MEL'FI, an ancient episcopal town of southern Italy, in the province of Potenza, 3T m. s. of Foggia, on a feeder of the Ofanto (anc. Aujidus). It is situated on a bed of lava to the n.e. of the lofty (3;000 feet) volcanic Monte Volture, uow extinct, from which it is. separated by a deep ravine. The once magnificent cathedral, erected in 1155, was ahnost entirely destroyed by an earthquake in 1851, which at the same time leveled many fine buildings, public and private, and destroyed about 1000 persons. The only evidences of volcanic action are the severity of the earthquaKes which occasionally deso - late the district, and the emission at times of carbonic acid and other gases from the lakes in the old crater of the volcano, throwing up columns of water, accompanied by internal rumblings. Thisiphenomenon generally takes place when Vesuvius is in a state of activity. The district around the city is celebrated for its wine. Pop. 11,225.
IfIELIATEE, a natural order of exogenous plants, containing nearly 200 known spe cies. trees and shrubs, natives of warm climates, and mostly tropical. Many of the species possess bitter, astringent, and tonic properties; some are used in medicine; the seeds of some yield useful oil; some are poisonous; some yield pleasant fruits; the W00(1 of some is valuable. See CARAPA.—The lanseh is the tnost esteemed fruit of this order; and next to it is milnea edulis, a fruit of the n.e. of India, of which the edible
part is the large succulent aril.—The CAPE ASH (elcebergia capensis) deserves notice among the timber trees of this order. It has a trunk two feet in diameter, and yields excellent tough timber, useful for many purposes. azedarach, a tree about forty feet high, -with large bipinnate leaves, a native of Syria and other parts of the east, has long been much planted as an ornamental tree in tlie s. of Europe, and is now common in the southern states of North America. Its flowers are in large spikes, and very fro...mint. The fruit is of the size of a cherry, somewhat elongated, pale yellow, containing a lirowu nut. The nuts are bored and strung for beads in Roman Catholic countries, whence the tree is often called BEAD TREE. It is also known a.s the pride of India, and is sometimes erroneously called Persian lilac. The fruit is sweetish, and not poisonous, although very generally reputed so. The bark of the root, which is bitter and nauseous, is used as an anthelmintic. The pulp of the fruit of the NEEM TREE or MARGOSA TREE (azaclirachta indica) yields a fixed oil, which is bitter, stimulant, and anthelmintic. The bark is a valuable tonic. The leaves are universally used in India for poultices.