634 



MADISON MAIDSTONE. 



a coral reef, in front of the town. There is also 

 in front of the town an island of tuff in distinct 

 strata, dipping towards the interior in the form of 

 a washing basin. 



In 1563, on the 25th of June, the whole island 

 of St Michael's was convulsed with an earthquake, 

 which was most seriously felt in the neighbourhood 

 of Ribeira Grande. An eruption appears to have 

 taken place near the centre of the island ; and the 

 hill formed, which has now the name of Mount 

 Vultur, exhibits abundant evidence of this event. 

 The lava flowed in a current chiefly to the west, 

 and covered Cabi;co with porous lava ; a tract 

 which still remains uncultivated. At this time a 

 large crater, called Lagoa do Fogo (or Lake of 

 fire), twelve and a half fathoms deep, was formed. 



An eruption also occurred on the 2d of Septem- 

 ber, 1630, in the valley of the Furnas, and the 

 spot is now a nearly circular plain surrounding a 

 somewhat high hill with a crater at top. At this 

 time the cinders were carried nearly ninety leagues, 

 as far as Terceira. 



Since then other eruptions of minor importance 

 have taken place from the same spot. On the 10th 

 of October, 1652, the elevated Pico do Fogo was 

 raised, and on the 19th of the same month, the hill 

 called Pico de Jao Ramos, northeast of Lugar de 

 Rosto de Cao in St Michael's. July 3d, 1638, was 

 an eruption from the sea off Pico das Camarhinas, 

 at the distance of one league from land, and where 

 there were forty fathoms of water. In 1691, there 

 was an eruption off St Michael's, and another in 

 1720, producing an island six miles in circumfer- 

 ence. Many earthquakes occurred in the autumn 

 of 1810. On the 1st of February, 1811, was an 

 eruption off Genetes; and on June 13th occurred 

 another, about a mile from the island of St Michael's, 

 which elevated the island called Sabrina. The 

 same phenomena have since occasionally recurred, 

 but there has been no actual volcanic eruption in 

 St Michael's. In the island of St George a de- 

 structive eruption happened in 1808. 



In a word, all the geological phenomena, which 

 have been remarked, lead to one and the same in- 

 ference in regard to the volcanic origin and causes 

 of the present aspect of these islands. Indeed, 

 not only Madeira and the Azores, but also the Cape 

 de Verds and Canaries seem to have had a similar 

 origin. 



MADISON, JAMES, the fourth president of the 

 United States, was the son of James Madison of 

 Orange County, and was born on the Rappahan- 

 nock river in Virginia, March 16th, 1751. He 

 studied the English, Latin, Greek, French, and 

 Italian languages, and was fitted for college under 

 the instruction of Mr Robertson, a Scotchman, 

 and the Rev. Mr Martin, a Jerseyman; was gradu- 

 ated at Princeton, N. J., in 1771 ; and afterwards 

 remained a year at College, pursuing his studies 

 under the superintendence of Dr Witherspoon, the 

 president. His constitution was impaired by his 

 close application to his studies, and his health was, 

 for many years, feeble. In 1776, he was elected 

 a member of the General Assembly of Virginia ; in 

 1778, of the Executive Council; in the winter of 

 1779 80, of the Continental Congress, of which 

 he continued a member till 1784 ; in 1787, a mem- 

 ber of Congress, and in the same year, a delegate 

 to the Convention at Philadelphia, which formed 

 the present constitution of the United States. He 

 continued a distinguished member of Congress till 

 March 1797, the end of Washington's administra- 



tion. On the accession of Mr Jefferson to the 

 presidency in 1801, Mr Madison was appointed 

 secretary of state, which office he held during the 

 eight years of Mr Jefferson's administration; and 

 in 1809, he succeeded his friend and coadjutor as 

 president of the United States. After having 

 filled the office for two terms, he retired to his 

 seat, Montpelier, where he passed his remaining 

 years chiefly as a private citizen, declining political 

 office, except that he acted as visitor and rector of 

 the university of Virginia, and as a member of the 

 State Convention to amend the constitution of 

 Virginia. He was distinguished for his great 

 talents and acquirements, for the important offices 

 which he filled, and for his virtues in private life. 

 He died on the 28th June, 1836. Mr Madison 

 was the last surviving member of the convention 

 that formed the constitution of the United States ; 

 he was one of its most distinguished champions, 

 and at the time of its adoption he was associated 

 with Hamilton and Jay in the production of the 

 celebrated work entitled the "Federalist." He left, 

 in manuscript, " A careful and extended Report of 

 the Proceedings and Discussions " of the conven- 

 tion of 1787, which framed the constitution of 

 the United States, which he directed in his will to 

 be published under the authority and direction of 

 his widow. 



MAGEE, WILLIAM, D. D., archbishop of Dub- 

 lin, and primate of Ireland. This distinguished 

 prelate was the son of parents in very humble life, 

 and was a sizer in Trinity college, Dublin, of 

 which he afterwards became a distinguished orna- 

 ment. He was for some time assistant professor 

 of oriental tongues and professor of mathematics. 

 His celebrated " Discourses on the Scriptural 

 Doctrine of the Atonement and Sacrifice" were 

 first published in 1801, in two vols. 8vo. His 

 other publications consist of one or two occasional 

 sermons, and a memoir of Thomas Percival, M.D. 

 In 1813, Dr Magee was advanced to the deanery 

 of Cork ; in 1819, he was consecrated bishop of 

 Raphoe, and in 1822 he was translated to the see 

 of Dublin. He died on the 18th August, 1831, 

 aged 66. 



MAHMOUD II. (a.) The sultan Mahmoud II. 

 died at Constantinople, on the 30th June, 1839, 

 aged fifty-four. He was succeeded by his son, 

 Abdul Medjid, who was born on the 20th April, 

 1823. 



MAIDSTONE; the county and assize town of 

 Kent, is situated on the river Medway, thirty-two 

 miles S.E. by E. from London. The town consists 

 of four principal streets and several smaller ones, 

 which are well paved and lighted with gas. Among 

 the public buildings are the county hall, the gaol, 

 erected in 1818, and distinguished for the excel- 

 lence of its plan and arrangements ; the barracks, 

 built chiefly of timber, arid standing at a short dis- 

 tance from the gaol ; the county ball-rooms erected 

 in 1819; and the theatre, a small but neat struc- 

 ture. In the centre of the town is a handsome 

 building, the lower part of which is appropriated 

 for the corn-market ; and behind it is a market- 

 place commodiously laid out for the sale of provi- 

 sions. The river Medway is here navigable, and 

 a considerable trade is carried on with the metro- 

 polis. The imports consist chiefly of coal, timber, 

 iron and rags; the exports of fruit, hops, stone, 

 and paper. The chief manufacture is that of 

 paper, there being in the neighbourhood several 

 paper-mills, which afford employment for a great 



