M A T 
river Amazon, betwern the mouths of Madeira and Ta- 
paife rivers. 
MATA'JA, a river of Peru, which runs into the Pa¬ 
cific Ocean in lat. i. 20. N. 
MATAI'BA,/! in botany. See Ephicljs. 
MATAI'CHI, a town of New Mexico, in rlie province 
of Mayo : 150 miles ealf-north-eaft of Santa Cruz. 
MATALA', or Castro Matala, a town of the 
Ifland of Candy, anciently called Mctalla, or Metallum , on 
tbc'fouth coaft. ThN was one of the harbours of Gor- 
tynia : thirty miles fouth of Candy. Lat. 34. 46. N. Ion. 
24. 10. E. 
M ATA'LI.in Hindoo mythology, is the name given to 
the perfon who drives Iravat, the elephant of Indra, and 
is ulually called his charioteer. This elephant is generally 
painted with three trunks, or probofci. The Hindoos 
aflign vehicles, which they call vahan, to their different 
deities, male and female. Thus, the vahan of Indra is 
Iravat j but not, it would appear, exclufively, for Moore, 
in the Hindoo Pantheon, fays, that he has pictures in 
which other deities, Rama and Krifhna in particular, are 
mounted on this favoured animal. Indra being a perfo- 
nification of the vifible heavens, his attributes and dif- 
tinclions partake of firmamental allufions. In his wars 
he employs many elephants, who are in faft clouds; and 
their names tranflated mean thunder-bearer, black, white, 
rumbler, growler, &c. The chief of all thefe is Iravat, 
which means watery, the aqueous property of clouds be¬ 
ing that molt apparent ; and we may, in this appropriate 
^nomenclature, fancy that we difeern fome appearance of 
connection in the mythological machinery of the Hin¬ 
doos, generally at the firlt view fio apparently anomalous 
and extravagant. 
M-ATALO'E, a Email ifland in the Indian Sea, near 
the coaft of Africa. Lat. 11. 40. S. 
MATALO'NA, a town of Naples, in Lavora : thir¬ 
teen miles north-north-eali of Naples. 
MATAMAN', or Cimbeba, a large country of Africa, 
lying near the Atlantic, fouth of Benguela ; extending 
from lat. 16. to 24. S. Ion. 13. to 18. E. 
MATAM'BA, a large country in the interior part of 
Africa, bounded on the north by Congo, on the eaft by 
a country unknown, on the fouth by Malamha and Ben¬ 
guela, and on the weft by Angola; about 150 miles from 
north-weft to fouth-eaft, and about as much from north- 
eaft to fouth-vveft; divided into five provinces, Upper 
and Lower Umbe, Upper and Little Ganghelli, and 
Bondo. St. Maria de Matamba is the capital. 
MATAM'BO, a town of Peru, in the diftrict of 
Abanga : twelve miles north-weft of Culco. 
MATAMO'RE,/! [French.] A dravveanfir ; a bully ; 
one that has more impudence than courage. The French 
fay figuratively, Faire des pas de matamore , to ftep forward 
like a bully. 
MATAN', a town of the ifland of Borneo, pear the 
weft coaft, a little to the fouth of the equinoctial line. 
MATAN', a fmall ifland among the Philippines, near 
the port of Sibu, where the celebrated Magellan was 
killed in 1521, in an engagement with the natives. 
MATA'NA, a town of Hindooftan, in Oude: ten 
miles north-weft of Kairabad. 
MATAN'CA, or Matan'CES, a river of Eaft Florida, 
which runs into the fea iouth of St. Auguftine. 
MATAN'CHEL, a feaport on the welt coaft of New 
Mexico, about twenty leagues to the north-eaft of the 
rocks of Ponteque, over which may be feen, in clear 
weather, a very high hill, with a break on the top, called 
the Hill of Xalifco, eight or nine leagues from the port. 
MAT'ANE (Great and Little), rivers in Lower Ca¬ 
nada, w’hicb tall from the fouth into the St. Lawrence 
near its mouth. The mouth of the Matane rivers is ca¬ 
pable of admitting velfds of 200 tons burthen ; and the 
coaft near them tor twenty leagu.es abounds in fine cod, 
lit for exportation. Gieat numbers .of whales have alfo 
Vol. XIV. No. 992. 
MAT. 5 
Been feen floating on the water, which might prove a va¬ 
luable fithery. 
MATAN'ZAS BA'Y, a bay on the north coaft of 
Cuba. Lat. 23. 15. N. loti. 81.2. W. 
MATAPAN'. See Cape Caclia, vol. iii. p. 750. 
MATAPE', a town of New Mexico, in the province 
of Sonora : forty-five miles fouth-eaft-of Pitquin. 
MATARAM', a town of the ifland of Java, and capi¬ 
tal of a kingdom, on the fouth tide, near the centre of the 
ifland. Lat. 8.20.S. Ion. no. E. 
MATARA'NA, a river of Spain, which runs into the 
Ebro in Arragon. 
MATARE'A, or Mataria, a town of Egypt, on the 
life of the ancient On, or Heliopolis, celebrated for the 
excellence of its water. Here Jofepli and the virgin are 
faiel to have refted with our Saviour. A bloody battle 
was fought here on March 20, 1800, between the French 
and the Turks: for the particulars, fee the article Eg yft, 
vol. vi. p. 335. It is five miles north-eaft of Cairo. 
MATARI'EH, a elufter of fmall iflands in Lake Men- 
zaleh. 
MATA'RO, an ancient town of Spain, in the province 
of Catalonia. It exifted under the Romans, more within 
land, on a fpot where veltiges of its buildings are ftiil 
found; and was rebuilt by the Moors on its urefent feite. 
It is fuppofed to be the ancient llluro of Ptolemy and 
Mela, Under the Moors it took its prefent name. It is 
pleafantly fituated on the fea-fide, at the extremity of a 
fmall fertile plain, which terminates at'the foot of a chain 
of woody mountains. The old town, built on an emi¬ 
nence, retains its inclofure, its walls, and its gates. It s 
ftreets are narrow ; but the largeft, called LaRiera, which 
runs through the middle, is broad, ftraight, tolerably 
well built, and watered by a fmall it ream, with a row of 
trees by the fide of it. The new town, which at firlt was 
probably a fauxbourg to the preceding, is much larger, 
more open, and better conftrudfed. It has been lately 
built, and runs towards the ealt as far as the fea-fide: the 
ftreets are broad, long, and ftraight; the boufes are moftly 
ornamented with paintings in trefco. It is daily increaf- 
ing in extent : the furrounding country is fertile and well 
cultivated, and the town has many fountains of excellent 
water. Mataro is become a conliderable town by its in- 
duftry and commerce; its population, which, about the 
year 1770, was from 4000 to 5000 perfons, is now upward* 
of 25,000. It has three convents of monks, two of nuns, 
and an hofpital. The adminiitrafion confifts of a military 
and civil governor, an alcade-major, a port-captain, a mi- 
nifter, an auditor of the navy, and a garrifon of two fqua- 
drons of cavalry. In the town are lour manufactories of 
printed calicoes, two of calico, feven of lace, 17 of blonds, 
two of foap, 52 looms for ftik-ftockings, ri6 for cotton- 
ftockings, 48 for filk ftuffs and velvets, 89 for ribbons 
and filk galloons, fix dilti'lleries for brandy, five manufac¬ 
tories of fail-cloth, eight tan-yards, and 18 ma mi factories 
of filk twill, which yearly make, on an average, about 
20,000 pounds weight. It is leveriteen miles north-eaft 
of Barcelona. Lat. 41.33. N. Ion. 2. 19. E. 
MATATA'NA, a river of Africa, which runs inti* 
the Indian Sea in lat. 22. 20. S. 
MATATA'NES, a town on the eaft coaft of Mada- 
gafear. Lat. 22.20. S. Ion. 48. E. 
MATAVA'I BAY, or Port Royal Bay, a bay near 
the north part of the ifland ot Ocaheite. Lat. 17.30.S. 
Ion. 149. 13. W. 
MATAVA'I POI'NT, a cape of tile ifland of Ota- 
heite. Lat. 27. 20. S. ion. 210. 22.-E. 
MATCH, f \meche , Fr. miccia, ltal. from mico, Lat. to 
Ihine.] Any thing that catches fire ; generally a card* 
rope, or fmalfchip of wood, dipped in melted fulplntr.-— 
He made ufe of trees as matches /jO fet Druina a-fire. 
Howel. —A kind of rope, flightly twitted, and prepared to 
retain fire, for the ufirs of artillery, mines, fireworks, See. 
It is made of hempen tow, fpua on the wheel like cord, 
£ & blit 
