RENNES, • city in France, capital of the department of Ille-et Vilaine, stands in 43' 6' 55' N. lat., 1° 40' 17" W. long., 190 miles iu a straight line W. by S. from Paris, on the Ille et-Ranee Canal, at the confluence of the Ills and the Vilaine, 176 feet above the level of the sea, and had 33,066 inhabitants in the commune at the census of 1851. The town occupies the site of tho ancient Condon, the chief city of the Celtic Redooes, whose name it subsequently took, and still bears with slight alteration.
Rennes has an agreeable appearance, especially tho part rebuilt since the fire of 1720, which destroyed the quarter on the right bank of the Vileinc. This part is distinguished by wide, regular, and straight streets, handsome squares, and good buildings. The town is aurroduded by an ancient wall and towers. The upper or new town, and the lower town, which stands on the left bank of the Vilaine, are united by three bridges. The lower town has narrow and crooked street; with houses mostly built of wood, curiously carved and highly picturesque. The suburbs, which are large, resemble the lower town in character. Reims is noted for its fine public walks, the principal of which are—Le-Thabor, formed out of the gardens of the old Benedictine Abbey ; the Mail, which is formed by a long jetty that runs between two canals to the junction of the Ille and the Vilaine, and the Champs-de-3Iars, a space of 125 acres, inclosed by raised and shady walks The most remarkable of the public buildings are—the cathedral, a large heavy gothic structure; the church of St.-Pierre, of which the two towers of the principal front form a conspicuous object in a distant view of the town ; and the churches of Toussaint, and St. Sativeur. The town-house is an elegant modern structure in which are the mayor's offices, a public assembly-room, the publio library, lecture-rooms, and schools of design and architecture. • Among the
other public) structures are the courthouse, which is appropriated to the administration of justice and to the study of the law, and is decorated with paintings; the episcopal palace; the abbey of St Georges, now occupied as a barrack ; the Kergus barracks, and the arsenal.
The manufactures comprehend linen, linen and cotton yarn, sail cloth, flannels, hosie7, lace, cordage, nets, hats, gloves, starch, glue, earthenware, porcelain, candles, and liqueurs. There are tan-yards and waxileaching-works. A pretty considerable trade is carried on in these articles, and in the honey, wax, poultry, and butter of the surrounding district. The Vilaine is navigated by barges up to the town. fIttz.zr-Vrtatee.] The Ille-et-Rance Canal communicates with St-Malo. A railway in course of construction from Paris to Brost, and already completed as far as Le-Mans, passes through Rennee, from which city there will be branches to St-31210 and Itedon.
Rennes gives title to a bishop. It is the seat of a High Court, which has jurisdiction over the departments of Ille-et-Vilsine, Cotes du-Nord, Finlethre, Morbihan, and Loire-hafdrieure ; and of a University-Academy whose limits extend over the departments just named, and those of Maine-et-Loire and Mayenne. Rennes is the head-quarters of the I6th Military Division. The other institutions of the town comprise tribunals of first instance and of commerce, a college, a school of law, a secondary school of medicine, an eccle siastical college, a museum, four hospitals, a botanic; garden, public lath% a putt& library of above 30,000 volumes and some valuable Inaanseseipts; a 011INUISI with collections of paintings, naturist history, amiqustles. 0.0- aeasel wises, and a theatre.