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MADAGASCAR MADDER. 



the imperial favour. The country of his birth, as 

 well as the religion which he professed, are both 

 uncertain. He was the author of a miscellaneous 

 work, entitled Saturnalia, curious tor its criticisms, 

 and valuable for the light it throws upon the man- 

 ners an<l ciMoms of antiquity ; a commentary on 

 Cicero's Somnium Scipionis, in two books, valuable 

 for the exposition it uribrds of the doctrines of Pytha- 

 goras, with respect to the harmony of the spheres ; 

 and a treatise De Differentiis et Societatibus Greed 

 Lafiniqtte I'erbi. There are several editions of this 

 author's writings, the best of which are those of 

 1G70, Leyden, and 1774, Leipsic. He is supposed 

 to have died about the year 420. 



MADAGASCAR ; an island of Africa, on the 

 eastern coast, separated from the continent by the 

 channel of Mozambique, which is about 270 miles 

 across. It extends from 11 57' to 25 40' S. lat., 

 and from 43 33' to 50 25' E. Ion., and is about 

 900 miles long, and from 120 to 300 broad; 

 square miles, about 220,000 ; population, uncertain ; 

 estimated by Flacourt at 1,600,000 ; by Rondoux, at 

 3,000,000; by Rochon, at 4,000,000. It is one of 

 the largest islands in the world, and is remarkable 

 for its fertility. The surface is greatly diversified, 

 being intersected, throughout its whole length, by a 

 chain of lofty mountains, the highest summits of 

 which are said to be about 11,000 feet above the sea. 

 The scenery of these mountains is often grand and 

 picturesque. The forests abound in beautiful trees, 

 as palms, ebony, wood for dyeing, bamboos of enor- 

 mous size, orange and lemon trees. The botany of 

 the island is interesting ; iron mines abound in vari- 

 ous parts ; other minerals are found ; but the minera- 

 logy of the island has been but little explored. The 

 country is well watered by numerous streams, mostly 

 small, which descend from the mountains. In this 

 genial climate, they produce a luxuriant fertility. 

 Rice is the staple food of the inhabitants. Other 

 productions are potatoes, sugar, silk, &c. The 

 sheep produce fine wool. The cocoa-nut, banana, 

 &c., flourish. The inhabitants are composed of two 

 distinct races, the Arabs or descendants of foreign 

 colonists, and the Negroes or original inhabitants of 

 the island. The character of the inhabitants differs 

 much in the different parts of the island ; and the 

 accounts of writers are very discordant on this sub- 

 ject. But, in reality, too little is known of the 

 greater part of the island, to afford grounds for any 

 safe opinions. The annexed cut exhibits their usual 

 costume. 



The name and position of this island were first 

 made known to Europeans by Marco Polo, in the 

 thirteenth century, although it had been known to 

 the Arabs for several centuries. It was visited by 



the Portuguese in the beginning of the sixteenth 

 century. The, French matle attempts to found colo- 

 nies there in the middle of the seventeenth century, 

 but abandoned the island after many struggles with 

 the natives. In 1745, they made new attempts, but 

 without much success. In 1814, it was claimed 

 by Britain as a dependency of Mauritius, which 

 had been ceded to her by France, and some settle- 

 ments were established. One of the native kings of 

 the interior, who had shown himself eager to procure 

 a knowledge of European arts for his subjects, con- 

 sented, in 1820, to relinquish the slave-trade, on 

 condition that ten Madagascees should be sent to 

 Britain, and ten to Mauritius, for education. Those 

 sent to Britain were placed under the care of the 

 London missionary society, who sent missionaries 

 and mechanics to Madagascar. In 1826, 1700 cliil- 

 clrni were taught in the missionary schools, and parts 

 of the Scripture have since been translated into the 

 native language. This king died in 1828, and we 

 do not know what has been the disposition of the 

 new ruler. See Rochon, Voyage d Madagascar; 

 Flacourt, Histoire de Madagascar ; Copland, History 

 of Madagascar (1822). 



MADAME, in France ; the title of the wife of 

 the king's brother, of the sister of the king's lather, 

 or the sister of the king's mother, or of the Fills 

 de France (the daughter of the king or of the dau- 

 phin, deceased during the life of the sovereign). 

 Mesdames de France ; the common title of the daugh- 

 ters of the French kings. Mademoiselle; a title of 

 honour of the daughters of the king's brothers, the 

 daughters of the king's father's brothers, or the daugh- 

 ters of the king's mother's brothers. In 1734, it was 

 ordered that it should be given only to the first 

 princess of the blood. 



MADDER (rubia) ; a genus of plants that has 

 given its name to an extensive family, including, 

 among others, the genus galium or bedstraw, which 

 it closely resembles in habit, but differs in the fruit, 

 which consists of two globular corneous berries. 

 Fifteen species are known. They are chiefly herba- 

 ceous, with rough branching stems, simple leaves 

 arranged in whorls of four or six, and small flowers, 

 which are usually disposed in terminal panicles. It. 

 tinctorum, or dyer's madder, is by far the most im- 

 portant of the genus, on account of the. fine scarlet 

 colour afforded by the roots ; and, indeed, thfs sub- 

 stance is essential to dyers and calico-printers, and 

 their manufactures could not be carried on without it. 

 In consequence, it has become an important article 

 of commerce, and is imported into this country from 

 Holland to a very great extent. Though cultivated 

 in France for a century and a half, the supply is yet 

 inadequate to the consumption in that country, and 

 it is largely imported from the Levant as well as 

 from Holland. The plant grows wild in many parts 

 of the south of Europe. The root is perennial, long, 

 creeping, about as large as a quill, and red both with- 

 out and within ; from it arise several trailing, quad- 

 rangular stems, rough, branching, and two or three 

 feet in length ; the leaves are oblong-oval, and 

 prickly on the margin and mid-rib ; the flowers are 

 yellow and small, and are disposed in a panicle, at 

 the extremity of the branches, and in the axils of the 

 superior leaves ; they make their appearance in June 

 and July, and are succeeded by blackish berries. 

 The most approved method of culture is from seed, 

 and where this practice is pursued, certain precau- 

 tions are. requisite. As the madder of hot climates 

 affords more colouring matter, as well as a deeper 

 tint, it is best for those who live in a northern region 

 to import the seed from the south. Again, when the 

 seed is too much dried, it may remain in the ground 

 two or three years before it will germinate On this 





