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MASBATE. 137 MASCAET. sacks and palm mats, the latter beinf; nntod for their excellent workmanship and durability of colors. The commerce is considerable, as JIasbate lies not only opposite the Strait of San Bernar- dino, one of the two main eastern entrances to the archipelago, but also in the direct route from Manila to Samar and Leyte. There are several excellent land-locked harbors. The population of the whole Province of Masbate was in 1001 esti- mated at 23,000, of whom about 5000 were in the dependent islands. The predominant races are Vfcols and Visayans. The Vicol and Visayan, with Ta-ialog, are the principal languages spoken. There is no large town on the island ; the capital is Masbate, situated on the northern coast; it is a port of entry with a good harbor, a post-office, and a population of 2.345. Perfect peace prevailed in the island before the end of the year 1900, and the inhabitants showed great eagerness to have civil government estab- lished, which was done on March 18, 1901. MASCAGNI, maskii'nye, PlETRO (1803—). An Italian composer. He was born at Leghorn, of humble parentage, and his father ( who was a baker) planned for him a career as a lawyer. Unknown to his father, the boy began to study music with SolTrediiii, and subsequently his uncle furnished him with the means to continue his studies. He was an especially apt pupil in com- position, and in 1879 wrote a symphony in C minor. A cantata. La Filanda (1881), and a set- ting to Schiller's An die Freude { 1881 ) , both met with considerable success. It was an admirer of I.n FihitHla. a rich Italian nobleman, who came forward and furnished the composer with the means to continue his studies at the Milan Con- servatory, where he worked for a little while, under Ponehielli and Saladino, but suddenly broke off his studies to make a tour with an operatic troupe. For a few years he made a preca- rious livelihood by teaching, until one day he read of the Milan publisher Sonzogno's announce- ment that he would give three prizes for the three best one-act operas to be performed in Kome. He immediately set to work, and taking the libretto furnished by two of his friends, Sig- nori Targioni-Tozzetti and ^Menasci, for liis text, he submitted their joint effort in tlic form of the since famous Cavalleria RuS'ticana (1S90). a story based on a Sicilian tale by Giovanni Verga. Ma.scagni was awarded first prize, and the tre- mendous success which greeted the public presen- tation of his work raised him from utter obscur- ity to the height of fame. Taking advantage of his success, he hurriedly and prematurely pre- sented L'Amico Fritz (1891), the text nf'which was based upon the popular Erckmann-Cliatrian story: but. like / Raiitzau (1892), it met with indifTerent success. His subsequent work's met with varying degrees of favor, none of them ap- proaching his first work, either in popularity or sustained merit. His entire career was so over- shadowed by the extraordinary success of his first opera that critical opinion everywhere is divided as to whether his later works have received their just deserts. The libretto of Cnrallcrin Rusti- cuna undoubtedly contributed much to the opera's success, but the music also is of a high order. In 18fl5 he was appointed director of the Rossini Oonservatorv at Pesaro. He made several tours in European countries, and in 1902 was per- siiadod to make a tour of America ; but his ig- norance of conditions in the New World, together with the bad management of the tour, consider- aljly limited the success he was justified in ex- pecting. His works ai'e representative of the modern Italian school. They include: (liKilielmo RfitcJiff (1895): Zanvtto ("1890); Iris (1898); and several smaller compositions. MASCARA, mas-kii'ra, Fr. pron. mas'ka'ra'. The capital of an arrondisscmcnt and a fortified town in the Province of Oran, Algeria, 45 miles southeast of Oran, on the slope of the Atlas ilountains (Map: Africa, D I). Mascara stands on the site of a Roman colony and is inclosed by walls tvo miles in length. In 1832 it be- came the residence of Abdel-Kader, who was born in the neighborhood. It was burned by the French in l835, afterwards regained by Abd-el- Kader, and finally taken by the Frcncli in 1841, since when it has developed into an important trading centre. Population, in 1901. 20.!MI2. MASCARENE (miis'ka-ren') ISLANDS. The collective name given to the islands of Ri^- union, Mauritius ( qq.v. ) , and Rodriguez, situated east of ^Madagascar. MASCARILLB, ma'ska'rJl'. A type of valet distinguished for elTrontery, intrigue, and im- pudence, immortalized by Molifere in L'ctoiirdi, Les prccieusef: ridicules, and Le dtpit amoureux. MASCARON, ma'skiVroN', .Tules (1634- 1703). A French prelate and Court preacher. He was born at Marseilles. He was intended for the law, but preferred the Church, and entered the Congregation of the Oratory. He began preaching in 1663, and soon attracted attention, and wherever he went in the provincial town.s — as Angers. Saumur, Marseilles, and Nantes — large audiences, representing various classes, and even the learned, thronged to hear him. In 1666 he was called to the Court, where his reputation continued to increase. He gained and lu'ld the favor of King Louis XIV. notwithstanding his unsparing denunciation of fashionable and even royal sins. He was made Bishop nf Tulle in 1671, and was transferred thence in 1679 to Agen : but still continued to jircacli before the Court. The most famous of his orations was that on Marshal Turenne. Other orations which have been much admired are those on Chancellor Si'-guier, Queen Henrietta of England, and the Duke of Beaufort. A collection of his sermons and orations, edited by Father Borde, a member of his congregation, was iiublished in 1740. His sermons may also be found in a collection of funeral orations by Bossuet, FU'ehier, and Mas- caron (Paris, 1734). (Euvres de Mascaron ap- ]icarcd in Paris in 1828. MASCART, ma'skiir', Eleutiii^re Elie Nico- l,..s (1837—). A French physicist, born at Qua- rouble, Nord. He was educated at the Ecole Xormale Superieure. He succeeded Regnault at the College de France, becoming professor in that institution in 1872. In 1878 he was made director of the Government Central Meteor- ological Bureau and he has also been a member of the International Bureau of Yeights and Measures, He was elected a member of the Acad- emy of Sciences in 1884. taking the place of Jamin, and has been honored with (he various decora- tions of the Legion of Honor, being made a com- mander in 1889. ^Mascart has conducted a num- ber of important investigations of the ultra-violet rays and of atmospheric electricity. He is the author of Elements de mecaiiique (1866) ; Traiti