MAFRA MAGDEBURG. 



613 



ness of research or acuteness of judgment. He died 

 at Tivoli, 1603. 



5. Paolo Alessandro, born at Volterra, 1653, died 

 in Rome, where he had chiefly resided, in 1716. By 

 nn industrious study of museums and cabinets, he 

 acquired an extensive knowledge of ancient works 

 of art. His principal works are Raccolta di Statue 

 Antichc e Moderne (Rome, 1704), and an edition of 

 Agostini's Gemme Antiche, which he enriched with 

 valuable notes and additions ; it is less prized by 

 connoisseurs than the old and scarce edition of 1657, 

 which is remarkable for the beauty of its engrav- 

 ings. 



6. Raphael, called also Raphael of Volterra, born 

 at Volterra, in the middle of the fifteenth century, 

 died there in 1522. His chief work is Commentarii 

 Rermn Urbunarttm Libri xxxviii. (Rome 1506), of 

 which the first twenty-three books contain geogra- 

 phical and biographical treatises : the remainder is a 

 general view of the state of knowledge at that time. 



MAFRA ; a town of Portugal, province of Estre- 

 madura, six leagues north- west of Lisbon, containing 

 a magnificent palace, erected by John V. It is 

 constructed of marble, and is nearly a square of 728 

 feet. The church is placed in the centre of the 

 fabric, having the palace on one side and the convent 

 on the other. It was begun in 1717, and finished in 

 1742. A beautiful park and fine gardens are at- 

 tached to it. The kings of Portugal have often 

 resided here. The palace includes a college, which 

 has a library of 40,000 or 50,000 volumes, and a fine 

 mathematical apparatus. Population, 2,800. See 

 Murphy's splendid work, published in London, in 

 1791, the text of which is by Luis de Sousa. 



MAGADOXO, MAGADOSHO, or MAKDI- 

 SHO ; a kingdom of Africa, situated en the coast of 

 the Indian sea, extending from the river Jubo, near 

 the equator, to beyond the fifth degree of north lati- 

 tude. How far it extends to the westward, is not 

 known. It has its name from its capital, situated in 

 a large bay, formed, as has been said, by the mouth 

 of the river of the some name, which is called by the 

 Arabs the Nile of Magadoxo, by reason of its annual 

 overflowing. Owen's chart (1827) lays down no 

 river between the Jubo and 8 north, an extent of 

 500 miles. The city of Magadoxo is a place of great 

 commerce, and vast resort from the kingdoms of 

 Aden, and other parts ; whence their merchants 

 bring cotton, silk, and other cloths, spices, and a 

 variety of drugs, which they exchange with the inha- 

 bitants for gold, ivory, wax, and other commodities. 

 It is chiefly inhabited by Mohammedans. The town 

 is situated in Ion. 45 19' E.; lat. 2 1' N. 



MAGALHAENS, or MAGELLAN, FKRNANDO 

 DE ; a famous Portuguese navigator, who discovered 

 the straits at the extremity of South America, and 

 conducted the first expedition round the world. He 

 served under Albuquerque in the East Indies, and 

 distinguished himself, especially at the taking of 

 Malacca, in 1510. He afterwards entered into the 

 service of Spain, and was intrusted, by Charles V., 

 with the command of a fleet destined to explore a 

 passage to the Molucca islands, by sailing westward. 

 The voyage was commenced September 20, 1519. 

 About the end of October, 1520, he entered the 

 straits since called after his name, and, on the 27th 

 of November, discovered the Pacific ocean. Con- 

 tinuing his course, he arrived at the Ladrone 

 islands, and subsequently at the Philippines, on 

 one of which he lost his life in a skirmish with the 

 natives, in 1521. 



MAGAZINES. See Periodicals. 



MAGDALEN, or MARY OF MAGDALA, a 

 city on the lake of Galilee, in Palestine, by an old 

 erroneous interpretation, is confounded with the sin- 



ner mentioned in Luke vii., whose name is not given, 

 and who, on account of her repentance and trust in 

 Christ, was assured by him of the forgiveness of her 

 sins. The history of her conversion from a licen- 

 tious life being confounded with the story of Mary 

 of Magdala (see Mary), the ideal of St Magdalen 

 was formed, and has given occasion to some of the 

 most celebrated productions of the pencil. Penitent 

 females who had lived licentious lives, early banded 

 together, and formed a religious order, under the 

 protection of St Magdalena, which existed in Ger- 

 many before 1215; and similar institutions arose 

 about the same time in France, Italy, and Spain. In 

 France, they termed themselves Madclonettes. They 

 adopted the rules of St Augustine, and formed vari- 

 ous congregations, distinguished by the colour of 

 their dress (white, gray, or black), and by the differ- 

 ent degrees of strictness in their mode of life. This 

 order, which admitted, at first, only courtesans and 

 females who had lost their honour, has spread into 

 both Indies ; and, although the members of it were 

 only bound to social exercises of devotion, and did 

 not apply themselves to useful offices, and have, 

 moreover, departed from their ancient laws, by the 

 reception of virtuous women, yet the institutions 

 continue till the present day. The Catholic Mag- 

 dalen establishments now remaining in Protestant 

 countries, have been obliged to devote themselves to 

 the care of tiie sick; such as that at Lauban, in 

 Upper Lusatia. 



Magdalen Societies, so called from the view of the 

 character of Mary Magdalen already given, have also 

 been established, of Jate years, to afford a retreat to 

 penitent prostitutes, and enable them to pursue the 

 work of their own reformation. Such a society was 

 established in London, in 1758, principally by the 

 exertions of doctor Dodd, and, since that period, 

 between 4000 and 5000 abandoned women have en- 

 joyed the benefits of the establishment, and have been 

 restored to their families and society. By far the 

 greater number of those who have been protected 

 here have subsequently continued respectable and 

 correct in their behaviour. No female who has con- 

 ducted herself with propriety in the house, is allowed 

 to leave it unprovided for. Similar societies also 

 exist in some other of our principal cities. 



MAGDALENA, a large river of South America, 

 rises from lake Pampas, in the Colombian province 

 Cundinamarca, receives many other rivers, and falls, 

 after a course of 900 miles, by two branches, into the 

 Caribbean sea. It contains numerous alligators. 

 It gives name to a department of Columbia. There 

 is another river of the same name in Texas. 



MAGDALENE ISLANDS; a cluster of islands, 

 seven in number, situated in the gulf of St Lawrence, 

 about forty-two miles north-west from the island of 

 Cape Breton. They are thinly inhabited by fisher- 

 men. Lon. 61 40' W.; lat. between 47 13' and 

 47 42' N. 



MAGDEBURG, one of the most important for- 

 tresses of Germany, and, from the time of Charle- 

 magne, of considerable commercial interest, capital 

 of the former duchy, and present Prussian govern- 

 ment of the same name, in the province of Saxony, 

 is situated on the left bank of the Elbe, which is 

 crossed by a wooden bridge, about ninety-five miles 

 from Berlin; Ion. 11 38' E.; lat. 52 8' N.; with 

 36,600 inhabitants, exclusive of the garrison. Magde- 

 burg, with her sixteen bastions, extensive outworks, 

 &c., forms one of the strongest fortresses of Europe, 

 and commands the middle Elbe. The Gothic cathe- 

 dral is worthy of notice. Magdeburg has two ex- 

 cellent gymnasia, many other establishments, and 

 considerable transit trade betwet'ii the coasts and 

 the interior of Germany, with some manufactures, 



