Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 12.djvu/744

* MADRID. 662 MADRID. masonry. Above tlicse are tlirce basement stories, the fourth or principal lloor being surrounded by a balustrade from which a series of Ionic and Doric columns reach to the roof. At the main entrance is a large patio containing statues of Koman Emperors. The interior halls and salons are superbly decorated with frescoes, jiaintings. and statuary. Next to the palace, the finest building in the city is that of tlie National Library and iluseum. situated on the Paseo de Kecolctos. It is a new buildini;, tiiiislicd in 1802, and is regarded as one of the handsomest of its kind in Europe. It is a large rectangular structure with a wide flight of marble steps leading from the Paseo to the main entrance; in the interior is a large reading room 90 feet square and 60 feet high. Among other secular buildings might be mentioned the City Hall, and the buildings de- voted to the departments of the Government, espe- cially that of the Ministry of War. which occu- pies the vast palace formerly the residence of the Dukes of Alba, and the large and handsome building near the Retiro Park, occupied by the Jlinistries of Public Works, Agriculture, Indus- tries, and Education. The two Houses of the Legislature meet in separate buildings, the Sen- ate occupying an old Augustinian convent which has been restored. The Bank of Spain and the Royal Exchange occupy new and monumental buildings. The most notable of the churches is prohably that of San Francisco el Grande, built in the eighteenth century, and recently subjected to an extensive restoration. Its main body is circular, surmounted by a grand cupola, and with two lateral towers. Foremost among the educational institutions of Madrid is the university, with over .5000 stu- dents. ( See Madrid, LTniversity of. ) There are also a normal school, a veterinary school, schools of commerce, engineering, architecture, music and fine arts, and the astronomical observatory. an elegant and well equipped building situated in the Parque de ^Madrid. Between the Parque and the Prado is the Botanical Garden, containing an immense wealth of flora as well as large her- baria and other collections. Madrid is rich in libraries and museums. The National Library, in a large new building, contains about 600.000 volumes, about 30.000 manuscripts, a collection of 100.000 engravings and drawings, a fine archsc- ological collection, and a museum of natural history. The library of the university contains over 200.01)0 volumes, and the ^Marine Library has 30.000 volumes. The National iluseum of Painting and Sculpture, occupying a fine large biiilding on the Prado. has a collection of mas- terpieces rivaling those of the Louvre. Raphael, Titian, Rubens, etc.. are well represented, and above all the painters of the Spanish School, Velazquez being here seen at his best. An- other famous museum of ^ladrid is the Royal Arnioi-y. containing the richest and finest collec- tion of arms in existence. Besides these are a number of minor museums. Madrid is the seat of various scientific and literary societies, chief among which are the Spanish Academy, similar in scope and purpose to the Academic Francaise. and the Historical, Anthropological, and Geo- graphical societies. Madrid has a score of theatre*: the most prominent arc the Teatro Real, facing the Royal Palace: the Teatro de Apolo. and the Teatro de la Comedia, which is one of the most popu- lar. The Plaza de Toros. or bull ring, is a magnificent structure built in pure Moorish style and seating over 13,000 spectators. There are also a number of large and well equipped hos- pitals and asylums, and a tine new model prison. The public works of the city are in general well developed, especially the electric street railways and gas and electric light; there is also a good system of street cleaning. The water supply, however, which was formerly noted for its abun- j dance and purity, has not kept pace with the population, though a new reservoir was finished in 1883 and a third is now nearing completion. The supply from the sources in Lozoya River is wholly inadequate, and in 1899 it almost gave out. Industrially Madrid is not very active. Owing to the unfavorable situation, the cost of living is verj' high, and it is only the fact of its being the capital, with the numerous train of officials, courtiers, and office-seekers, that supports the large population and makes it a lively and bus- tling town. Among its factories the principal is the large national tobacco factory. There are also some manufactures of jewelry, leather articles, fans, umbrellas, musical instruments, chemicals, soaps, and perfumes. The commerce of the town is more active. It is the general railroad centre for the entire country, as well as the principal store-hotise for the inland provinces. There are two large and a number of smaller markets, .several prominent banks and commercial and insurance companies, an ex- change, and a chamber of commerce. The popula- tion of Madrid has trebled w-ithin the last cen- tury, as ma.y be seen from the following figures: 1787, 157.000; 1887, 470,000: 1900. ,540.109. Nothing is known of Madrid previous to the Saracen occupation. In the tenth century it ap- pears as a small fortified outpost under the name of Majerit (Majoritum). It was taken from the Moors by Alfonso VI. in 1083, but was recaptured in 1109 and held for a short time by the Almora- vides. The Cortes met in Madrid for the first time in 1329, but it was not until 1561 that the citv was made the permanent capital of Spain by" Philip II. On May 2, 1808, the citizens of Madrid gave the signal for the War of Inde- pendence, by rising in revolt against the French general, Murat. Several hundreds of the patriots were killed in a battle on the Prado, where a monument now commemorates them. For this brave attempt the city received the title of Mtiy Heroica }'illa. Curiously enough, though it is the largest town in the Kingdom, it has never received the title of ciuclad, or city. On January 14. 1526. a treaty was concluded at Madrid be- tween Charles V. and Francis I., who was then a prisoner in the hands of his rival. Francis, hav- ing secured his liberty, violated the terms nf the treaty and renewed the struggle with Charles. Consult: Valverde y Alvarez. J^a capHal de Espana (Madrid, 1883) ; Amador de los Rios, Bis,toria de la villa y corte de Madrid (Madrid, 1861-64). MADRID, UxivERSiTT of. A Spanish univer- sity which originated in the foundation of the College of Doiia Maria of Aragon by Alonzo Oroz- eo in 1590, perhaps on an older foundation of 1508. The Hapsburg kings set up schools for mathematics and science in the Alca'zar in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and in 1786 the College of San Carlos was opened in Madrid