HORTA  , the

capital of an administrative district comprising the islands of Pico, Fayal, Flores and Corvo, in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores . Pop . (1900) 6574 . Horta is a seaport on the south-east coast of Fayal . It is defended by two castles and a wall, but these fortifications are obsolete . The harbour, a bay 2 M. long and nearly r m. broad, affords good anchorage in 5 to 20 fathoms of water, but is dangerous in south-westerly and south-easterly winds . It is the head-quarters of profitable whale, tunny, bonito and mullet fisheries . Its exports include sperm-oil, fruit, wine and grain . Between 1897 and 1904 the port annually accommodated about 140 vessels of 220,000 tons, mostly of British or Portuguese nationality .