BARCELONA, bar-the-16'n9, Spain, the largest city and second seaport of Spain, 440 miles northeast of Madrid by rail (310 miles direct line). It is the capital of the province of the same name and of the military district of Cata lonia, and is handsomely built, in the shape of a half-moon, on the coast of the Mediter ranean, between the mouths of the Llobregat and the Besos, in the midst of a spacious fer tile valley. It was, even in the Middle Ages, one of the principal commercial places on this sea. On the southwest lies the hill of Mon juich, with a fort which protects the harbor. Barcelona is divided into the old town, the streets of which, with one or two exceptions, notably the broad Rambla, are narrow and mediaeval but always picturesque and animated; and the new city, with wide streets and hand some modern houses. The walls of the old city have been converted into boulevards called rondas. In the suburbs are most of the fac tories. Its manufactures which are the most important in Spain include cottons, silks, woolens, machinery, iron castings, paper, glass, mathematical instruments chemicals, stoneware and soap. There are also dyeworks, tanner ies, etc. Previous to the great war many of the articles needed in commercial production were imported. But as these sources of supply were closed, new industries sprang up; espe cially to be noted are those of bottle tops, elec tric wire and cable, enameled ironware, hard ware, needles and buttons, galvanized iron and tinware, grindstones and crucibles, emery prod ucts, glass, inks, varnishes, glue, waterproof cloth, etc. New establishments also began mak ing rubber articles, straw hats, shirts, neckties, furniture and toys. Forty-six new textile com panies, manufacturing in silk, cotton and wool, have been (1916) begun since the war began, but principally in the knitted goods industries, for which not only the city but the whole dis trict is noted. But perhaps the greatest growth has been in the line of chemical industries, to supply articles formerly imported from Ger many. These include general chemical prod ucts, aniline dyes, drugs and essences, oils and soaps, alcohol, glucose and chemical fer tilizers; as well as photographic papers and films, carbonic acid gas, hquid lye, cream of tartar and antiseptics. The local tanning in dustry increased largely owing to the war's de mand for leathers, and 12 new tanneries were established to supply this trade. The importa tions of raw cotton into Barcelona for the campaign year 1915-16 was 396,788 bales, of which 314,855 came from the United States. While this supply was 98,744 bales less than the preceding year it was 5,722 bales more than the ante-war period, and for the United States an increase of 38,490 bales over Barcelona's purchases for the year just previous to the war. Of the total supply of cotton now (1916) reaching Barcelona 80 per cent is grown in the United States, 15 per cent in India and 5 per cent in Egypt. Agriculture and the grow ing of fruits and nuts showed a marked in crease in 1915-16. The harbor is spacious, 305 acres and has an entrance 300 yards wide be tween two long piers. The entrance is pro
tected by a large mole, which has been recently extended, and there is a large floating dry dock. The exports consist largely of manu factured goads, wine and brandy, fruit, oil, cork, etc. The chief imports are coal, grain, cotton, hemp, foodstuffs, etc. In 1910 1,662 ships of 2,463,741 tons burden entered the har bor. The city contains a university founded in 1430, transferred to Cervera in 1714 and re opened here in 1837, now occupying a noble pile of buildings, completed in 1873. It has faculties of law, medicine, philosophy, natural sciences, ,mathematics and pharmacy, about 1,900 pupils and a library of 150,000 volumes. Barcelona also contains the archives of the kings of Aragon (nearly 4,000,000 documents), two museums, a palace of fine arts, school of architects and engineers, a foundling hospital, a general hospital, large enough to contain 3,000 sick persons, a deaf-and-dumb institution, a large arsenal, a cannon foundry, several large theatres, a bull ring seating 14,500 persons, and a fine Spanish Gothic cathedral dating from the 13th century. It is the seat of a Supreme Court, a bishop and the captain-general of Catalonia, and is altogether a beautiful and agreeable town, with various interesting features and highly picturesque surroundings. Electric lights and electric tramways have been introduced. Barcelona is said to have been founded by the Carthaginians in the 3d century B.C., and was an important city under the Romans, Goths and Moors. It was from the 9th till the 12th century governed by its own counts; but aftenvard by the marriage of Raymond IV with the daughter of Ramiro II, King of Aragon, it was united with that king dom. In 1640 it withdrew, with all Catalonia, from the Spanish government ; and submitted to the French Crown; in 1562 it submitted again to the Spanish government; in 1697 it was taken by the French, but restored to Spain at the Peace of Ryswick. In the War of the Spanish Succession Barcelona took the part of the Archduke Charles; but in 1714 was be sieged by the troops of Philip V, under the command of the Duke of Berwick, and talcen after an obstinate resistance. A strong citadel on the east side of the city was then erected to overawe the inhabitants, but was destroyed in 1845. On 16 Feb. 1809, Barcelona was talcen by surprise by the French troops under Gen eral Duhesme, and remained in the power of the French till, in 1814, all their troops were recalled from Catalonia to defend their own country. In 1821 the yellow fever carried off 40,000 of the inhabitants. The city has been the scene of many serious and sanguinary re volts, particularly in 1832, 1836, 1840 and 1841. Latterly, industry and commerce have rapidly increased, the construction of railways contri buting to this result. This city is regarded as the centre of anarchist movements in Spain. It is governed by. a council elected for four years by all the citizens over 25 years of age, and presided over by an alcalde chosen by the members among their own number. Pop. 800,000.