NANTES, n5.nts (Fr. natit) France, capi tal of the department of Loire-Inferieure, and an important commercial port, on the right bank of the Loire, where its receives both the Erdre and the Sevre, 248 miles by rail west southwest of Paris. The Loire here forms a number of islands, two of which are among the finest quarters of the town, and are con, netted by several bridges. The situation, on an important navigable river, within 40 miles of the ocean, is advantageous for commerce and has been enhanced since 1891 by the con struction of a ship-canal to Saint Nazaire, at the mouth of the Loire, and by considerable expenditure in harbor improvements since 1914, Nantes is so well placed and so regularly, and in some parts so splendidly built, that it justly ranks as one of the finest towns in France. It has a number of elegant squares; and its quays, which line the banks of the rivers, extend nearly five miles. The notable public edifices are the cathedral, in the flamboyant style, dating from the 15th century; the handsome modern church of Saint Nicholas in the Gothic style of the 13th century, with a tower 278 feet high; the celebrated ducal castle, an edifice of the 14th century, partly modernized in the 16th, flanked with massive round towers; the palace of jus tice or law courts, a large and handsome build ing; the Hotel de Ville; the exchange, restored and enlarged in 1891; the museum of natural history; and the new museum (1897) ; the large picture gallery; public library of 102,000 volumes; chapter-house, and Head Dieu or infirmary. Nantes is the see of a bishop; it has courts of first resort and commerce, a chamber of commerce and exchange, a college, diocesan seminary and secondary ecclesiastical school; a secondary school of medicine and a hydrographical school of the first class. The
manufactures consist of blankets, serge, flan nel, printed stuffs, canvas, ships' boilers and machinery, cordage, chemical products, glue, ship biscuits, etc.; there are also cotton mills, sugar refineries, iron works, glass works, bleach fields. Sardines and preserved meats are im portant articles among its industrial products. The ship-building docks are of great extent. Nantes carries on a large foreign trade, ves sels of 1,700 tons being able to reach the town. The trade includes a variety of articles both for the home, the colonial and the foreign markets. Before the conquest of Gaul by the Romans, Nantes was the capital of the Nan netes. In 1445 it valiantly withstood a siege of 60 days by the Huns. During the 9th century it was thrice taken by the Normans and almost entirely ruined. In 1118, when it had again be come prosperous, an accidental fire reduced the greater part of it to ashes. During the English wars in France it suffered much, repeatedly falling into the hands of opposite parties. For a long time it formed one of the most valuable possessions of the dukes of Brittany, but in 1499 the heiress of the dukedom, Anne of Brittany, who was born here, having married Louis XII, it passed with the rest of her pos sessions to the Crown of France. The most memorable event connected with the history of Nantes is the famous edict (see &lc'. or NANTES) issued by Henry IV, 30 April 1598, securing the Protestants in the free exercise of their religion, and making them eligible to all civil and military employments. This edict was revoked by Louis XIV in 1685. The noyades or drownings of the monster Carrier during the Revolution were perpetrated here. (See CARRIER). Pop. about 171,000.