MATARÓ, a Mediterranean seaport of Spain, in the province of Barcelona, 21 miles to the north-east of that city, is beautifully situated on the lower slopes and at the foot of the range of hills which skirt the coast, and shelter the town from the cold northern winds. The streets of the new town, lying next the sea, are wide and regularly built; those of the old town, farther up the hill, still preserve much of their ancient character. The parish church of Santa Maria has some good pictures and wood carvings; other prominent public buildings are the theatre, the civil hospital, and the establishments of the Padres Escolapios. There are small schools of navigation and the fine arts. The wine of the neighbourhood, which somewhat resembles port, is shipped in large quantities from Barcelona; and the district furnishes fine roses, strawberries, and similar produce for the Barcelona market. There is a considerable fishery, the products of which are sent inland to Manresa and other places. The leading industries of Matarô are its linen, woollen, and cotton manufactures, especially of canvas and tarpaulin; several hundreds of women are employed in the town and neighbourhood in lace-making; there are also potteries, machine-making, and chemical works, and shipbuilding is carried on to some extent. The railway to Barcelona, opened in October 1848, was the first to be constructed in Spain. Matarô has no artificial harbour, several attempts to make one having failed; the trade is carried on chiefly through Barcelona. The population in 1877 was 17,405. Outside the town is the much-frequented carbonated mineral spring of Argentona.