Washington. He was appointed major-general in 1780 and lieutenant-general in 1792, and was sent in the latter year to Mauritius, which he governed till the time of his death.
MALASPINA, Alejandro (mah-lah-spee'-nah),
Spanish naval officer, b. in Andalusia about 1750 ;
d. in Cadiz about 1810. Little is known of his
early life, but he had acquired a reputation as a
scientist and a thorough cosmograplier, and in
1789 was appointed to the chief command of an
expedition to explore and ascertain the exact geographical position of the Spanish possessions in the
Pacific. The expedition consisted of the two frigates "Atrevida" and "Descubierta," and left Cadiz
30 July, 1789, touching at Montevideo on 20 Sept.,
and at Cape Horn on 13 Nov. It explored the
Pacific coast in detail and the natural history of
the different colonies up to Acapulco in Mexico.
Malaspina left that place on 1 May, 1791, with orders to explore the northeast passage to the Atlantic, which, according to documents that had been
recently discovered about Lorenzo Ferrelo's (q. v.)
voyage" in 1558, ought to exist at 60° north latitude. On 24 June he came in sight of the coast at
57° and entered Bering's bay. discovering at 59° 45'
an inlet which he supposed to be the passage he
was looking for; but, finding it closed by land, he
called it Port Desengano. After entering Port
Mulgrave and passing Cape Saint Elias, Malaspina
was convinced that there was no northeast passage
to the Atlantic, and with Capt. Bustamante, of the
"Atrevida," and the officers and pilots of the two
A'essels, he signed a declaration that from Cape
Pairweather to Prince William's sound no strait
had been found. He now turned southward, and
reached Acapulco, 19 Oct., 1791, after taking during the whole passage observations of the pendulum to determine the true figure of the earth.
Prom Acapulco he sailed for the Marianne and
' Philippine islands, touched at Macao, and, after
exploring the coasts of Australia, returned to Spain,
arriving in Cadiz. 21 Sept., 1794.
MALAYER, Antonio E. (mah-lah-vare'), Argentine author, b. in Buenos Ayres, 10 April, 1835. He studied in the university of his native city, and in 1862 was graduated as doctor in civil and ca- nonical law. He was successively chief of the National department of public schools, minister of the interior, deputy to the national assembly, and professor of common law in the University of Buenos Ayres, which place he still (1888) holds. The most important of his many juridical works are " Memoria sobre la ley de educaeion que rige en la Republiea Argentina" (Buenos Ayres, 1882) ; "Curso de procedimientos judieiales en materia civil y criminal," and " Prescripcion de las acciones de peticion v division de herencias " (1884).
MALBONE, Edward Greene, artist, b. in New-
port, R. L, in August, 1777; d. in Savannah, Ga.,
7 May, 1807. He was an illegitimate son of John
Malbone, and was known by his mother's name of
Greene till he was permitted by act of legislature
to assume that of his father. He early showed a
taste for art, and was in the habit of watching the
scene-painters in the theatre at Newport. Plis suc-
cess in painting an entire landscape scene for this
establishment led him to give his whole time to
art, and in 1794 he became a portrait-painter in
Providence, where he remained two years. He
then followed his calling in Boston, New York,
and Philadelphia till 1800, when he accompanied
his friend Washington Allston to Charleston, S. C.
In 1801 the two went to Europe, whence Malbone
returned in December to Charleston, notwithstanding the advice of Benjamin West, then president
of the Royal academy, that he should remain permanently in London. After this he resided in
Charleston, making periodical visits to the north,
and painting miniatures in various cities of the
United States with great reputation ; but his application to his art undermined his health, which a
voyage to the West Indies in 1806 was unable to
restore. Malbone "had the happy talent," says
Allston, " of elevating the character without impairing the likeness. This was remarkable in his
male heads, and no woman ever lost beauty under
his hand. To this he added a grace of execution
all his own." In temperament he must have been
near akin to his friend Allston. one of those gen-
tle yet strong characters whose influence for good
is felt universally. In his art Malbone is admitted
to be without a peer. His miniatures stand alone.
Not only is this so in his native land, but equally
true in comparison with the best foreign work—the work of Isabey, Cos way, and Ross. He drew
with the utmost correctness. He was endowed
acutely with the power of discerning character and
had the ability to delineate it, and he was possessed of fine, delicate taste which gave a grace to
his work which is irresistibly charming; but his
pre-eminent excellence was in coloring—perfect
harmony, utmost delicacy, and absolute truth combined. Toward the close of his life he attempted
oil-painting, and it is in this medium that we possess his own portrait by his own hand, now in the
Corcoran gallery at Washington. His miniatures
are generally preserved as much-valued heirlooms
in the families of his sitters, but good specimens of
his male portraits can be seen in the Boston museum of fine arts and the Pennsylvania academy
of the fine arts. Two of his most beautiful female
heads, portraits of members of the Middleton family of South Carolina, are well known through
engravings by John Cheney, entitled "Egeria" and "Annette." Besides portraits he occasionally painted landscapes in oil and figure-pieces, of
which one of his finest, on ivory, is "The Hours,"
painted in London, and representing the past, the
present, and the future, as three female figures
moving in a circle. This is still preserved in the Providence athenæum.
MALBONE, Francis, senator, b. in Newport,
R. I., in 1757; d. in Washington, D. C, 4 June,
1809. He was elected a representative to congress
from Rhode Island as a Federalist, and served from
2 Dec, 1793, till 3 March, 1797, when he was chosen
a United States senator, serving from 22 May, 1809, till the time of his death.
MALCOLM, James Peller, artist, b. in Philadelphia, Pa., in August, 1767 ; d. 5 April, 1815. His ancestor, James Peller, was an emigrant with Penn. He began painting and engraving in 1787, and afterward went to England, where he studied at the Royal academy three years, subsequently devoting himself to engraving. About 1792 he returned to Philadelph'^ia for a short time, and did some work there, including an inside view of Christ church. He then returned to London, worked for the "Gentleman's Magazine," and drew and engraved plates for historical and antiquarian works. He published "Londinium Redivivum, or an Antient History and Modern Description of London " (4 vols., London, 1802-7); "Excursions in the Counties of Kent, Gloucester, etc." (1807); "Letters between the Rev. James Granger and Many Eminent Men"; "First Impressions, or Sketches from Art and Nature " ; "Anecdotes of the Manners and Customs of London" (5 vols., 1808-'ll); "Miscellaneous Anecdotes" (1811) ; and "An Historical Sketch of the Art of Caricaturing" (1811).
