towns, _i.e._ Ponta Delgada, the capital
of St Michael's; Angra, or Angra do Heroismo, the capital of Terceira; and
Horta, the capital of Fayal. St Michael's and St Mary are included in the
district of Ponta Delgada; Terceira, St George and Graciosa, in that of
Angra; Pico, Fayal, Flores and Corvo, in that of Horta. Four members are
returned by Ponta Delgada to the parliament in Lisbon, while each of the
other districts returns two members. Roman Catholicism is the creed of the
majority, and Angra is an episcopal see. For purposes of military
administration the islands form two commands, with their respective
headquarters at Angra and Ponta Delgada. Besides the frequent and regular
services of mails which connect the Azores with Portugal and other
countries, there is a cable from Lisbon to Villa Franca do Campo, in St
Michael's, and thence to Pico, Fayal, St George and Graciosa. Fayal is
connected with Waterville, in Ireland, by a cable laid in 1901. At Angra
and Ponta Delgada there are meteorological stations. The principal seaports
are Angra (pop. 1900, 10,788), Ponta Delgada (17,620), and Horta (6574).

_Trade._--The trade of the Azores, long a Portuguese monopoly, is now to a
great extent shared by the United Kingdom and Germany, and is chiefly
carried in British vessels. Textiles are imported from Portugal; coal from
Great Britain; sugar from Germany, Madeira and the United States;
stationery, hardware, chemicals, paints, oils, &c., from the United Kingdom
and Germany. The exports consist chiefly of fruit, wine, natural mineral
waters and provisions. The trade in pineapples is especially important. No
fewer than 940,000 pineapples were exported in 1902 and 1903, going in
almost equal quantities to London and Hamburg. The fruit is raised under
glass. Pottery, cotton fabrics, spirits, straw hats and tea are produced in
the district of Ponta Delgada; linen and woollen goods, cheese, butter,
soap, bricks and tiles, in that of Angra; baskets, mats, and various
ornamental articles made from straw, osier, and the pith of dried fig-wood,
in that of Horta.

The largest and most populous of the Azores is St Michael's, which has an
area of 297 sq. m., and in 1900 had 121,340 inhabitants. Graciosa (pop.
8385; area, 17 sq. m.) and St George (16,177; 40 sq. m.) form part of the
central group. Graciosa is noteworthy for the beauty of its scenery. Its
chief towns are Santa Cruz de Graciosa (2185) and Guadalupe (2717). The
chief to