MAI^ABAB COAST. 727 MAXACHY. lowlands are cultivated and yield rich crops of rice. The chief towns along the coast are Cali- uut, the capital of the Malabar district, Jlanga- lore. Tellicherri. Kauanur. and Cochin (qq.v.). MALABTJYOC, ma'la-b«o'y6k. A town of I 'ibn, Philippines, situated on the Strait of lauon, on the southwestern coast of the island Map: Philippine Islands, H 10). Population, in IS'Jti, 13,005. MALACCA. A British territory on the -cutlnvest coast of the ilalay Peninsula, forming a part of the Straits Settlements (Map: French Inilo China. D 7). Its area is about 0.30 square miles, and it consists mainly of low, swampy land, rising toward the interior and producing rice, pepper, and sago. There are tin mines in the interior, and tin is the principal export. The population in 1891 was 92,170, of whom 70.000 were Malays. 18.000 Chinese, and only 134 Europeans. The capital is Malacca. MALACCA. The capital of the Territory of Malacca in the Straits Settlements, situated on the southwest coast of the Malay Peninsula, 125 miles northwest of Singapore (Map: French Indo-China, D 7 ) . It was formerly an impor- tant commercial port, but has declined owing to the competition of Singapore. Population, in 1891, 16.502. The town was first taken by the Portuguese in 1511. and was later occupied by the Dutch. It became a British possession in 1824. MALACCA, Stbait of. The body of water which separates the Malay Peninsula on the northeast from the island of Sumatra on the southwest and connects the Bay of Bengal with the South China Sea ( Map : French Indo-China, C 6). Its length is 500 miles, and its breadth varies from 50 miles at the southeast to 250 miles at the northwest extremity. Its narrow end is filled with a number of large and small islands, on one of which is the British settlement of Singapore. MALACCA CANE. A species of cane (C'aln- miis Sripiijiuim) . used in the manufacture of walking-sticks. It is imported from Sumatra. MALACCA WEASEL. A civet. See Rasse. MALACHI, mal'a-ki (Heb.. my messenger). Commonly regarded as the name of the author of the last book of the Minor Prophets in the Jewish canon. It is probable, however, that Malachi is neither a proper name nor an appella- tive of the author of the book, but is used in chap. i. 1 in the literal sense. Hence this pas- sage is to be translated, "The word of Yahweh to Israel by my messenger." This view is borne out by the use of the same word "my messenger" in chap. iii. 1. The prophecy of Malachi is therefore anonymous. The book falls into two divisions : ( a ) a general presentation of the main theme, followed by a rebuke to the priests (i.-ii. 9), and .(bl a rebuke of the people with occasional references again to the sins of the priests (ii. 10-iv. 6). After a brief introduction emphasizing fJod's love to Israel as proved by history, the prophet addresses the priests, rebuk- ing tiiem for their heartless, mercenary, and corrupt services. He threatens them with judg- ments if they persist in their sins, and describes the character of a true priest in contrast with their own. The second part consists of a series of oracles, addressed to all the people, who are rebuked for their marriages with the Gentiles and their rejection of the lawful wives of their youth, who were left to weep at the altars of Vahweh. It is maintained by some scholars that this rebuke of unlawful marriages is a sim- ile for the disloyalty of the people toward Yahweh, but the interpretation is forced. The prophet continues by the announcement of the sudden coming of Yahweh, whom the people claimed to seek, but who, in an unexpected com- ing, would sit in judgment against all trans- gressors, supplying by His own omniscience swift testimony against them. This represents the prophet's answer to those who declared that (iod did not concern Himself with the affairs of the individual. He calls the people to repentance, with the promi.se of abundant bless- ings to all who obey. To those who already fear God he gives the assurance that they shall al- ways be precious in His sight, and closes with the renewed announcement of the appointed judg- ment, before which great and dreadful day Elijah, the prophet, will come calling fathers and chil- dren to repentance as the only way of avoiding the hastening ^oom. The Book of ilalachi is a production of the Persian period. The Exile lies so far in the past that it is not even referred to. The temple has been rebuilt and the cult is regularly carried on, but the adoption of the Priestly Code has not fulfilled the hopes of its advocates. Mixed marriages were still going on, and the priests used their sacred office for per- sonal aggrandizement. The people, too. were not con.scientious in paying their tithes (iii. 8-12). We are therefore transported by this book to the first half of the fourth century B.C., when the evils described, which ultimately led to internal conflicts, terminating in the division of the people into several parties, were beginning to set in. The diction of the Book of JIalachi is as pure as in any of the earlier prophetical discourses; and the style is vigorous without approaching in vividness some of its predecessors. The book is referred to no less than four times in the New Testament (Mark i. 2: ix. II; Luke i. 17; Rom. ix. 13). Consult, besides the general works on the ilinor Prophets, especially the commen- taries of G. A. Smith, Xowack. and Cullhausen: KohleT, Der Prophet Maleachi (Erlangcn, 1865) ; Perowne. "The Book of Malachi." in the Cam- bridge Bible for t<chools and Collei/es ( Cam- bridge, 1889) ; Torrey, in the Journal of Biblical Literature (1898). MALACHITE, mal'a-ktt (from Lat. malache, Gk. /laXdxi;, mallow ; so called from the color). A basic cupric carbonate that crystallizes in the monoclinic system. It is of a bright green color, and is commonly found massive, though some- times in botryoidal or stalactitic forms. Mala- chite occurs with other ores of copper, frequently as a product of their alteration, and is found in the Ural, in TjtoI. at various localities in France, and elsewhere througliout the world. Specimens in fine mass with acieular crystals occur at Bisbee and Morenci, Ariz. It has long been highly prized as a gem stone, especially in Russia, where it is used for inlay work, man- tels, table-tops, and paneling. MALACHY, mal'a-kl. Saixt (1095-1148). An Irish prelate and reformer. He was bom probably in Armagh, of the noble family of O'Morgiiir, educated by a hermit named lomhar.
