MONTPELLIER (Lat. Mons pessulanus or pueltarum), a city of France, in the depart ment of Heranit, in 43° 36' a. lat., and 3' 50' e. long. Pop. '76, of the town alone, 51,838. Seen from a distance, Montpellier has an imposing appearance, from the num ber of its towers, steeples, and cupolas; but although its suburbs are clean and well built, the interior of the old town disappoints expectation, being chiefly remarkable for its crooked, dark, narrow, and dirty streets. The public walks, known as those of the Peyron. and some of the other more elevated points, afford glorious views, embracing the Mediterranean, the Alps, the Cevennes, and the Pyrenees. The ni,,St noteworthy buildings are the cathedral, the theatenthe exchange, the hall of justice, the prefecture, the observatory, and the university. The lest, which was founded in 1196, is composed of three facultms—that of medicine, founded in the 12th c. by Arabian physicians, and still ranking among the best in Europe—that of the exact, and that of the physical sciences. :Montpellier has a botanical garden, the oldest in Europe; a public library of 50,000 volumes, and a pharmaceutical school; admirable museums, natural history and fine art collections, etc. The industrial products of Montpellier are pigments and other
chemical preparations, brandy, liqueurs, perfumes, soap, corks, sugar, cotton, woolen, and fine leather goods; and the trade, whin is very important, includes, besides these articles, wine, seeds. olive-oil, and fruits. Railways to Marseilles, Cette, and other ports, besides various canals, facilitate commercial and social intercourse, and few cities of the empire hold out greater attractions in regard to intellectual culture than Montpellier. Its geographical position has led to its being selected as a place of residence for con sumptive patients; but the extreme clearness and even sharpness of the air in the more elevated parts of the town, the occasional occurrence of the•icy wind known as thq nuidral, and the sudden accession of overpowering heats, would seem very materially to counteract some of its long reputed advantages.