Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XI.djvu/54

 MAJORANO of the people, ns for instance treason, were vnn.-d l.y the K<>nians ,-r twin a laxce majesta- ti, a term also used of violations of monar- I iliirnity. MUOIMNO, Kaetano. Bee < ' M'FMMau. MAJORCA (Span. Mallorca), the largest of the Balearic islands, in the Mediterranean, belong- ing to Spain, about l-Ju in. S. S. E. of Barce- lona, between l.-it. W 1-V and 40 N., and Ion. 2 20' and 3 30' E. ; length from E. to W. nearlv fil in., breadth in some parts 40 m. ; 1,300 sq. m.; pop. about 230,000. ( >n tu- N. K. <-o:i<t are the large bays of Puer- .,r and Puerto Menor, and on the S. E. f I'alma; and there are several good natural harbor.-. The northern half of the isl- rod by mountains, the highest of which i- upward of 5,000 ft. above the sea. The southern half is comparatively level. The are generally of secondary or tertiary formation. There are five or six small rivers,
 * md the hill* and plains generally are well sup-

plied with small streams, though in some of the plain- the want of water makes cultivation ditli -ult. The principal river, the Riera, rises
 * it the foot of Mount Puigpunente and falls

into the sea at I'alma. The climate is temper- ate, the thermometer in summer ranging only from 84 to 88, while that of winter seldom falls below 48. The island produces marbles of great beauty and variety, 36 different speci- mens of which were exhibited at Vienna in 1873, and also slate, granite, syenite, porphyry, and some coal and iron. Lavender, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, saffron, marsh mallow, jon- quil, and wild celery are the commonest vege- t.il.le productions. The island affords abun- dant pasturage for large numbers of horses, mul.-s, cattle, sheep, goats, and swine. The
 * uv larire, ami produce great quantities

of fine wool. Game of the smaller kind, such as hares, rabbits, quails, and partridges, is very plentiful; and the preserving of thrushes as well a-* of ti-h is an important industry. There are scarcely any venomous animals. The soil . .linrrly fertile, but the agricultural skill of the islanders is imperfect. Wheat, barley, nip, tlax, and silk are produced in con- !e abundance, and the fruits include or- leMi'-n-. citrons, dates, figs, and pome- granates. The olive crop yields yearly 650,- i lions of oil. The people manufacture a ron-iderablo quantity of woollen stuffs, not only for their own use, but for export to Spain, Malta, Sardinia, and America. Other impor
 * ianufactiires are hats and fine cabinet

ware. New factories have recently been con- 1 fur the production on a large scale ol M, n.p.-. am] mrdaire, tihre for which is now imported from Manila; the Spanish navy was lately supplied entirely with rope made at I'alma. The Ul.-md, wliieh in earlier days gave ne to majoliea ware, now only produces oMinion pnttery. The wines are excel nd are largely exported, as are also bran dy, oil. tijr-. and oranges. The total value o MALABAR ,he exports in 1873, including the coasting irade, was $6,076,339. The principal towns are Palma, Seller, Manacor, Alcudia, Porreras, and Inca. Palma is the capital, the seat of a bishop and of the captaincy general of the Ba- earic islands. A railway to connect it with nca and Alcudia is in progress. The natives resemble the Catalans in their appearance and manners, are remarkably honest and hospita- )le and make excellent soldiers. The upper classes speak Castilian, but the lower orders use a dialect which is a mixture of Greek, Lat- n, Vandal, Arabic, Catalonian, and Languedo- jian words, representing the various races by which the island has been occupied. Little is known of the early history of Majorca. There were Carthaginian settlements in it prior to 500 B. C. The Roman Q. Metellus conquered it A D 123, and the Vandals in 426. The Moors seized it in 798, and held it till 1229, when it was taken by James I. of Aragon, who erected it into a kingdom (including the other Balearic islands, the county of Montpellier, Roussillon, and Cerdagne) in favor of his son Don James, in 1262. It was finally annexed to Aragon in 1343. The island declared for Charles III. in the war of the Spanish succes- sion ;' it rebelled against Philip V. in 1714, but submitted in July, 1715. It was thrice visited by epidemics in 1865, 1870, and 1873 at- tended with frightful mortality. (See BA- LEARIC ISLANDS.) MARI. See LEMUR. MALABAR, a district of British India, in the province of Madras, on the W. coast, between lat. 10 and 12 20' N. ; area, 6,262 sq. m. ; pop. in 1871, 2,274,463, of whom about 24,000 were Christians. It is bounded N. by the dis- trict of South Canara, S. by Cochin, W. by the Indian ocean, and E. by the Western Ghauts, which are here 4,000 ft. and upward in height. Between these and the sea the country lies, extending about 150 m. along the coast, with an average breadth of 40 m. With trifling exceptions, a low sandy strip, from 1 to 3 m. broad, runs along the shore, and is covered with a continuous and luxuriant grove of co- coanut trees, to the cultivation and care of which the natives give the greatest attention. Behind this tract, hills of inconsiderable height come down from the mountain chain which forms the E. boundary. Between these hills there are valleys of extreme fertility, being the receptacle of the soil washed in the course of ages by the heavy rains from the surrounding eminences. The hills have level, or rather perfectly horizontal summits of naked rock, which is a peculiar characteristic of the face of the country. Many of them have steep sides, which are not unfrequently formed into ter- races and cultivated. All the country that borders on the Ghauts is covered with forests and dense jungle, belts and detached portions of which in places stretch to within a few miles of the sea. Malabar is watered by innu- merable short streams. The chief river is the