capital of the above province and of Spain, is situate in N. Lat. 40° 24' 57", W. Long. 3° 41' 51", on the left bank of the River Manzanares, an affluent of the Tagus, at an altitude of 2245 feet above sea-level. It occupies nearly the centre of the kingdom, being about 300 miles from the Atlantic, and an equal distance from the Mediterranean, 240 miles S.W. of Bayonne, and 350 E.N.E. of Lisbon. It stands on some sandy hills of little elevation, in the midst of an extensive plain, bounded to the view on only one side, by the mountains of Somosierra and Guadarrama. The basin in which it stands is of tertiary formation, consisting of gypsum, marl, meerschamm, and limestone. Owing to its elevation and exposure, the air is extremely subtle and keen. The mean temperature in winter is 43°, though the thermometer frequently indicates 32° and under; in summer the mean is 76°, while, during the S.E. wind, the thermometer often indicates 90° or 105° in the shade. These extremes, which have given rise to the adage, "Tres meses de invierno, y nueve del infierno" (three months of winter, and nine of hell), are very prejudicial to health, causing pulmonary diseases, which, with the convulsive colic, may be called endemic; pulmonia carrying off many victims every year at the beginning of winter, and during the long-continued colds of that season; while, even in the suffocating heats of July and August, the breezes from the snow-covered Guadarrama often sweep along the streets with a death-like chill. The natural insalubrity of the city is enhanced by the want of water, and by the neglect of sanitary precautions on the part of the inhabitants.

The form of Madrid is that of a square, with the corners rounded off; from E. to W. it measures about 2640 yards, and 2970 yards from N. to S. It is surrounded by a very poor wall, partly built of brick, partly of earth—the house walls in some quarters forming part. There are five gates (puertas), whose names indicate their position,—Alcalá, Bilbao, Segovia, Toledo, and Atocha,—and eleven portillos. Of these sixteen entrances, the finest is that by the Puerta de Alcalá, which terminates the Calle de Alcalá, the handsomest street in the town. The puerta is in the modern Ionic style, with three archways, and was erected by Charles III., in 1778. The Portillo de San Vicente, erected by the same monarch in 1775, deserves notice; it is built of Columbar granite. The Puerta de Toledo, erected 1813-27, in honour of the restoration of Ferdinand VII., is a pretentious but heavy structure. Madrid is divided into ten districts, and consists of 512 streets and 70 plazas, large and small. The old streets are irregular, tortuous, and narrow, but the modern ones, especially in the E. part of the town, are broad and handsome. The Calle de Alcalá, already mentioned, which connects the Prado with the Puerta del Sol, is a very fine street, bordered on both sides with acacias, and containing some elegant buildings; but its irregularity in point of width and level detract much from its appearance. The Calle Mayor, De la Montera, Caballero de Gracia, Hortaleza, Fuencarral, Carrera de San Geronimo, and Atocha, deserve notice. The Plaza Mayor is a rectangle of about 400 feet by 306; the houses are uniform in height and decoration, and have porticos. Here the executions and royal bull fights were celebrated, the royal family viewing them from the Panadería. There is in the centre a bronze equestrian statue of Philip III., designed by Pantoja, and cast by Juan de Bologna, which has been much admired. The Puerta del Sol, formerly the east gate and tower of the city, having on its front a representation of the sun, is now the central plaza, and the favourite lounge and place of most traffic in the city. It is situated in the confluence of four principal streets, and contains only one building worthy of attention, the Casa de Correos. The Plaza de las Cortes, so called from the house of deputies, is remarkable as containing the fine statue of Cervantes by Solá, erected in 1835. The most frequented promenade is the Prado on the east and north sides of the city, in length about 9650 feet. It was planted by the Conde de Aranda in the time of Charles III., and laid out by José Hermosilla. It contains some indifferent monuments and fountains. On the E. are the gardens of the Buen Retiro laid out by Olivares; on the W., the Florida; on the N., the Delicias; and on the S., Chamberí. These are less frequented.

Madrid has small architectural pretensions, and is almost wholly without Roman, Moorish, or Gothic remains. Her most ancient public buildings are in the worst style of the renaissance, and the private houses in general mean and inconsiderate. Like the other large towns in Spain, Madrid is disfigured with numerous heavy-looking convents. There are altogether sixteen churches and sixty-one convents, besides chapels and convents which have been put to other uses. The church of María de la Almudena is the iglesia mayor, and the most ancient, having been a Moorish mosque; it is small and of no merit. Perhaps the finest church in Madrid is that of the convent (de monjas) of La Encarnación, in the form of a Latin cross, and with Ionic decorations; its high altar is very fine. The chapel of Las Salesas Viejas, a large convent of nuns, erected by Barbara, queen of Ferdinand VI., as a seminary and retreat for herself, has been converted into a parish church. It is a fine Corinthian structure, and the marbles of the high altar are magnificent. The convent of San Gerónimo, founded by Enrique IV., one of the few Gothic specimens, contained numerous marble sepulchres of eminent men, which were mostly destroyed by the French, with those in the church of San Martín. The structures for civil purposes are better, and the Palacio del Congreso de Diputados, begun in 1843, deserves particular mention. The Aduana, erected 1769, is a fine large building in the Calle de Alcalá, and contains various public offices. The barracks of the Life-Guards, occupied by cavalry, is an enormous but tasteless erection of the last century.

There are two royal residences in the city,—the Palacio Real and the Palacio de Buen Retiro. The former is one of the largest and finest in Europe. At first view its aspect is very imposing; a closer inspection disappoints. It is built on the site of the ancient Moorish Alcazar. When Charles V. made Madrid his residence in 1532, he caused the Alcazar to be improved and enlarged, and the obstructing houses to be demolished. Philip II., and the succeeding monarchs, continued the improvements; but the whole was destroyed by fire in 1734. The present edifice was begun in 1738, under Philip V., by Sachetti of Turin, and was not finished till 1764; the palace of Buen Retiro being occupied in the meanwhile. The wings and hanging gardens are still unfinished. It is a square of 470 feet each way, and about 100 feet in height, vaulted throughout. The reception-room is very magnificent. Marbles are used profusely for the floors and doorways; and the ceilings are painted by Mengs, Antonio Velásquez, Maella, Jaquinto, Bayeu, and Tiepolo. This palace contains the Bibliotheca de Camara and the Armería Real. The former consists of about 200,000 volumes, and from 2000 to 3000 MSS. (See Libraries). The latter, occupying the south façade, is perhaps the finest armory in the world, containing numberless weapons, native and foreign, of all ages. The royal chapel, though plundered in 1808 of its fine pictures, is still very magnificent. The order is Corinthian; the decorations very splendid. The Palacio de Buen Retiro exists in a state nearly approaching to desolation, the damage done by the French never having been entirely repaired. The oldest part, built by Olivares for Philip IV., is a large regular square, but subsequent additions and improvements have destroyed the harmony of the whole. The palaces of the grandees, if we except those of the Duque de Liria, the Conde de Altamira, and Don José Salamanca, are not remarkable. Those of Alba, Liria, and Medinaceli contain valuable galleries of pictures. There are eight theatres: the Teatro del Príncipe, erected in 1806 by the architect Villanueva, is the most elegant and best arranged in the city; the Teatro del Cruz, erected in 1737 by Ribera, and capable of containing 1500 persons, is in exceedingly bad taste, and inconveniently constructed. The Plaza de Toros, built in 1749, is about 1100 feet in circumference, and contains 12,000 spectators; and the bull-fights are held between the months of April and November. One of the finest public galleries in the world is the Museo de Pinturas, situate in the Prado—a heavy, indifferent building—which contains the collections formed by Charles V., Philip II., and Philip IV., and numbered 1833 pictures in 1850. The specimens of Raphael, Titian, Murillo, and especially Velásquez, are numerous and remarkable.

There are 60 public schools of primary education in Madrid, besides escuelas pías, colegios, and private institutions. Modern educational movements have not left Madrid unaffected, and great improvements in this respect have taken place within the last fifteen years. Female education is chiefly carried on in convents. The university of Alcalá, founded by Cardinal Ximenes in 1508, was transferred in 1836 to Madrid, and has since that time undergone much reform and extension. In 1845 chairs of medicine, natural history, and astronomy were added. There is a school for the blind, one for deaf-mutes, and schools of engineering, military science, and the fine arts. Among educational institutions may be reckoned the botanical garden, laid out in 1781; the library of San Isidro, which contains about 60,000 volumes, and the museum of natural science, formed chiefly under Charles III., on the several purchased collections augmented by contributions from the Madridejos Spanish Indies. The collection contains the most magnificent crystals of emerald in the world, and fine ores of precious metals. The principal learned society (Academia) is the Royal Spanish Academy, founded in 1713, for the study and improvement of the Castilian language. The Academy of History possesses a fine collection of coins and medals; there are also academies of natural science, archaeology, fine arts, ecclesiastical science, and legislation. Of these associations it may be said that their projects are much more magnificent than their actual results.

The hospitals of Madrid are very numerous; the principal is the General or United Hospital, a very large building in the Calle de Atocha, containing 1526 beds, and receiving patients of both sexes. There are three foundling hospitals, and two for orphans. The military hospital is large and well conducted; it occupies the former seminary of the nobility in the Plazauela del Seminario. There are, besides, hospitals for the reception of foreigners, and for the natives of several Spanish provinces.

The manufactures of Madrid are inconsiderable; every article of food and clothing, almost without exception, is imported. Tapestry, carpets, and china are manufactured for the court. Deserving of notice are the saltpetre works, the manufacture of hats, that of looking-glasses, and some breweries. Little wine is grown near the capital, and not much fruit; but the markets are well supplied, and regularly, from all quarters of the kingdom.

The environs of the city are uninteresting; the sole attractive points being the royal villas of La Moncloa, on the road to the Escorial, close to the Manzanares, El Pardo, a fine hunting-seat restored by Charles III.; and La Vista Alegre. About 8 miles on the Toledo road are the Caravanchelas, two villages of pleasurable resort. The village of Loeches has a convent remarkable for a fine collection of paintings. A railway between Madrid and Aranjuez has been constructed; others are contemplated.

Spanish archaeologists have claimed for Madrid a very high antiquity; but its origin and that of its name are exceedingly obscure. The immediate source of the latter is the Arabic appellation Majrit. The earliest authentic historical mention of the town corresponds to A.D. 932. It first rose to importance when Charles V., benefiting by his keen air, made it his occasional residence, and founded the Palacio Real; Philip II. formed a similar attachment, and created it his capital and "only court" in 1560. Fruitless attempts have been repeatedly made by subsequent monarchs to transfer the seat of empire to Valladolid or Seville.

The population of Madrid amounted in 1845 to 216,740, including the garrison. This population, composed of natives of all the Spanish provinces, has little common character beyond that of indolence.