Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XI.djvu/296

 284 MATTO GROSSO School Astronomy "(1853); "Spirit Rapping Unveiled" (1854); "Sacred Melodies," and " Impending Crisis " (1859) ; *' Immortality of the Soul," "Resurrection of the Body," and "Defence of American Methodism" (1866); and "Popular Amusements" (1867). MATTO GROSSO (Port., thick brushwood), a province of Brazil, bounded N. W. and N. by Amazonas and Grao Para, E. and S. E. by Go- yaz, Sao Paulo, and Parana, S. by Paraguay, and S. W. and W. by Bolivia ; area, 551,575 sq. m. ; pop. about 100,000. This province, the largest in the empire after Amazonas, forms the western portion of the highlands of Brazil, comprising the Amazon-Paraguay watershed, which is so low that canoes ascending the Ta- pajos from Santarem are crossed over and floated on the Paraguay to descend to Villa Maria. From the transversal ridge forming the watershed just referred to are several minor chains stretching N. and S., separated by deep valleys and immense plains covered with dense forests, which give the name to the province, and afford inexhaustible quantities of timber suited for every species of construction, and a great variety of precious cabinet woods. The Tapajos and Xingu rivers rise in the central portion and flow N. to the Amazon, while the Paraguay flows southward, forming part of the S. W. boundary line, and all receive the waters of innumerable streams, which else- where would rank as grand rivers. The Gua- por6 or It6nez forms with the Madeira almost the whole of the remainder of the western boundary ; and the eastern and southern boundaries are constituted by the Araguay and Parana respectively. Gold is found in nearly every direction ; but the mines, like those of diamonds, once extensively worked, especially in the region surrounding Cuyaba, are now mostly abandoned owing to the cost of working them, as the gems and the gold no longer occur near the surface. Copper, iron, and many other metals abound in the hills. The soil is extremely fertile, and the chief occupations of the inhabitants are agriculture and cattle raising. The principal commodi- ties exported are hides, ipecacuanha and other drugs, and balsams, all of which are sent to Rio de Janeiro by caravans of mules. Millet, rice, and manioc are cultivated, as are also sugar, tobacco, and cotton. The chief impedi- ment to colonization is the absence of adequate means of transport to the centres of consump- tion and the seacoast. Capital, Cuyaba. MATIRIN, Charles Robert, an Irish author, born in Dublin in 1782, died there, Oct. 30, 824. He was educated at Trinity* college, Dublin, took orders, and became curate of St. Peter's in his native city. In 1807 he published " The Fatal Revenge, or the Family of Mon- torio," a novel, which was followed by sev- eral other romantic fictions, as " The Milesian Chief," " The Wild Irish Boy," " Women, or Pour et Contre," and "Melmoth the Wander- er." In 1816 his tragedy of "Bertram" was MAUCH CHUNK accepted at Drury Lane theatre, through the influence of Lord Byron. He was noted for eloquence in the pulpit. His son EDWARD emigrated to America, where he published sev- eral poems and tales, among which are : " Mon- tezuma, the Last of the Aztecs ;" " Benjamin, the Jew of Granada;" "Eva, or Isles of Life and Death " (1848) ; and " Bianca, a Tale of Erin and Italy " (1853). MiUBEIIGE, a fortified town of France, in the department of Le Nord, on the Sambre, 46 m. S. E. of Lille ; pop. in 1866, 10,877. It is well built, and has long been important in a military point of view. Its fortifications were reconstructed by Vauban in 1680. After the battle of Waterloo it was captured by the Prus- sians. It has iron founderies, tanneries, salt refineries, and marble works. MAUOH CHUNK, a borough and the capital of Carbon co., Pennsylvania, on the W. bank of the Lehigh river, at its passage through the Mahoning mountain, on both sides of the mouth of Mauch Chunk creek, 46 m. above the en- trance of the Lehigh into Delaware river, and on the Lehigh canal and the Lehigh Valley rail- road and the Central railroad of New Jersey, 89 m. by railroad N. N. W. of Philadelphia, and 121 m. W. of New York; pop. in 1870, 3,841. It is built chiefly in the valley of the creek, on a single street, between the Mahoning and Sharp mountains, in so contracted a place that little room is afforded for gardens to the houses. The hills on each side rise precipitously to the height of several hundred feet, and not far back attain an elevation of more than 1,000 ft. above the river. The place derives its im- portance from the mines of anthracite found in the Sharp mountain at this eastern extrem- ity of the southern anthracite field of Pennsyl- vania. The mines of Summit hill or Sharp mountain, 9 m. W. of the village, up the valley of Mauch Chunk creek, have been famous as among the oldest known and most productive of the coal mines in the state. One bed more than 50 ft. thick has been worked over many acres. The coal from these mines was formerly taken to Mauch Chunk over the famous "Switch- back " gravity railroad, and thence transferred by chutes to the Lehigh canal. The cars run by gravity the whole distance to Mauch Chunk, and were formerly drawn back by mules, which made the descent in cars provided for them. But a return track is now laid, along which the cars descend from the chutes at the canal t<> the foot of Mt. Pisgah, the high point of Sharp mountain next the river, and are then raised to its summit up an inclined plane by a station- ary steam engine. From this point they then run 6 m. by gravity to the foot of another inclined plane, up which they are raised as be- fore, and from its summit descend to the dif- ferent mines. This road has been superseded by a tunnel at Nesquehoning, and it is now only used for pleasure excursions. The Lehigh canal, with the slackwater navigation of the Lehigh, was formerly continued 25 m. further