinnabar have also been obtained. coal of a jet-like character is found at benisalem, where it was first worked in 1836; at selva, where it has been mined since 1851; near santa maria and elsewhere. it is used in the industrial establishments of palma, and in the manufacture of lime, plaster and bricks near the mines. a considerable quantity is also exported to barcelona. the inhabitants are principally devoted to agriculture, and most of the arable land is cultivated. the mountains are terraced; and the old pine woods have in many places given way to the olive, the vine and the almond tree, to fields of wheat and flax, or to orchards of figs and oranges. for the last-mentioned fruits the valley of soller is one of the most important districts, the produce being largely transmitted to france. the yield of oil is very considerable, and inca is the centre of the oil district. the wines are light but excellent, especially the muscadel and montona. during the summer there is often great scarcity of water; but, according to a system handed down by the moors, the rains of autumn and winter are collected in enormous reservoirs, which contain sufficient water to last through the dry season; and on the payment of a certain rate, each landholder has his fields flooded at certain intervals. mules are used in the agriculture and traffic of the island. the cattle are small, but the sheep are large and well fleeced. pigs are reared for export to barcelona, and there is abundance of poultry and small game. brandy is made and exported in large quantities. excellent woollen and linen cloths are woven; the silkworm is reared and its produce manufactured; and canvas, rope and cord are largely made, from both native and foreign materials. the roads are excellent, the four principal being those from alcudia, manacor, soller and andraitx to the capital. forty-eight miles of railway were open at the beginning of the 20th century. the main line runs from palma to manacor and alcudia. the telegraphic system is fairly complete, and there is regular steam communication with barcelona and alicante. the principal towns include--besides palma (63,937), felanitx (11,294) and manacor (12,408), which are described in separate articles--andraitx (6516), inca (7579), llummayor (8859), pollensa (8308), santany (6692) and soller (8026). majorian (julius valerius majorianus), emperor of the west from 457 to 461. he had distinguished himself as a general by victories over the franks and alemanni, and six months after the deposition of avitus he was declared emperor by the regent ricimer. after repelling an attack by the vandals upon campania (458) he prepared a large force, composed chiefly of barbarians, to invade africa, which he previously visited in disguise. having during his stay in gaul defeated and concluded an alliance with theodoric the visigoth, at the beginning of 460 he crossed the pyrenees for the purpose of joining the powerful fleet which he had collected at carthagena. the vandal king genseric, however, after all overtures of peace had been rejected, succeeded through the treachery of certain officers in surprising the roman fleet, most of the ships being either taken or destroyed. majorian thereupon made peace with genseric. but his ill-success had destroyed his military reputation; his efforts to put down abuses and improve the condition of the people had roused the hatred of the officials; and ricimer, jealous of his fame and influence, stirred up the foreign troops against him. a mutiny broke out in lombardy, and on the 2nd of august 461 majorian was forced to resign. he died five days afterwards, either of dysentery or by violence. majorian was the author of a number of remarkable laws, contained in the theodosian code. he remitted all arrears of taxes, the collection of which was for the future placed in the hands of the local officials. he revived the institution of _defensores_, defenders of cities, whose duty it was to protect the poor and inform the emperor of abuses committed in his name. the practice of pulling down the ancient monuments to be used as building material, which was connived at by venal officials, was strictly prohibited. he also passed laws against compulsory ordination and premature vows of celibacy. see sidonius apollinaris, _panegyric of majorian_; gibbon, _decline and fall_, ch. xxxvi. (where an outline of the "novels" of majorian is given); j. b. bury, _later roman empire_, bk. iii. majority (fr. _majorite_; med. lat. _majoritas_; lat. _major_, greater), a term signifying the greater number. in legislative and deliberative assemblies it is usual to decide questions by a majority of those present at a meeting and voting. in law, majority is the state of being of full age, which in the united kingdom is twenty-one years of age. a person attains his majority at twelve o'clock at night of the day preceding his twenty-first birthday (see infant; age). majuba (properly amajuba, zulu for "the hill of doves"), a mountain in northern natal, part of the drakensberg range, rising about 7000 ft. above the sea and over 2000 ft. above the level of the surrounding country. it overlooks the pass through the drakensberg known as laing's nek, is 8 m. s. of the transvaal border and 18 m. n. of the town of newcastle. the railway from durban to johannesburg skirts the base of the mountain. during the boer war of 1880-81 majuba was occupied on the night of the 26th of february 1881 by some 600 british troops under sir george pomeroy colley. on the following morning the hill was stormed by the boers under piet joubert and the british routed, colley being among the slain.