MEDIIIIRST, WALTER HENRY, an English missionary; 11'96-1857; b. London; edu cated for the ministry, and, by appointment of the London missionary society in 1816, labored successfully in India, Malacca, and other Asiatic countries, and afterwards set tled in Batavia, Java, where lie remained eight years, performing, missionary work also in Borneo. In 1845 he was sent to China, and settled at Shanghai. He had charge of the printing establishment, which before this had been worked at Batavia, but he now xemoved it to Shanghai, and began to print sermons and tracts. For six years he per Aimed mission work in the iuterior of China amid much peril. He was much opposed by the Romanists in the year 1847, yet 34,000 copies of various works were printed, and -500 tracts were weekly distributed. During this year delegates from several stations convened in Shanghai for the revision of the New Testament. In this work he was -engaged till 1830, when he devoted his time to the Old Testament. In 1856 he returned to England in impaired health, and died three days after his arrival. He was a faithful missionary, and a distinguished oriental scholar. He was well versed in the Chinese, -Japanese, Javanese, and other languages, besides Dutch and French, in all of which he wrote. His special works are: China, its State and Prospects, with Especial 1?eferenee to the Diffusion of the Gospel; Dissertation on the Theology of the Chinese; The Chinese Ver .sion of the Scriptures; A ChineAe Dictionary; A Japanese and _English Vocabulary; Die ,tionary of the Haider-I, Dialect; Translation of a Comparative Vocabulary of the Langucsge,s .of China, Corea, and Japan; Notes on Chinese Grammar; Chinese Dialogues. He was engaged also on the following works: Chinese 1?epository, 20 vols.; Chinese ifiscellanie,s, vols. He published also an Account of the Malayan Archipelago, and A Glance at the Interior of China.
klE'DIA, in ancient times, the name of the north-western part of Iran, which was 'hounded by the Caspian sea on the n., by Persia on the s., by Parthia on the c., and by Assyria on the west. The northern portion of the country- is very mountainous; the s. is a rich and fertile tract. Media at present forms the Persian provinces of Azerhijan, Ghilan, Mazanderan, and Irak-Ajemi, and the northern portion of Luristan. The
_Medians .were in language, religion, and manners very nearly allied to the Persians. After they had shaken off the yoke of the Assyrians, their tribes united about 708 B.c., according to the common account, chose Dejoces (Kai-Kobad) for their chief, and made Ecbatana their capital. His son Phraortes, or Arphaxad, subdued the Persians. Cyax axes (Kai-Kaous), the son of Phraortes. in alliance with Nabopolassar, king of Babylon, overthrew the Assyrian empire about 604 u.c., spread the terror of his arms as far as Egypt and the furthest bounds of Asia Minor, and vanquished the brigand hordes of :Scythia, who had carried their ravao.es as far as Syria. He was succeeded by his son Astyage (Asdehak), who was deposed (560 u.c.) by his own grandson Cyrus (Kai Khfisru), king of Persia; and from this thne the two nations are spoken of as one peo ple. Ecbatana, the capital of Medea, became thc summer residence of the Persian kinos. After the death of Alexander the great (324 B.c.), the n.w. portion (Atropatene) iiedea becaine a separate kingdom, and existed till the time of Augustus; the other portion, under the name of Great Media, forming a part of the Syrian monarchy. Medea was on several occasions separated from Persia. In 152 B.c. Mithridates I. took Great Media from the Syrians, and annexed it to the Parthian empire, and about 36 B.C. it had a king of its own, named Artavasdes, against whom Mark Antony made war. Under the Sassauian dynasty the whole of Media was united to Persia. It bebame, 'during the 14th and 15th centuries, the stronghold of the Turcomau tribes Karit-Koinitl, -or "Black Sheep," and Ak-Koinlfi, or " White Sheep." In early times the Medes were a warlike race, possessed of an enthusiastic love of independence, and distinguished for their skill with the bow. They were also cele brated for their horsemanship, and it was from them that the Persians adopted this and other favorite exercises and acquirements. In subsequent times they appear to have become effeminated by luxury. (See the works of Xenophon, Strabo, and Ammianus.)