ALCAIDE, or ALCALDE, in the polity of the Moors, Spaniards, and Portuguese, a magistrate, or officer of justice, answering nearly to the French provost and the British justice of peace.—The alcáid among the Moors is vested with supreme jurisdiction, both in civil and criminal cases.

ALCALA de Guadeira, a small town of Spain, in Andalusia, upon the river Guadeira. Here are abundance of springs, from whence they convey water to Seville by an aqueduct. W. Long. 6° 16'. N. Lat. 37° 15'.

ALCALA de Henares, a beautiful and large city of Spain, in New Castile, seated upon the river Henares, which washes its walls. It is built in a very agreeable plain, and is of an oval figure. The streets are handsome and pretty straight; one of them is very long, running from one end of the city to the other. The houses are well built; and there are several squares, the largest of which is an ornament to the city; it is surrounded on all sides with piazzas, where tradesmen have their shops, to expose several sorts of commodities to sale, of which there is as great plenty and variety as in most towns of Spain. The university was founded by Cardinal Ximenes, archbishop of Toledo, about the beginning of the 16th century. The land about Alcala is watered by the Henares, well cultivated, and very fruitful, while that at a distance is dry and sterile: it yields grain in plenty, very good mule-cattle, wine, and melons of a delicious kind. Without the walls is a spring, the water of which is so pure and so well tasted, that it is inclosed and shut up for the king of Spain's own use, from whence it is carried to Madrid.—This city is 10 miles south-west of Guadalajara, and 13 miles east of Madrid. W. Long. 4° 20'. N. Lat. 40° 30'.

ALCALA-Real, a small city of Spain, in Andalusia, with a fine abbey. It is built on the top of a high mountain, in a mountainous country; and the road to it is inconvenient, rough, and unequal; but to make amends for this, here are several kinds of exquisite fruit and wine. W. Long. 4° 15'. N. Lat. 37° 18'.