CALAIS, a city, port of entry, and county-seat of Washington county, Me.; on the St. Croix river, opposite St. Ste phen, N. B., and on the St. Croix and Penobscot and the Canadian Pacific rail roads; 120 miles E. of Bangor. It is the extreme N. E. seaport of the United States and is connected by steamship lines with Boston, Portland, and St. John, N. B. It has a large lumber trade and numerous foundries, machine shops, shipyards, and other extensive mechan ical industries; a national bank, several newspapers, high and grammar schools, electric lights, a public library, etc. Pop. (1910) 6,116; (1920) 6,084.
CAT,AIS (16-la'), a fortified seaport town of France, in the department of Pas-de-Calais, on the Strait of, and 25 miles S. E. of Dover, and distant 184 miles by rail from Paris. The Old Town or Calais proper has a citadel, and was formerly surrounded by forti fications; but the modern suburb of St. Pierre les Calais having been amalga mated with Calais proper, both are now surrounded with forts and other works, to which morasses lend additional strength. Extensive harbor improve
ments have been carried out. Calais has considerable exports of grain, wine, and spirits, eggs, fruit and vegetables; but the town derives its principal im portance from its being the chief land ing place for English travelers to the Continent. It has important manufac tures of cotton and silk bobbinet lace. In 1347 Calais was taken by Edward III. of England, after a siege of 11 months. In 1558 it was retaken by the Duke of Guise, being the last relic of the French dominions of the Plantag enets, which at one time comprehended the half of France. In the World War it played an important part as a port of embarkation and disembarkation for the British forces in France and Belgium. It was shelled by German destroyers and bombed by German aeroplanes at numerous occasions, without, however, suffering severe losses, either in life or property. Pop. about 75,000.