TOULON, a seaport town of France, and capi tal of the department of the Var. Its form is oval, with its greatest length parallel to the sea, and it stands at the foot of a ridge of mountains. It is defended by ramparts, ditches, bastions, batte ries, and by a fine citadel. The old town is ill built, but has a long street called Rue aux arbrcs. The new town, where the public buildings were erected by Louis XIV. contains several square streets, and the oblong square, called the Champ de Bataille, surrounded with a double row of poplars. The principal public buildings are the Hotel de Ville, the Hotel de l'Intendance, and several churches and hospitals.
As one of the principal stations of the French navy, Toulon has excellent harbours, viz. the new harbour and the merchants' harbour. The former can contain 200 sail of the line. The latter is a commodious though small basin, surrounded by a handsome quay. The entrance froin the roadstead to the harbours is defended by two strong forts.
The arsenal, which stands round the new harbour, is a large building filled with naval stores, every man of war having its own particular storehouse. It contains shops for carpenters, blacksmiths, &c. The rope-house, built entirely of freestone, is 320 feet long, with three arched walks. There are here also docks for ship-building, the dry dock being particularly interesting. The galley slaves, about 5000 in number, are kept at work at Toulon.
The trade of this place is confined to the produc tions of the vicinity, such as wine, oil, silk, and fruit, particularly capres, of which at lest 2000 quintals used to be annually exported. The princi pal manufactures of the place arc voollen goods, soap, glass, hats, and caps. There is here a her ring fishery on a large scale. Population 22,000, exclusive of the galley slaves. For an account of the siege of Toulon in 1793, see BRITAIN, Vol. IV. p. 639. East Lon. 5" 55' 41". North Lat. 43° 7'.