or St Laurence, the largest of the African islands, situated between 43° and 51° of E. Long. and between 12° and 26° of S. Lat. It extends near 1000 miles from north-north-east to south-south-west, and about 300 in breadth where broadest. The whole coast is divided by rivers; and there are many bays and gulfs, with good roads and harbours. It abounds in corn, cattle, fowls, and all manner of animals and vegetables found on the continent of Africa; and affords an agreeable variety of hills, valleys, woods, and champaign. Great quantities of iron and steel are found throughout this island, which their artificers forge and purify with less difficulty and labour than Europeans. Their method is this: They reduce the ore, as brought from the mines, into powder, place it upon burning coals between four stones, which are clayed round for the purpose; and, by continual blowing underneath, with bellows made in the shape of gun-barrels or water-pumps, the ore runs in less than an hour; whence the metal being afterwards Madagascar wards extracted, by great heat, is formed into bars of Madder, three or four pounds weight. It is confidently affirmed, that the island has also mines of gold and silver, and of a white metal much like British tin. The rivers and brooks are rich in various kinds of precious stones, in crystals, topazes, amethysts, eagle-stones, emeralds, sapphires, hyacinths, jaspers, blood-stones, &c.

The inhabitants are of different complexions and religions: some white, some negroes; some Mohammedans, some Pagans. The whites, and those of a tawny complexion, who inhabit the coasts, are descended from the Arabs, as is evident from their language and their religious rites: but here are no mosques, temples, nor any stated worship, except that they offer sacrifices of beasts on particular occasions; as when sick, when they plant yams or rice, when they hold their assemblies, circumcise their children, declare war, enter into new built houses, and bury their dead. The country is divided into a great many petty princes, who are continually at war with one another, as upon the continent; selling their prisoners or slaves to the shipping which touch there; and taking clothing, utensils, and other necessaries, in return. The French had once some settlements upon the island; but, at present, neither they nor any other European nation have any.

Madder. See Rubia.

Madder is a plant, the uses of which were well known to the ancients, both in respect to manufactures and physic. The Greek authors call this plant erythrodanum, from erythros, "red," the Latin, on the same principle rubia; and it is styled rubia tinctorum, from the use made of it in dyeing. Dioscorides and Galen do not insist upon its tingling quality. But the former describes, and both to explain, its medicinal virtues, as to leave no doubt as to the plant. Pliny, who commonly agrees with Dioscorides, mentions both its uses, but in different books of his history. In respect to its medical qualities, they are followed by later authors; but the nature of the colour extracted from its roots was left to such as wrote the history of the arts. With their roots they dyed wool and leather; and from these and other parts of the plant they formed a variety of medicines, to which great virtues were attributed by their ablest physicians. They had it likewise both wild and cultivated, the best sort of the latter growing, in the time of Pliny, in the neighbourhood of Rome.

As madder is a very valuable commodity, so the raising and curing it in perfection is a work of much time, trouble, and expense, for all which it pays abundantly at last. The soil best suited to this plant is a soft sandy loam, which must be properly prepared by repeated and deep ploughings, so as to render it perfectly even and fine. The young shoots for the cultivated madder is not propagated by seed, but must be planted in the course of the month of April upon ridges at three feet distance, and the plants themselves at a foot and an half distance from each other. They remain three summers in the ground; and during that space are to be carefully hoed, kept clean from weeds, and properly earthed up. They are drawn about the month of September, and must be then conveyed immediately to the drying-house, built like those used by the tanners for their skins, except that hurdles are used in them instead of floors, that the air may have free access to the roots every way. After remaining there four or five days, and the earth perfectly cleared from them, they are carried to the cold stove, where they are farther, but very slowly, dried by the help of flues placed in the sides of the building. This being done, the madder is carried next to the floor, where it is threshed from its bark or outward rind; which, however, is swept together, barrelled up, and is what the Dutch call mull, which sometimes falls for eight pounds a ton, and thereby commonly detracts the expense of drying. The roots thus cleared are then conveyed to the warm stove, where the drying is gradually completed. From thence they are sent to the mill, and there ground, sorted, and packed up in casks fit for sale. In these several operations, which must all be performed with much care and exactness, the commodity loses too much of its weight, that 700 or 800 of the green will seldom make more than 100 of the dry madder. The time, trouble, and expense attending the cultivation of madder in this method have induced some, particularly the French, to endeavour to find out some expedients to shorten the process, and by ridding themselves of stoves and mills to lessen the charge. It is certainly right to examine and to consider their attempts. But, on the other hand, there is, with all its prolixity and labour, something very worthy of attention in this mode of the Dutch. The dyers use madder in different ways and for different purposes, which are all suited by the several divisions of the madder, by which all is sold, each fetches its just price, and the dyers find some or other of these sorts adapted to every intention, which is a great and apparent convenience.

The Dutch are at present possessed of an almost absolute monopoly of this valuable commodity, the cultivation of which they were taught by the Flemings; who, persecuted for their religion, long since took shelter among them. In times past we imported madder by the way of Hamburg from Silesia, and also from Flanders; whereas we now have it only from Holland. This that people have brought about by their unwearied industry, their careful management, and indefatigable attention. It is in a particular manner the great staple of Zealand; where, in the small isle of Schouwen, they raise annually 1000 tons; for the curing of which there are about 20 stoves, each provided with a proper number of able workmen, by whom everything is accurately and excellently performed at a settled and very moderate price, and under the most prudent and equitable regulations. When the work is finished, the madder, according to its fineness, is divided into several sorts; and, after being inspected by persons deputed by the magistrates, each sort is put up in casks with marks declaring its nature, and the arms of the town of Zierikzee painted on them, which authenticate their contents wherever they are exported. The assayers are sworn duly to respect the ordinances of Zealand, of which there are several, very explicit and well considered. The casks, besides the arms of the town, have the name of the stove, where made, and the quality of the madder, painted on them; and thus the credit and the reputation of the different parties are staked, which excites a constant attention and emulation. This plant is also cultivated not only in the other islands which compose that province, but likewise in different parts of the dominions of the United Provinces, from whence it is sent in immense quantities over all Europe.

In proportion as industry, arts, and commerce, came to prevail, and to be understood here, it was very clearly discerned that our dependence upon another nation, for an article so necessary to the progress of several manufactures, was pregnant with many inconveniences, besides the constant drain of money, not only for the benefit, but even at the will of strangers, who set what prices they pleased on what could not be wanted. In the reign of Charles I., a patent was granted to Mr Shipman the king's gardener for planting and curing of madder; which he did, and brought it to very great perfection, till ruined by the confusion of the times, he was constrained to part with his stock, and give over the trade. We have this fact from Mr Blyth, who having been an officer in the parliament army became afterwards a great promoter of agriculture and all sorts of improvements, and is consequently a competent and unsuspected witness. He says, that Mr Shipman planted madder, and set up his works at Barn Elms, and that his commodity was highly commended by its only proper judges the dyers. It is evident therefore, that at this time we were possessed of this valuable article, which might have been soon had in plenty as well as in perfection. If this opportunity had been taken, and the cultivation of madder (as it might have been) universally introduced, it would be no difficult matter to demonstrate, that this nation might have been the richer for it by some millions.

It was again attempted by Sir Nicholas Crispe, a man of extraordinary abilities, and of great public spirit, as also by persons well skilled therein at Wittebeek, who, notwithstanding many obstructions that were thrown in their way, would certainly have succeeded, had not the Dutch reduced, and for a time kept the price so low, that for want of support they were constrained to give up the making of madder. This had so bad an effect, that notwithstanding the growing of this plant for physical uses and for curiosity in many private gardens, no thoughts were entertained of cultivating it to a large extent, and for the purposes of dyeing, till within these few years. It then appeared so reasonable in itself, and of such public utility, that an act of parliament was obtained to facilitate the design, which act hath been since continued, and many other marks have been given of public approbation. Stat. 31 G. II. in the preamble, the great advantages that would attend the cultivation of madder are succinctly stated; and for promoting so important a design, the tythe of every acre on which it is planted is fixed at five shillings from August 2, 1758 for 14 years. Stat. 5 Geo. III. c. 18. after reciting, that the price of the commodity hath been raised, continues the tythe at five shillings an acre for 14 years farther from the expiration of the former act. The society also for the encouraging arts, manufactures, and commerce, have promised very considerable and well considered premiums for the encouraging this very expensive improvement, as also (which may be of no small importance) for the cultivation of our own wild madder.