a town of New Castile in Spain, and capital of the whole kingdom, though it never had the title of a city, is situated in W. Long. 3. 5. N. Lat. 40. 26. It stands in the centre of a large plain, surrounded with mountains, and in the very heart of Spain, on the banks of the little river Manzanares, which is always very low and shallow, except when it is swelled by the melting of the snow on the mountains. The city is in general well laid out; the streets are very handsome; and the houses are fair and lofty, but built of brick, with lattice-windows, excepting those of the rich, who have glass in their windows; only, during the summer-heats, they use gauze, or some such thin stuff, instead of it, to let in the fresh air. There are two stately bridges here over the Manzanares, a great many magnificent churches, convents, hospitals, and palaces. The royal palace, which stands on the west side of the town, on an eminence, is spacious and magnificent, consisting of three courts, and commanding a fine prospect. At the east end of the town is the prado, or pardo; which is a delightful plain, planted with regular rows of poplar trees, and watered with a great many fountains; where the nobility and gentry take the air on horseback, or in their coaches, and the common people on foot, or divert themselves with a variety of sports and exercises. Almost all the streets of Madrid are straight, wide, clean, and well paved. The largest and most frequented are the street of Alcalá, that of Atocha, that of Toledo, and the Calle grande or great street. Madrid has also several squares, which in general are not very regular. The principal are those of San Joachim, Sol, La Granada, San Domingo, La Cevada, and the Plaza Mayor. The latter especially deserves notice for its spaciousness and regularity, and the elegant and lofty houses it contains. It is fifteen hundred and thirty-six feet in circuit. The houses, of which there are 136, are of five stories, ornamented with balconies; the first of which, supported by pillars, form a piazza round the square, where the inhabitants may walk under cover. In the middle of the square a market is kept.—The streets and squares of Madrid, except the Plaza Mayor which has been just described, are ornamented with fountains in a very tall state. Those most to be distinguished in this particular are the fountain of the small irregular square called Plaza di Antonio Martin, and that of the square named Puerta del Sol. The others are not more magnificent though less ridiculous. The water of all these fountains is excellent; and the air of Madrid, though the weather be variable and uncertain, is extremely pure. It was this purity of the air and excellent quality of the water which induced Philip II., and his successors to fix their residence in this city. It is also well supplied with provisions of all kinds at reasonable rates; and the court, with the resort and residence of the quality, and the high colleges and offices that are kept here, occasion a brisk trade and circulation of money.

The sacred edifices in this city have nothing remarkable in their architecture: those of St Pauqval, St Isabella, and the Carmelites, contain highly valuable collections of pictures which may be seen with admiration even after the paintings of the Escorial and the new palace. The church of St Ildefonso, which heretofore belonged to the Jesuits, has a portal which has escaped the contagion of the age in which it was built. There is another church much more modern, which on account of its size has a venerable appearance, but which true taste may justly disfavour; it is that of St Soleas, or the visitation, founded by Ferdinand VI., and the queen Barbara his wife. — The convent of St Francis has already been some years building*, and there are hopes that it will become one of the finest productions of architecture in the capital.—Besides a variety of charitable foundations, there are here three confraternities, the revenues of which are appropriated to the succour of the wretched; and an institution similar to the Mont de Piété in Paris, the principal object of which is to advance money to the necessitous.

The city of Madrid contains 15 gates, 18 parishes, 35 convents of monks, and 31 of nuns; 30 colleges, hospitals, or houses of charity; 739 dwellings-houses, and about 140,000 inhabitants. The Lombard traveller, Father Caimo, tells us, that 50,000 sheep and 12,000 oxen are annually consumed there; to which his editor has added a ludicrous estimate of the onions and leeks devoured there, which he says amount to 970000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000045. But this writer (M. Bourgoanne observes) would not at present have any reason to complain of the disagreeable smells of the streets, nor would he find all the perfumes of Arabia necessary to defend himself from them. By the vigilance of the modern police, for which (M. Bourgoanne informs us) it is indebted to the count D'Aranda, it is rendered one of the cleanest cities in Europe.

There are four academies in Madrid: The first is the Spanish academy founded in 1714, in imitation of the French academy, and consisting of 24 members, including the president. Its device is a crucible on burning coals, with the motto limpia, fija, y da esplendor; "it purifies, fixes, and gives lustre." Its first object was the compilation of a dictionary of the Spanish language, which was published in five volumes folio, and of which a new edition, with great additions, has been lately put to the press. The same academy is also employed on a superb edition of Don Quixote, adorned with elegant engravings far superior to the last, and collated with all the former editions. The second is the academy of history; which owes its origin to a society of individuals, whose meetings was to preserve and illustrate the historical monuments of the kingdom of Spain. Their labours met the approbation of Philip V., who in 1738 confirmed their statutes by a royal cédula. This academy consists of 24 members, including the president, secretary, and censor. Its device is a river at its source; and the motto, In patriam populumque fluit. The other two academies are the academy of the fine arts, painting, sculpture, and architecture; and the academy of medicine. The latter is held in no great esteem.

The environs of Madrid contain several royal seats; among which are El Buen Retiro, Casa del Campo, Florida, Le Pardo, Sarria, and San Ildefonso; but the most magnificent not only in this country but perhaps in the whole world is the Escurial, which takes its name from a small village near which it stands, about 22 miles north-west from Madrid; and of which a description is given under the article ESURIAL. Another royal palace, greatly admired particularly for its delightful gardens and surprising water-works, is Aranjuez, which is situated on the Tagus, about 30 miles south of Madrid. See ARANJUEZ.