Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 15.djvu/656

Rh M A S - M A T tions in that ill-digested style so often characteristic of men of prodigious acquisitive power ; and the presentation of facts falls as far short of freshness and the artistic charm of the inimitable Grecian raconteur as the shapeless details of universal history, as it appeared to the Moslem, fall short of the epic interest of the great struggle for supre macy between Eran and Hellas. Mas iidy has himself sketched his literary activity in the opening chapter of the Meadows and in his last book The Indicator. In his huge Annals (Akhbdr el-Zemdv.) and in a second work of less extent (Kitdb el-Awsat) which followed it he summed up the whole cos- mograpliical and geographical science of his age. These works are lost or known only by fragments, but we possess an abridgment in the author s third great work The Mcadoics of Gold and Mines of Precious Stones, of which there are many MSS. in European libraries. It was printed by Barbier de Meynard with a French translation, 9 vols. 8vo, Paris, 1861-77, and at Biilak in 1867 (2 vols. folio). The first volume of an English translation by Sprenger appeared at London in 1841 ; but the work was not continued. The Kitab-el-Tanbih (Indicator and Monitor) exists in MS. at Paris, and has been fully described by De Sacy in Notices et Extraits, vol. viii., 1810 (reprinted at the end of the Paris edition of the Meadows, where a list of other works of our author is given). See also Quatre- mere in Jour. As. for January 1839, and the article &quot;Masoudy,&quot; by Reinaud, in the Nouv. Biog. Oenirale. MASULIPATAM, the chief town of Kistna district, Madras, India, and a seaport, is situated in 16 9 N. lat., 81 11 E. long., with a population in 1871 of 36,316. The export trade is partly to Europe ; imports are chiefly bcal. In 1874-75 235 vessels of 106,000 tons burthen visited the port ; the exports (oil-seeds and cotton) amounted to 171,400, the imports to 119,600. The town contains the usual district offices, a jail, and several schools, the chief being the high school. It is a flourish ing station of the Church Missionary Society. Masulipatam was the earliest British settlement on the Coroman- del coast. An agency was established there in 1611, and a fortified factory in 1622. During the wars of the Carnatic, the English were temporarily expelled the town, which was held by the French for some years. In 1759 the town and fort were carried by storm by Colonel Forde, and it has been held by the British ever since. Weavers form a large portion of the inhabitants of the town, though their trade has greatly declined since the beginning of this century. Their operations, besides weaving, include printing, bleaching, washing, and dressing. In former days the chintzes of Masulipatam had a great reputation abroad for the freshness and permanency of their dyes, the colours becoming brighter after washing than before. There is still a small demand for these articles in Burmah, the Straits, and the Persian Gulf ; but steam machinery has nearly beaten the hand-loom out of the field. Another speciality was mctapollams or kerchiefs for the head ; but this industry was ruined by the refusal of the West Indian negroes to wear these kerchiefs after their emancipation. Tartans, ging hams, towels, and table linen are still manufactured to some extent. The importance of the place is now declining, and the garrison was withdrawn in 1865. The heaviest blow to the prosperity of the town was given by the great storm-wave of 1864, which swept over the entire town, and is said to have destroyed 30, 000. lives. MATAMOEOS, a city of Mexico, in the province of Tamaulipas, on the southern bank of the Rio Grande, about 35 miles from its mouth, and directly opposite Brownsville in Texas. Built in an open plain, Matamoros has its streets laid out with great regularity; and the general appearance gives evidence at once of its recent rise into importance and of the influence of the architectural fashions of the United States. The principal building is the large but heavy-looking cathedral. An extensive traffic, both legitimate and contraband, is carried on between Matamoros and Brownsville, and in spite of the bar at the mouth of the river, which in foul weather prevents the entrance even of small schooners, the place is not without its value to Mexico as a foreign port. The imports of American and of European goods are valued each at about $1,100,000, with a growing preponderance on the side of the American. Cotton, flax, silk, and woollen goods are the main items in the European list ; cottons, leaf tobacco, wheat-flour, machinery, and preserved meats in the American. Hides and skins, live animals, and wool are the principal exports apart from coin and bullion, which are largely smuggled to avoid the export duty. The population is about 20,000. Founded in the beginning of the century, and named in honour of the Mexican patriot Mariano Matamoros, the city has played a part in all the more recent wars. It was captured by General Taylor of the United States in 1846, was in the hands of the im perialists under Majia in 1864, and was occupied by the French hi 1866. MATANZAS, or SAN CARLOS DE MATANZAS, a city and seaport on the north coast of Cuba, and the chief town of a province, lies 52 miles east of Havana, with which it is connected by rail. It is a well-built place of from 36,000 to 40,000 inhabitants, occupying a fine site at the head of the Bay of Matanzas, and separated from its suburbs Pueblo Nuevo and Versailles by the San Juan on the one hand and the Yamurri on the other. In the centre of the principal square is a statue of Ferdinand VII., and along the east side runs the residence of the commandant. The new theatre is the handsomest building of its kind in Cuba, and the Empresa Academy has the repute of being one of the best educational institutions in the West Indies. As a commercial centre Matanzas ranks next to Havana, having risen rapidly after the removal of the old trade restrictions in 1809. The exports are mainly sugar and molasses. The harbour has been deteriorated by the mud brought down by the San Juan ; but the bay is well sheltered from all winds except the north-east, which brings in a heavy sea. Matanzas was founded in 1693 by a number of immigrants from the Canary Islands, and in the same year Bishop Compostello laid the first stone of the cathedral. The city suffered severely from a conflagration in 1845. About 2|- miles to the east are the beautiful stalactite caves of Bellamar, about 3 miles in extent. MATAB.6, a Mediterranean seaport of Spain, in the province of Barcelona, 21 miles to the north-east of that city, is beautifully situated on the lower slopes and at the foot of the range of hills which skirt the coast, and shelter the town from the cold northern winds. The streets of the new town, lying next the sea, are wide and regularly built ; those of the old town, farther up the hill, still preserve much of their ancient character. The parish church of Santa Maria has some good pictures and wood carvings; other prominent public buildings are the theatre, the civil hospital, and the establishments of the Padres Escolapios. There are small schools of navigation and the fine arts. The wine of the neighbourhood, which somewhat resembles port, is shipped in large quantities from Barce lona ; and the district furnishes fine roses, strawberries, and similar produce for the Barcelona market. There is a considerable fishery, the products of which are sent inland to Manresa and other places. The leading industries of Matar6 are its linen, woollen, and cotton manufactures, especially of canvas and tarpaulin ; several hundreds of women are employed in the town and neighbourhood in lace-making ; there are also potteries, machine-making, and chemical works, and shipbuilding is carried on to some extent. The railway to Barcelona, opened in October 1848, was the first to be constructed in Spain. Matar6 has no artificial harbour, several attempts to make one having failed ; the trade is carried on chiefly through Barcelona. The population in 1877 was 17,405, Outside the town is the much-frequented carbonated mineral spring of Argentona. MATCHES. Till the close of the 18th century flint and steel with tinder box and sulphur-tipped splints of wood &quot;spunks &quot;or matches were the common means of obtaining fire for domestic and other purposes. The sparks struck off by the percussion of flint and steel were made to