Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 12.djvu/732

MADDEN. 650 HADEIBA. Lives and Times (1843-4G), and The History of Irish Periodical Literature ( 1867 ) . MADDER (AS. moedere, mceddre, Icel. rtiapra, madder), Rubia. A genu.s of plants of the nat^ ural ordor RubiacciP, very nearly allied to the genus Galium or bed-straw (q.v.), and ditl'ering from it chiefly in having a juicy fruit resembling two small berries growing together. The species are found in the tropical and warmer temperate parts, both of the Old and tlis Xew World, and are important for the coloring matter of their roots. The most important is the common madder or dyer's madder (Rubia iinctorum) , a native, probably, of the south of Europe as well as of Asia and now cultivated in most European coun- tries, and also in the East Indies, China, etc. It is a ]>erennial, with weak stems and whorls of 4-G elliptic or lanceolate glossy leaves, the stem and leaves rough with sharp prickles; small greenish-yellow flowers, and black fruit. The Turkish madder {Lizari or Alizari) was probably the earliest in use, but the French variety, grown in the vicinity of Avignon, is now considered the best. In the Levant the plants are plucked when five or si.x years old; but in Europe they are al- lowed to grow only two or three years. The best quality, known as crop-viadder, is that which is freed i"rom the brown outer crust before grinding. MulI-maddcr, the most impure variety, is ob- tained by grinding rootlets, the woody parts of the root, brown outer crust, and all. From the madder-roots are also prepared, by fermentation and filtration of the separated dye-colors, the commercial extracts known as madder-flowers and garancine. The importance of madder and madder preparations has almost entirely disap- peared with the development of the artificial manufacture of alizarin. Consult Sadtler. In- dustrial Organic Chemistry (Philadelphia, 1900). See Alizabin. MADDER FAMILY. A popular name for an order of plants. See Rubiace.s. MADDER LAKE. See Paints. MAD'DEBN, iliN.ME. An American actress. See FisKE, ^Minnie JIaodern. MADEIRA, ma-de'n'i. Port. -pron. ma-da'ra. The chief of the Madeira Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, about 400 miles west of Morocco, just south of the parallel of 33° north latitude (Map: Portugal, E 5). It is about 38 miles long and 12 miles broad, and has an area of about 300 square miles. Its surface is rough and diversified with high peaks and deep valleys; it is traversed by a ridge of mountains, attaining in Pico Ruivo an altitude of 6056 feet above the sea. Their average height is estimated at 4000 feet, and the more elevated peaks are often cov- ered with snow. Madeira is of volcanic origin, and although it has no active volcanos at pres- ent, there are numerous traces of lava streams. The scenery is magnificent, the deep valley known as the Curral das Freiras being especially pic- turesque. The coasts are generally high, with precipitous, rocl<T cliffs, reaching in Cabo Girao a sheer height of 1034 feet. The climate of Ma- deira is remarkable for its uniformity and sa- lubrity, and the island is regarded as one of the best of health resorts. The average temperature at the coast for the year is about 68°. that of the coldest month being about 60°, and that of the warmest 73°, The island is. however, ex- posed to the deadly 'leste' ('east wind'), or hot sand storm from the Sahara Desert. The ab- sence of rain during the summer necessitates a complete system of irrigation. The water is stored up during the rainy season on the hills and distributed in the summer by means of chan- nels. The vegetation of Madeira is one of the richest, and includes more than 80 species of plants peculiar to the island. In addition to European grains and fruits, there is an abun- dance of bananas, tigs, grapes, apricots, custard apples, mangoes, oranges, pineapples, and citrons. The fauna is less varied ; there are no indigenous mammals, and no snakes, though lizards and turtles are found. Birds, however, are very numerous, and are characterized by a re- markably bright plumage. The most common species is the wild canary. The wine indus- try, which w'as introduced from Crete in the sixteenth centurj- and for which the island is famous, is still very extensive, the annual ex- port amounting to about 700,000 gallons, al- though it has considerably declined since the grape di-sease of 1851-52. Besides wine the isl- and produces sugar, tobacco, and coffee. Among the other industries may be mentioned lace- weaving, wood-carving, and the manufacture of cigars. The whole province (see JI.^deika Isl- ands) had in 1900 a population of 150,528 in- habitants of mixed Portuguese, Moorish, and negro descent. The dominant religion is Roman Catholic, but the Church of England and the Free Church of Scotland are also represented. The island is connected bj' steamship lines with the United States, Great Britain, France, Bel- gium, Portugal, and the not distant Canary Islands. The capital is Funchal (q.v.). Madeira is supposed to have been known to the Phoeni- cians in ancient times. It was rediscovered by the Portuguese explorer Joao Gongalvez Zagro in 1419, and colonized about thirty years later. In 1580 the island fell into the hands of the Span- iards, but was restored to the Portuguese in 1640. In 1801 and from 1807 to 1814 Madeira was occu- pied by the British, but since then it has re- mained in the possession of Portugal. Consult Biddlc. The Madeira Islands (London, 1900). MADEIRA. The principal tributary of the Amazon (Map: Brazil, E 5). It is formed on the boundary between Bolivia and Brazil by the union of the Mamore and the Beni, and flows northeastward with numerous windings, forming in a part of its course the boundary between the Brazilian States of Matto Grosso and Amazonas. It enters the Amazon about .50 miles below the mouth of the Rio Negro after a course of about 900 miles from the confluence of its headstreams. and about 2200 miles from the re- motest source of the Mamore. For the first 200 miles below the junction the Madeira flows through rocky gorges in a series of falls and rapids ending in the Falls of Sao Antonio, 715 miles from its mouth. Below this point it is a majestic river nearly a mile wide, and navigable for ocean steamers during nine months of the year, and for steamers drawing eight feet at all seasons. A railroad past the falls was begim in 1877, but after a few miles of track were built the scheme was abandoned. The vast forest re- gion through which the river flows is almost wholly undeveloped, to a large extent unex- plored, and almost uninhabited, save by tribes of Indians and by rub1)er-gatherers. who have made a number of settlements along the banks.